What happened to the Weather Channel?

[LiberalElite]

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/01/weather_channel_directv_carriage_dispute_an_interview_with_david_kenny.html

The major winter storm that barreled across the country this week may be over, but storm clouds are still brewing over the future of the Weather Channel—America’s most popular weather source on television.

The channel is in the midst of an all-out brawl with DirecTV, which dropped TWC from 20 million households on Jan. 14 after a carriage dispute. Arguing that it provides critical, life-saving information, the Weather Channel had demanded a penny more per subscriber. Given TWC’s flagging viewership, DirecTV thought that was too much money—and, moreover, criticized TWC for straying from its core mission of 24/7 weather coverage and for choosing instead to air too much reality TV. Direct talks between the parties have ended, and now they’re fighting the battle in the media.

[hedgehog]

1. I really miss weather on the 8s!

[tokenlib]

2. The Weather Channel needs to get back to basics...

Their live programming isn't too bad..but the reality show stuff needs to go. When Dish dumped the Weather Channel for that brief period last time, they replaced it with a channel that did strictly weather...then they brought back the Weather Channel after they made some promises for better local regional stuff. I actually LIKED the replacement channel Dish brought in at the time..even though some said it was just a bargaining chip.

The issue remains.. the Weather Channel needs to dump the reality stuff. Some of the reality stuff is ok, but it belongs elsewhere....

Did Direct TV replace it with anything??

[B Calm]

5. Yea they have a weather channel, but you can't bring up

local weather anymore by putting in a zip code. I really miss that feature.

[LiberalEsto]

3. I agree with DirecTV on this

The Weather Channel has gotten worse and worse, their local forecasts are minimal, their reality tv stuff is a waste pf time. I stopped watching TWC years ago and get my weather info online or from the local radio.

[NutmegYankee]

4. I haven't had cable in quite a few years, but

if the channel is anything like their absolute disaster of a website, then the channel needs to go out of business.

[CherokeeDem]

6. I have TWC still, but...

I agree with Direct TV... they have strayed way too far from 24-7 coverage. That said, when there is horrid weather... they do a fantastic job.

[LiberalElite]

7. They finally lost me

over this Direct TV kerfuffle. Claiming lives will be lost if they're not put back on DT was the last straw. I now get the weather from accuweather.com and my local ABC station.

[Blue Owl]

8. Without Jim Cantore there would be no weather

n/t

[Logical]

31. Yea, like I need him stading in the rain telling me it is raining! nt

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

9. it provides critical, life-saving information

Yeah.

Though it seems most of the critical info is about the Coast Guard, tornado chasers, storms from months, even years ago, and a cheesey imitation Ice Road Trucker type show.

[phylny]

10. The replacement weather channel on DTV (Weathernation?) is fine. If I need to know about

where a severe storm is, I use the Internet to go to a radar.

[northoftheborder]

11. Well, I have Weather Channel from our smaller cable provider, AND, this the ONLY place I have

....lived that the local, small town, weather, was summarized regularly. The WC does have too much "storm stories" programming, but it seems they cancel that during weather emergencies.

I never watch CNN anymore, but back when I did, I thought their weather reporting during emergencies such as hurricanes was better covered than the WC.

[Scruffy Rumbler]

12. Bought by Bain Capital. nt

[Holly_Hobby]

13. Our cable provider here is in a similar dispute

with NBC. They dropped them in November and passed out free over the air antennas. I doubt we will see NBC here again.

[seveneyes]

14. Everone at the top wants more from those on the bottom

No sympathy for the already wealthy.

[CFLDem]

15. No point in the weather channel

with the internets and whatnot.

[Egalitarian Thug]

16. Wunderground was such a great alternative. I don't care what happens to

any of these fucking parasites. If we kill them all, then maybe we can have some of the good that people make instead of discovering that it will now suck because the giant bought them and will now ruin them.

[historylovr]

17. DirecTV's excuse would be better served if it got rid of every channel

that strayed "from its core mission" and began airing reality shows. But then they'd have no content, I suppose.

[catbyte]

27. I think weather programming is different. People depend on forecasts & warnings.

Your safety isn't at stake if A & E airs some crap show.

[historylovr]

29. That's true. :)

I just found their pretense that it was about anything other than money to be a little hollow. And their substitute weather channel is pretty weak too. If it does local forecasts I have yet to see one.

[catbyte]

33. You4e right, but I used to watch TWC a lot, but I could count on 1 hand the

number of times I've tuned to them for information in the last few years. I do like their counterprogramming much more. And DirecTV doesn't carry The Blaze, the biggest reason I didn't go with Dish.

[titaniumsalute]

18. Let me tell ya

I was the BIGGEST weather channel fan. Period. I loved it. In the 90's I watched it all the time. Then they started morphing into fake boobs, ditzy weather people, special reality TV, cheesy documentaries, etc. I don't tune in more than probably 20 minutes per year.

If they went back to their core business model they'd be fine. But they, like most companies, try to get too hip. They most me and now they are loosing big time with Direct TV.

[Jamaal510]

19. Weather.com is my go-to

for daily (and hourly) forecasts. I can get it all immediately without having to wait for 10 minutes for the local forecast or worrying about the cable provider excluding the Weather Channel.

[LiberalElite]

21. I dropped it for

accuweather.com which also has hourly forecasts and extended forecast out to 45 days.

[freshwest]

23. Thanks, I just bookmarked for my area. Much drier and colder for us this week. n/t

[The Straight Story]

20. Bain Capital and Blackstone run it now

Explains a lot

The Weather Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is owned as a joint venture between NBCUniversal, and investment firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. The channel broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with documentaries and entertainment programming related to weather. The channel's headquarters are in Cumberland, Georgia, near Atlanta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weather_Channel

[SoCalDem]

22. In the "olden days", you could tune in to the weather channel

ANY TIME OF DAY, and see actual real-time weather.. It was in a "loop" of sorts...and you rarely had to spend much time at all to get "your" weather. There was usually ONE person, at a desk/map..

These days, it is little more than Good Morning America/Fox & Friends/Today Show with a bit more weather. Too much emphasis is on "shows"...which are little more than a compendium of their saved footage and are strung together in 30-60 minute chunks...with many commercials...and of course their "stars"..



It's UNWATCHABLE most of the time.. and now they even NAME regular old storms that are happening daily...somewhere..

[wildbilln864]

24. www.weather.gov

then enter zip code. it's one of my four home pages.

[Earth_First]

25. Yep.

NOAA and NWS are my go to for weather related information.

[catbyte]

26. I have DirecTV & don't miss TWC at all. Weather Nation, TWC replacement,

actually broadcasts weather, not a boatload of commercials & crap 'reality" shows.nope, don't miss it at all.

[RoverSuswade]

28. Whever I flip to the Weather Channel

"Coast Guard Alaska" is always on.

[Lunacee_2013]

30. So that's what happened to TWC!

Oh well, I get my weather forecasts from the web now anyhow.

[GeorgeGist]

32. The internet is faster and cheaper.