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Excessive weather coverage

V

vchimpanzee

This isn't about radio. But it could be. All someone has to do is say what the radio stations were doing at the time. And I wouldn't have listened to the radio that night had I been able to watch what I taped. Actually, the NBC shows would have had to wait. I did turn on the radio at 11 but the only weather coverage was in the Greensboro area, which was the only place it needed to be, or so I thought.

Thursday night I was watching "Smallville" and taping "Ugly Betty" and "My Name Is Earl". I kept getting my program interrupted by Emergency Broadcasting System messages. Then I realized: wait, my CW station doesn't even HAVE a news department. Imagine what's happening on stations that do.

Even though I go on the official CW message board, I have yet to hear where I can get transcripts that allow me to see what I was missing. The thought occurs to me that I could have had my closed captioning turned on. But I don't read lips.

I turned to "Don't Forget the Lyrics" when "Smallville" was over. Not really any problems there. You can actually see the lyrics through the message running at the bottom of the screen, as I later discovered.

But when I watched my tape of "Ugly Betty" it was pretty much over after about 15 or 20 minutes. In the case of "Earl" The Charlotte Observer said when it would be on. "30 Rock" was to follow, and I had missed most of that too. I can wait for reruns, but I'd rather not have to. I'll be lost this week when I see "Betty".
 
Personally, I think WCNC and WSOC went way overboard. If they want to keep it up, I'll just get Dish or Direct and pay for the network feeds. I'm sick of weather emergencies every time lightning strikes somewhere in the DMA.
 
I've pretty much given up on series television since the writers strike and the large amount of reality TV. I find that I watch TV on line more than I thought I would or view TV show and movie DVD's. Commercial TV is about as bad as commercial radio.
 
WSOC-TV is worse than commercial radio. Good thing Cox doesn't have any radio properties in Charlotte.
 
wncc said:
If they want to keep it up, I'll just get Dish or Direct and pay for the network feeds.
Click to expand...

That's not a plan that really works anymore. There's not many areas left in the country where you can get the NYC/LA channels.
 
w00t said:
wncc said:
If they want to keep it up, I'll just get Dish or Direct and pay for the network feeds.
Click to expand...

That's not a plan that really works anymore. There's not many areas left in the country where you can get the NYC/LA channels.
Click to expand...

I thought they still offered a plan where you could pay additional for the network feeds. I know it's not a part of the basic service.
 
Look up SHVIA... thank the NAB for making sure you can only watch YOUR local channels and nobody else's. You can get the superstations KTLA, WPIX, KWGN, WSBK, and WWOR, but that's all, and that's only on Dish Network.
 
You people bitch and moan about stations not being local and then when they do something local you bitch and moan. Make up your minds! I think you guys just want to find something to complain about.
 
I don't think the "local" we all wish for means half-baked weather types being alarmist in areas where there should be no alarm. I guess they have to justify all of the expensive equipment and resources the weather people have.

I know weather ranks on top of the list for information viewers and listeners want, but I do think the industry has gone way overboard with it! I'm sorry, I don't need the forecast every six minutes during the 10 o'clock news! In fact, it gives me a good excuse to switch back to Law and Order!
 
I'm glad I stay out in space most of the time. If weather is a problem up here it's a BIG problem. ;D
 
You know, I put a thread like this on the Greensboro board and got a lot of responses relating to radio. Of course, I actually heard weather coverage on the radio in that area, whereas there was nothing to talk about on the radio in Charlotte by the time I thought to turn it on.

Radio is the place to hear this news. In the Charlotte area, the real danger was nowhere near the big cities, whereas in the Greensboro area it was.
 
There are two really long threads on the Eastern N.C. board that touch on this subject. The debate is more general: it's about live, local radio in small towns, but weather bulletins are just one part of that. At one point it was mentioned that all stations that broadcast at night be staffed 24 hours in case of emergency. Which would force some stations off the air, but there are ways to get that information out there if needed.
 
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