While he was a student at Southmoreland High School, Josh Fosbrink would appear on every television screen in the school giving his morning weather report.
Now, almost 20 years later, he appears on television screens across the western Pennsylvania region and he's still giving weather reports.
Fosbrink, 37, joined WJAC-TV of Johnstown in 2011 as the weekend meteorologist, but little did he know that his adult career would start his freshman year of high school.
“It started at a young age,” said Fosbrink, 1996 graduate of Southmoreland High School. “I used to like to think I was Joe DeNardo, a meteorologist in Pittsburgh.”
The now retired news program at Southmoreland consisted of a group of students producing three different broadcast segments for their peers: the local broadcast, school news, and weather.
While some students found Fosbrink's passion a bit odd, he still continued despite that.
“There were a lot of kids who did tease him for doing that,” said former classmate Bobbie Jo Fissella. “However, he was one of the ones who probably did something that he really liked. He went off to school to do it and achieved his goal, and now when you look back, a lot of people probably envy him.”
Fosbrink was even able to set up an orientation where DeNardo came to Southmoreland to teach students about the weather. Fosbrink shares this love of sharing his passion with others.
“One of the (most fun) things is going out to schools and communities to get others excited about the world of weather that's around us every single day,” Fosbrink said.
With much help along the way, Fosbrink is grateful for Southmoreland yearbook adviser Paul Brittain, who gave him “valuable experience” by giving him the opportunity to broadcast high school basketball games.
“I felt he had a great potential and believed in himself. He was very reliable, and I could tell from his work ethic that he really wanted to succeed,” Brittain said. “I felt he would succeed, but his career actually took off even faster than I had envisioned, and that's because of his drive to succeed.”
Fosbrink has had many experiences casting all different types of weather. After earning his degree in Earth Science and Broadcast Meteorology from California University of Pennsylvania, Fosbrink's first place of employment was in Kearney, Neb., at NTV, which is located, as Fosbrink joked, “in the middle of a corn field.”
Two years later, he moved to West Virginia to work with WBOY. But now he is glad to be back in western Pennsylvania, working in Johnstown.
“He's fun to work with. He's very laid back and just has a fun sense of humor,” said WJAC Chief Meteorologist Jim Burton. “He makes a fine employee, and he knows his stuff.”
In the spring, Fosbrink even does a segment titled “Josh'n Around” where he goes into the community and does someone's odd job.
“He'll do anything from milking cows to making ice cream,” Burton said.
Fosbrink now resides in Westmont with his wife, Christina, and children, Bella and Christopher. He is happy with his decision to be back near his hometown, where he can raise his family. He said he plans to continue his career in Johnstown.
Bailey Geehring is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.
