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Weather Channel doing much better

MClarkson

EF5
Joined
Sep 2, 2004
Messages
892
Location
Blacksburg, VA
So I was a bit impressed with them during Sandy and the days since... they are showing different upper air maps from the GFS/ECMWF and are explaining the science behind the different storms and forecasts. Huh. Not bad. Certainly could have been a lot worse... their coverage was much better than in the past and much better than CNN/Fox.
 
I don't have TWC anymore (no cable or satellite). However, even through last year (when I did have TWC), I know that I thought their coverage was more thorough than I remember 5+ years ago. I know it seems to be popular to dislike TWC, but I think they are more relevant and weather-centric now than they were before the V2 coverage and before they were sold to NBC. Sure, it may not be the "good old" days from decades ago, but they certainly seem better to me NOW than they did 5-6 years ago.
 
They can lose all of the reality shows and WUWA. That's why I hardly ever watch them anymore.

BINGO! same here.
They did ok with the coverage of Sandy, but it won't belong before they are back to the same old crap again.
Though I didn't mind Full Force Nature or Storm Riders it's the others shows like Iron man or men what ever it was, that seem to really stretch "weather"
 
I have also noticed the increase in bursts of scientific discussion on TWC over the last year or so. However, such activity seems to remain the exception to the rule. I bet there's some PR director in the network who comes into the studio once an hour and says, "hey guys, there's wayyyy too much science going on in here. People wanna see sh-t blowing up and people yelling at each other. I'm scheduling an extra hour of Pyros and Ice Pilots because of this Sandy character..."
 
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It has become popular to bash on TWC here over the last few years and it takes some cajones to go out on a limb and admit they're getting better at what they do. I'm not here to say they do everything well, however, and WUWA comes to mind as the most lame acronym one could dream up (as mentioned above), and the constant teasing from Stephanie Abrams directed towards Mike Bettes gets old really fast. She's just a bit too fiesty/cheeky in the morning for my taste.

I like to focus on the better side of the channel, my favorite being Carl Parker when he's at the "Expert Desk" running GRAE and explaining things to the viewers to draw a complete picture of what the atmosphere is doing. Of course Dr Forbes is up there too as he is basically a rock star (in a nerdy way) when it comes to tornado knowledge and that skit they came up with where he was "Storm Master G" made me genuinely laugh. They do seem to put a lot of focus on the eye candy lately though IMO. What I mean by this is their hiring of women mets who could moonlight as Vogue cover models, but that part is really not a "Pro" or a "Con" the more I think about it. I remember when Crystal Egger was here in Denver a couple of years ago on Fox. She was all business and apparently heading places because she was here about 2 - 3 years and then she was gone and appeared on TWC practically overnight. Overall I'm satisfied with the changes they have implemented, but only watch every now and again even though we have cable service. I usually only tune in when there is significant weather heading our way to see what they have to say about it.
 
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