First Outlook

First Outlook
File:FirstOutlook 278.jpg
Presented by	Maria LaRosa Alex Wallace
Country of origin	United States
Production
Production location	Atlanta
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	120 minutes
Original release
Network	The Weather Channel
Release	March 20, 2000 (2000-03-20) – present

First Outlook is a morning weather program produced by The Weather Channel, an American television channel. The program regularly airs Monday through Friday from 4-6 a.m. Eastern time, though in the event of an ongoing significant weather event (e.g., a severe weather outbreak, a winter storm or a hurricane threatening the United States), the program's timeslot may be shifted one hour earlier should First Outlook's lead-out Wake Up with Al be expanded to a special two-hour edition. First Outlook was also the first program on The Weather Channel to have its own individual studio. In 2006, Abrams & Bettes Beyond the Forecast also got its own studio.

Program history

First Outlook and Your Weather Today premiered in 2000, taking significant portions of time out of Weather Center AM, which soon disappeared. At launch, the original pair of meteorologists for First Outlook was Rick Griffin and Cheryl Lemke, along with Travel Analyst Dennis Smith. They were replaced by Nick Walker and Kim Perez, and Jennifer Carfagno became the Travel Analyst shortly thereafter.

In May 2008, meteorologist Jeff Morrow joined the show, and Jennifer Carfagno became his new co-host after Kim Perez moved to Day Planner and Weekend Now in June of that year. At this point, the Travel Analyst position was eliminated, and Carfagno simply hosted the Travel segments from this point forward. The focus of First Outlook is on straightforward forecasts for business travelers and commuters. It includes several unique segments not found elsewhere on the network including the "Business Travel Desk", which regularly featured daily phone calls to the Federal Aviation Administration at 6:40 a.m. Eastern Time, and, on Tuesdays and Thursdays "The Business Barometer" which focuses on the impact weather has on the business world. These segments were replaced by Wake Up with Al on Monday, July 20, 2009, when First Outlook was trimmed to two hours.

On September 14, 2009, Scott Williams, who had filled in for Carfagno during her maternity leave that summer, became her permanent co-host while Jeff Morrow moved to Weekend View. The show is accredited to being one of the few that follow a specific format, and also still show mostly weather-related segments and forecasts.

In July 2012 Alex Wallace began hosting from 4:00am–5:30am with Maria LaRosa handling the 5:30am–6:00am block.

Schedule and hosts

Monday-Friday

• 4:00am–5:30am with Alex Wallace
  
• 5:30am–6:00am with Maria LaRosa

Former hosts

• Jen Carfagno (departed from First Outlook in November 2010 to anchor Weekend View)
• Kim Cunningham (Perez) (departed from First Outlook in May 2008; went to Day Planner and Weekend Now; now anchors Weather Center)
• Eric Fisher (departed from First Outlook in July 2012 to anchor Weekend View)
• Rick Griffin (departed from First Outlook for "Evening Edition" and left The Weather Channel in September 2003)
• Cheryl Lemke (departed from First Outlook at unknown date and was laid off from The Weather Channel in November 2008)
• Jeff Morrow (departed from First Outlook in September 2009 for Weekend View and left The Weather Channel in October 2012)
• Nick Walker (departed from First Outlook in May 2008; now anchors Day Planner)
• Scott Williams (departed the show and soon departed from The Weather Channel in May 2012, now on WTXF-TV)