Dear weather channel:
I’ve been a fan since the very… very… very beginning.
Well, at least since my parents first got basic cable TV in the mid-1980s. As an aspiring meteorologist, it’s the natural first choice when no one else has claimed our only television.
I have memories of the little ads in the top corners of the screen when one or two of your on-air meteorologists would stay up to ten SOLID minutes, reviewing maps, discussing weather patterns, and inundating us with PURE WEATHER. Local forecasts were available with every commercial break, and between the local forecasts and the commercial forecasts were simple weather charts: cold and warm fronts, high and low temperatures, and maybe an occasional pollen count, fall leaf color or snow level maps of the mountains.
It was glorious for my climatology wannabe.
Those were the days. In fact, I would like to remind you of those days with this video of your first half hour on the air since May 1982 (starting at 30:00).
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmAcbjhtkLM[/youtube]
In 2000, you decided to introduce long-form programming. In other words, longer shows that involve the weather, but do not provide viewers with forecast information (with the exception of “The Weather on the 8”). Atmospheres was an hour-long recap of the past week’s significant weather, giving you the opportunity to delve deeper into what led to a significant event.
Storm Stories was next and premiered in 2003. Storm Stories featured major climate events with testimonies from those who lived and survived the events. Don’t get me wrong, Storm Stories was interesting and fun to watch. Jim Cantore’s enthusiasm for educating the public about the power and wonder of climate can capture anyone’s attention.
Storm Stories then gave rise to It Could Happen Tomorrow, when the weather changed the story, beyond the forecast and epic conditions. All related to the weather, but a trend began to move away from presenting the current weather.
I bet advertising dollars drove the changes. After all, what advertiser wouldn’t want to have viewers for 30 to 60 minutes straight, right? Similar things were happening on CNN’s Headline News.
NBC Universal bought it in 2008 and that started a revolution in programming and outreach. Its social media presence took off and it now has a lead in tablet and smartphone capabilities. You are my favorite weather app on my iPad. We saw an integration of NBC’s current weather personalities into some of its key morning shows, such as Wake Up With Al with Al Roker and Stephanie Abrams. We also see quite a bit of NBC news integrated into their programs now.
