Eric Fisher, B.S.’06

“Weather Geek”

By Carol Olechowski

Eric Fisher, chief meteorologist at WBZ-TV, the CBS affiliate in Boston, had a unique childhood, to say the least. “I was that kid sitting out on the porch with Mom yelling at me to get inside during thunderstorms. I would watch endless hours of The Weather Channel, get pumped up for big snowstorms, and even had a backyard weather station where I kept observations in a notebook. So you could say the path was laid out. I knew I wanted to work in weather,” recalls Fisher, 30.

As a high-school student in South Windsor, Conn., he “took all the science classes possible.” When it was time for college, “I looked solely at schools with meteorology programs, and the University at Albany seemed the best fit.”

UAlbany’s atmospheric-science program, Fisher points out, “is for those who are really into the weather – true ‘weather geeks,’ as many of us proudly call ourselves! It’s not just a program to breeze through and get on TV, and for that I’m grateful. Professors [Lance] Bosart, [Mike] Landin and [Chris] Thorncroft, to name a few, were all excellent, laying down the fundamentals of what we’d expect out in the job market. And even though there was not a broadcasting program in place, everyone in the department made us comfortable in our love for the weather so we could fully embrace and enjoy our work – the key to success in any job.”

Fisher returned to his native Massachusetts after graduation to work at WGGB in Springfield. Four years later, “my strong background in meteorology helped to get me a job at The Weather Channel, which is pretty much the mother ship for hard-core weather fans.” 

WBZ has been home base for Fisher since 2013.