[PHX-Skywarn] Weather Channel TV

Mon Aug 15 23:29:05 EDT 2005

Interesting, but storm stories comes on here in the southeast when we're
usually getting hit with the big evening thunderstorms (usually severe), so
the weather channel is pretty much useless. Can't get on the computer for
the storms, so have to rely on the local channels (which usually hit the
forecasts closer, anyway. 

  Or even better - just turn on the NWS radio and listen for updates. Much
more accurate than the waether channel, and "just the facts", no cutsey
jokes, funnies, or paparazzi standing in a storm trying to look cool. Steve
Naglic and the folks at the Columbia, SC NWS office are a great bunch of
folks and hit the forecasts very close.

Mike Majority
N4VBV, Sumter, SC
Formerlyfrom Glendale, AZ

> [Original Message]
> From: Allen Sklar <ajsklar at w7as.com>
> To: Phx-SkyWarn Mail Server <phx-skywarn at mailman.qth.net>
> Date: 8/15/2005 7:12:15 PM
> 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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