Yellowhammer News CEO Cliff Sims sat down with legendary meteorologist James Spann in the ABC 33/40 studio recently to record an episode of The Exchange, Yellowhammer’s weekly interview with an Alabama politician, business leader or otherwise notable Alabamian.
The interview will be rolled out in pieces throughout this week. In Part 1, Spann talks about why he feels so close to the people of Alabama, and how social media has drastically changed his job.
Other episodes of The Exchange that you might enjoy:
- Rick & Bubba on faith, tragedy, politics and the legacy they want to leave
- THE EXCHANGE: Jimmy ‘Yella Fella’ Rane on making Alabama as great as it can be
- Sen. Richard Shelby enters The Exchange
- For more episodes, check out Yellowhammer TV
Sims kicked off the interview by referring to Spann as a “living legend,” which the weatherman laughingly said just means that he’s old.
From there, Sims jumped straight into the questions, asking Spann what he believes has allowed him to develop such a deep relationship with people all over the state.
“I think it’s just time. I think if you spend time with somebody — and I’m talking decades — you just become family. And to me, this city and this state is my extended family,” Spann said. “I came here in the late 1970s, that’s how long I’ve been here. And we’ve been through a lot together. If you think of all the weather events, this state has some of the most remarkable weather in the world, some of the most diverse weather on the planet. We’ve been through snow storms, we have been through hurricanes, we have been through tornadoes, we have been through floods, we have been through heat waves, we’ve been through droughts — together. And I just think it bonds us together.”
Watch Part 1 of Spann in The Exchange above, and check back throughout the week for more.
