Nic Wilson
EF2
I don't know if anyone has ever read "The Improbable Rise of a Media Phenomenon", but it tells the story of TWC's start-up straight from the source, former Chairman and CEO Frank Batten. The main thing that made (and still makes) TWC a viable money-maker is the Local on the 8's forecasts. People tune into TWC because they know they will receive the local forecast within ten minutes. It was a huge technological leap when the satellite transponder technology was developed to transmit the local forecast to specific areas in the early 1980's, but it also nearly ended any chance TWC had of getting off the ground due to the immense R&D costs and the difficulty of obtaining cable television operators to carry the channel during the early days of cable TV.
Coleman is probably not the most credible source to view opinions of TWC in its current state because he left the original investment group on horrible terms in its early stages. With Landmark (the parent company of TWC - a media conglomerate with newspaper and television stations) $32 million in debt on the project, Coleman was given an option to find a new investor to take the project off of Landmark's hands. After messy court litigation and an unsuccessful attempt at finding other backers Coleman was forced to give up his share of the company and all association and ties with TWC. Landmark was able to steady the ship and turn TWC into the profitable production it is today out of the depths of near-bankruptcy, a pretty impressive entrepreneurial story!
Jeff - The only reason we saw severe weather coverage during the Nashville event was because Landmark (TWC's parent company) owns a local affiliate there. Most of Landmark's television affiliates are located on the east coast so don't expect to see live cut-ins of events on the central and southern plains anytime soon.
I don't really have an opinion either way on TWC, other than we are definitely not their target audience, nor the audience that will bring them millions in revenue. The biggest threat to TWC currently is the advent of HD-television. The multiple frequencies that local television affiliates now have at their disposal allow for them to broadcast 24-hour weather information (NBC has been at the forefront of the movement - i.e. WeatherPlus) This directly combats TWC's local forecast advantage, so like many other companies they are looking at other arenas where they can gain a foothold such as internet and cell phone weather information.
Coleman is probably not the most credible source to view opinions of TWC in its current state because he left the original investment group on horrible terms in its early stages. With Landmark (the parent company of TWC - a media conglomerate with newspaper and television stations) $32 million in debt on the project, Coleman was given an option to find a new investor to take the project off of Landmark's hands. After messy court litigation and an unsuccessful attempt at finding other backers Coleman was forced to give up his share of the company and all association and ties with TWC. Landmark was able to steady the ship and turn TWC into the profitable production it is today out of the depths of near-bankruptcy, a pretty impressive entrepreneurial story!
Jeff - The only reason we saw severe weather coverage during the Nashville event was because Landmark (TWC's parent company) owns a local affiliate there. Most of Landmark's television affiliates are located on the east coast so don't expect to see live cut-ins of events on the central and southern plains anytime soon.
I don't really have an opinion either way on TWC, other than we are definitely not their target audience, nor the audience that will bring them millions in revenue. The biggest threat to TWC currently is the advent of HD-television. The multiple frequencies that local television affiliates now have at their disposal allow for them to broadcast 24-hour weather information (NBC has been at the forefront of the movement - i.e. WeatherPlus) This directly combats TWC's local forecast advantage, so like many other companies they are looking at other arenas where they can gain a foothold such as internet and cell phone weather information.
