We Hammockians (there has to be a better term than that!) find all kinds of media fascinating. One constant refrain in discussing any medium these days is involving the audience, making the medium more interactive.

That's not new, of course. Recently, in a box of miscellaneous items that belonged to my late in-laws, I ran across an example from the 1970s. Ron Kaiser, who was then the reigning weather god at WTVF News Channel 5, put together a Snow Probability Calendar for the winter of 1973-74.

Kaiser went through weather records dating back to the 1880s, logging days on which snow fell. To his surprise, snowfall seemed to cluster around certain dates from November through March.

Kaiser didn't provide specific numbers, but grouped dates according to high chance of snow, moderate, and little or none. In the calendar, high chance dates were printed in white, moderate in blue, and little or none, red. The calendars also plugged the "EyeWitness 5" news and weather forecast times and upcoming holiday specials.

Distributed free and by the thousands to loyal viewers, the calendars were a (deceptively) simple and fun way to engage the audience's attention for five months. I'm sure many viewers logged snowy days on them and compared the results.

Now, I'm not qualified to offer an opinion on global warming (not that that seems to deter too many people), and my time in Nashville goes back only to 1982. But my memory is of colder winters, and my Nashville-bred colleagues here recall the same thing, as well as lots more snow.

So, just check the calendar pages and make your own call. Hint to Lelan Statom: How about updating this calendar - with today's computer power, it should be pretty easy.