MARCH 2 • 2023 | 11

focuses on the importance of 
weather to the viewing audi-
ence. “Weather is the No. 1 
reason people watch television 
news, and we can show it more 
than before,
” Gross says. “I am 
providing information to peo-
ple that will help them at the 
minimum plan their day or at 
the maximum help save their 
lives. My job becomes a job of 
public safety.
”
Gross has provided much 
more than highly regarded 
weather reporting. He has 

helped to 
objectively inform 
the public about climate change, 
educated students about weath-
er and successfully advocated 
for mandatory tornado drills in 
Michigan schools.
His longtime colleague, 
WDIV anchor Devin Scillian, 
said, “Paul has been an invalu-
able part of the WDIV team 
for 40 years. That’s such a rare 
tenure for television. But it’s 
also why he’s so treasured by 

viewers. 
“There’s no shortcut 
to the kind of trust people have 
in Paul. It only comes from 
years and years of getting it 
right and with such care and 
enthusiasm. I’ve known Paul 
for close to 30 of those years 
and there has not been one sin-
gle day that Paul ever ‘phoned 
it in.’”

A LOVE 
OF WEATHER
Weather has fascinated Gross 
since he was a young boy. 
Frightened by storms, he began 
to read about them and soon 
decided that he would become a 

continued on page 12

CLOCKWISE: 
Paul Gross in the 
WDIV weather 
center, and outside 
the studio. With 
students at Loon 
Lake Elementary 
School in Wixom, 
Gross created 
artificial clouds 
using shaving cream 
and demonstrated 
how clouds move. 

