Herb Clarke

Who is Herb Clarke?

Herbert Spencer Clarke was an American weatherman and television journalist. Clarke spent thirty-nine years, from 1958 to 1997, as a reporter for WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. Under Clarke, WCAU became the first local television station in the Philadelphia media market to use radar in its weather coverage, beginning in 1982.

Clarke was born in 1927 and was a native of Eden, North Carolina. He received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University. Clarke also served in the United States Navy. He began working in broadcasting in 1948 in Eden, North Carolina. Clarke then worked as a radio and television reporter at WRVA-TV in Richmond, Virginia before joining WCAU-TV in 1958.

Clarke joined the staff of WCAU on November 24, 1958, as an on-air weatherman and reporter, using the nickname "Atlantic Weatherman." Though most known for weather reports, Clarke also co-hosted Philadelphia regional coverage of events, such as the Mummers Parade, and previously anchored WCAU's Sunday night news. He was also assigned the station's science and health stories as well. WCAU remained a CBS affiliate until 1995, when it switched affiliations to NBC.