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The Weather Channel

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For the Australian Weather Channel with the same name, see The Weather Channel (Australia).
The Weather Channel
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia
Programming
Language(s)American English
Ownership
OwnerLandmark Communications; pending sale to NBC Universal, Blackstone Group & Bain Capital [1]

The Weather Channel (also TWC) is a commercially-sponsored U.S. cable and satellite television network that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news 24 hours a day. In addition to its cable TV programming, TWC also provides forecasts for terrestrial and satellite radio stations, newspapers, and websites, and maintains an extensive online presence at weather.com. The Weather Channel debuted its high-definition simulcast on September 26 2007.

On January 3 2008, it was reported that the family owned Landmark Communications, parent company of The Weather Channel, may be for sale.[2] On July 7 2008, NBC Universal announced plans on purchasing the channel and assets for $3.5 billion along with private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2008, pending regulatory approvals. [3]

History

The Weather Channel was the brainchild of former WLS-TV Chicago chief meteorologist and Good Morning America forecaster John Coleman, who took his idea to Landmark's then-chief Frank Batten.

A major part of the plan for the new network was that it would be able to provide localized weather information to its viewers. This was done through WeatherSTAR units located at each cable company's headend. These WeatherSTARs were able to insert local conditions, forecasts, and warnings over the national feed.

The Weather Channel went on the air on May 2 1982. The channel reports the weather and other meteorological information for the United States as well as other countries and regions of the world. TWC originally gathered its national region forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and gathered its local forecasts from local National Weather Service offices, but since 2002 has done local forecasting in-house from Atlanta. However, current weather and forecast model data is still provided by the NWS and NOAA, and the ultraviolet index and air quality index reports are from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Weather Channel does not have any local meteorologists outside of the Atlanta area.

In May 2007, The Weather Channel celebrated 25 years on the air, the festivities including airing select past Weather Channel commercials and showing a special 25th anniversary logo during commercial breaks (see Logos section below for details).

In 2008, The Weather Channel was embroiled in scandal after rumors abounded about now former on-camera meteorologist Bob Stokes sexually harassing another former anchor, Hillary Andrews. Andrews filed a lawsuit through Cobb County district court against The Weather Channel alleging the abuse by Stokes (which included statements like "Will you lick my swizzle stick," and saying that 'TWC' "covered it up." In May, 2008, Andrews won her lawsuit and was awarded an undisclosed amount of money. During the proceedings, it was revealed that Stokes' co-anchor before Andrews, Lisa Mozer, was also harassed.[4]

Current

TWC uses special proprietary equipment that inserts local weather forecast and warning information if it is viewed on a cable TV system. The original WeatherStar technology has been upgraded on most cable systems to IntelliStar, including Vocal Local to announce the three-day local forecast. Satellite viewers see a roundup of local TWC forecasts for major cities across the U.S., as well as satellite and radar images, and severe weather watch and warning maps when active. For both cable and satellite viewers, smooth jazz music plays in the background during these segments.

The Weather Channel produces a service, based on modified versions of WeatherStar technology, called Weatherscan on which a separate channel constantly displays local and regional conditions and forecasts along with The Weather Channel's logo and advertisements.

The Weather Channel is headquartered in the Cumberland/Galleria area, immediately northwest of Atlanta, overlooking the "Cobb Cloverleaf" interchange from a high-rise in the Interstate North complex. TWC's sister channel in Canada is The Weather Network in English and MétéoMédia in French, which use similar technology that is currently in use in the USA. TWC also runs websites in Brazil (Canal do Tempo), the United Kingdom (Weather Channel), France (Météo 123) and Germany (Wetter 123). Apart from its stake in The Weather Network/MétéoMédia, TWC only runs their US channel, although it does air a forecast for international locations.

A definitive history of the network, The Weather Channel: The Improbable Rise of a Media Phenomenon, by Frank Batten and Jeffrey L. Cruikshank, was published by Harvard Business Press in May 2002, on TWC's 20th anniversary.

On July 6 2008, NBC Universal, Bain Capital and Blackstone Group agreed to purchase The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications.[5] Currently, NBC Universal owns NBC Weather Plus, a rival service carried by and featuring content from its local affiliates; if the purchase goes through, it will likely result in a consolidation of the two networks.

Overseas versions

Over the years, attempts to broadcast international versions of TWC (apart from Canada's The Weather Network/MétéoMédia and the Australian version of the Weather Channel) have failed. TWC also operates websites for online localized forecasts in Brazil, France, Germany, Latin America, and the United Kingdom, but some of these sites appear to have not been developed further since 2003. The Weather Channel also shares radar and forecasts with the Canadian Weather Network, particularly for the Weather Channel's Canadian forecasts.

The Weather Channel's original and most recognized logo was a blue rectangular box that debuted on TWC’s first broadcast on May 2 1982. This logo was revised in 1996, with the corners less rounded and the logo slightly flat (this is like a revised version of Burger King's logo when it happened in 1994). The URL text weather.com was permanently added underneath the logo in 1999. In August 2005, the logo was overhauled again; the blue rectangle’s corners are straight with no white trim on the edge and "The Weather Channel" text is now in title-case and left-justified, similar to the Weather Network in Canada. A 25th anniversary logo used in 2007 featured a white rectangle edged in blue connected to the current logo with "25 YEARS" inside it in blue.

Local on the 8s

See also:

The Local on the 8s (also known as the "Local Forecast" or "LOT8s") is the part of TWC's programming where viewers see the current conditions and local forecast for their respective area at times ending in "8" (e.g., 9:18).

Before this was implemented, the local forecast was seen about 8 times an hour at various times, depending on the time of day (more in the morning, less at night). The concept of Local on the 8s debuted in 1996, although it was initially implemented in mid-1995. TWC's Local on the 8s has confused some New York metro viewers and listeners into thinking it is owned by CBS Corporation, because WCBS-TV and WCBS AM have a similar slogan for TV and radio broadcasts called "traffic and weather on the 8s".

Any cable company that carries The Weather Channel can install a Weather STAR unit in a cable headend and receive the information, which is then shown to viewers via local insertion.

As of 2006, the majority of cable companies use the IntelliStar (the network's latest STAR system), which is capable of generating graphics for Weatherscan. IntelliStar cable viewers can see current weather conditions for their location and surrounding areas, weather forecasts, doppler radars of the region, almanacs (tidal information for most coastal locations), air quality conditions, and in larger media markets, traffic conditions supplied by Traffic Pulse (which in turn gathers such information in real time from various intelligent transportation systems operated by the department of transportation in various U.S. states). Some viewers also see forecasts for popular vacation destinations that are within "weekend getaway" driving distance. Some cable companies, on the other hand, continue to use the XL, 4000, or Jr units.

Due to the unique circumstances involving satellite television, things are different for its viewers. During this time, the segment includes hourly forecasts for 20 major cities, three-day forecasts for 40 U.S. cities, satellite loops and composite radars of the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest, and Southwest, respectively. At :18 and :48 after the hour, the Northwest and Southwest satellite/radars are replaced by one showing the entire West.

DirecTV viewers do see an IntelliStar-generated "lower third" graphic at all times except during television commercials. This cycles through current conditions (sky and temperature only) and today or next-day forecasts for major U.S. cities, as well as major airport delays. As of November 8, 2006, Dish Network viewers are now able to view local weather conditions and radar on The Weather Channel on DISH HOME Channel 100, based on their billing ZIP code, along with access to weather in other cities.[6]

Music

The Weather Channel released its own smooth jazz CD in 2007, The Weather Channel Presents: The Best of Smooth Jazz, based on collections of popular music played on the "Local On the 8s" segments. It peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz charts in the same year.[7] Artists included on this CD are Joyce Cooling, Dave Koz, Paprika Soul, Four 80 East, Jeff Lorber, Pieces of a Dream, Chick Corea, Jeanne Ricks, Ryan Farish, Mark Krurnowski, Najee, 3rd Force. In 2008, their second compilation CD containing their most requested music was released, titled The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz II.[8] Artists on this CD include Russ Freeman & The Rippingtons, Jeff Lorber, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Bradley Joseph, Bernie Williams, David Benoit, Spyro Gyra, Norman Brown, Chris Geith, Joe Sample, Charlie Parker Quartet, and Eric Marienthal.

Other artists that can be heard during this segment include Trammell Starks,The Rippingtons, Moby,Alter EKO and Chris Camozzi.

Radio and newspaper presence

The Weather Channel provides forecasts for both the Sirius and XM satellite radio services in the United States. Both services run regional forecasts on one station and have a block of combined local weather and traffic stations for major metropolitan areas.

TWC also has content partnerships with a number of local radio stations in the USA to provide local forecasts, using announcers separate from the TV service. For some affiliates, TWC actually provides a limited amount of live coverage during local severe weather (with the Georgia-based announcers connected via ISDN). Similarly, TWC also provides weather reports for a number of US newspapers, including a half-page national forecast for USA Today.

Online services

TWC provides numerous customized forecasts for online users, including home and garden and event planning forecasts. They also provide WAP access for mobile phone users, desktop widgets for quick reference by computer users, and customized weather feeds for individual websites. They follow a two-tiered service model, with the free service bearing advertisements and their pay ("Desktop Max") service lacking ads and having enhanced radar and mapping functions. Cell Phone customers can even have their local forecast sent to their mobile handsets from TWC for a fee via SMS by sending a text message with their ZIP code to 42278 which spells 4cast. Other services include Yahoo!, in which the weather pages are produced by TWC.[9]

2007 global-warming controversy

The web site Capital Weather published an interview with WJLA meteorologist Brian van de Graaff.[10] In this interview, Mr. van de Graaff stated:

The subject of global warming definitely makes headlines in the media and is a topic of much debate. I try to read up on the subject to have a better understanding, but it is complex. Often, it is so politicized and those on both sides don't always appear to have their facts straight. History has taught us that weather patterns are cyclical and although we have noticed a warming pattern in recent time, I don't know what generalizations can be made from this with the lack of long-term scientific data. That's all I will say about this.

Global warming was voted the #1 in 100 Biggest Weather Moments.

On December 21 2006, Dr. Heidi Cullen reacted to this by posting "Junk Controversy not Junk Science" in a blog on The Weather Channel's web site.[11] In her blog, Dr. Cullen reacted by stating:

If a meteorologist has an American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval which is used to confer legitimacy to TV meteorologists, then meteorologists have a responsibility to truly educate themselves on the science of global warming . . . . If a meteorologist can’t speak to the fundamental science of climate change, then maybe the AMS shouldn’t give them a Seal of Approval. Clearly, the AMS doesn’t agree that global warming can be blamed on cyclical weather patterns. It’s like allowing a meteorologist to go on-air and say that hurricanes rotate clockwise... It’s not a political statement... it’s just an incorrect statement.

While the anthropogenic view of global warming is aligned with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the position of decertifying or censuring dissenting meteorologists was perceived as a call to marginalize or silence opposing opinions. Cullen's position was derided by a large portion of her blog's responders as politically motivated. Responders included AMS meteorologists who also attacked her position, in particular James Spann a TV meteorologist in Alabama who also runs a weather/climate blog on his site and disagreed with Dr. Cullen's position.[12] In a follow up blog entry "A Very Political Climate", Dr. Cullen and The Weather Channel denied any political motivation.[13]

TWC HD

On September 26, 2007, DirecTV launched a 24-hour simulcast of The Weather Channel in high definition. At this time, no programming was actually presented in high definition, except for a national "satellite" version of the Local On The 8s. On October 1, 2007, two new high definition programs, "Epic Conditions" and "Weather Ventures" premiered. A new high definition series, "When Weather Changed History" premiered on The Weather Channel on January 6, 2008.

Throughout the final months of 2007 to the early months of 2008, various cable companies had started to add The Weather Channel HD to their cable lineups, including the Boston, MA, Austin, TX, San Antonio, TX, and Baton Rouge, LA markets. [14] The Weather Channel in High Definition was added to DISH Network systems on May 13, 2008.

The very first live broadcast of The Weather Channel in high definition came on June 2, 2008 in a new studio facility built next to the current one. Dubbed the "Studio of the Future", it is powered by Cisco Systems technology that is entirely eco-friendly, echoing its commitment to the environment via the Forecast Earth initiative. The complete transition to HD will be completed by the end of August 2008.

Weather Newscasts Currently in HD

Weather Newscasts Slated to be in HD

Other HD Programs

Programming Schedule

Source: The Weather Channel. The following list is the current programming lineup provided by The Weather Channel (as of June 2008).

(All Times Eastern)

Weekdays

Time Show Hosts
4:00AM-7:00AM First Outlook Jeff Morrow & Jen Carfagno
7:00AM-10:00AM Your Weather Today Marshall Seese & Heather Tesch

Travel: Nicole Mitchell

10:00AM-1:00PM Day Planner Kevin Robinson & Kim Perez (MON-WED)

Bill Keneely & Kelly Cass (THU-FRI)

1:00PM-2:00PM Nick Walker & Vivian Brown
2:00PM-5:00PM Weather Center Nick Walker & Vivian Brown (2-3, 4-5)

Betty Davis & Samantha Mohr (3-4)

5:00PM-7:00PM PM Edition Betty Davis & Samantha Mohr
7:00PM-9:00PM Abrams & Bettes Beyond The Forecast Mike Bettes & Stephanie Abrams
9:00PM-11:00PM Evening Edition Paul Goodloe & Alexandra Steele

Storm Tracker: Jim Cantore

11:00PM-1:00AM Evening Edition Rich Johnson & Sharon Resultan
1:00AM-3:00AM Evening Edition (reprise) Rich Johnson & Sharon Resultan
3:00AM-3:30AM It Could Happen Tomorrow N/A
3:30AM-4:00AM Full Force Nature N/A

Weekends

Time Show Hosts
4:00AM-4:30AM Forecast Earth Dr. Heidi Cullen
4:30AM-7:00AM Weekend Outlook Ray Stagich (SAT), Mark Mancuso (SUN)

Cheryl Lemke, Eboni Deon, Alex Wallace

7:00AM-11:00AM Weekend View Bill Keneely & Kelly Cass
11:00AM-2:00PM Weekend Now Kevin Robinson & Kim Perez
2:00PM-2:30PM It Could Happen Tomorrow N/A
2:30PM-3:00PM Full Force Nature N/A
3:00PM-5:00PM Weather Center Carl Parker & Kristina Abernathy
5:00PM-6:00PM Forecast Earth Natalie Allen
6:00PM-7:00PM PM Edition Adam Berg & Kristin Dodd
7:00PM-8:00PM Forecast Earth Natalie Allen
8:00PM-9:00PM PM Edition Carl Parker & Kristina Abernathy
09:00PM-10:00PM When Weather Changed History N/A
10:00PM-11:00PM Evening Edition Adam Berg & Kristin Dodd
11:00PM-12:00AM When Weather Changed History N/A
12:00AM-1:00AM Evening Edition Adam Berg & Kristin Dodd
1:00AM-2:00AM When Weather Changed History N/A
2:00AM-3:00AM Evening Edition (reprise) Adam Berg & Kristin Dodd
3:00AM-4:00AM Forecast Earth Natalie Allen

Current Personalities

On-camera meteorologists

  • Paul Goodloe
  • Ryan Goswick (freelance)
  • Rich Johnson
  • Bill Keneely A1
  • Cheryl Lemke
  • Warren Madden (freelance)
  • Mark Mancuso
  • Tony Natali (freelance)
  • Nicole Mitchell
  • Samantha Mohr
  • Jeff Morrow A1
  • Carl Parker
  • Kim Perez
  • Sharon Resultan
  • Kevin Robinson
  • Dave Schwartz
  • Marshall Seese (to retire this November)[15]
  • Mike Seidel A1
  • Dennis Smith
  • Alexandra Steele
  • Heather Tesch
  • Nick Walker
  • Alex Wallace
Template:FnbOccasional field reporter during severe weather and hurricane coverage

Other personalities

  • Natalie Allen - Forecast Earth Host
  • Tetiana Anderson - Field Reporter
  • Dr. Heidi Cullen - Climate Expert
  • Jorma Duran - Field Reporter
  • Dr. Marcus Eriksen - Forecast Earth Contributor
  • Dr. Greg Forbes - Severe Weather Expert
  • Danny Lipford - Home Improvement Expert
  • Dr. Steve Lyons - Hurricane Expert
  • Dr. Anna Marie - Health Expert
  • Julie Martin - Field Reporter
  • Jeff Mielcarz - Road Crew/Weather Ventures Host
  • Jarod Miller - Forecast Earth Contributor
  • Bill Nye - Forecast Earth Contributor
  • Stu Ostro - Senior Meteorologist
  • P. Allen Smith - Gardening Expert

Notable Alumni

  • Hillary Andrews (now at CNN)
  • Will Annen
  • Carl Arredondo (now at WWL-TV)
  • Dan Atkinson (now at WSFA)
  • Ray Ban (current VP of Meteorology Science at TWC)
  • Fred Barnhill (now at KDAF)
  • Diane Barone
  • Melissa Barrington
  • Andre Bernier (now at WJW-TV)
  • Mike Bono (now at Capital News 9)
  • Jill Brown
  • Mary Brown (deceased)
  • Dale Bryan
  • Don Buser
  • Declan Cannon
  • Kam Carman (now at WJBK-TV)
  • John Cessarich (now at WYFF)
  • Bob Child (now at News 14 Carolina)
  • Tom Chisholm (now at WMTW)
  • Janine (Albert) D'Adamo (now at WINK-TV)
  • Jon Davies
  • Gay Dawson
  • Sandra Diaz (now at KFOX-TV)
  • Dale Dockus
  • John Doyle
  • Brian Durst
  • Dale Eck (current TWC forecaster)
  • Brad Edwards (now at WOI-TV)
  • Bruce (Kalinowski) Edwards (now at WKYC-TV)
  • Chris Edwards
  • George Elliott (now at WECT)
  • Bill Elias
  • Paul Emmick (now at WDRB-TV)
  • Rebecca (Miller) Erwin
  • Neal Estano (now at WBAL-TV)
  • David Grant
  • Rick Griffin
  • Chuck Herring
  • John Hope (deceased)
  • Liz (Fabian) Jarvis
  • Cheryll Jones
  • Jeanetta Jones
  • Bill Kamal
  • Steven Kaye
  • Arch Kennedy (now at WZTV)
  • Paul Kocin (now at NWS HPC)
  • Charlie Levy
  • Gary Ley (now at WJAR)
  • Sarah Libby (now at KOCO)
  • Jennifer Lopez (now at KXAS)
  • Bonnie (Cannon) McLaughlin
  • Marie Michelini
  • Mish Michaels (now at WBZ-TV)
  • Vince Miller
  • Karen Minton (now at WSB-TV)
  • Tom Moore (current TWC senior meteorologist)
  • Myke Motley (deceased)
  • Lisa Mozer
  • Dave Nemeth
  • Dr. Jon Nese
  • Darlene Periconi
  • Joe Petrovich (formerly worked at KMOV-TV)
  • Dan Pope (now at KSL-TV)
  • Cindy Preszler (now at KSDK-TV)
  • Kevan Ramer (now at KMPH-TV)
  • Bob Richards (formerly worked at KSDK-TV, deceased)
  • Lane Roberts
  • Gene Rubin
  • Jodi Saeland (now at KSTU)
  • Dr. John Scala
  • Dan Schmidt
  • Sally Schmies (now at WJW-TV)
  • Bill Schubert
  • Glenn Schwartz (now at WCAU)
  • Norm Sebastian (deceased)
  • Terri Smith (current TWC radio broadcaster)
  • Lisa Spencer (now at WSMV-TV)
  • Marny Stanier
  • Herb Stevens
  • Bob Stokes (fired for sexual harassment)
  • Jerry Tracey (now at WVTM)
  • Dao Vu (now at WCCB-TV)
  • Dave Watson (deceased)
  • Craig Weber
  • Jim Wegner
  • Charlie Welsh (deceased)
  • Keith Westerlage (current TWC OCM manager)
  • Vicki (Griffin) Williams
  • Colleen (Hammond) Wine

Slogans

  • "We Take The Weather Seriously, But Not Ourselves" (1982–1984)
  • "Weatherproofing America" (1984–1986)
  • "You Need Us, The Weather Channel, For Everything You Do" (June 1986–March 1991)
  • "Weather You Can Always Turn To" (March 1991–September 1995)
  • "No Place on Earth Has Better Weather" (March 1996–March 1998)
  • (no official slogan era) (March 1998 to June 2001)
  • "Live By It" (June 2001–August 15 2005) (also currently used in Australian version)
  • "Bringing Weather to Life" (August 15 2005–early 2008)
  • "The Weather has Never Looked Better" June 2, 2008–present (also slogan for HD broadcasting)

Hurricane and winter coverage slogans

  • "Hurricane Central" (August–October 2005)
  • "Keeping You Ahead of the Storm" (used occasionally since the late 1990s)
  • "Your Hurricane Authority" (October 2005-January 2006, June 2008-present)
  • "The Winter Weather Authority" (2006-2007 winter season)
  • "The Hurricane Authority" (2006 and 2007 season)

See also

References

  1. ^ "NBC Universal, Bain Capital, and The Blackstone Group Sign Agreement to Acquire The Weather Channel Properties from Landmark Communications" (PDF) (Press release). Blackstone Group. 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Battens may sell The Roanoke Times' parent company". The Roanoke Times. 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  3. ^ Sutel, Seth (2008-07-06). ""NBC Universal to buy The Weather Channel for $3.5B"". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  4. ^ Fox News (2008-05-07). "Report: Ex-Weather Channel Anchorwoman Wins Sex Harassment Claim". New York Post.
  5. ^ NBC Universal, Partners to Buy Weather Channel, Yahoo!, July 6 2008
  6. ^ "Dish, TWC to Provide Local Weather". Multichannel News. 2006-11-08.
  7. ^ "Chart history for The Weather Channel Presents: The Best of Smooth Jazz". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  8. ^ "Weather Channel, Best of Smooth Jazz II". JazzHQ. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  9. ^ "Yahoo! News Weather".
  10. ^ Jason Somenow. "Up Close with Brian van de Graaff, Meteorologist, WJLA Channel 7". CapitalWeather.com.
  11. ^ Heidi Cullen (2006-12-22). ""Junk Controversy not Junk Science"". The Weather Channel.
  12. ^ James Spann (2007-01-18). ""The Weather Channel" Mess". WBMA (ABC 33/40).
  13. ^ Heidi Cullen (2007-01-18). "A Very Political Climate". The Weather Channel.
  14. ^ Your Cable Provider + Twc | Hd - TWC Classics Forums
  15. ^ Marshall Seese, “Your Weather Today” Co-Host, Will Retire From The Weather Channel In November
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