TVNewsCheck‘s Michael Depp talks with meteorologist Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel about climate change, heightened competition in television weather and the critical role of empathy in telling weather’s story to TV audiences.
The strange allure of watching someone else stand in the blizzard.
A new “multi-pronged” reporting initiative will debut early next year, focusing on climate and weather’s impact on business, health, household finances and lifestyle, says Barb Maushard, Hearst SVP of news.
Fox News Media is getting into another rough-and-tumble world — the weather. The company is launching Fox Weather, a free streaming service and app that it expects will be used most frequently by customers on their mobile devices.
NBCU Local Adds AR To Weather Coverage Arsenal
Nate Johnson, director of weather operations for NBCUniversal Local, says the group’s NBC and Telemundo stations are using augmented reality to enhance weather reporting. Every tool counts, he emphasizes, since competition for talent is getting stiffer as Fox readies its own weather network. Note: This story is available to TVNewsCheck Premium members only. If you would like to upgrade your free TVNewsCheck membership to Premium now, you can visit your Member Home Page, available when you log in at the very top right corner of the site or in the Stay Connected Box that appears in the right column of virtually every page on the site. If you don’t see Member Home, you will need to click Log In or Subscribe.
Exclusives
Meet SciLine, an organization that’s offering you 23,000 weather or science experts — for free.
A first-of-its-kind nanosatellite project is expected to launch its first qualification unit on Monday. The constellation will ultimately consist of 7 small satellites that will monitor Earth’s tropical zone, which spans about 40 degrees of latitude to the north and south of the equator.
The AccuWeather Network has introduced a new live two-hour show AccuWeather Prime with senior TV weather broadcaster and American Meteorological Society certified broadcast meteorologist Adam Del Rosso as host. AccuWeather Prime can be seen every weeknight from 8 to 10 p.m. ET. AccuWeather Prime stories are designed to enable their audiences to “see, hear and feel” the […]
Twitter is partnering with veteran climate journalist and meteorologist Eric Holthaus to launch a local weather news service on the platform called “Tomorrow” that will be built using all of Twitter’s new creator products — from paid newsletters to ticketed live audio rooms and more.
Baron, a worldwide provider of critical weather intelligence and Baron Lynx to broadcast markets across North America, has promoted Mike Mougey to chief revenue officer. He will also retain his current role as president of broadcast. Mougey will be responsible for all revenue-generation strategy and execution worldwide, forming a new cohesive sales team across the […]
The advantages of moving weather reporting workflows into the cloud go way beyond the efficiency and flexibility of remote access and disaster recovery. They also include a boost in creativity as meteorologists share their work in central or regional libraries, the ability to back up staff challenged by severe weather events and the option of […]
TVN Monday Memo | WBRC’s Weather Branding Delivers Viewers During Tornado
When a deadly tornado touched down in Birmingham, Ala., during the late news, WBRC’s coverage led the market in household viewers. Station management says strong First Alert branding and an all-hands approach made the difference.
WeatheRate, an independent weather research company, today announced that 17 Telemundo owned stations have received the “Most Accurate” forecasting certification for 2020. The stations: WNJU New York, WSCV Miami, KTMD Houston, KXTX Dallas-Fort Worth, WSNS Chicago, KVDA San Antonio, KTAZ Phoenix, KTLM Harlingen, Texas, WTMO Orlando, WWSI Philadelphia, WZDC Washington, D.C., KUAN San Diego, WRMD […]
How machines are helping meteorologists tell a better story.
The current temperatures. The satellite map. The 10-day forecast. They’re all sturdy staples of the weather report on your local station. But nowadays, they’re not enough to compete with the convenient phone apps in every viewer’s pocket. Meteorologists need to give viewers something more than an app can provide. And many have responded by breaking down walls between weather and news, and using journalistic storytelling to deepen their coverage.
Holding Pandemic News Viewers Long-Term With Weather
After more than 30 years as a television weatherman, Jeff Lyons was accustomed to people honking a horn or pulling a goofy face from time to time as they passed by his outdoor live shots. He thought unexpected guests were a thing of the past when he moved his nightly forecast for WFIE Evansville, Ind., into his dining room last month amid the coronavirus pandemic. Then, three weeks into his new routine, Lyons’s 11-year-old cat Betty showed up.
The data doesn’t lie. As local TV news viewership has slowly but steadily declined, the local weather segment has endured as the most ‘must-see’ aspect of many local newscasts. Research by media consultants and by Pew Research shows that local weather is the most valued topic covered by local newscasts. It might be tempting to stop right there. Thanks for watching, goodnight. But it would be perilous to take this narrow view.
Brad Smith of Videa explains why local broadcast weather news is adding viewers and why that’s a good opportunity for advertisers.
Audience research consistently shows weather is a primary driver of news audience in every TV newsroom. And in many markets, members of the weather team are some of the most popular people on air.
WDAF ‘Weather Story’ Promos Are Different
Used exclusively by NBC/Telemundo station meteorologists, the StormRanger radar trucks are honored for revolutionizing the timeliness and accuracy of local weather forecasting and reporting.
While consumers with GPS-enabled smartphones expect real-time weather reports down to the street-corner level, station meteorologists say it’s not that simple. Most of what one gets from apps is just model data that hasn’t been subject to human interpretation. Sifting through the various models and presenting a forecast that incorporates local knowledge is where station meteorologists excel. “The local knowledge that experienced meteorologists can lend to the product is invaluable,” says Justin Keifer, chief meteorologist at WMBB Panama City, Fla.
Historic wildfires have burned all summer long in California, but meteorologists across the state are focused on the immediate impact and are cautious about pointing the finger squarely at climate change.
Capitol Broadcasting’s NBC affiliate WRAL Raleigh, N.C. (DMA 25), has released a major update to its popular weather app, providing an all-new user experience, “including easier access to popular features, customizable designs, animated graphics and voice alerts,” according to the station. The app is a complete overhaul, delivering interactive radar plus 7-day and hourly forecasts. […]
WIAT Weather Promo Blends Serious, Casual
WTXF’s Weather Anchor Celebrates 20 Years
AI Can Bring Relevance To Weather Coverage
It’s time we face the facts as media weathercasters: Our viewers’ habits are changing, and nothing we do will pull them back to the traditional, one-platform, linear TV viewing habits. We are in a unique position in that, as more content providers branch into also providing on-the-go weather reports, we are becoming both less valuable and more valuable. We should be embracing the new evolution of on- and off-air weather reporting in the form of augmented intelligence (AI). We must learn to embrace the new or risk becoming uncompetitive in a breakneck market.
Geotargeting and push notification features are among the many incremental steps forward that broadcasters are embracing to make their weather products as relevant as possible in a world where weather information is increasingly consumed on mobile devices — and not necessarily via TV apps.
Weathercasting Forecast: A Flood Of Data
Newly available data from the GOES-16 weather satellite and other weather sources are making new data management strategies essential for meteorologists to get at what they need to make their predictions. Vendors have responded with various approaches each aimed at helping meteorologists separate the wheat from the chaff. Above KATU Portland, Ore., alerts viewers. (Baron Services photo)
Weather, And Promoting It, Differs Everywhere
If your competitor has the most experienced meteorologists in town, and has marketed that position successfully, you can’t own it. So maybe your best option is to find another position that you can own, one that is unspoken, subtle and not so serious. Here are seven successful weather promotion strategies you can file for a rainy day.
