[PHX-Skywarn] Weather Channel TV

[Allen Sklar]

Hello All 

This is via www.tvspy.com    
It is a emailed news letter about the TV Biz....

 Allen Sklar
Tempe AZ USA   
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Weather Channel Adopts Breezier Feel
Aim to win new viewers, keep the old
By SCOTT LEITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  

Yes, the Weather Channel can actually get squarer. 

But that's just the new logo. 

Beginning Monday, the Atlanta-based king of cable weather will unveil a
boxy logo to replace its existing symbol, a well-known but dated badge
that has barely changed since the network was founded in 1982. 

Channel devotees will notice more substantial changes as the year goes
on. The Weather Channel, known for years by its staid style and
endearingly nerdy approach, is moving to the next step in its evolution
as the network aims to offer more entertaining programs. 

The topper: The Weather Channel is at work on a weekend news program,
which will debut Sept. 17, featuring an anchor who doesn't even have a
meteorological background. 

"It's really important to us to reach consumers in broader ways," said
Weather Channel President Debora Wilson, who assumed her post in March
2004. 

The Weather Channel - which is housed in a nondescript office building
near the junction of I-75 and I-285 - is a serious sort of place. The
new logo has been kept under wraps at corporate headquarters in
preparation for Monday's changeover. 

But Weather Channel executives are savvy enough to know it must change,
given that options for getting weather information have grown
dramatically since the days it was a novelty - or an oddity, as some
thought - to provide 24-hour weather programming. 

The Weather Channel's overall audience has a median age of 48 and is
evenly split between men and women. On average, watchers have a
household income of $68,554. 

But the network has been conducting deeper research to figure out how to
attract new viewers and keep existing ones watching longer. Wonya Lucas,
who joined the Weather Channel in July 2002 as executive vice president
for marketing, used that information to reshape the network's efforts
at brand building. 

The studies, which showed that many viewers have an emotional attachment
to weather, guided decisions about the new look for the Weather Channel
logo, an upcoming ad campaign, and a revamped slogan, "Bringing weather
to life." 

When it comes to viewing habits, research found different camps. Some
people watch the Weather Channel rarely, and only to get a quick
forecast. 

Others tune in often and are what the network dubs "vitalists" - loyal
viewers who use the Weather Channel to plan their days while also
enjoying the "spectacle" of weather. They want regular forecasts, but
they also enjoy tracking hurricanes even if they live in, say,
Illinois. 

"They're fascinated by Mother Nature," said Lucas, whose past jobs
included posts at Turner Broadcasting and Coca-Cola. 

Killer tornadoes popular 

The Weather Channel, which is part of a privately held Virginia company
called Landmark Communications, has tried to keep these hard-core
viewers watching longer. In January 2003 it launched "Storm Stories," a
prime-time program that now runs seven days a week and features dramatic
tales of killer tornadoes and other weather phenomena. 

Wilson said "Storm Stories" had been a solid success. During the
12-month period that ended in June, the hourlong block of "Storm
Stories" that starts at 8 p.m. had an average 331,000 viewers,
according to Nielsen Media Research. 

The Weather Channel's next big programming experiment is due Sept. 17.
On that Saturday morning, at 7 a.m., the network will launch "Weekend
View," a four-hour-long show. 

Wilson said it would take a "Good Morning America"-style approach to a
weather news show, with an in-studio host and meteorologists scattered
around the country. 

The new, live program, which will be shown on Saturdays and Sundays, is
meant to have a breezier feel than most Weather Channel fare. The
network has built a special studio for the show, with a couch and chair
set in a colorful space that doesn't look like the newsy main studio. 

Then there's the host, Dao Vu, a woman who, before moving to the Weather
Channel, helped anchor "The Daily Buzz," a syndicated live morning show
carried in many markets around the country. 

As is the norm in today's TV world, Vu has model-like good looks and a
swirl of enthusiasm. She doesn't have weather experience, however, and
has been charged with shaping a show that will have few rules. "We can
do whatever we want," she said. 

'Weathertainment' 

On Nov. 29 the changes are scheduled to continue as the network
introduces a short-run series called "The Weather Channel Top Ten." In
five episodes, the network will rank major metro areas on measures like
cloudiest and rainiest. Vu will host that show as well. It is meant to
be a fun show. 

"I call it weathertainment," she said. 

While "Weekend View" and "Top Ten" remain unproved, devoted Weather
Channel fans have no shortage of opinions on changes that have already
occurred, especially "Storm Stories." 

"Change is always good, to an extent," said loyal watcher Kerry D.
Graham of Marietta. "At least they never got away from what they set
out to do," which is to offer regular forecasts. 

Stacy Simpson Assaf of Duluth said she enjoyed "Storm Stories" partly
because she found the programs safe and even educational for her kids.
Overall, she finds today's Weather Channel much more polished than it
was a decade ago. 

The studies that helped shape the latest changes at the Weather Channel
give network leaders confidence that its base of loyal watchers will
stick with them. 

"Our core audience actually gives us license to do more," Wilson said.