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.”
Where is John Coleman when you need to start a real weather channel?
They still have The Weather Channel? My God, some things just don’t know when to die..
I don’t understand why a cable or satellite company pays a channel to carry it. I could see it if that channel had no advertising, but given the number of commercials I see they can’t be hurting for revenue. If anything, it should be the opposite since the cable/sat company is increasing their add viewership by carrying it. Whether it’s over a cable or over the air it’s just a conduit. Of course, cable is a monopoly in most jurisdictions with all that entails.
Maybe Al Jazeera will pick them up.
Jim Clarke on January 14, 2014 at 6:37 am
OMG…You guys are such nerds
From the webcomic ‘Housepets’
“Says the mouse who immediately caught a nerdy quote.”
Just dropped TWC from my iPad and iPhone. Installed accuweather on both as a replacement. On the whole, as a surfer for over 45 years, I was fed up with the almost non existent coverage of the left coast. Decades ago I purchased a Radio Shack weather radio that gave excellent coverage for my area from the SF station, along with emergency alerts. In the mid 90’s I purchased a Quroum wefax card and software for my 486dx driven PC, put a hi gain antenna on the roof and captured the image downloads, daylight and infrared, as the NOAA polar orbiters passed within range. Now that data is available from many sites. Woh needs TWC?
I will miss the hot babes standing in front of California as they give meticulously thorough coverage of Atlanta! A couple of those gals have it really going on coming and going, if you know what I mean.
It’s a start.
Now Direct TV needs to look at some of their other worthless programming, and replace it with some things that are worth watching beyond what you can already get on broadcast or web TV. Then maybe I’ll subscribe again to their basic service.
The Weather Channel isn’t the only kid on the block anymore, Unfortunately, they also decided many years ago to fill prime time with weather stories and documentaries, not forecasts and local weather reports.
Our local cable provider also carries an Accuweather channel on basis cable and has at least two 24-hour weather channels from from local stations available on digital cable. Combine that with instant weather forecasts on demand from my computer, tablet and smartphone, what do I need the Weather Channel for?
Methinks the Weather Channel is going the way of Borders Bookstores. I loved Borders, but they rarely had in stock what I needed and they never adjusted their business model to compete with both mass-market box stores like Wally World or Costco or internet booksellers like Amazon. But it’s not too late for the Weather Channel, if they will focus on their core business and reduce their charges to the local cable providers
DocWat –
short, long – i don’t care as long as people’s pension/retirement funds are safe from their clutches. one way or another, it’s those funds they have their greedy eyes on.
The Weather Channel isn’t on DirecTV anymore? But how we know if Guam capsizes?
The Weather Channel goes dark on DirecTV
============================================================================
The “Weather” Channel turned to the dark side years ago.
If they had stuck with what it had been before “The Emperor” NBC entered in, there would have been no room a competitor.
“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.”
To the very end they spew forth alarmism, misrepresentation and lies. This is one programme whose departure will not be lamented by intelligent people. Let’s hope that there is a lot more of this sort of drudge removed from the mainstream media.
Maybe this explains why the 5-day weather info that used to be on DirecTV Active (or whatever it’s called — they also have horoscope and lottery there) is no longer there. I really miss that (not so much TWC).
ossqss says:
January 13, 2014 at 10:03 pm
Chaka, when the walls fell.
It just fits. Metaphorically speaking 😢
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ROTFLMAO. Nice.
DirecTV is a pretty big chunk of TWC’s reach and that revenue loss is going to hurt. The WSJ says that DTV was asking for a 20% fee *reduction* to continue carrying the channel, while TWC is apparently asking for an increase.
AccuWeather is too late to the game. I think WeatherNation will be pegged as the first alternative to TWC since DTV picked them up. Plus AccuWeather’s fake precision and 45-day forecasts that are busted by day 3 won’t play well either.
TWC is a dead channel walking, and they are properly in a panic now.
The last time I deliberately sought out TWC was when they went over to NBC for a news cast. I despise those propagandists and was infuriated that TWC slipped them onto my TV screen.
Steve from Rockwood says:
January 14, 2014 at 6:05 am
Is it safe to go outside?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No. Unfortunately it’s not safe to stay inside either.
Isn’t Accuweather and TWC owned by the same folks,?????
UAN says:
January 14, 2014 at 5:27 pm
ossqss says:
January 13, 2014 at 10:03 pm
Chaka, when the walls fell.
It just fits. Metaphorically speaking 😢
——-
ROTFLMAO. Nice.
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You and some others will probably enjoy this too 🙂
http://youtu.be/qO6AOecLeiw
I wonder. What are the odds that the WH administration/Congress will somehow intervene or force Directv to include TWC in their channel lineup under the guise of “public safety” which is TWC’s core mission?
We work closely with the Red Cross and FEMA,” she said. “We are going to the White House tomorrow to talk about ways to get more alerts out. This is not a line: public safety is The Weather Channel’s core mission.”
http://www.multichannel.com/distribution/dangar-directv-asking-weather-channel-drop-rates/147665
I had a mental shutdown after this quote and lost interest in whatever else David Kenny had to say.
“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.”
This clown is speaking to the new world order, who have been conditioned to believe that a product has the right to a price higher than that which people are willing to pay.
If people can share in his disbelief, then it’s over as we knew it. All hope is lost.
@Mario Lento – it all goes back to their belief in a “living wage”. Same idea, except TWC is trying it on a corporate level.
Ironically I had an on-going discussion this past week with the duds on accuweather.com over their assertion regarding ‘global warming’. Their position, that it is man made and getting worse is fraudulent at best. 7 ice ages and all ended before man ever walked the earth. Oh, gee, how do they explain that? Was that dinosaur-made global warming? The entire issue is not settled science as they would have you believe. And all the weather guru’s that promote this agenda are bound to go the way of the weather channel and the dinosaur.
Before we stopped watching it we used to call it the ‘everything but the weather channel’.
““This reckless move by DIRECTV will have an impact on our role as part of the national safety and preparedness fabric of our country”
Good grief. Do they REALLY believe that they are the only providers of our “national safety and preparedness fabric”? Do they really think there are no alternative sources of weather information? When there is a flood alert I get a txt to my cell phone from the county. I don’t need weather channel to tell me. Our local weather forecasts aren’t that bad and I have access to radar and bulletins on the internet or via my phone. These people are out of their minds.