A detailed sociography study conducted at a local university has revealed that “Rob Gell” remains the preferred local weather chat reference in the Melbourne region, despite the fact the well-known meteorologist hasn’t been a consistent presence on televised news bulletins for over a decade. The study analysed roughly three thousand weather-themed conversations over a two-year period, and revealed that Gell was comfortably the most frequently name-checked television weather presenter.

Gell was Channel 9’s go-to weather presenter from 1988 to 2003, educating a generation of Melburnians about the notorious unpredictability of our city’s weather patterns, while earning a strong following thanks to his friendly and knowledgeable tone. Unceremoniously dethroned by Livinia Nixon in 2003, Gell went on to become Channel 7’s weekend weather presenter between 2004 and 2009, but has since been largely absent from our television screens.

However, this recent in-depth study has revealed that the practice of saying “Thanks Rob Gell” to someone who has provided you with a general observation about current or imminent weather means Gell’s legacy lives on. The enduring nature of Gell’s position in the public vernacular is impressive, especially considering that smarmy Mike Larkan has been a consistent presence on Channel 10’s weather bulletins from 1996 until just a few months ago when the network chose to deliver a national broadcast instead of a more localised service.

According to local weather enthusiast Cameron Daniels, “Yeah man, Rob Gell was the best. I loved that guy. He really knew what he was talking about, so I’m glad his legacy lives on through this odd quirk in the Aussie vernacular. What a legend!”

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