NOAA & VIPIR

[Iowan]

How many stations in the US have NOAA or VIPIR subchannels? I have learned of such stations:

NOAA
WJHG Panama City, FL

VIPIR
KNPN St. Joseph, MO

Are there any other stations that carry these services? Where do these services come from?

 

[w9wi]

IIRC, WMVT Milwaukee carries a weather channel with a sequence of NOAA weather maps.

VIPIR is a product of Baron Services out of Alabama. (and probably a registered trademark) Basically it composites radar data from a station's own radar and a number of NOAA sites to provide more detailed information. I'm a bit surprised it's within the price range of a LPTV station.

MANY MANY MANY other stations have 24/7 weather channels using their own graphics -- some of which are based on NOAA data.

 

[nathannah]

IIRC, WMVT Milwaukee carries a weather channel with a sequence of NOAA weather maps.

MPTV moved that channel to WMVS-DT4 two years back and reconfigured it with graphics adapted from AccuWeather, but not using the commercial elements of the Local AccuWeather Channel network, so it's just AccuWeather radar and conditions mixed in with NOAA audio from their station at the main weather office in Sullivan.

I know from what I've seen WOOD-DT3 in Grand Rapids also offers the radar/NOAA WeatherRadio combo using their radar system, along with WKYU-DT3 in Bowling Green, KY, which grabs the latest radar from the Fort Campbell NWS office. It's pretty much the cheapest option you have for a subchannel outside of a still or color bars, though I know if you're a commercial station you still have to offer the three hours of E/I programming on the weekends, no matter if there's been nothing on the radar the past week.

 

[anotherguyTN]

WBBJ in Jackson, TN had their radar map with NOAA radio on 7.3 until they switched it to CBS/ME TV on Jan. 1 this year.

 

[mgsports]

Action Weather Plus uses it's own Graphics/Commercials so no need for E. Programming.

 

[Darth_vader]

"It's pretty much the cheapest option you have for a subchannel outside of a still or color bars".

Unless you're in a state/city that uses highway video surveillance. On some cable systems throughout Oregon, there's an "ODOT Channel" which shows the highway surveillance cameræ throughout the state (same ones they show during the traffic reports on the local "news" broadcasts), with the local NOAA audio in the background (usually it's KIG98, even at the opposite end of the state from Portland.) I think there are ATSC channels elsewhere in Oregon that use a similar, if not the same, format on their subchannel stream. Since it's all technically public-domain stuff, I don't see how anything could be cheaper to run than that, unless you're just running a black screen all the time.

"Though if you're a commercial station you still have to run the mandatory three hours of "This Week in Baseball" and "Made in Hollywood" on the weekends, no matter if there's been nothing on the radar the past week."

KGWZ-LD (appendage of KGW on channel 46) doesn't, and to my knowledge, never has. Ever. Just the weather map/RADAR with a music track playing over it, though KIG98 would probably have been a more useful choice of audio.

 

[tripinva]

Low-power stations, like KGWZ-LD, are not required to air E/I. Full-service stations are, even on weather subchannels.

- Trip

 

[dhett]

Low-power stations, like KGWZ-LD, are not required to air E/I. Full-service stations are, even on weather subchannels.

- Trip

Unless it's a Class A low-power station. Then it's required to air E/I just like the full-powers do.

 

[cd637299]

WPTV West Palm Beach *used* to have VIPIR on its 5.2, until the Live Well Network came on.

WPEC West Palm Beach currently plays NOAA on its 12.3 against a map background.

cd

 

[nathannah]

"It's pretty much the cheapest option you have for a subchannel outside of a still or color bars".

Unless you're in a state/city that uses highway video surveillance. On some cable systems throughout Oregon, there's an "ODOT Channel" which shows the highway surveillance cameræ throughout the state (same ones they show during the traffic reports on the local "news" broadcasts), with the local NOAA audio in the background (usually it's KIG98, even at the opposite end of the state from Portland.) I think there are ATSC channels elsewhere in Oregon that use a similar, if not the same, format on their subchannel stream. Since it's all technically public-domain stuff, I don't see how anything could be cheaper to run than that, unless you're just running a black screen all the time.

I knew I was missing something...MPTV in Milwaukee also carries a loop of Wisconsin DOT cameras on WMVT-DT6 with the low power traffic station that transmits in downtown Milwaukee, and nothing but that.

 

[eskipper411]

WFAA in Dallas had a radar channel on 8.3 after it switched from their DFW Airport Towercam. Then in late 2010, it switched to This TV then to Live Well Network in mid-2011.