TV Meteorologists Laid Off, Weather Channel Will Take Over Local Weather

[Blake Naftel]

IMHO, content ought to drive technology, not the other way around. I think the local stations are still the best and most-widely used source for local weather, news, and sports. And the legacy networks for sports. If you think I am wrong, look at statistics for games that are available both on regular TV and streaming. Many more watch those on regular TV. The only reason streaming is growing in the sports area is because the media giants are trying to force people in that direction. For example, the next two MSU basketball games are available ONLY on Peacock, so if you want to watch, you have to pay for Peacock. Put them on both NBC and Peacock and see who watches where. Now I will agree that traditional TV has become pretty useless for things other than news, weather, and sports - most of what is on is garbage. But that is a content problem, not a media problem, and some of that applies to streaming services except perhaps for sports and Netflix (the only one really making money). Which helps explain why the networks are losing viewership and most of the streaming services are still losing money. Maybe Youtube is the future, but for most of what I am interested in, TV works better. I don't watch much on Youtube besides storm videos.

John,

I would tend to agree, but unfortunately that is not how legacy media at the local or national level function anymore. Aside from family owned Griffin Communications in OKC which actually invested in relocating KWTV News 9 downtown and putting money into the product + employees. It's still local television and weather does hold the go to for viewership in OKC, DFW and ITC respectively. Most large ownership groups, Sinclair, TEGNA, Scripps, Nexstar, Gray, AMG, etc; lean towards generic graphics, wordy weather department slogans i.e. "the doppler first severe weather first alert center" or "Doppler 3000" which are humorous at best now, and I don't see much of a future for that in how the nation is shaping up. Streaming however will take a foothold in this, at a localized and regional level, but needs to innovate with content, as you note, and be open to doing so. Most station management groups I have worked with are very stubborn and rarely open to experimentation. Perhaps over a decade ago, but now what I see, not so much.

AI will continue to assist and change this. I do think TTA television and radio broadcasts are vital when cellular is hacked or goes down, and is just all the more reason to keep those platforms, aka, stations, around in some capacity.

My three cents.

Blake

 

[Warren Faidley]

A TORNADO EMERGENCY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3:50 PM FOR............... BUT FIRST, A SPECIAL EDITION OF ICE ROAD TRUCKERS.