Acceptance Video

The information below is the actual nomination language used by the person who submitted the nomination. All submissions had to answer three questions: one about the nominee's career, one about their contribution to the communist they served, and finally, about their contribution to the broadcasting industry in Arkansas.

Career and accomplishments as an Arkansas Broadcaster

Ed Buckner had an outstanding career as Chief Meteorologist at THV11 for 24 years starting in 1996. During his time as chief, he anchored weekday evening newscasts at 5:00, 6:00, 6:30 and 10:00 until taking a leave of absence in 2020 due to health complications that later became indefinite. Ed has been awarded seals of approval from both the National Weather Association (NWA) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS). He also became the first local meteorologist in Arkansas to use live radar technology to track a tornado live on television on March 1, 1997 and saved numerous lives during that event and countless others.

Contributions to their community during their time as an Arkansas Broadcaster

Ed served the community in several ways during his time as Chief Meteorologist. He toured schools across Arkansas with his “Weather EDucation” program and wrote and produced “Weather Songs for Kids,” a CD of original educational music about weather phenomena. He also taught kids how to do the weather live on air through THV’s kid casters segment. In 2007, Ed publicly shared his personal story about living with Tourette Syndrome and visited schools statewide to teach acceptance and understanding of the disorder. He also volunteered extensively for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, supported the American Heart Association, and worked with various civic groups throughout Arkansas like March of Dimes, Special Olympics, the United Way and Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Contributions to our industry

After successfully using live radar technology to track tornadoes in the 90s, Ed presented his experiences at various conferences and seminars throughout the United States. He adapted to the changes of the industry over the years by starting a strong presence on social media to keep Arkansans informed about the weather. Throughout his career he has served as a mentor for several aspiring meteorologists who later became certified and still work in the industry today. Although he’s been off tv for five years now, Arkansans continuously tell the THV11 team about the big impact he made during his 24 years as Chief Meteorologist.