Tammie Souza
Encyclopedia
Tammara J. "Tammie" Souza is a multiple Chicago/Midwest Emmy winning meteorologist
, working at WFLD
in Chicago
, Illinois
.
and raised in San Diego, California
. She received a Bachelor of Science
in Biology from San Diego State University
, and received a degree from Mississippi State University
's broadcast meteorology program. She earned a pilot's license while in college.
in Chico, California
. She then became chief meteorologist at WDJT in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. Souza later moved to Chicago, where she worked six years at WMAQ
, and two years at WTSP
in Tampa, Florida
. While at WMAQ, she was known for recruiting viewers to provide temperature and rainfall as "weather watchers", and for visiting of gradeschools with an interactive and educational weather presentation called Weather With Class.
After the death of Dick Fletcher
, WTSP's longtime chief meteorologist, Souza was hired to be the station's chief meteorologist.
Souza's sister, Patty, was a meteorologist for WTSP's sister station KXTV
. At one point, Tammie and Patty Souza were the only siblings in the United States who delivered weather on television.
Souza is one of a handful of women nationwide that holds both the prestigious AMS/CBM Seal and the NWA Seal and sits on the boards of both the American Meteorological Society
and the National Weather Association
.
, Souza has 15 Emmy Nominations and five Emmy Award
s, including Best Weathercast, Best Weather and Science Report and for special Live Reporting, as well as a 1st Place award from the Associated Press
for a report on Shipwreck
Diving
in Lake Michigan
. The National Association of Black Journalists
recognized her with a nomination for her story about fugitive slave ships on Lake Michigan.
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, working at WFLD
WFLD
WFLD, virtual channel 32 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station, based in Chicago, Illinois; through its parent company News Corporation, the station is owned in a duopoly with area MyNetworkTV affiliate WPWR-TV...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Personal life
Souza was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and raised in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. She received a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Biology from San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, and received a degree from Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
's broadcast meteorology program. She earned a pilot's license while in college.
Broadcast career
Souza began her career as the morning and noon meteorologist at KHSLKHSL
KHSL may refer to:* KHSL-FM, a radio station licensed to Paradise, California, United States* KHSL-TV, a television station licensed to Chico, California, United States...
in Chico, California
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
. She then became chief meteorologist at WDJT in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. Souza later moved to Chicago, where she worked six years at WMAQ
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
, and two years at WTSP
WTSP
WTSP is a CBS-affiliated television station in St. Petersburg, Florida . It broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 10....
in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. While at WMAQ, she was known for recruiting viewers to provide temperature and rainfall as "weather watchers", and for visiting of gradeschools with an interactive and educational weather presentation called Weather With Class.
After the death of Dick Fletcher
Dick Fletcher
Richard R. "Dick" Fletcher was a broadcast meteorologist. He was Chief Meteorologist for WTSP channel 10 in St. Petersburg, Florida, for 28 years at the time of his death on February 26, 2008...
, WTSP's longtime chief meteorologist, Souza was hired to be the station's chief meteorologist.
Souza's sister, Patty, was a meteorologist for WTSP's sister station KXTV
KXTV
KXTV, channel 10, is an ABC affiliate television station in Sacramento, California. It is owned and operated by the Gannett Company. Its transmitter tower is located in Walnut Grove, California, and studios are located on Broadway, just south of Business Loop 80 at the south edge of downtown...
. At one point, Tammie and Patty Souza were the only siblings in the United States who delivered weather on television.
Souza is one of a handful of women nationwide that holds both the prestigious AMS/CBM Seal and the NWA Seal and sits on the boards of both the American Meteorological Society
American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
and the National Weather Association
National Weather Association
The National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
.
Awards and nominations
Presented to her by the National Academy of Television Arts and SciencesNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences or NATAS was created in 1955 to advance the arts and sciences of television. Headquartered in New York, NATAS's membership is national and the organization has local chapters around the country....
, Souza has 15 Emmy Nominations and five Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s, including Best Weathercast, Best Weather and Science Report and for special Live Reporting, as well as a 1st Place award from the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
for a report on Shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
Diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
in Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. The National Association of Black Journalists
National Association of Black Journalists
The National Association of Black Journalists is an organization of African American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C...
recognized her with a nomination for her story about fugitive slave ships on Lake Michigan.
Acting career
Prior to her career in broadcast meteorology, Souza had several small acting roles.Filmography
- EllenEllen (TV series)Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas...
(1994) (TV) - Double Deception (1993) (TV)
- Hellroller (1992) (V)
- Invasion of the Scream QueensInvasion of the Scream QueensInvasion of the Scream Queens is a 1992 documentary film by American filmmaker Donald Farmer. The film interviews the women who have made a career out of starring in the B horror and science fiction genres are interviewed, and clips and trailers from their films are shown...
(1992) - Freddy's NightmaresFreddy's NightmaresFreddy's Nightmares is an American horror anthology series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990. A spin-off from the Nightmare on Elm Street series, each story was introduced by Freddy Krueger...
(1988) (TV) - Assault of the Killer Bimbos (1988)