It's probably a London thing where the weather presenters on BBC London and ITV London are so non-descript and change every 5 mins that you wouldn't care less who's doing it as long as there's a forecast.
That may be down to London's previous history of the lack of regional news and weather bulletins (weather was a continuity announcer) until the late 70s/early 80s when Francis Wilson was the first weather presenter I remember on Thames News. I don't even remember who did it when London Tonight was at it's full LNN pomp. But I realise how popular they are outside the capital, especially in northern England.
Certainly post Cockroft, the BBC weather presenters interchange like chameleons and most weekdays have reverted back to using national forecasters just like on Newsroom South East. There isn't that relationship between the viewer and a regional forecaster on BBC London as they simply no longer have a regular 5 days per week forecaster. Wendy Hurrell I understand is on maternity leave, but even when she was on-air, it was one to two days per week on the main bulletin.
While it's fair that Stew does his fair share of forecasts on ITV, it's a sideline to his proper job which is as Environment Correspondent. ITV London also use support from the national team at Millbank or from other regions.
Just watched his forecast in the middle of This Morning. He started by saying a 'Big Hearty ITV Weather welcome' and said 'I'm going to show you this chart' about 3-4 times, as if he was a professor hosting Open University.
Oh why oh why couldn't Charlie Neil or Emma apply for Lucy's job?
Late bulletins tonight leading on this evening's flash flooding, big difference in the quality of the news though.
Midlands Today: Reporter live at Lye station, went through a list of places that had been flooded and train services affected, right across the region from Staffordshire to Coventry, with pictures/video from social media of most of these locations.
Central News: Presenter in studio talked over some pictures recorded earlier in south Birmingham, and signposted viewers to the website.
Late bulletins tonight leading on this evening's flash flooding, big difference in the quality of the news though.
Midlands Today: Reporter live at Lye station, went through a list of places that had been flooded and train services affected, right across the region from Staffordshire to Coventry, with pictures/video from social media of most of these locations.
Central News: Presenter in studio talked over some pictures recorded earlier in south Birmingham, and signposted viewers to the website.
That may be down to London's previous history of the lack of regional news and weather bulletins (weather was a continuity announcer) until the late 70s/early 80s when Francis Wilson was the first weather presenter.
It is correct that Rediffusion did not carry local news but they most certainly did have local weather forecasts, presented mainly in-vision by Laurie West throughout their existence from launch in 1955 to replacement by Thames in 1968. Indeed an off-camera weather forecast by Laurie was the last item on Rediffusion's closure night apart from Redvers Kyle making the final announcement. Apart from documentaries and the odd discussion programme Laurie and the announcers were Redifussion's local 'face'.
Thames carried local news from their launch of course, initially with their flagship 'Today' programme.