What’s in an F-Bomb?

I was going to try and let some more time pass before I addressed this issue of my unfortunate open microphone during a Today Show local weather update. Truth is, I was very close to letting it just pass into the ether of the internet. However, through this blog and other Instagram and Facebook posts, I continue to see the incident coming up as a possible cause for my demise from WNBC in the eyes of some viewers posts.

I’m not going to belabor the point, but I am at the stage in my life where the truth is still something I prefer, even if it hurts. I have my flaws and have made mistakes and I will continue to do my best in dealing with them, some privately, some publicly. Being authentic and taking accountability are things that resonate more with me the more I live life.

If you were to do a Google search of Chris Cimino, especially a month or two ago, the first few items that would come up would be various websites articles on “ WNBC weatherman drops F-bomb!”

Here are just a few……..

I’ve covered Superstorm Sandy…..Hurricane Katrina on the Today Show and many other big weather stories. Apparently the way to get attention is to say something accidently inappropriate.

Two points I want to make before I get into the details of what happened. First and foremost, I want to apologize to any and all that were offended by what they heard. It was never intended for the public to hear. It was meant to stay between just me and the person I was speaking. I will get into the details of the conversation in which the offensive word was heard and try to put it into the context of the conversation momentarily.

Secondly, no matter the circumstances that led to this incident, I am ultimately responsible for what happened. When you wear a microphone, you must assume it can potentially be a hot mic for anyone to hear you at any time.

So to set up the logistics, during the Today Show when Al Roker or whoever is working that day finishes delivering the national weather forecast, they then go to the local weather person for a hard timed 28 seconds of that TV markets weather forecast. In other words, when Al says “here’s what’s happening in your neck of the woods…..” here in New York it was me. If you were watching in LA it was their weather person, or Miami, or Chicago.

Typically for a very long time, the format was that the Today Show would do news headlines, then Al’s weather, then throw to local at the top and bottom of each hour. Over the years, with some format changes, that consistent pattern started to become inconsistent.

Now, it’s not unusual for Al to come on with the big weather story at the top of the hour, but instead of going to local weather he goes back to the Today Show. He then comes back a few minutes later and hands off to the local weather. During the 8AM hour this happens often. On a rare occasion, Al would toss to local with that first weather hit of his, but most of the time it wasn’t until his second appearance in that half hour that I would then give my local forecast. This led me and all local weather people waiting from around 8AM until sometimes as late as 8:20. We were on standby wondering when they were going to go to local weather.

So on the morning of April 11th at about 8:01AM Al comes on talking about a big storm, I believe in the far west. I run into the studio in my standby position just in case he tosses to local, standing in front of the camera as a precaution, but we all figure it’s the usual and he doesn’t come to local. I go back into the weather center at that point, which is in the backside of the studio in a separate room where you really are no longer in the studio visually.

At this time I was attempting to download some pictures off of my computer at work and put them on my personal devices. I lost the pictures almost three years earlier when I jumped into a pool with my phone in a side pocket of my swimsuit. A friendly note, always back up on the icloud. Back then, when I charged my phone using the PC at work, the pictures automatically downloaded. The reason theses pictures were so important is that many had various family events and vacation photos from the last couple of years that my wife Nancy was still with us. It was important to me I keep these personal pictures for myself and kids and get them off the work computer.

As I was looking at them I started to reminisce and get emotional. At some point, I began a conversation with a friend and co-worker sitting in the office with me about how strange it is when suddenly someone is taken from your life and then how as time moves on your perspective changes in order for you to survive. In order for you to move on.

In the meantime I had removed my ear piece, known as an IFB, from my ear due to some harsh testing tones blaring through just a few minutes earlier. Being distracted in a deep discussion I never put the ear piece back in. I lost sense of time and in my head already thought I did the Today Show local weather hit.

While I was expressing to my friend that I had to let the Chris that was with Nancy die with her, “he needed to pass too. It’s fu@king weird but it’s the only way I’ve been able to move on….”. As bad luck would have it, it was at that point, unbeknownst to me, Al tossed to the local weather. Through a series of possible levels of protection to prevent that from happening all collectively falling through, my microphone opened up at that point in my private conversation. So everyone at home watching and listening became privy to what I thought was a very private and personal moment.

Certainly there were things that could have been done to prevent that from happening. But as I said earlier, the blame originates and ends with me. I lost sense of time and where I was, while wearing a microphone. Case closed. In nearly 24 years it was only the 2nd cut-in I ever missed, but was left exposed and it bit me you know where.

For those who heard it, while again there is no place for that word in regular broadcast TV, I apologize. But calling it an F-Bomb???!!! That seems a little extreme. It was said off camera. Directed at no one. Used as an adjective not a verb. Spoken in a low conversational tone. Shall I continue. In the history of F-Bombs on live TV or Radio mine was pretty lame.

That being said, management immediately came down to tell me what had happened, as I had no idea. I apologized, but really was in a very strange emotional state, it all seemed very surreal. I remained at work wondering if HR would get involved or if the phones were ringing in the newsroom with irate viewers. Neither seemed to happen and I went home tail between my legs.

I was later told not to apologize publicly and just let it blow over. Well that wasn’t so easy. I woke up from my usual midday nap to a flurry of text messages from friends and family asking me if I was OK. My girlfriend told me to go look online. It was blowing up. I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It must have been a very slow news day. Some of the responses from viewers were funny but most were forgiving and I really appreciated that in helping put it all in perspective.

So moving forward to less than a month later, I was called into the office to be told my contract was not going to be renewed. I wasn’t sure if the so called F-Bomb was the reason or just helped them make the decision. When I asked, I was told that the unfortunate incident had nothing to do with my being shown the door. I will never definitely know, but let me just say I knew the writing was on the wall long before that point.

I hope to put this to bed finally. I did not retire. I did not get fired or suspended for the F-bomb incident. To be honest it was more like an F-Lob, but the world kept spinning and I’m still here. However, my view of things is much different today. Upward and onward to another day. I can only hope that soon a search of my name on Google is about something positive I have done. I’m already on the job.

Once again….if you got this far…..sunshine always!!!