The Weather Channel feed was switched to show WeatherNation TV just after midnight EST January 14th. the TWC logo is there still in the DirecTV channel lineup, but the content is WeatherNation.
See the proof, this screencap off my TV at 9:02PM PST (12:02 AM EST):
More here:
The explosion of ‘weather channels’ – now there’s 3
DirecTV to drop The Weather Channel?
Update: Ryan Maue caught the zero hour:
http://twitter.com/RyanMaue/status/422959765728145408
Update 2:
The Weather Channel issued this statement by the CEO David Kenny after DirecTV dropped them.
At 12:01 this morning, The Weather Channel is no longer available on DIRECTV, which refused to come to an agreement on a market-based carriage deal. Following is a statement from David Kenny, chairman and CEO of The Weather Company:
This is unprecedented for The Weather Channel. In our 32 years, we have never had a significant disruption due to a failure to reach a carriage agreement. We offered DIRECTV the best rate for our programming, and I am shocked they have put corporate profits ahead of keeping a trusted channel that subscribers rely on every day. We are not looking for a large fee increase. We are simply looking for a fair deal that allows our company to continue to invest in the science and technology that enables us to keep people safe, deliver the world’s best weather, and tell weather stories to help people be prepared and informed.
“At a time when DIRECTV has increased customer rates by 4 percent, they are trading safety for increased profits and replacing the experience and expertise of The Weather Channel with a cheap startup that does weather forecasting on a three-hour taped loop, has no field coverage, no weather experts — certainly not any on par with The Weather Channel network’s industry-recognized experts like tornado expert Dr. Greg Forbes and winter weather expert Tom Niziol — and no experience in severe weather emergencies. This is a dangerous gamble over one penny a month that puts DIRECTV customers at risk.
“This reckless move by DIRECTV will have an impact on our role as part of the national safety and preparedness fabric of our country at a time when the volatility and frequency of weather events seems to be increasing. The Weather Channel partners with humanitarian and emergency management agencies at the local, state and federal levels. We help people prepare before storms, stay safe during their effects, and find help afterward. If the network is not available to viewers, the effectiveness of these partnerships, which help make us a more weather ready nation, are jeopardized. I am hopeful DIRECTV will come to their senses soon and will not force its customers to change carriers to stay safe and informed.”
Source: http://insidecablenews.wordpress.com/2014/01/13/the-weather-channel-drops-off-directv/
Jeez, kool-aid to the very last:
“This reckless move by DIRECTV will have an impact on our role as part of the national safety and preparedness fabric of our country at a time when the volatility and frequency of weather events seems to be increasing.”
DirectTV, obviously. As was pointed out in an earlier blog post on this topic, DTV customers have been complaining about TWC. Not some sort of poll, not some sort of orchestrated anti-TWC campaign. Just DTV customers complaining. Why would DTV bend over backwards to accommodate a broadcaster that most of their customers don’t want anyway?
…18 years with DirecTV, unplugged them and went terrestrial & streaming ..loved the Weather Channel in the beginning but …
“and I am shocked they have put corporate profits ahead of keeping a trusted channel”
Translation: We are shocked that a business would make a business decision and not base their decisions on sentiment.
NBC has sort of a Midas touch with television content. Everything it touches turns to something not gold.
Yes, it is shocking that a corporation would put their profits ahead of profits for another corporation.
Also, why would The Weather Channel put their own profits ahead of the safety of America? Why don’t they just let Direct TV have the feed for free? Especially since it will save lives.
To me, TWC has stood for The Water Closet for about the last 10 years…
Not a DirectTV customer, but I wouldn’t miss it.
The Weather Channel stopped being relevant a while ago, and they sold themselves out when they started with the reality TV nonsense. What does Prospectors have to do with weather? They’re just like MTV now. They USED to be about the weather, like MTV used to be about music.
TWC did everything in their power to alienate its loyal audience-how can I count the ways? How about messing with the Local On The 8’s music. Perhaps it was the hiring of weather personalities to ham it up with real Meteorologists. Maybe it was and still is having so many graphics until you see a “talking head” next to a small text filled window, both surrounded by ridiculous empty space. I know… it is the hiring of entertainment hosts to talk about anything but the weather-God forbid! However, I really think it is their absurdity and audacity to consider themselves so important as to evoke an act of Congress. Did I mention the silliness of having their Meteorologists walk towards each other just to emphasize their new, 16X9, widescreen enhanced studio floor. Anytime the “big 3”networks buy out a network-look out!! You find something different than they are (and you enjoy it), then they find what you like and buy it. Next, they change it to their format, forcing you to watch it or try to find something else to watch. They should be arrested for stalking!!
Coincidence? “Appeals Court Strikes Down FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules. Ruling Could Give Broadband Providers Room to Charge Content Companies for Faster Speeds”
https://news.google.com/news/rtc?ncl=dAMkJCaL8tOsfVMSFXz9XeROTH1gM&authuser=0&ned=us&siidp=4f0343868b63e9194d18ad719d00d5db12c0
I didn’t realize TWC had actual competition in the weather channel market. They are toast. I also hadn’t realized that NBC/Comcast had bought them, the idiotic programming decisions are now understandable.
The Weather Channel reminds me of some people I have known in my life who, while being very bright, are unaware that their interests, which they talk about unceasingly, are of no interest to anyone else. I will continue to get my weather forecasts via Weather.com, but I won’t miss the channel on DTV.
Ha! I cut down watching TWC when My Cat Missy Almost Died in a Thunderstorm replaced their decent synoptic discussions and nicely graphiced forecasts. I completely stopped watching after they went green with Heidi Cullen, hired with ONE publication on climate (on the climate of the Rio de La Plata). Oh, and they didn’t even acknowledge my application, with hundreds of pubs, both professional and popular, four books at the time, and an established TV presence.
Then the horrors of pairing the very good Steffie Abrams with incompetent Al Roker, Coast Guard Alaska and Underwater Prospecting.
Climate Central is doing what TWC used to do. Hope they got the email about what NOT to do.
@TomB
“Why would DTV bend over backwards to accommodate a broadcaster that most of their customers don’t want anyway?”
This is the MAJOR problem with the cable TV business model. I don’t watch 95% of the channels on our system (Comcast), and yet I am forced to pay for them! A la carte programming (pay for what you want) is coming, a that will ultimately allow us to vote for our favorite channels with our pocketbooks.
My prediction – The Weather Channel in it’s current cable-oriented format, will be GONE in 5 years…
(pssst…Weather Channel…guess what? We’ll all be just as “safe” without you…).
Check out channel 362-1.
“DirecTV does not have permission to offer The Weather Channel. As an alternative, please enjoy WeatherNation on channel 362 for dedicated 24/7 weather coverage. For more information go to http://www.DIRECTVPROMISE.com”
24/7 weather on a weather channel? That’s a great concept.
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around does it make a sound?
Some related breaking news…
AccuWeather Announces the Launch of the AccuWeather Channel in Q3 2014
January 14, 2014; 6:09 AM
AccuWeather Global Headquarters, January 13, 2014 – AccuWeather is pleased to announce it will launch a 24X7 weather channel, to be known as the AccuWeather Channel, in the third quarter of 2014.
AccuWeather had not planned to make the announcement at this time, but decided to accelerate the announcement in light of the controversy that has developed between DIRECTV and The Weather Channel and in order to make the public aware of an additional offering that will be available to them later this year.
—
One comment – “Heh!!!!!” (and a big thumbs up for Accuweather).
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/accuweather-announces-the-laun/22055195
and I am shocked they have put corporate profits ahead of keeping a trusted channel that subscribers rely on every day.
What did he think. Direct TV is a charity. Corporations have to make money. TWC might be sponsored by other green initiatives but not the rest of weather TV.
AccuWeather Announces the Launch of the AccuWeather Channel in Q3 2014
January 14, 2014; 6:09 AM
They are also a global warming channel.
Obviously global warming
Charlie Johnson (@SemperBanU) says:
January 13, 2014 at 10:12 pm
But who has the moral high ground?!?!
——————————
Love pithy to the heart of the matter comments. Too funny. Kept ‘um coming.
The Left (which includes, I dare say, 90+% of alarmists) survives on other people’s money, whether tax dollars or subscription dollars. They’re impervious to facts and logic, but cut off their money and they have no other viable means of support. This is a good start.
Pragmatic Progressive says:
January 14, 2014 at 6:37 am
“Totally agree. Even though I don’t have DirecTV, that’s why I’m siding with those against this bad decision on DirecTV’s part.
As far as climate change is concerned, the fact that there’s worldwide news of record heat waves, droughts and extreme weather patterns, is why I believe that climate change is real and not a hoax.”
This entire comment is so silly, it’s almost unbelievable someone is dumb enough to honestly think this way.
To the first point – The Weather Channel has become so unreliable for Weather that not 1, but 2 other companies felt the need for an actual 24/7 “weather news” station to be on the tube. So come the third quarter of 2014, there will be Two 24/7 weather stations (WeatherNation and AccuWeather) that provide nothing but the actual weather, unlike “The Weather Channel” which showed reality TV over much of their schedule (including just short of the entire weekend, when people are off and most likely to be traveling – you know, when they need daily weather coverage the most)
So it is a “bad decision” is to replace a reality TV station claiming to be weather related with two 24/7 Weather News stations that are coming on solely to give the actual 24/7 Weather News that the one being replaced one didn’t provide any longer? Okay…
And as far as the ‘weather more extreme’ part – well, might be time someone starts paying attention to actual history, because this is anything but the most extreme weather ever faced. But come on, even a grade-schooler can figure out “worst since 19XX” means there was worse prior to that date.
Anyway, truth is, weather is less extreme now in most locations (especially in the US, where TWC coverage is being lost by so many.) Now, it is more “covered” now then at any time (where the news of events are near impossible to get away from, there is so much news being thrown at us from so many locations), and coverage is always sensationalized to draw in viewers. But Perception =\= Reality, no matter how much people with an agenda try to dupe the completely uneducated and naive into believing it somehow does. (to be fair though, a grade-schooler does have a high likelihood to believe Perception=Reality as well)
Stephen Richards says:
January 14, 2014 at 9:34 am
“They are also a global warming channel.”
I get their Facebook feed, and they are nothing like TWC. In any case, I think, in regards to a TV channel format, they will have learned from TWC’s huge mistakes…
Stephen Richards says:
January 14, 2014 at 9:33 am
“and I am shocked they have put corporate profits ahead of keeping a trusted channel that subscribers rely on every day.”
What did he think. Direct TV is a charity. Corporations have to make money. TWC might be sponsored by other green initiatives but not the rest of weather TV.
He isn’t thinking, that should be more then clear.
1) Companies (including his own) are in business to make money. One could just as easily turn around and ask him why his “Weather News” station shows as much/more Reality TV as News, sacrificing “reliability” for “profits” just the same. In fact, it would probably be argued that his desire for profits that led to all the reality TV is the only reason their station is off the air today – that is specifically the complaint DirectTV says they receive from their viewers, leading to the decision to cut the channel…
2) His company is operating so poorly in that regard that not 1, but 2 other companies recently made arrangements to jump and provide what his company specifically wasn’t (24/7 Weather) before it was known his company would be going away becomes of their money demands…
3) His station would be on today if his company didn’t demand more money then they were felt to be worth; plain and simple. He choose to take his station of DirectTV by sticking to his money demands. Had he backed down, his company would have a contract…
Dude needs a mirror, because everything he is blaming on others is what he is actually guilty of (but almost certainly being a progressive, that is par for the coarse)
The last time I tuned in the Weather Channel was during the last major hurricane. And you know how long ago THAT was. Looks like we’ll all have to make due with the dozens of other, more reliable weather stations that don’t promote their macho weathermen as hurricane heroes by
posting them at the shore location of an anticipated landfall. One problem TWC never has solved is how to figure out where those landfalls will occur. I believe the only “science and technology” TWC ever promoted was better communication connections to the Hurricane Center. Kenny doesn’t seem to understand that TWC’s big problem was the lack of weather events, which contradicts what he claims. A more self-serving, bombastic and arrogant statement is ulikely to ever come from a CEO. ANY CEO.
Just e-mailed my local cable company.
Please follow Direct TV’s lead, and provide an alternative weather channel, or simply replace TWC with a basic, 24/7 weather channel, one that covers current conditions. There are two channels in the market right now, Weather Nation and Accuweather. Either would be an improvement.
Rich Wright says:
January 14, 2014 at 10:20 am
__________________________
I can’t help there because I just said bye bye, to cable TV, don’t need any of it..