Hurricane center chief says ad campaign wasteful

This reminds me of the good old days when the "Light Company" was a public utility and I used to wonder why the hell they advertised on every TV and Radio channel. Did you know that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was involved in predicting the weather?  Duh...Did these guys ever hear of the internet? 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is spending up to $4 million to publicize a 200th anniversary celebration, said Bill Proenza, who heads the hurricane center, part of the National Weather Service, which is a NOAA agency. At the same time, it has cut $700,000 from hurricane research, he said.

"No question about it, it is not justified. It is using appropriated funds for self promotion," Proenza said in a phone interview while attending the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference in Fort Lauderdale.

NOAA spokesman Anson Franklin said the agency is only spending about $1.5 million on the campaign over two years. He said it is justified to publicize the agency's mission to a public that is often unaware of its involvement in weather prediction and forecasting.

"It's part of our responsibility to tell the American people what we do," Franklin said. "It's inaccurate and unfair to just characterize this as some sort of self-celebration."

Source: Hurricane center chief says ad campaign wasteful | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle