Dear Weather Channel....

[studiotwenty]

I live in Florida and am at this hour watching Mother Nature paint a bulls eye over my house for Wilma to hit. So I decided to tune into your network to see when I can expect my cantankerous house guest.

Trouble was ..I couldn't get a forecast. What i DID get was stories about PREVIOUS storms...from months or years ago...then ..much later...I got about five or six reporters..all waaaaaaaaaaaay over budget on makeup..who just buried me under about 400 lbs of statistics.

I vote for Weather Channel Retro.

Two "anchors" at the desk...One gets up..steps to the map..Tells me what the weather will be like...keeps talking as they step away from the map...and get to the next segment..travel weather...etc.

Don't get too full of yourselves, ok? I got a "cat 3" prepping to bear down on me. I'd like on demand weather like it used to be. Leave the documentaries to the Discovery Channel..


Sorry I"m a bit tetched..Used to be I didn't have to wade through that stuff to find out if my house would still be standing come Monday....

 

[russhaney]

> I live in Florida and am at this hour watching Mother Nature
> paint a bulls eye over my house for Wilma to hit. So I
> decided to tune into your network to see when I can expect
> my cantankerous house guest.
>
> Trouble was ..I couldn't get a forecast. What i DID get was
> stories about PREVIOUS storms...from months or years
> ago...then ..much later...I got about five or six
> reporters..all waaaaaaaaaaaay over budget on makeup..who
> just buried me under about 400 lbs of statistics.
>
> I vote for Weather Channel Retro.
>
> Two "anchors" at the desk...One gets up..steps to the
> map..Tells me what the weather will be like...keeps talking
> as they step away from the map...and get to the next
> segment..travel weather...etc.
>
> Don't get too full of yourselves, ok? I got a "cat 3"
> prepping to bear down on me. I'd like on demand weather like
> it used to be. Leave the documentaries to the Discovery
> Channel..
>
>
> Sorry I"m a bit tetched..Used to be I didn't have to wade
> through that stuff to find out if my house would still be
> standing come Monday....
>

Yea.. I noticed the same thing.. and I cant watch FOX News or CNN.... the 2 networks are jokes when it comes to these because you have anchors that have never been in a hurricane... and all they talk about is FEMA and crap liek that.

For the best results... watch the local news... as bad as it sucks to say that.<P ID="signature">______________
www.1club.fm</P>

 

[ixnay]

> Sorry I"m a bit tetched..

A perfectly crumulent word, studiotwenty.

ixnay

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:

> > I live in Florida and am at this hour watching Mother
> Nature
> > paint a bulls eye over my house for Wilma to hit. So I
> > decided to tune into your network to see when I can expect
>
> > my cantankerous house guest.

[snip...]

Ya know Studio20, you left me laughing myself nearly into stitches with that "letter" of yours. I'm assuming this was an actual email which you sent to TWC??

> Yea.. I noticed the same thing.. and I cant watch FOX News
> or CNN.... the 2 networks are jokes when it comes to these
> because you have anchors that have never been in a
> hurricane... and all they talk about is FEMA and crap liek
> that.

Not only that, but they send THEIR OWN people supposedly to "compliment" the crews from the local stations.

Speaking of which...

> For the best results... watch the local news... as bad as it
> sucks to say that.

The Miami stations have practically mastered the art of LIVE VIDEO via their websites. They all have it. When a Hurrican decides to head for South Florida (or anywhere near it for that matter), I usually surf on over to WFOR's website since their video is better even though the audio could be turned down a bit.

In fact, here's a quick breakdown of what I think of the other stations' LIVE VIDEO coverage...

WTVJ's website video is okay (thanks to FeedRoom), but WHERE IS THE AUDIO?? Aside from the "N-B-C" music sounder they have, you can hardly hear them.

WSVN, as great as their website video is under most normal circumstances, is virtually unreliable and unwatchable during Hurricane coverage.

The verdict is still out for me on WPLG's website video coverage though. I'm also assuming that the quality of website video coverage from UPN 33 and WB 39 is the same as WFOR and WTVJ respectively since WFOR 4 and WTVJ 6 produce the 10:00 PM newscasts for UPN 33 and WB 39.

Anyhow...Long and short is simple. When ya REALLY want THE BEST Hurricane coverage, stick with the local news outlets (even if you can only get 'em on the Internet).

However, I think since I now know that Comcast has made ABC News Now available via their website (and only their website, which doesn't make me very happy I might add! ), I just might check them out this weekend (assuming Comcast/ABC has fixed the sound issues they had yesterday).

Just my $4.02 worth (Had to throw in the extra $4.00 on this one)

Cheers for now everyone

Pat<P ID="signature">______________

http://nuke102.blogspot.com/
Radio? Uhh.....What's THAT?? </P>

 

[Nertz]

I like NBC 10's Weather Plus.
It is much better than The Weather Channel.

 

[nuzguy]

> > I live in Florida and am at this hour watching Mother
> Nature
> > paint a bulls eye over my house for Wilma to hit. So I
> > decided to tune into your network to see when I can expect
>
> > my cantankerous house guest.
> >
> > Trouble was ..I couldn't get a forecast. What i DID get
> was
> > stories about PREVIOUS storms...from months or years
> > ago...then ..much later...I got about five or six
> > reporters..all waaaaaaaaaaaay over budget on makeup..who
> > just buried me under about 400 lbs of statistics.
> >
> > I vote for Weather Channel Retro.
> >
> > Two "anchors" at the desk...One gets up..steps to the
> > map..Tells me what the weather will be like...keeps
> talking
> > as they step away from the map...and get to the next
> > segment..travel weather...etc.
> >
> > Don't get too full of yourselves, ok? I got a "cat 3"
> > prepping to bear down on me. I'd like on demand weather
> like
> > it used to be. Leave the documentaries to the Discovery
> > Channel..
> >
> >
> > Sorry I"m a bit tetched..Used to be I didn't have to wade
> > through that stuff to find out if my house would still be
> > standing come Monday....
> >
>
> Yea.. I noticed the same thing.. and I cant watch FOX News
> or CNN.... the 2 networks are jokes when it comes to these
> because you have anchors that have never been in a
> hurricane... and all they talk about is FEMA and crap liek
> that.
>
> For the best results... watch the local news... as bad as it
> sucks to say that.
>
Unfortunate that TWC (a la Fox, CNN, MSNBC et al) has taken up opening each segment with an overload of whiz bang graphics and loud music hyping what they're GOING to do, then when it happens the message is lost in all manner of irrelevant visual and verbal drivel. Yes, we want to know what Hurricane Wilma is doing NOW, not what happened with storms over the past 50 years. Weather during hurricanes is dramatic enough on its own without TWC turning its reports into a production showcase in which the useful information is buried in a tangle of special effects. Agreed, have the anchors go to the wx display and tell us what is happening now and is likely to happen in the near future. The information gets a bit less useful every day since the channel is more intent on eye candy and less concerned with the actual weather. The ongoing triumph of form over substance. The early days of The Weather Channel were preferable, when the maps and fronts were all but drawn on butcher paper and tacked to the wall. At least then viewers had a decent idea of what the weather was doing. Now, no one is sure.

 

[KML0224]

> I like NBC 10's Weather Plus.
> It is much better than The Weather Channel.
>

NBC 10 in Providence or NBC 10 in Philadelphia? NBC Weather Plus is available in any market with an NBC O&O. We also get it here in New Britain/Hartford via WVIT-DT channel 35-2 (a.k.a. "30-2") or on Comcast digital cable in New Britain and Hartford. (I think Cox Communications of Newington, Southington and Meriden, CT also make it available.)

Getting back to The Weather Channel...get rid of "Storm Stories". Let the Discovery Channel or the Science Channel (availble here on digital cable) air it instead.

 

[russhaney]

> Hi everyone:
>
> > > I live in Florida and am at this hour watching Mother
> > Nature
> > > paint a bulls eye over my house for Wilma to hit. So I
> > > decided to tune into your network to see when I can
> expect
> >
> > > my cantankerous house guest.
>
> [snip...]
>
> Ya know Studio20, you left me laughing myself nearly into
> stitches with that "letter" of yours. I'm assuming this was
> an actual email which you sent to TWC??
>
> > Yea.. I noticed the same thing.. and I cant watch FOX News
>
> > or CNN.... the 2 networks are jokes when it comes to these
>
> > because you have anchors that have never been in a
> > hurricane... and all they talk about is FEMA and crap liek
>
> > that.
>
> Not only that, but they send THEIR OWN people supposedly to
> "compliment" the crews from the local stations.
>
> Speaking of which...
>
> > For the best results... watch the local news... as bad as
> it
> > sucks to say that.
>
> The Miami stations have practically mastered the art of LIVE
> VIDEO via their websites. They all have it. When a
> Hurrican decides to head for South Florida (or anywhere near
> it for that matter), I usually surf on over to WFOR's
> website since their video is better even though the audio
> could be turned down a bit.
>
> In fact, here's a quick breakdown of what I think of the
> other stations' LIVE VIDEO coverage...
>
> WTVJ's website video is okay (thanks to FeedRoom), but WHERE
> IS THE AUDIO?? Aside from the "N-B-C" music sounder they
> have, you can hardly hear them.
>
> WSVN, as great as their website video is under most normal
> circumstances, is virtually unreliable and unwatchable
> during Hurricane coverage.
>
> The verdict is still out for me on WPLG's website video
> coverage though. I'm also assuming that the quality of
> website video coverage from UPN 33 and WB 39 is the same as
> WFOR and WTVJ respectively since WFOR 4 and WTVJ 6 produce
> the 10:00 PM newscasts for UPN 33 and WB 39.
>
> Anyhow...Long and short is simple. When ya REALLY want THE
> BEST Hurricane coverage, stick with the local news outlets
> (even if you can only get 'em on the Internet).
>
> However, I think since I now know that Comcast has made ABC
> News Now available via their website (and only their
> website, which doesn't make me very happy I might add!
> ), I just might check them out this weekend (assuming
> Comcast/ABC has fixed the sound issues they had yesterday).
>
> Just my $4.02 worth (Had to throw in the extra $4.00 on this
> one)
>
> Cheers for now everyone
>
> Pat
>


Speaking of South Florida... How is it that Tampa and Orlando can have a LOCAL 24 Hours News Station, but South Florida doest? This would be the perfect example as to why to have a 24 hour news channel in South FL. While the local news stations are playing soaps and talk shows during the day, a 24 Hour Local news station would be a great benefit to South FL.

As for my local news favorite.... hands down, I like Local 10 (WPLG).<P ID="signature">______________
www.1club.fm</P>

 

[RustyCarr]

> > I like NBC 10's Weather Plus.
> > It is much better than The Weather Channel.
> >
>
> NBC 10 in Providence or NBC 10 in Philadelphia? NBC Weather
> Plus is available in any market with an NBC O&O. We also get
> it here in New Britain/Hartford via WVIT-DT channel 35-2
> (a.k.a. "30-2") or on Comcast digital cable in New Britain
> and Hartford. (I think Cox Communications of Newington,
> Southington and Meriden, CT also make it available.)
>
> Getting back to The Weather Channel...get rid of "Storm
> Stories". Let the Discovery Channel or the Science Channel
> (availble here on digital cable) air it instead.
>
Yeah, I miss the old days at TWC too. All this "Weatherporn" with houses splitting apart and missing doggies gets old quick after the 500th play. And, "Weathertainment" with the Weather Channel road crew is too schtickish.
Whats next? I'll tell ya....

"NAME THAT BAROMETERIC PRESSURE"- New game show with Dave Schwartz which culminates with lightning round that guesses the relative humidity of Dave's hair.

"SURVIVOR/ CATAGORY 5"- Weather Channel reporter hopefuls endure wind-tunnel auditions that eventually will find Jim Cantore's sidekick. Contestants vie for HOH (Head of Hurricanes) competitions and lie, cheat, & steal to avoid being voted on the "vomit comet"

"FAMOUS NAMES/ OBSCURE WEATHER ANCHORS" Starring Betty Davis and Jennifer Lopez

 

[oldiesfan]

> ...is more intent on eye candy...

Such as Stephanie Abrams in her grey t-shirt?

 

[nuzguy]

> > ...is more intent on eye candy...
>
> Such as Stephanie Abrams in her grey t-shirt?


Well........yes. Just too bad TWC is resorting to such tactics. No sector of television is immune from the routine, unfortunately, and show biz reigns supreme--even in the weather.
>
>
>

 

[JeremyAndrews]

> I live in Florida and am at this hour watching Mother Nature
> paint a bulls eye over my house for Wilma to hit. So I
> decided to tune into your network to see when I can expect
> my cantankerous house guest.
>
> Trouble was ..I couldn't get a forecast. What i DID get was
> stories about PREVIOUS storms...from months or years
> ago...then ..much later...I got about five or six
> reporters..all waaaaaaaaaaaay over budget on makeup..who
> just buried me under about 400 lbs of statistics.
>
> I vote for Weather Channel Retro.
>
> Two "anchors" at the desk...One gets up..steps to the
> map..Tells me what the weather will be like...keeps talking
> as they step away from the map...and get to the next
> segment..travel weather...etc.
>
> Don't get too full of yourselves, ok? I got a "cat 3"
> prepping to bear down on me. I'd like on demand weather like
> it used to be. Leave the documentaries to the Discovery
> Channel..
>
>
> Sorry I"m a bit tetched..Used to be I didn't have to wade
> through that stuff to find out if my house would still be
> standing come Monday....
>
My answer to The Weather Channel:

http://nws.noaa.gov<P ID="signature">______________

AIM: JeremyA1069</P>

 

[KML0224]

Either that or The Weather Channel will produce a 2006 calendar with their Top 12 on-air personalities. (I'll take Hillary Andrews for Miss February!)

If that doesn't work, a blooper DVD would be cool! I'd nominate a scene with Paul Goodloe from February 2003 as the President's Day blizzard was winding down. Paul was talking to a local New York State officer or whatever. Paul asks the guy a second question of some sort and the guy snaps back with "Do you like Howard Stern's b~~~s on your chin?". Yes, that really happened!

 

[radiolover78]

> > Hi everyone:
> >
> > > > I live in Florida and am at this hour watching Mother
> > > Nature
> > > > paint a bulls eye over my house for Wilma to hit. So I
>
> > > > decided to tune into your network to see when I can
> > expect
> > >
> > > > my cantankerous house guest.
> >
> > [snip...]
> >
> > Ya know Studio20, you left me laughing myself nearly into
> > stitches with that "letter" of yours. I'm assuming this
> was
> > an actual email which you sent to TWC??
> >
> > > Yea.. I noticed the same thing.. and I cant watch FOX
> News
> >
> > > or CNN.... the 2 networks are jokes when it comes to
> these
> >
> > > because you have anchors that have never been in a
> > > hurricane... and all they talk about is FEMA and crap
> liek
> >
> > > that.
> >
> > Not only that, but they send THEIR OWN people supposedly
> to
> > "compliment" the crews from the local stations.
> >
> > Speaking of which...
> >
> > > For the best results... watch the local news... as bad
> as
> > it
> > > sucks to say that.
> >
> > The Miami stations have practically mastered the art of
> LIVE
> > VIDEO via their websites. They all have it. When a
> > Hurrican decides to head for South Florida (or anywhere
> near
> > it for that matter), I usually surf on over to WFOR's
> > website since their video is better even though the audio
> > could be turned down a bit.
> >
> > In fact, here's a quick breakdown of what I think of the
> > other stations' LIVE VIDEO coverage...
> >
> > WTVJ's website video is okay (thanks to FeedRoom), but
> WHERE
> > IS THE AUDIO?? Aside from the "N-B-C" music sounder they
> > have, you can hardly hear them.
> >
> > WSVN, as great as their website video is under most normal
>
> > circumstances, is virtually unreliable and unwatchable
> > during Hurricane coverage.
> >
> > The verdict is still out for me on WPLG's website video
> > coverage though. I'm also assuming that the quality of
> > website video coverage from UPN 33 and WB 39 is the same
> as
> > WFOR and WTVJ respectively since WFOR 4 and WTVJ 6 produce
>
> > the 10:00 PM newscasts for UPN 33 and WB 39.
> >
> > Anyhow...Long and short is simple. When ya REALLY want
> THE
> > BEST Hurricane coverage, stick with the local news outlets
>
> > (even if you can only get 'em on the Internet).
> >
> > However, I think since I now know that Comcast has made
> ABC
> > News Now available via their website (and only their
> > website, which doesn't make me very happy I might add!
>
> > ), I just might check them out this weekend (assuming
> > Comcast/ABC has fixed the sound issues they had
> yesterday).
> >
> > Just my $4.02 worth (Had to throw in the extra $4.00 on
> this
> > one)
> >
> > Cheers for now everyone
> >
> > Pat
> >
>
>
> Speaking of South Florida... How is it that Tampa and
> Orlando can have a LOCAL 24 Hours News Station, but South
> Florida doest? This would be the perfect example as to why
> to have a 24 hour news channel in South FL. While the local
> news stations are playing soaps and talk shows during the
> day, a 24 Hour Local news station would be a great benefit
> to South FL.
>
> As for my local news favorite.... hands down, I like Local
> 10 (WPLG).
>

WPLG is pretty good, CBS4 is real good also.P ID="signature">______________
The Place for the Latest Happenings in Radio
www.freewebs.com/radiostuffandnews
</P>