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Major changes coming to TWC...


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Hot of the presses, major changes for The Weather Channel.  Those new changes should take effect soon.  

 

Sam Champion loses show in major Weather Channel shakeup
The Weather Channel is canceling Sam Champion's morning newscast, replacing reality shows with more weather coverage, cutting TV production costs and laying off some staffers in a sweeping adjustment to changes in the cable business.

 

Here's the link for the full story...
http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/09/media/weather-channel-sam-champion/index.html

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"The TV sweet spot, he said, is "the story and the science behind the forecasts."

He is interested in incorporating more video clips and live streams from viewers at home who are witnessing severe and unusual weather."

This.

I'm sorry to hear some will be out of a job, but as someone else mentioned...long overdue changes. I'm not entirely convinced in the expected ratings hit either. I'm a long time TWC viewer, but aside from a peek in the AM and whenever I manage to catch some actual weather coverage in the evening, I don't watch regularly. I think they'll find that the flock returns to the fold.

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Man, don't cut that Weather Underground show. Talk about cutting edge.

i heard somewhere that  there was talk they wanted to consolidate all the video production to Atlanta instead of most in Atlanta and some in NYC, as NYC studio space costs a ton, which would make some sense. but I hope between the morning shows and the reality shows, that's all the cost cutting they do.

 

But i do have to wonder though, just as a bit of a "way out there" thought. right now, TWC/Comcast owns like 40% of Pelmorex Media/The Weather Network in Canada. And I do remember something a while ago on a Weatherbrains episode where they featured a couple of people from up there in Oakville, ON. And one of them didn't leave out the possibility of extending their reach into the US, even if it's in competition with The Weather Channel. What about the possibility of maybe Pelmorex/The Weathernetwork being allowed to purchase The Weather Channel, using as the down payment the 40% that is currently owned by their US counterparts, taking it out of Comcast's portfolio? Can you say JIm Cantore meets the "Wreckhouse" region of Newfoundland?  as I said, way out of there and not anything I have heard from my friends that are still up there (if anything, they might think I might be nuts as well if they hear this.

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I rarely watch the TWC anymore as we no longer have cable but I used to leave it on for hours back in the 90's.  Over the years I watched it less and less, even during large events.  I found that the networks would cover events like hurricanes better if for no other reason than they we not wedded to such a rigid (at the time) schedule of X minutes of coverage, commercials, Weather on the 8's, repeat.  With big stories this seemed to really inhibit their live moments.  Before the internet weather options were so great however Weather on the 8's with the local radar was a great thing to have.

 

One of my most recent memories of the Weather Channel is from a few years ago, Stephanie Abrams was talking about a front and said something along the lines of  "that is what we call FROPA, FROPA, FROPA"  It seemed like she was unaware that she had a microphone on (she was in studio) and she was just bellowing FROPA!  I will check youtube from time to time but I have never found it.  Too random a moment.

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i heard somewhere that  there was talk they wanted to consolidate all the video production to Atlanta instead of most in Atlanta and some in NYC, as NYC studio space costs a ton, which would make some sense. but I hope between the morning shows and the reality shows, that's all the cost cutting they do.

 

But i do have to wonder though, just as a bit of a "way out there" thought. right now, TWC/Comcast owns like 40% of Pelmorex Media/The Weather Network in Canada. And I do remember something a while ago on a Weatherbrains episode where they featured a couple of people from up there in Oakville, ON. And one of them didn't leave out the possibility of extending their reach into the US, even if it's in competition with The Weather Channel. What about the possibility of maybe Pelmorex/The Weathernetwork being allowed to purchase The Weather Channel, using as the down payment the 40% that is currently owned by their US counterparts, taking it out of Comcast's portfolio? Can you say JIm Cantore meets the "Wreckhouse" region of Newfoundland?  as I said, way out of there and not anything I have heard from my friends that are still up there (if anything, they might think I might be nuts as well if they hear this.

 

:lol:

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"The TV sweet spot, he said, is "the story and the science behind the forecasts."

He is interested in incorporating more video clips and live streams from viewers at home who are witnessing severe and unusual weather."

This.

I'm sorry to hear some will be out of a job, but as someone else mentioned...long overdue changes. I'm not entirely convinced in the expected ratings hit either. I'm a long time TWC viewer, but aside from a peek in the AM and whenever I manage to catch some actual weather coverage in the evening, I don't watch regularly. I think they'll find that the flock returns to the fold.

 

I think we'll see this a lot more. Skype etc. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I hope I'm gone from the NWS by the time they want us to partake on a regular basis. If at all.   

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I think we'll see this a lot more. Skype etc. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I hope I'm gone from the NWS by the time they want us to partake on a regular basis. If at all.

I think like most anything else, it will have it's positive and negatives. They do feature viewer photo and video now. I think TWC has a real challenge ahead as this whole thing reads to me as an attempt to recover what they had in the 90s while still forging ahead. Finding a meaningful way to incorporate these-that garner interest and maintain public safety will be as interesting for me to watch as the stories themselves.

I'm curious to know what turns you off about the idea...

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The internet was a game changer, I do not know how you get around that. I remember twenty years ago listening to NOAA weather radio to get their radar summary when the Weather Channel was pre-empted. I remember listening to the Weather Channel for updates on how the models were bringing the Blizzard of 1996 closer to the coast. WIth the internet and 'cord-cutters' and the fact the FiOs dumped them, how can you be optimistic?

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The internet was a game changer, I do not know how you get around that. I remember twenty years ago listening to NOAA weather radio to get their radar summary when the Weather Channel was pre-empted. I remember listening to the Weather Channel for updates on how the models were bringing the Blizzard of 1996 closer to the coast. WIth the internet and 'cord-cutters' and the fact the FiOs dumped them, how can you be optimistic?

Well, TWC continues to hold a niche market on television and it has very few or no viable competitors in its own sector. It's very possible for TWC to survive or even prosper.

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Part of the reason FiOs dumped them was a lack of weather related programming and round the clock reality shows. TWC committed to cutting back on them as a result, so this has been a long time coming.

The internet has been a game changer. Sure, some folks are cutting the cord. I imagine and expect that number will continue to grow. I don't think that makes cable obsolete at this point. So in the meantime, it makes sense for TWC to honor commitments made and return to the weather.

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I think like most anything else, it will have it's positive and negatives. They do feature viewer photo and video now. I think TWC has a real challenge ahead as this whole thing reads to me as an attempt to recover what they had in the 90s while still forging ahead. Finding a meaningful way to incorporate these-that garner interest and maintain public safety will be as interesting for me to watch as the stories themselves.

I'm curious to know what turns you off about the idea...

 

Oh I have to problem with the public skyping. Have at it. However, TWC will need to trust those sources. I wouldn't support a regular check-in and chat with the NWS, however. Mainly because it's not our mission (public safety and commerce) and we're too busy with all our other assigned duties. The media seems to forget we have other customers besides them and the public forecast is a only a part of what we do. Other customers like the FAA demand half our time, 24/7. We also support other government agencies daily and DSS events within the EM community. Add to all that our focal points, outreach, and research and there is really no down time even on slow wx days. Social media has become more of a player and we're okay with that, but ever since NWS Chat came along, the media seems to want more and more. I believe we provide more than enough information in our products and gridded forecasts. The media basically wants to be spoon feed and to have another infotainment source IMO. 

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Will these changes include being include in the Verizon Fios package again? They were removed from Fios cable package about a year ago, and cannot say I have missed it one bit. However, I have watched TWC since I was a little kid with Paul Kocin. In the 90s they were the best source for weather information. They have gone in a terrible direction and hopefully these changes will bring back a bit of how TWC used to be. Obviously the internet and all the tools and information available has made them less important, but I do really enjoy their coverage in large events such as tornadic outbreaks, large lake effect/snowstorms/blizzards, and hurricane coverage.

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Here is another problem for the Weather Channel, ESPN has exclusive rights to many sporting events. The Weather Channel obviously doesn't have exclusive rights to the weather. One thing that has been left unsaid is the increase of weather coverage on the local TV markets. If you looked at a local TV weather report in the early 1980's and compare it to today, it is the difference between night and day.

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Isohume-I agree its going to be challenging for them to manage real-time viewer broadcasting for a multitude of reasons. Working within the NWS gives you the edge on perspective there, but I didn't see the correlation between the changes at TWC and the possibility of daily chats, etc. with NWS. I think the burden of this turn around rests on TWC.

I appreciate your insight.

Night.

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Isohume-I agree its going to be challenging for them to manage real-time viewer broadcasting for a multitude of reasons. Working within the NWS gives you the edge on perspective there, but I didn't see the correlation between the changes at TWC and the possibility of daily chats, etc. with NWS. I think the burden of this turn around rests on TWC.

I appreciate your insight.

Night.

 

Oh I agree. I was just answering your question as to why I would be turned off by a NWS inclusion of real-time skypes with TWC. I believe I misconstrued your question. Sorry. 

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