Finn Vanderlinden is more than just a grade 4 student at Kemptville Public School. He is also the host of his very own weather podcasts, making him North Grenville’s youngest (and coolest) weatherman. At just 10 years old, Finn’s successes continue to grow!
Last week it was announced that Finn’s show, “Finn’s Friday Forecast” won the Faces Magazine Best Podcast/Podcaster award for the second year in a row. He was awarded the day before his birthday, when he was still just 9 years old. And that isn’t even the most exciting thing that happened last week. Blast the Radio (BTR), the online listening platform that hosts Finn’s show, has asked him to begin contributing a daily Monday through Thursday forecast, in addition to continuing with Finn’s Friday Forecast to cover the weekend.
While the additional days may seem like a full time job, Finn’s mom, Tara Schouten-Vanderlinden, provided some clarification. “The daily forecast [Monday to Friday] is about 25 seconds in length,” she said. “It takes a few minutes to record and edit the recording and upload to the system.” She explained that it represents a maximum commitment of 15 minutes per day, including the gathering of sources, reviewing the script, recording, editing, and submitting. “We asked Finn if he was interested and as always, Finn decides if we add or subtract our time, and he is allowed to take a break or discontinue when he wants as this is for fun!” Tara added.
The original Finn’s Friday Forecast is a longer “weekend forecast” which represents a larger time commitment, but can still usually be completed in 30-40 minutes. Finn has learned to use the audio editing software himself, meaning that the forecasts have been a great lesson in computer and media literacy for him.
Finn explained a bit about his family background. “My Papa has his own Dutch jazz radio show in The Netherlands, and my mom has a few friends on the radio,” he said. “My Great Oma used to call into the Brockville radio station five days a week to give the Athens weather for decades. She was nicknamed the ‘Athens Weather Lady’, so it’s in my blood.”
Finn also feels a certain level of notoriety from his forecasts. “Some of my friends at school don’t believe that I have my own weather forecast, because it airs when they are at school,” he added. “Some have heard the clips and think it’s pretty cool. It’s like having a secret identity.”
While many may assume that Finn’s career aspirations revolve around radio, he has something else in mind – he wants to be an airline pilot, or an air traffic controller, and he loves spending time in the flight simulator that he got for his birthday. Besides the weather, his other interests include soccer, music, and drawing graphic novels, and he is also a member of the Hawkesbury Silver Dolphins Lifesaving Club Junior Team (junior lifeguard competitions).
Born in Ottawa, Finn told the Times he is now proud to be a Kemptville Public School Dragon. When asked whether doing his forecasts has gotten easier over time, he answered: “I was a bit nervous at the start because I was being heard by many people. It’s gotten easier over the 4.5 years.”
Finn’s forecast airs at the beginning of John and Zoe’s daily show called YOW (Your Ottawa Podcast), which currently airs daily at 2pm.
His trademark Finn’s Friday Forecast airs at the same time on Fridays on www.blasttheradio.com – scroll down to podcasts and look for YOW with Zoë and the Milkman. Other listening options include Spotify (search the YOW podcasts), via the BTR app, or via the tune.in app.
