Paging Chicos for comment

[Coleman]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/14/262382556/20-million-directv-customers-just-lost-the-weather-channel?utm_content=socialflow&utm_campaign=nprfacebook&utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook

[chapman]

Damn, of the 140-whatever channels I have to get it's one of the three I actually watch.  But trying to portray it as a safety issue?  Reaching just a little bit there.

[Spotcheck Billy]

while you're at it Chicos, wtf is it with the ratings directv uses in the guide description for movies? I get the 5 star rating system, easy to follow that, but then why not be consistent and NOT use spilled popcorn 28% or Flixter tomato splatters for others? Try explaining those ratings to 85 YO parents

[GGGG]

"There's more at issue than money, according to the Times. DirecTV claims many of its customers aren't happy with The Weather Channel's expansion into reality TV. "We have heard from an overwhelming majority of our customers that they want a weather service that's 24/7, not one that's preempted by reality programming 40% of the time," DirecTV says."


A-F*CKING-MEN!!!

I know this is corporate-speak, but I used to watch the Weather Channel all of the time, but now it just has a bunch of silly reality shows that don't interest me in the least.

[muwarrior69]

Anyone can get the weather off their phone today. Its local, accurate, and just about as close to real time as you can get; and you can see the local radar of an approaching storm. So who needs the 'climate change channel' anyway. On a more humorous note I know a storm is about 5 minutes away when I lose my satellite signal; what more do you need.

[Lennys Tap]

It's a safety issue? LOL. It's a money issue.

[hairy worthen]

"There's more at issue than money, according to the Times. DirecTV claims many of its customers aren't happy with The Weather Channel's expansion into reality TV. "We have heard from an overwhelming majority of our customers that they want a weather service that's 24/7, not one that's preempted by reality programming 40% of the time," DirecTV says."


A-F*CKING-MEN!!!

I know this is corporate-speak, but I used to watch the Weather Channel all of the time, but now it just has a bunch of silly reality shows that don't interest me in the least.

Evidently just the weather wasn't cutting it for ratings. Same thing happened to MTV.

I used to watch the weather channel a fair amount years ago, now it sucks. Few clicks on my phone and I get better more accurate info.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

does direct tv's weather channel even give the locals?  Dish doesn't, IIRC.   Without locals on the 8's, the channel is nothing more than asshats standing in hurricanes and blizzards.

[4everwarriors]

Yeah, some random dude gettin' blown oceanside isn't exactly what I wanna see.

[brandx]

Evidently just the weather wasn't cutting it for ratings. Same thing happened to MTV.

I used to watch the weather channel a fair amount years ago, now it sucks. Few clicks on my phone and I get better more accurate info.

Haven't watched Weather Channel in over a year ands MTV in about 20. Once the music was gone, so was I.

[Hards Alumni]

"There's more at issue than money, according to the Times. DirecTV claims many of its customers aren't happy with The Weather Channel's expansion into reality TV. "We have heard from an overwhelming majority of our customers that they want a weather service that's 24/7, not one that's preempted by reality programming 40% of the time," DirecTV says."


A-F*CKING-MEN!!!

I know this is corporate-speak, but I used to watch the Weather Channel all of the time, but now it just has a bunch of silly reality shows that don't interest me in the least.

+1  I just want the local on the 8s.

[mu03eng]

Yeah, some random dude gettin' blown oceanside isn't exactly what I wanna see.

That's not what your pay per view bill says

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Haven't watched Weather Channel in over a year ands MTV in about 20. Once the music was gone, so was I.

That sounds about right.
Cablevision has a "Metro Weather and Traffic Channel" where every 5 minutes they repeat the current weather forecast followed by the greater New York City traffic situation.  I go there knowing I'm going to get the detailed weather forecast when I want to see it.  You have to find "MTV Hits" buried somewhere in my channel line-up to see music videos like the way MTV used to show them.

[ChicosBailBonds]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/14/262382556/20-million-directv-customers-just-lost-the-weather-channel?utm_content=socialflow&utm_campaign=nprfacebook&utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook

Yeah, it's been busy around here....always a contract up, always big decisions to be made.

Simply put, many of our customers are upset that the Weather Channel no longer shows weather all the time, in fact only 60% of the time...much like MTV no longer does music.  To pay for their reality type programming that now drives their programming they need money to do so.  As a result, we have to look at the value of the programming for the cost.  Their viewership over the last two years is down, people can get their weather from local news, national news, their mobile phones, internet, and the new channel we launched called Weather Nation that does one thing 24/7....weather.

What is most interesting and rarely talked about is who owns the Weather Channel.  Comcast, Bane, and Blackstone.  The latter two is what makes this quite interesting.

The campaign that Weather Channel is waging saying it endangers lives...well the media has crushed that silly argument.  This isn't 10 years ago, the weather can be had on many sources.  We've made a very fair offer to them for the value of their programming.  They didn't like it, contract was up last night at midnight so we immediately moved Weather Nation into their slot.

We'll see where it goes from here, but their strategy is getting killed.  The following article is one of many today wondering what they are doing.


http://www.mediaite.com/tv/one-pathetic-pr-storm-weather-channels-strategy-in-directv-fight-is-laughable/

[ChicosBailBonds]

does direct tv's weather channel even give the locals?  Dish doesn't, IIRC.   Without locals on the 8's, the channel is nothing more than asshats standing in hurricanes and blizzards.

Yes, we provided local weather based on your zip code on the weather channel through a joint project launched with them a few years ago.  Obviously that is currently suspended due to the change.


Lenny is right...safety?  That's laughable.  It's about money and it's about what our customers have told us they want.

[jesmu84]

chicos, while you're here... any thoughts on this?

http://bgr.com/2014/01/14/net-neutrality-court-ruling/

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Yeah, it's been busy around here....always a contract up, always big decisions to be made.

Simply put, many of our customers are upset that the Weather Channel no longer shows weather all the time, in fact only 60% of the time...much like MTV no longer does music.  To pay for their reality type programming that now drives their programming they need money to do so.  As a result, we have to look at the value of the programming for the cost.  Their viewership over the last two years is down, people can get their weather from local news, national news, their mobile phones, internet, and the new channel we launched called Weather Nation that does one thing 24/7....weather.

What is most interesting and rarely talked about is who owns the Weather Channel.  Comcast, Bane, and Blackstone.  The latter two is what makes this quite interesting.

The campaign that Weather Channel is waging saying it endangers lives...well the media has crushed that silly argument.  This isn't 10 years ago, the weather can be had on many sources.  We've made a very fair offer to them for the value of their programming.  They didn't like it, contract was up last night at midnight so we immediately moved Weather Nation into their slot.

We'll see where it goes from here, but their strategy is getting killed.  The following article is one of many today wondering what they are doing.


http://www.mediaite.com/tv/one-pathetic-pr-storm-weather-channels-strategy-in-directv-fight-is-laughable/

Deonte Burton owns part of the weather channel?  Dude's a baller.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

+1  I just want the local on the 8s.

This is hilarious. I was just wondering if they still had local on the 8's.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

No mention yet that The Weather Channel was founded by a Marquette guy.

[Benny B]

+1  I just want the local on the 8s.

You can get local on the 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s and 0s right here... http://www.weather.com

Ironic that The Weather Channel hasn't made any mention or reference to their website that ranks #25 in the US (Alexa), which is the primary rationale behind the decision to abandon the old "weather" format and adopt the new "reality" format and is the primary hole in their "safety" argument.

[Coleman]

Yeah, some random dude gettin' blown oceanside isn't exactly what I wanna see.

you sure?

[Coleman]

Based on everything I've read from Chicos and elsewhere, I have to agree with the big bad provider DirectTV in this case.

But I can't entirely blame the Weather Channel for expanding into alternative programming due to how easy it is to check the weather on an app or online...they needed to try something

What they really should have done is gone deeper with really scientific analysis of weather...like 24/7 Tom Skilling type stuff. That would keep people interested.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

you sure?

4never is more of a Logo TV and Here TV kinda guy.

[ChicosBailBonds]

No mention yet that The Weather Channel was founded by a Marquette guy.

Who would that be?

Frank Batten was one of the two founders, the other is John Coleman.  Batten is a UVA and Harvard guy.  Coleman is a University of Illinois guy and not a fan of Al Gore.

[GGGG]

You can get local on the 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s and 0s right here... http://www.weather.com

Ironic that The Weather Channel hasn't made any mention or reference to their website that ranks #25 in the US (Alexa), which is the primary rationale behind the decision to abandon the old "weather" format and adopt the new "reality" format and is the primary hole in their "safety" argument.

Yeah I do know this.  And I know I sound old skool when I bitch about it, but the old Weather Channel was my default when I just wanted something on to watch.