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Christian meteorologist
has his eyes on the storm

The large newsroom was quiet.

Reporters quietly filed in and set their belongings on their desks, ready to start Sunday's work. Soon they would gather and report the news to the people of the Northwest.

Weekend weather anchor Bruce Sussman arrived at 2:45 p.m. and asked the reporters at the news desk what the weather was like. At Portland's Northwest Newschannel 8, the temperature was 41 degrees with a light wind from the south. Rain was coming from Salem and would arrive in Portland soon.

Mr. Sussman received a call from Milwaukee, Ore. A woman told him that Milwaukee had freezing rain. After asking for and receiving a description of the rain, Mr. Sussman assured the caller that what Milwaukee was getting was sleet. He thanked the woman for her concern.

Mr. Sussman said that viewers often call him and the other weather anchors to inform them of the strange weather conditions around them. He said that most of the time callers misidentify their weather phenomena, but he still enjoys hearing from them.

Mr. Sussman is one of the many Christians in Portland's television media community. Mr. Sussman said that being a Christian in a newsroom is a challenge.

Only 8 percent of journalists attend church regularly. Most newsrooms, Mr. Sussman said, tend to be extremely liberal.

"Sometimes I have to keep my mouth shut when I disagree with things," Mr. Sussman said. "I make comments that make it clear how I feel about a situation. But just like nobody pushes their views on me, I don't push my views on them."

Mr. Sussman said that coworkers watch Christians in every secular work place.

"Once you get labeled a Christian, people watch [you]," he said. "That means you need to have a positive attitude, work as hard as anyone else and take time to help your coworkers if you can. Humble yourself and apologize for mistakes you might make or times you might get upset.

"If people who know you're a Christian see you acting as selfish as everyone else in the office, what difference does being a Christian make?"

Mr. Sussman said a few other Christians are at Newschannel 8.

Bill Thun, a Christian working at the news station, said that although he doesn't know of many Christians in the news room, he does know of some Christians in the photography, maintenance, and operations engineering division of the station.

"I have to say I'm amazed with Portland," Mr. Sussman said. "Because it's such a liberal area, [I'm amazed] at how many Christians there are overall in the media. It's a real blessing to share and talk with them."

Mr. Sussman, who majored in journalism while attending the University of Missouri, worked as a news reporter in Yakima and Spokane, Wash., before branching into meteorology.

"Meteorology was a fluke," Mr. Sussman said. "My bosses in Spokane needed somebody to do the weekend weather. I said, 'I don't want to do [meteorology]; I think this is dumb, but I'll give it a shot anyway. What do I have to lose?' I ended up going back to meteorology school, and I love doing the weather now."

Mr. Thun, an operations engineer at Newschannel 8, has worked for the station for almost 21 years. He said that Mr. Sussman is a "true meteorologist who really knows what he's talking about. Some weathermen are not meteorologists," Mr. Thun said. "But [Mr. Sussman] is a true meteorologist."

Mr. Sussman came to Portland through an act of God, he said.

"I was praying, 'Lord, help me find a job. I think it's time for me to move on,'" Mr. Sussman said.

He sent videotapes to different stations but got "zero interviews and zero job offers.

"I was on a run one day and stopped at a park [in Spokane]," he said. "I sat down at the edge of a pond, prayed and said, 'Lord, you know what? I'm done. I quit. I'm not looking for a job. If you want me to leave Spokane, then you're going to have to do it for me.'

"Three days later, the news director from Portland called. I came down for an interview and got the job," he said.

In addition to being the weekend weather anchor, Mr. Sussman also works as a reporter at Newschannel 8 Monday through Wednesday. He wants to do the weather five days a week, but "because of our ratings, the managers would be crazy to change. So I'm stuck on the weekends right now. But that's OK because my wife and I are able to have the same days off during the week," he said.

Mr. Thun, who works the graveyard shift, sees Mr. Sussman when he subs for Dave Selesky, the regular "Newschannel 8 at Sunrise" weather anchor.

Mr. Thun said that when Mr. Sussman subs for Mr. Selesky, the two talk and visit all the time.

"He is a good guy--a good Christian. I enjoy working with him," Mr. Thun said.