J
Jul
Guest
I noticed that this morning, CBS 3 meteorologists are doing the forecasts on KYW-AM. According to someone, they are using the CBS 3 meteorologists for the weather, as well as Accu-Weather. Can anyone confirm this?
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I
imhomerjay
Guest
If you heard it, what more confirmation is needed? :
J
Jul
Guest
You are right. But there's no official comment from KYW or CBS3.imhomerjay said:If you heard it, what more confirmation is needed? :
Connection to the upcoming debut of FM News in Philly?
I was listening recently to the online stream of FM News from New York and heard Bob Larson, the afternoon Accu Weather forecaster on KYW on their air. However, the forecast was unbranded ... it wasn't called Accu Weather.
For some years now, Accu Weather has offered unbranded forecasts to secondary radio affiliates in a city. The brand Accu Weather remains exclusive to one or maybe two stations, but forecasters from the service show up on another station.
Apparently, there is no exclusive rights when it comes to web forecasts for the stations, because right on FM News' New York's website is "weather from AccuWeather.com."
Now imagine: If you were the station that had carried Accu Weather forecasts for years, perhaps decades, and all of a sudden, the service's forecasts appeared on a competitor's website with AccuWeather branding and some of the same forecasters on air without the branding, how pleased would you be?
I'd heard Channel 3 weather staff on the 3:30 Reporters' Roundup on KYW for some time now. If they're being added in the morning, however, that's new, unless if they were used as a soundbite within a news story.
On the other hand, using the Channel 3 staff could just be an extension of cross promoting their TV station. But it's interesting that, if true, an expansion of this has just popped up now.
I was listening recently to the online stream of FM News from New York and heard Bob Larson, the afternoon Accu Weather forecaster on KYW on their air. However, the forecast was unbranded ... it wasn't called Accu Weather.
For some years now, Accu Weather has offered unbranded forecasts to secondary radio affiliates in a city. The brand Accu Weather remains exclusive to one or maybe two stations, but forecasters from the service show up on another station.
Apparently, there is no exclusive rights when it comes to web forecasts for the stations, because right on FM News' New York's website is "weather from AccuWeather.com."
Now imagine: If you were the station that had carried Accu Weather forecasts for years, perhaps decades, and all of a sudden, the service's forecasts appeared on a competitor's website with AccuWeather branding and some of the same forecasters on air without the branding, how pleased would you be?
I'd heard Channel 3 weather staff on the 3:30 Reporters' Roundup on KYW for some time now. If they're being added in the morning, however, that's new, unless if they were used as a soundbite within a news story.
On the other hand, using the Channel 3 staff could just be an extension of cross promoting their TV station. But it's interesting that, if true, an expansion of this has just popped up now.
It doesn't make sense for CBS to pay Accu-Weather money for KYW when they have meteorologists on staff at their TV station. Those same meteorologists are also doing the forecasts on 1210.
I also don't understand why channel 6 still has Accu-Weather. They also have meteorologists on staff also now. Years ago they did not when Jim O'Brian and Dave Roberts were reading the Accu-Weather stuff and not forecasting.
But, the computers are doing the forecasts anyway at 3, 6, 10, & 29 and also out at State College.
I also don't understand why channel 6 still has Accu-Weather. They also have meteorologists on staff also now. Years ago they did not when Jim O'Brian and Dave Roberts were reading the Accu-Weather stuff and not forecasting.
But, the computers are doing the forecasts anyway at 3, 6, 10, & 29 and also out at State College.
Julius May said:
<shrugs> They've been doing this during Afternoon Drive for a while, haven't they? They've also used the TV traffic reporters (Bob Kelly?) during some Afternoon Drive segments.
Seems to me it's more of a cross-promotion to elevate the visibility of the TV news talent, especially since KYW-TV news still is behind WPVI-6ABC in the ratings. You tend to hear the KYW-3 staffers at times before the TV news goes on air.
Elsewhere on the thread there was talk about "branding" of weather on radio...the same thing happens at KYW for traffic, I believe -- technically, Metro Networks -- also owned by CBS -- provides the traffic reports for most Philly radio stations, I believe.
The "Shadow Traffic" brand is used on several of them - WHYY for sure. All the household names like John Butterworth, John Brown, and Rod Carson worked for Shadow Traffic and the KYW reports were branded that way too. A bunch of years ago KYW dropped the Shadow Traffic branding and simply calls it the "KYW News Radio Traffic Center".
It's all about which brands you want to promote...and why...and when.
For TV it's a different story, 'cause you want your weather talent to be in-studio even if the forecasts are produced by a third company. In radio you can't tell if the announcer is in the next studio, the next state, or the next country.
Richard in Allentown
Why use Accu-Weather at all? Why not just go to the National Weather Service website and get the forecast from there and read them? Me personally I trust the National Weather Servivce more than I trust Accu-Weather.
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imhomerjay
Guest
Because not everyone feels the same way?
J
jhguthlac
Guest
I first noticed this during the 3am hour today. A CBS3 person was doing the weather. But then after 4:30am, Elliot Abrams was there as usual.
Frankly, I trust the pro Elliot much more than some ditzy sounding voice sounding like "oh boy am I cute" telling me what to expect.
Hearing them on 1210 is one thing, but KYW? No Way!
Frankly, I trust the pro Elliot much more than some ditzy sounding voice sounding like "oh boy am I cute" telling me what to expect.
Hearing them on 1210 is one thing, but KYW? No Way!
WCBS 880 in NYC uses WCBS-TV 2 meteorologists during the daytime while they use their own Craig Allen & Todd Glickman during drivetime......On the weekends they use Accu-Weather.........1010 WINS is still all Accu-Weather while our new FM NEWS 101.9 WEMP has their own meterologist during the day and Accu-Weather during all other times......However, while 3 stations use Accu-Weather only 1010 WINS uses Accu-Weather by name....On the TV side WABC-TV 7 uses the Accu-Weather brand.
M
mcradiofree
Guest
rdcuffpa1 said:
CBS does not own Metro Networks. Never did. And it's all cross promotion, as KYW radio reporters have also recently begun doing spot news stories for CBS3
mcradiofree said:
Sloppy facts on my part - you are right. Metro Networks was owned by Westwood One, which was *managed* (not owned) by CBS. Westwood One sold Metro Networks to Clear Channel this year, which also operates Total Traffic.
Westwood one has (had?) provided management services to CBS Radio activities that remain under CBS / Viacom ownership.
Richard in Allentown
Here in Boston, WBZ-TV (4) is now heavily advertising its "Accu-Weather" forecasts. I don't watch TV all that much, but AFAIK, WBZ-TV uses its own locally-based forecasters. I cannot remember ever seeing/hearing on Channel 4 any of the State College PA Accu-Weather forecasters that WBZ (AM-1030) carries throughout the day and evening. Another recent development, though, is co-owned WBZ (AM) running forecasts by the local WBZ-TV forecasters. I can't remember whether WBZ (AM) attaches the Accu-Weather name to the forecasts that are voiced by the local Channel 4 forecasters. They may be doing that--not sure.
All-in-all, it seems as though Accu-Weather has given up control of its own name and is allowing the use of its name in conjunction with content that Accu-Weather neither provides or develops. I wonder what compensation Accu-Weather has received (or is receiving) for allowing others to attach its name to their products. Can Accu-Weather be sure that third parties that it has allowed to use its name maintain Accu-Weather's quality standards? Or does Accu-Weather no longer care about the quality of product that airs under its name?
All-in-all, it seems as though Accu-Weather has given up control of its own name and is allowing the use of its name in conjunction with content that Accu-Weather neither provides or develops. I wonder what compensation Accu-Weather has received (or is receiving) for allowing others to attach its name to their products. Can Accu-Weather be sure that third parties that it has allowed to use its name maintain Accu-Weather's quality standards? Or does Accu-Weather no longer care about the quality of product that airs under its name?
DanStrassberg said:
I don't think that's the right way to look at it.
I believe Accu-Weather fully controls any product that uses its name. For years, many TV stations have had their own on-camera meteorologists ("OCMs") that simply give voice to the content produced by Accu-Weather. That's nothing new. Viewers expect to see a "weatherman" on their news set bantering with the news & sports guy. I daresay that many Accu-Weather forecasters have "faces for radio" and local TV stations want on-air talent to be easy on the eyes.
The interesting scenario is when someone known to be an Accu-Weather forecaster (e.g. "Bob Larsen") does non-branded forecasts for a station such as WCBS-AM New York.
Let's say that WINS - which uses the Accu-Weather brand - pays $100 per forecast. Just making that number up. Let's say that WCBS-AM pays $50 for each Accu-Weather produced forecast that is delivered "white label" by Bob Larsen.
Accu-Weather still makes money as long as the cost of producing that forecast is less than they sell it for -- particularly if they have extra staff capacity -- e.g. Bob Larsen was otherwise sitting around the studio not doing anything when he could have been voicing the WCBS-AM forecast.
So it's a win-win. WCBS's costs for the forecast are less than if they produced them themselves, WINS's exclsivity is protected, and Accu-Weather makes some extra $$. It's only people who recognize Bob Larsen's voice they say, "Hey, I've heard him doing Accu-Weather on KYW!" that stop to think about this.
And the percent of WCBS's listeners that make that mental connection is very, very, low, I'd imagine...
Richard in Allentown
It's easy for anyone to read a weather forecast produced by someone else word for word. It's hard to analyze a realtime weather situation without a background in meteorology. When weather is the news and stations are doing wall to wall coverage, people are relying on the expertise of the meteorologists.
rdcuffpa1 said:
Actually Westwood One no longer exists. Dial Global purchased it this past August, completed the merger in late October, and retired the name for good (outside of, for now, radio play-by-play produced by CBS Sports).
Westwood One was originally an independent company (long under Norm Pattiz' stewardship) that was acquired by Infinity Broadcasting in 1993. Infinity then merged into the original "CBS Radio" (network/station group) in 1996, but as noted earlier, WW1 wasn't included with the merger, but shared common management, in addition to CBS/Viacom holding a stake in ownership.
A realignment that followed put the "CBS Radio Network" under the WW1 umbrella; WW1 now held distribution and sales rights to the network, while CBS News and CBS Sports still had programming control (the former kept the "CBS Radio News" name; the latter still exists but took the "Westwood One" banner, one that - for now - is still used). CBS also absorbed, then killed off, production of "Mutual" and "NBC"-branded radio newscasts.
After the 2005 separation of Viacom and CBS (both still to this day are under "National Amusements" ownership, with Summer Redstone as chairman) Infinity retook the "CBS Radio" name for the station group. In 2007, WW1 was 'spun off' (by CBS ceding their ownership stake) with intention to sell as "platform agnostic," with an agreement between CBS Corp. for unlimited free use of trademarks between both companies.
But this also means that the "CBS Radio Network" no longer exists as you and I knew for decades prior. CBS still operates the news division, but has no control over sales or operations otherwise. (It's also why WTOP in Washington gets to remain as a CBS News affiliate until 2013 - or beyond - in spite of CBS Radio launching a competitor in WNEW this January. CBS Corp. has no ability to poach the affiliation off WTOP, a CBS affiliate since the network owned it in the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s.)
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