Weather Channel

[gratefulnole]

The Rita coverage was atrocious, particularly the late, late night programming with Schultz and his sidekick. (I think I have the name right).

It's Schwartz.

He comes across as a 6th grade science teacher talkin about the weather to 2nd graders.

[tornadochaser86]

they did go into storm mode or ophelia when it finally made landfall how long was it sitting there for like a week lol

[wxmann_91]

they did go into storm mode or ophelia when it finally made landfall how long was it sitting there for like a week lol

No. Storm Alert Mode is reserved for major hurricane threats. (even if a major hurricane weakens, e.g. Lili, Frances, they still have it in Storm Alert mode, but if it never makes it they don't have it)

[Tri-State_1925]

TWC music rocks. But when that guy kept talking over the music during the forecasts it got pretty annoying. WE CAN READ!!!!

If it weren't for the music I'd hate it.

I remember when there was no voice on the locals...



I also remember when Storm Stories(or the 1st of the taped junk), Atmospheres, didn't air at all.

Those were the days... *sigh*

I've been watching TWC for the past 15 years...the music has become pathetic. There is a guy at TWC whose job it is to put together the local forecast music. About 3 years ago they had a page on their website where they listed some of their recent soundtracks. I actually emailed this dude telling him to play the classics from the early 90's, and I'd say that within a few days the classics were back on the locals for a couple weeks. No joke. So if you don't like the music, you can probably do something about it.

As far as the local forecast goes, I remember when the locals would come at random times, vary in length from 20 seconds to 3 minutes, and had all sorts of glitches (usually involving the legendary scrolling Travel Cities Forecast). They originally had a voice that would at most say stuff like "your 36 hour forcast from the NWS..." and no more. While that was ok, they got rid of that for several years, but then it returned in reading mode. Ugh. And on top of all this, they altered their once cool weather symbols. Not a good move.

Oh yeah, the TWC forecast maps used to be raw, man. Someone mentioned the isobars...then there was the cheap rain/snow/front graphics and the "late afternoon" and "early evening" forecast maps...

The locals and on-camera forecasts do not have nearly the raw style they used to have -- the style that got people addicted to the channel. But this is nothing new. We don't even have to get into the fact that they hardly cover the weather anymore.

[emeraldcoaster]

During Andrew, many of us on the Westbank in suburban NOLA--Jefferson Parish--stayed in our homes. It was the first time most of us had paid attention to The Weather Channel and many of us woke up during the night sometime and watched John Hope predicting that our neighborhood might be under 20' of water in a couple of days.

We lived across the street from a 2 story school, and I remember the neighbors all standing on the street discussing how we would get one neighbor's boat out of his garage and keep it on the street. Would back another's truck up to the school to rip the grill covering the doors off. Then we could spend time there until help arrived. Also, remember everyone saying 'We'll never stay again'. Andrew missed us, but we all kept our word.

We've lived in the Florida Panhandle for the past few years, but we've always evacuated. This year, as we sat at friends' house in our north County waiting for Dennis, The Weather Channel played constantly and we all stopped occasionally to listen. But the endless commercials, combined with the equally endless guys/gals standing on the sand saying, 'It should pick up soon' while behind them there's not much of a breeze in the background, the hyping of which city 'cannot stand another hit', the very little time that someone like Dr. Lyons is on--it just seemed very sad to watch TWC these days.

[luvwinter]

Skufful-

Why do you think Fox, CNN, etc. have gotten so into to hurrcanes? Maybe because of TWC (TWN?) I think they provide an great service. The give us the NHC's prediction without too much of their own BS. If you don't like them, you have the right to turn the channel.

Actually, I enjoy TWC. I started out watching it first last night, just couldnt deal with all the excessive commercials, so I exercised my "right" and turned the channel.

I have just noticed the warbdrobe thing for a while now and wondered if anyone else did. Thought I'd delurk with that question.

Nice to meet everyone- I'm from Alabama.

[/quote]




With all the discussion everyone forgot to welcome the newbie. Welcome to the board Skufull.

[wxmann_91]

Skufful-

Why do you think Fox, CNN, etc. have gotten so into to hurrcanes? Maybe because of TWC (TWN?) I think they provide an great service. The give us the NHC's prediction without too much of their own BS. If you don't like them, you have the right to turn the channel.

Actually, I enjoy TWC. I started out watching it first last night, just couldnt deal with all the excessive commercials, so I exercised my "right" and turned the channel.

I have just noticed the warbdrobe thing for a while now and wondered if anyone else did. Thought I'd delurk with that question.

Nice to meet everyone- I'm from Alabama.

With all the discussion everyone forgot to welcome the newbie. Welcome to the board Skufull.

Skufull is not the newbie, it's SectionOne.

In any case, welcome!

[EFrancis]

Two things

1) I did NOT expect this thread to turn into THIS

2) If I want to listen to something about the weather, look at a radar, or anything else weather related on TV, the first channel that comes to mind is TWC. It may be cheap at times, even childish, unprofessional, and commerical-filled. But in the end, it gets the job done, and THAT'S the bottom line.

[caribepr]

Well - I wasn't going to post on this but tonight (oops, this morning) came back from where i go to watch television and here was this TWC thread.
The last thing I watched before coming home was the Weather Channel (after a lot of CNN). I noticed something that seemed odd to me - when the woman was saying where Rita was going to go and where she did go...and then when she was talking about the weather over the US in general.
The gist was...WE had Rita coming in here but WE moved her into here...and then, WE will be giving you rain/heat/sun/whatever in Chicago/Boston/Dallas/whatever. And even apologizing for the continued rain over NO but promising THEY would move it out soon.
It was very much put in terms that made it sound like THEY (who, the mets? the channel? who?) were in charge of the weather, whatever weather it was. I found the terminology very strange. I rarely watch television, so maybe that is just how it's done now, but I don't remember ever hearing weather reported like this.

[SectionOne]

LuvWinter and WxMann- Thanks for the warm welcome

[Frank2]

Re: EFrancis's post

Glad you notice that, too - apparently TWC began using this music during the near landfall and landfall of Hurricane Katrina, and decided to use it again during the hours before and during the landfall of Rita.

You might recall that on September 11, 2001, TWC suspended their music (the "Local on the 8's" on that day were done without music), and, apparently they considered what could be put in the place of their usual casual music selections at times of great crisis, since we now seem to live in that day - the "generic TWC music" apparenty was their solution.

Frank

[jburns]

[ About 3 years ago they had a page on their website where they listed some of their recent soundtracks. I actually emailed this dude telling him to play the classics from the early 90's,

I assume you mean the 1890s. Oh god I'm so old.

[iceangel]

The Weather Network plays the same song for everything. If you have not seen the program, the colours are a dark blue and white... very depressing. All the music sounds the same, you can tell they used a keyboard with different instrument sounds to make it. I can't stand the local forecast, the music and the colours are enough to make you want to hit the TV.

I hate the music too..I mute the TV and resort to reading the forcast instead.

[Thunder44]

If you aren't satisfied with TWC anymore, then you should check out NBC Weather Plus. They've gotten better and seemed to to have taken up where TWC left off. They even have tropical updates now.

[iceangel]

If you aren't satisfied with TWC anymore, then you should check out NBC Weather Plus. They've gotten better and seemed to to have taken up where TWC left off. They even have tropical updates now.

I prefer watching FNC when they are tracking a hurricane and during the aftermath...In fact, FNC is my no 1 choice. Msnbc is #2.
(Did you know that Joe Scarorough does his show (Scarborough Country) from his home here in Pensacola? That is so he can be with his kids!!) CNN- only in passing, if something catches my eye. I will usually turn to FNC for more info.