[PHX-Skywarn] Weather Channel TV

Mon Aug 15 21:18:07 EDT 2005

I still think it's pitiful when CNN has better coverage of a hurricane than 
the Weather Channel.
--
Lee Levine KD7ETH
Phoenix, Az.
Monitoring 146.52 Simplex and the 147.20 and 442.80 repeaters

Americans think of themselves collectively as a huge rescue squad on 
twenty-four-hour call to any spot on the globe where dispute and conflict 
may erupt. --Eldridge Cleaver
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Allen Sklar" <ajsklar at w7as.com>
To: "Phx-SkyWarn Mail Server" <phx-skywarn at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 16:10
Subject: [PHX-Skywarn] Weather Channel TV


> Hello All
>
> This is via www.tvspy.com
> It is a emailed news letter about the TV Biz....
>
> Allen Sklar
> Tempe AZ USA
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++===
> 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.
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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