Updated 3:10 p.m. — James Spann's Page Restored.
“That was a mistake, and after speaking with the great people at Meta, we were able to get back to work this afternoon. They were responsive and we're so grateful for their response on a summer's Friday afternoon,” Spann said.
I posted this on FB
I'm back! For those of you who don't know, my Facebook profile, this Facebook page, and my Instagram account were taken offline by Meta this morning around 9:00 CT.
That was a mistake, and after talking with the fine people at Meta, we're back on track…
— James Spann (@spann) June 14, 2024
A TV announcer from Alabama, known for his talent with bad weather. suspenders and Lifesaving ABC 33/40 meteorologist James Spann announced that he has been suspended from Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, where he has a combined 1.5 million followers. Spann, a longtime ABC 33/40 meteorologist, posted a message to X, whose profile remains public.
Span makes extensive use of its social media channels, featuring photos, videos and updates from Alabama residents who tag their posts and share their weather and news (good and bad).
“Obviously this is wrong but we need someone to help get these back online,” Spann wrote. “Lots of people rely on these (about 1.5 million in total).”
Hey @Meta …Please help me out. I post weather reports, photos from my followers, etc. This morning my Facebook page, profile and Instagram account were deleted.
Obviously wrong, but we need someone to bring these back online – lots of people depend on them (around 1.5 million combined). https://t.co/Mt5dfmQhR5 pic.twitter.com/A38wFYOnnk
— James Spann (@spann) June 14, 2024
Spann has been reporting weather on air for more than 32 years, serving as anchor at WCFT in Tuscaloosa, WSFA in Montgomery, KDFW in Dallas and two other stations in Birmingham.
He won an Emmy Award for his live coverage of the deadly tornado outbreak that struck Tuscaloosa in December 2000 and was named Alabama's Best Weathercaster by the Alabama State Weather Forecasters Association. Associated Press 13 times.
RELATED: How Nick Saban gets his weather forecast: “I call James Spann”
Birmingham-based ABC 33/40 also reported the “sudden disappearance” of an account that many Alabamians rely on for information during the emergency.
As of 1 p.m. Friday, James Spann's channel was no longer visible on the platform.
Grayson Everett is the state and politics editor for Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. Grayson
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