Weather Channel dropped by DirecTV: 'The weather belongs to everyone'
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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/14/weather-channel-directv-dropped-nation Version 0 of 1. DirecTV has dropped the Weather Channel, which means that 20m US homes are without the nation's most widely broadcast forecaster. The channel, known to many for its largely failed attempt to introduce naming conventions to all significant weather systems, has been dumped in a dispute over cost. DirecTV has replaced the Weather Channel with the smaller, lesser known Weather Nation, which in meteorological terms is like replacing with a loud, gusty, look-at-me force-nine wind with a warm, gentle breeze that goes unnoticed until somebody mentions the weather. Here are some things you should know about the storm that has pundits forecasting turbulence in the television atmosphere. 1. This is matter of life and death In the wake of DirecTV dropping the Weather Channel – a decision which will see it delivered to around 79m homes instead of the current 99m – Weather Channel employees took to the airwaves to paint a hyperbole-laden vision of dystopian future without their employer. David Kenny, Weather Channel CEO, issued a terse statement saying that DirecTV had made a "dangerous gamble" in replacing his channel. A dangerous gamble that "puts DirecTV customers at risk". "This reckless move by DirecTV will have an impact on our role as part of the national safety and preparedness fabric of our country at a time when the volatility and frequency of weather events seems to be increasing," Kenny said, without taking a single comma for breath. He added that he hoped DirecTV would "come to their senses soon" and reinstate the Weather Channel, which has launched its own campaigning website called “keeptheweatherchannel.com”. 2. This is *really* a matter of life and death Kenny poured scorn on DirecTV’s alternative offering, Weather Nation, in his statement. Weather Nation is “a cheap startup that does weather forecasting on a three-hour taped loop, has no field coverage, no weather experts”, Kenny said: “And no experience in severe weather emergencies.” Other Weather Channel employees lined up to reinforce the risk on Twitter. They were concerned that Weather Nation, staffed by meterologists with broadcasting experience, could “not handle” a large weather event. The result? Nothing less than “Deadly risk,” according to Weather Channel producer Shawn Reynolds. Weather Channel president David Clark had also got the memo. For him, people simply “don’t have time to wait for [Weather Nation] to figure things out”. The size of the responsibility? “Huge responsibility”. And that’s from a man who has “done two” startups. 3. It could mean less sexy weather The Weather Channel has been trying to sauce up its forecasts and coverage for some time. In 2012 it started naming storms. For decades, hurricanes and tropical storms have been given official names, which are recognised by government forecasters, governments and news organisations. Storms had not, partly because there are loads of of them. The Weather Channel named 26 separate winter storms in the 2012-13 winter. “Naming a storm raises awareness,” they said. None of the names, which included “Rocky”, “Nemo” and “Q”, were recognised officially. Critics suspected the attempt to raise awareness could have a self serving element. AccuWeather founder Joel Myers said the naming efforts would “create confusion”. The National Weather Service said, essentially, that it was a daft idea. The Weather Channel has also been criticised for its alarmist approach to warning people about the forecast. “You must prepare now,” read its website in capitals when snow was forecast for the north-east last February. While the heading could be seen as unnecessarily scaring people, it did at least create some jokes. 4. The programming debate As mentioned in the second point, the Weather Channel employees are concerned about Weather Nation’s programming. This would be more of a concern if the Weather Channel had not faced criticism for its own content. DirecTV’s COO, Dan York, hit back at the Weather Channel on Tuesday morning with a barbed comment about the Weather Channel’s programming. “Most consumers don’t want to watch a weather information channel with a forecast of a 40% chance of reality TV,” York said – presumably a reference to programmes like Breaking Ice, Highway Thru Hell, and Freaks of Nature, which all air on the Weather Channel. DirecTV customers had been asking for “around-the-clock, 100% weather news and information”, York said. “Consumers understand there are now a variety of other ways to get weather coverage, free of reality show clutter, and that the Weather Channel does not have an exclusive on weather coverage – the weather belongs to everyone.” 5. The Third Way Amid the furore, AccuWeather announced that it will launch its own 24/7 weather channel later this year. “The new AccuWeather Channel will be focused on helping people make better decisions in planning to improve life and safety. It will provide highly localized and customized forecasts,” the company said in a statement. So if the row between The Weather Channel, DirecTV, and the burgeoning Weather Nation have left a sour taste in your mouth, maybe AccuWeather will be the forecasting outlet for you. They are certainly hoping so. “AccuWeather had not planned to make the announcement at this time, but decided to accelerate the announcement in light of the controversy that has developed between DirecTV and the Weather Channel and in order to make the public aware of an additional offering that will be available to them later this year.” Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |