Weather Channel focusing on...weather.

[DopplerWx]

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/2013/11/13/the-weather-channel-tightening-focus/ycTASFQoA7woFZnAhr28IM/story.html

 

NEW YORK (AP) — The Weather Channel is trying a novel approach to turn around some flagging ratings: It is reemphasizing weather.

As part of a redesign that debuted this week, viewers will be able to see their local forecasts on-screen whenever they tune in, even during commercials. The NBC Universal-owned network is also increasing its capacity to cast aside regular programming during severe weather conditions.

‘‘Think of it as the ESPN for weather,’’ said David Clark, network president.

Effectively, The Weather Channel is trying to have it both ways by reengaging the weather nerds and not abandoning shows that offer more than a forecast. The network began introducing longer-form programs like ‘‘Storm Stories’’ a few years ago for the same business reason that MTV largely stopped playing videos — to encourage viewers to hang around for more than a few minutes at a time.

I'm a fan of their revamped look so far, will be interesting to see if they stick to it.

[CoralRed]

Oh my God!

 

No more screaming at the TV "Where's the @(#!  weather -- where's the @(#! weather -- why can't we get any weather on this station?" as the winds blow and the hard rain falls for hours on a summer Saturday evening and it's just one Storm Stories after another?

 

And that's just one example out of many.

 

The Weather Channel worked so hard to get people to use it as their primary source of weather information.  Then they decided to let them all down by putting a premium on showing and reshowing and reshowing their canned programming and strictly rationing their live weather updates except for rush hours. 

 

Was this done to head off a competitor stepping in?  I hope not.  I'd love to see an alternative cable weather service challenge their monopoly.

[nwohweather]

I love the new setup on TWC. Very cool and exactly what I want

[uncle W]

it makes me want to run to the Rockies and look for gem stones...

[Wow]

cut the cable in September so I don't remember what TWC is anymore

[tmagan]

Mike Bettes didn't know his microphone was on and I think he is going to regret what he just said.

[WNash]

Wait, now where am I gonna watch movies on cable???

[HurricaneJosh]

Actually, I just did an on-air interview with them Re; Haiyan, and I really liked their questions-- they were weather questions, Re: exactly where I was in the system, how high the surge was, and what kind of pressure data I got.  It was cool-- I was like, wow, they're really wanting to look at this from a meteorological perspective.

[donsutherland1]

I like the changes. It's good to see TWC moving back to its core business.

[uncle W]

I'm sorry but as soon as I hear the name Nemo I turn the channel...they have to go back to weather 24/7 and get rid of the propaganda and fluff...

[HurricaneJosh]

Over the last couple of days, I've done a series of live interviews on TWC-- to discuss the data I collected in Super Typhoon Haiyan-- and I've been impressed with the questions:  for a mainstream audience, they were fairly technical, and I felt totally OK getting into a discussion about pressure gradients and stuff like that.  It was cool.

[WestWind]

Back before the days of the internet, the weather channel was really the only way to get a look at current radar or what was going on in other parts of the country during most of the day.  Now it is much quicker to look things up online.  I don't like TWC's lack of continous weather coverage, but I understand their dilema.  I probably wouldn't watch them that much anymore even if they did show all weather. 

 

One things I do enjoy now is, after a storm occurs somewhere, going out to YouTube and searching for videos of it a few days later.  Seems like one or more people always end up filming any notable storm.