Paul Poteet didn't mean to be on television. A lifelong interest in weather intersected with an '80s booth announcing job at Channel 4 in Indianapolis, and put him in front of the (then) magnetic weather maps.

Poteet brought a radio background to this first job in front of the camera. He has been on the air in some form or another in Indianapolis since 1982, with stops along the way at WFBQ, WNAP, WNDE, and WTPI.

Poteet was born in Andrews, a small town in northeastern Indiana. From there, he moved to Fort Wayne as a teenage deejay and met his future wife on the job at a radio station. She has since retired from the air, and has also retired her first name. You'll hear plenty of references to "Mrs. Poteet" during "Good Morning Indiana" on RTV6.

Poteet joined the morning show at the start of 1995, doing the traffic reports. Word leaked out about his meteorology background, and he moved over to the Storm Team 6 Tracking Center at the start of 1997. Poteet spent another three years formally studying the rules and laws of meteorology, earning certification from Mississippi State University. He has also hosted "Poteet On The Street," an occasional series of live broadcasts from Indiana businesses, and "6 On The Town," a weekly entertainment feature.

Poteet has been online since 1998 at www.paulpoteet.com. In early 2007, he and 6News Live Drive Traffic personality Tom Davis struck up a partnership and created "Off The Cuff," a daily feature of TheIndyChannel.com that has absolutely nothing to do with either traffic or weather … or much of anything real some days. Visit Paul and Tom at www.theindychannel.com/offthecuff and at www.paulandtomshow.com.

No Indiana meteorologist is heard as often on the radio. Five different stations use Poteet as a source of forecast information and a part of their morning drive time shows. He can be heard on his flagship station Z99.5 WZPL's "Smiley Morning Show," and also with 6News political contributor Abdul-Hakim Shabazz on his morning show at Newstalk 1430 in Indianapolis.

Poteet also is featured with Jon and Kelly on Hit Country 102.5 WMDH in Muncie/New Castle/Anderson, Matthew In The Morning on Classic Hits 106.9 WXXC in Marion, and with Matt Rust and the crew at WQME 98.7FM in Anderson.

If the voice sounds familiar, there's a reason. Poteet also performs as an off-screen voice in audio/video productions for companies such as Eli Lilly, Allison Transmission, and many others both regionally and nationally. Poteet operates a home-based studio capable of delivering real-time audio over digital phone lines. He has twice been named "Best Indianapolis Weatherman" by the readers of NUVO Magazine.

Poteet has two teenage sons. He enjoys biking and hiking. His taste in movies and TV is mostly comedy, and is mostly nonfiction in books and magazines. He strives for nonfiction in his forecasts.

Want to drop Paul a line? You can e-mail him at paul_poteet@theindychannel.com.