My very first introduction to Alex Cheney was catching him forecasting the weather on ABC KABC Channel 7 In Los Angeles... I wanted to meet him and interview him... Well, as luck would have it, I indeed made contact with him by asking him if he was shy? Here is my interview with my special weather forecaster...... Alex Cheney.
Punk Globe: Thank you so much for the interview. You mentioned you have been playing guitar since you were in Junior High School. Tell us about your very fist guitar and Amp?
Alex: Thank you so much for asking me to interview! My first guitar was a Fender Squier acoustic, I still have it! It was about $75 at Jim’s Music store in Irvine. The store is not there anymore L My first electric guitar and amp was one of those Epiphone starter kits that I ordered off GuitarCenter.com for $125 dollars. It was an Epiphone junior les paul with a 10 watt amp. Not much but I thought I was Hendrix already!
Punk Globe: Was the guitar always your weapon of choice or were you contemplating other instruments?
Alex: It was always guitar. Always. I like to say I was hooked when I heard my first big E power chord. I was playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater in my room back in…2004ish? I heard AC/DC’s TNT for the first time, and I was hooked! I remember running to ask my Dad, what is this music??? I made a “guitar” out of rubber bands and a tissue box before I got the real thing.
Punk Globe: Who were some of your influences for guitar?
Alex: I definitely enjoy playing blues guitar the most. My favorite players are (in order): Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, John Mayer, Eric Clapton, John Frusciante, Angus Young, and of course the three kings! BB, Freddie and Albert King! My first song was Smoke on the Water and then I thought myself the base chords. My favorite songs to play are Little Wing, Pride and Joy and Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.
Punk Globe: Did you play in any bands when you were younger? If so please tell us about them?
Alex: I did not play in any bands when I was younger. I’m more of a sitting on the bed sort of guitar player.
Punk Globe: You were born in Orange County. What was the music scene like?
It was a lot of rap, rock, and punk rock. All of my friends in school hated country and electronic music was just kinda coming on the scene.
Punk Globe: What venues did enjoy going to ?
Alex: I remember going to the House of Blues in Downtown Disney and the Observatory in Santa Ana. Also of course the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio! Went to Coachella for the first time in 2019 and had a great time! Just thinking about being in a space with that many people now makes my COVID mind tired.
Punk Globe: Tell the readers some of your favorite bands?
Alex: In no particular order: Henry Rollins, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Grateful Dead, L7, Pink Floyd,, Save Ferris, Van Halen, Sublime, Streetlight Manifesto, The Who, Queen (Freddie Mercury is my Favorite singer), Social Distotion, The Beatles, No Doubt, The B 52's, The Rolling Stones, Daft Punk, Odesza, Big Wild, Reel Big Fish and so many more. I have a very eclectic music taste. I can go across decades and genres in a few songs. Guess I’m weird that way.
You didn’t ask me this but a big foundation of my appreciate for music is my uncle. My Uncle Don was married to my mom’s sister. He was professor at UC Riverside my entire childhood so we visited quite often. He eventually took a job teaching at LSU! He had a massive collection of CDs and vinyl. We listened to the entire collected works of Simon and Garfunkel in one sitting. He passed away in 2012 from lung cancer. He smoked for 25 years and quit because my mom said she wouldn’t bring me and my sister around if he was smoking. He quit but it was still too late. I will miss him and the music forever. I still have some of his Grateful Dead CDs and that Simon and Garfunkel collection.
Punk Globe: I noticed that The Kinks legendary guitarist Dave Davies liking your response to wanting to do this interview on Instagram... Any thoughts?
Alex:You really got me with that one It’s great! Thank you Dave! Let’s jam sometime. I also love their songs Lola and Sunny Afternoon. SAVE ME SAVE ME FROM THIS SQUEEEEEZE
Punk Globe: In what year did you decide that you wanted to get into being News Reporter/ Weather Caster?
Alex: I’ve always been an early riser and I would get up before school and watch SportsCenter every morning. I was a young boy who loved sports and watching the show was amazing to me. How does it update every hour? How do they do it?? I was always curious.
Punk Globe: You attended college at Manship School at Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers) . How many years did you have to attend before becoming an on air personality?
Alex: I worked for Tiger TV for about 3 years before graduation. I graduated on May 15, 2015 and was on air at my first job May 20, 2015.
Punk Globe: I understand you also were also involved in the student run station Tiger TV. Tell us about the various jobs you held while you there?
Alex: More like, which job didn’t I have? I was an anchor, reporter, producer, director, editor, photographer and did news and weather. I was in the sports program for all those years.
Here’s a good story. Originally when I went to LSU I wanted to major in biochemistry. I realized after the first semester that wasn’t going to be for me. I was walking past the Journalism building on campus and saw a sign that said “anchor auditions” Figured, what the hell? Let’s give it a shot. I did a lot of theatre and stage plays in high school so I felt prepared. I read an entertainment script and then a sports script. I remember walking out of the studio and into the hallway and I heard everyone laughing. Laughing! I thought oh no I either did great or I need to run out of here cause I embarrassed myself. Thankfully it was the former and not the latter. I started out as a segment anchor. I had a two minute segment once a week. Got to start somewhere! The next semester I was an anchor and a producer. The next year I was the director of the entire sports program managing reporters and budgets.
Punk Globe: You then moved to KYMA in Yuma, Arizona as a week day News Anchor... I bet with your good looks and charm you brought in alot of new viewers. Did you enjoy living in Yuma?
Alex: Well once again, got to start somewhere right? I really enjoyed my time in Yuma. After graduating I knew I wanted to go back West so Yuma felt like a good starting spot. I enjoyed the food in Yuma the most! Mr.G’s bean burritos (if you know, you know) and all the taco trucks were sooooo good.
Punk Globe: Did you really intern at ESPN ?
Alex: Yes! I really did! My junior year at LSU I applied for the internship. Me and 74 other students got picked from a field of 15,000. I was in studio directing so I was in the studio everyday and eventually was stage manager for the 3pm – 6pm sports center block. A childhood dream come true. It was also really helpful to see how the anchors went about their business. Also made lots of friends I still have today! We’ve had the same group text going since we all left that summer. Connecticut isn’t exactly my favorite place… so definitely happy to be home in LA.
Punk Globe: You then got your job at ABC 7 Eye Witness News here in Los Angeles doing Weather Forecasting and as a General Assignment Reporter. When did you land the job?
Alex: After I left Yuma I took a job in Palm Springs, California. I worked there for a couple years. While in Yuma our main weatherman took a few months off for paternity leave so I filled in for him. Got a crash course in weather! That allowed me to have the experience to make the move to Palm Springs as a weekend weather forecaster and reporter. A little over halfway through the two years I became a sports reporter and anchor too. So I was a news anchor, news reporter, sports anchor, sports reporter, and weather forecaster. I even did a whole weekend of shows by myself where I did all three: news, weather and sports.
May, 2019, I got a phone call from ABC7. The rest is history
Punk Globe: I noticed you were involved with a story about Street Medical Teams testing the homeless in Los Angeles which must have been great but also maybe a bit scary...Tell us more about that?
Alex: Homelessness is a major issue in Los Angeles. The street medical teams administered COVID tests all across the county. Great people doing necessary work.
Punk Globe: What have been some of your favorite stories that you have covered?
Alex: A few of my “favorite” stories I’ve worked on…In Yuma we had a man who was trimming tree branches at night and cut his arm off with the chainsaw. He bled out on the tree while still attached to the harness he put on the tree. Gruesome. In Palm Springs I did a story about a date field workers dying by being stung by bees. I went to the field and ended up doing a live shot under the nest of Africanized Killer bees. Also did a lot of fire coverage that taught me a lot about breaking news. In Los Angeles in my first month I did a story about a standoff at a Maserati dealership in Santa Monica. Felt the ocean breeze and I tossed to our Air7 helicopter. Definitely my “LA moment.”
Punk Globe: Do you have any Internet Addresses that you would like to share with the readers?
Alex: Follow share and subscribe to me on all platforms! https://www.facebook.com/abc7alexcheneyI’m @abc7alexcheney on all platforms.
Punk Globe: When you are doing your forecasts on the air, do you ever have any issues reading the script on the teleprompter?
Alex: I don't read the teleprompter for weather! I ad-lib everything I say. Usually I'll have a run-through before I get out there so I have an idea of what I'm saying. I like to make the teases and stuff funny! That is all ad-lib. The weather is a bit rehearsed. Full disclosure haha. When I read the prompter for news and sports it can be a challenge. I've been reading from a prompter since 2012 so I feel confident with it but it still takes constant practice.
Punk Globe: Wow, you do not read all that from a script. You ad-lib all your forecasts? Amazing!!! Did you ever go to any of the club's that showcase Improv to study the pros? Like The Groundlings, My pal Stephanie Courtney (Flo from the Progressive Ads) had performed there every week before COVID 19... The last I looked she and the others are performing Ii ve on Zoom. But they are still really funny... However now things have lightened up they may be performing live again.
Alex: I have been to Second City in Chicago but never made it to a comedy club in LA. I have to be in bed by 7pm on weekends so that doesn't help haha.
Doing comedy and stage performance is something I'd like to pursue at some point.
Punk Globe: Describe yourself in three words?
Alex: Loyal, confident and loving.
Punk Globe: This interview will appear in the Anniversary Issue for Punk Globe. Any last words for Punk Globe readers?
Alex: Everybody love everybody! Happy Anniversary Ginger
Punk Globe would like to thank Alex for a fun lively interview...... Follow him on Social Media. Check him out live on Weekends at 4PM to 5 :30PM @ ABC KABC Channel 7, @ KDOC TV at 7 PM and on ABC KABC Channel 7 @ 11PM ON WEEKENDS... He also does live reporting during the week.
