ABCNEWS' Tony Perkins
— -- Tony Perkins has been the Good Morning America weather forecaster since March 1999, bringing his warmth, intelligence and good humor to the GMA family. Perkins' national weather forecasts air every half-hour during the broadcast.
Although most mornings, Perkins' forecasts originate from Good Morning America's dynamic Times Square Studios, Perkins is unique among morning TV weathercasters in that he often reports from the scene of some of Mother Nature's worst weather disasters. In his years with the show, Perkins has filed authoritative and often moving reports from the scene of the Oklahoma City F-5 tornado, the Florida wildfires, drought-stricken southern Georgia and countless hurricanes and natural disasters.
In addition, Perkins has broadcast from cities across America, spotlighting people, places and events such as the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, "Hot August Nights" in Reno (one of the largest outdoor events in the nation), Sacramento's "Railfare '99", Chicago's exhibition of "Cow Art," the cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C., and the arrival of the tall ships in New York Harbor.
When he's at home in the studio, Perkins interacts with the people who travel from all over the country to come watch Good Morning America in person. Perkins has great fun with these folks, giving as many people as possible a shot at their "15 seconds of fame."
When he's really at home, Perkins is probably listening to music — most likely the Motown sound, '70s R&B, or the Beatles. He is an avid music fan and an expert on pop music. Perkins has brought that knowledge and interest to Good Morning America, where he has interviewed and done feature stories on Ringo Starr (a "dream come true!"), Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Stevie Wonder, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Anastacia, and many others. He has also covered the MTV Music Awards, the Grammys, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction dinners.
In February 2000, GMA introduced Perkins' signature "Job Swap" series, in which regular viewers get the chance to "swap jobs" with Perkins for a day, actually delivering the weather on the show, while Perkins is back in their hometown, doing their job. So far Perkins has demonstrated and sold makeup for Mary Kay Cosmetics, cooked and packaged lollipops for the Dum Dum Candy Company, conquered his fear of heights by working as a steeplejack; and sung lead for the hit '60s group, the Buckinghams, performing their hit, "Kind of a Drag," for hundreds of fans in Chicago.
Tony Perkins came to ABC from WTTG-TV, the Fox-owned station in Washington, D.C. There, he served as co-anchor of "Fox Morning News" for about one year, after having served as the show's weather personality from 1993 to 1997. His warm and often humorous presentation made him one of the most popular TV personalities in the nation's capital.
Perkins has nearly 20 years of experience in radio and television broadcasting. From 1986 to 1988, he hosted and produced "DC20 Breakaway" for WDCA-TV in Washington. His efforts there earned him an Emmy Award in 1988. From 1985 to 1992, he produced and was an on-air contributor to "The Donnie Simpson Show" on WKYS-FM radio, for many years the top-rated radio show in Washington. Perkins actually began his TV career at ABC News, working as a desk assistant at the network's Washington bureau "in the early '80s."
Tony Perkins, a native New Yorker, lived in the Washington area from the age of 5, until he moved back to New York to work on Good Morning America. Perkins holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from American University.