Blown Away By Lubbock’s Youngest Weatherman

Cutter Martin in the First Alert Forecast center at KCBD News Channel 11.

Cutter Martin in the First Alert Forecast center at KCBD News Channel 11.

Cutter Martin has a very bright future on his horizon.

“I was kind of born a grandpa,” Martin said with a laugh. “And so, when I have the opportunity to do what I love, it’s like baby sacrifices to be able to do it.”

Martin is the “Daybreak Weekend” weather forecaster and co-anchor at local NBC affiliate, KCBD News Channel 11. He is also a junior electronic media and communication major at Texas Tech.

Originally from Houston, Martin has been chasing storms his whole life. Although he grew up watching hurricanes, he said Lubbock weather can be exciting as well.

“We’re all adrenaline junkies a little bit.”

“I would say my most memorable experience was back in June of 2013, like June 5,” Martin said. “We had a really bad wind event. Like a widespread severe weather event, all across the viewing area. And that started, we went into streaming coverage, like nonstop, probably from 9:30 at night until 1 or 2 o’ clock the following morning. And that was cool, not only because we’re all adrenaline junkies a little bit. We want people to remain safe, that’s why we’re here.”

Martin came to Tech originally as an atmospheric science major in 2011. He said the program seemed more like graduate school than just undergraduate, but kept atmospheric science as a minor. Once he moved over to the College of Media and Communication, Martin got a head start on his career.

KTXT 88.1 The Raider FM had not had a weather forecast since the station was rebooted in 2012. Martin proposed the idea of starting a daily forecast on the radio station in the fall of 2012, saying the station welcomed the idea. He said this helped him become more comfortable with talking on air.

The First Alert Forecast Center is filled with state of the art technology.

The First Alert Forecast Center is filled with new technology.

Martin next began an internship at KCBD that he heard about through a friend in the Texas Tech Student American Meteorological Society. He excelled in his internship, and was soon offered his current position as weekend morning weatherman. Martin said his desire to succeed helped him to get where he is today.

“They needed someone, I’m cheap college labor,” Martin joked. “I guess I showed drive. Anyone who’s doing something like this, I would just, give it your all. Literally, just do whatever you have to to show that you are willing to do things not only for yourself but for the team.”

“They needed someone, I’m cheap college labor.”

Working a full time job while being a full time student is not a walk in the park, Martin said. He described a typical Wednesday, which he said is his busiest day of the week. Martin said if West Texas is expecting severe weather, he won’t sleep much the night before out of excitement. He begins the day with class from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m., goes to the news station for a few hours, goes back to class, and then back to the studio by 3 p.m., which is when Martin said most weather events begin. That is just on one day of the week. On weekends, Martin wakes up before 4 a.m. to get to his morning show on time.

Martin said he tries to not make a big deal about his job at school. He said some teachers have come to him to talk about the show, but he rarely brings it up himself. While trying to contact school colleagues about Martin, most said he is a quiet and kind of shy guy.

Martin looking at weather readings.

Martin looking at weather readings.

“I’m kind of a private person. I  usually don’t tell people, the only way they would know is if they caught a glimpse on TV, and being college students, we usually aren’t up that early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. But, like, if I fill in for Steve on a weekday morning, I think maybe a few people might notice,” Martin said. “I’ve never asked for any favors, or needed them. Of course, I accumulate absences every now and then, up until this point and hopefully going forward, I haven’t had a problem. I just try to keep to a very rigid schedule.”

Balancing between school and work may seem challenging, but Martin is doing it.

“Life is balance for everybody,” Martin said. “But especially working and being a student, not just in media but, it doesn’t matter where you work or where you go to school, it’s hard.”

“Honestly, it’s definitely been the best experience of my life.”

Martin will graduate in 2015, and would like to move back to Houston to chase hurricanes some day. But for now, he is happy with his current forecast.

“Honestly, it’s definitely been the best experience of my life,” Martin said, “and I hope I can continue to do this for the rest of my life.”

About Sarah Self-Walbrick

Graduate Executive Director — Mass Communication Graduate Student, Class of 2017
Sarah, a Lubbock native, has two bachelor of art degrees in electronic media and communication and journalism, and is pursuing a master's in mass communications. She loves Texas, her husband and dog, and good storytelling.