COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- People in central Ohio know him and trust him, especially when he says it's about to rain on them.
We call him the mighty Ben Gelber.
2025 marks the 45th anniversary of Gelber's time at NBC4, and to mark the occasion, we offer a story, a list and a song. In the video player above, see how we honored Gelber in 2024.
Photos: Ben Gelber over the years
WCMH/NBC4 meteorologist Ben Gelber in an undated photo (NBC4 archives)WCMH Meteorologist Ben Gelber circa 1980Ben Gelber with the WCNI Morning Zoo of Dave Kaelin, Cathy Hart and Matt Harris in 1995 (WCMH / NBC4)Dave Mazza and Ben Gelber receive Storm Team 4 Most Accurate Award Ben Gelber reporting after storm damage in Mount Vernon, Ohio, between 1997 and 2006 (WCMH / NBC4)Colleen Marshall with, from left, Jerod Smalley, Cabot Rea and Ben Gelber in the mid 2000s (NBC4)Ben Gelber in the 2000sStorm Team 4 Meteorologist Ben GelberThe story is how Gelber came to give the weather report for the first time, on Saturday, July 12, 1980. He was at the station still being trained when storms start crossing the region right as the 6 p.m. news went on the air.
“I about had a panic attack,” he said. “I was supposed to be handing the copies to the anchors, but the producer looked at me and said, ‘You’re doing the weather now.’”
Once the show ended, Gelber got a call. It was his boss, the news director.
"'Your training period's over,'" Gelber said he was told.
Ever since, Gelber has remained a regular part of weekend evening newscasts, along with weekday programs such as NBC4 at Midday and First at 4. He's become a lecturer at Ohio State University and an author, and he's been a proud part of Storm Team 4, which has been recognized by WeatheRate as the Most Accurate in Columbus for 11 straight years.
In April, to mark the 11th anniversary, Gelber presented his 11 biggest weather events in central Ohio. Some of them he covered for the station, such as the March 2008 snowstorm that dumped up to 20 inches on the area and the March 2012 derecho that knocked out power for thousands for days. And he included earlier events like that Xenia tornadoes of 1974 and the Ohio State-Michigan football game from 1950 that was played in a blizzard.
You can watch the entire countdown below. We won't keep you in suspense: No. 1 was the 1913 Great Ohio Flood.
And last is the song. If you know about it, it's probably playing in your head right now. If not, it's quite the story, too.
In 1994, radio station WNCI turned the one-hit wonder by Ini Kamoze "Here Comes the Hotstepper" into "Here Come the Ben Gelber," a 2 1/2-minute parody that mixed barbs with some kind words.
In the song's lyrics, Gelber's '80s hair was described as a "disaster," and he was so short that "he needs a "stepladder to reach the top of the weather map." He was the "News 4 Weather Guy" who has brains for looks, written weather books, and was the Daddy Mack of the forecast highs. And it's where, for the first time, "mighty" was placed before his name.
“I was mortified,” Gelber said. “It’s hard to hear a parody directed at you. And then you wonder, what is everyone else thinking? And where can I hide?”
But instead, the station ran with it, recruiting Gelber and his co-workers to make a music video that first aired on Valentine's Day 1995 in the 5:30 p.m. newscast. Gelber embraced the idea. He found a ladder and climbed it in front of the chroma key wall. He autographed his books for adoring fans. He made a weather map look like the clouds moved whenever he blew from the west. And in a special effect, he pushed aside a camera shot of the news anchors so he could start giving the weather.
The song has lingered in Columbus' collective consciousness ever since, and you can still find copies of the video online.
Go find it if you like. But be warned that, if you do, you may find the lyrics stuck in your head what'll feel like another 45 years.
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