DirecTV dispute: Is Weather Channel trying to have it both ways?

The Washington Post ^ | January 13, 2014 | Jason Samenow

[Texan5]

Neither will I-and since DirecTV is pay for use, and not public broadcast, the common good-whatever that is supposed to be-doesn’t mean anything. Satellite goes out in thunderstorms out her where I live, so TWC is a moot point then. Let them go network or PBS if they are so concerned about common good...

[867V309]

A breeze blew a few leaves into the pool the other day. I named it “Sam”/

[oh8eleven]

Looks like I won’t get the Superbowl.
Fox to Stream Super Bowl Free to U.S. Viewers.

[puppypusher]

It’s not neccessary to watch the weather channel.Afterall there is Accuweather and the Weatherbell.There also is the National Weather Service.So there are plenty of choices to get your weather without the weather channel trying to push its global warming agenda down your throat.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

I’m also bandwidth challenged. The price of living in the sticks I guess.

[Rennes Templar]

lol

[TexasFreeper2009]

I don’t usually push for the federal government to do anything... BUT I wish the federal government would force cable companies to offer alacart programing.

I DO NOT WANT 1000 channels! only 10 of which I usually watch!

[ExNewsExSpook]

Yeah, once upon a time, TWC actually covered the weather and did a credible job. But their ratings dropped and Comcast bought the channel from Landmark Communications, so the weather now runs third, behind global warming hysteria and various reality shows.

Personally, I hope DirecTV drops them. If you need the weather, it’s as close as your smartphone or computer. And if you need emergency info, you’ve got the same sources, plus NOAA weather radio. Additionally, a lot of local stations go wall-to-wall during severe weather and even offer a notification service for viewers. For $6 a year, I get a call to my cell phone when a tornado or severe thunderstorm warning is issued. Saturday afternoon, the call came in less than a minute after the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for my county.

Good bye and good riddance to The Weather Channel.

[The Cajun]

A breeze blew a few leaves into the pool the other day. I named it “Sam”/

Best line concerning The Weather Channel I've heard in a while, LOL!

[Balding_Eagle]

I don’t usually push for the federal government to do anything... BUT I wish the federal government would force cable companies to offer alacart programing.

While I share your sentiments about have too many channels you don't want, don't you think the long term effect of having the government involved would do even more damage to your wallet, and your freedom?

[Obadiah]

Well... bye.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Surveys have shown that most people watch local news for the weather in any event. Stations pour lots of money into their weather operations as a result. TWC is nice but it is far from irreplaceable.

[equaviator]

I remember watching TWC during a Christmas holiday trip to Myrtle Beach, SC (1997) and all it was was some graphics and occasional replays of a guy reporting on temps, winds, wave heights and precipitation who sounded as though he was actually out there broadcasting live on the ocean in a row boat or something. They’ve certainly come a long way since then but now it’s just too damned much so...T’hell with it!

[Buckeye McFrog]

I did notice the Weather Nation channel that had suddenly popped up.

If anything it is more useful from a public safety standpoint, as it appears to broadcast ACTUAL WEATHER FORECASTS.

Not the TWC menu of reality nonsense like “When Man Made Global Warming Caused Typhoons Attack”.

[clintonh8r]

“Weather” in the sense that many pilots and sailors use the word: thunderstorms, high winds, flash flooding, rough seas, etc.

[grania]

What a silly argument. If one has antenna TV or a basic (cheapest) cable plan, TWC is not included. If TWC really felt that way, they'd be a mainstream over-the-air station, also broadcast on basic cable.

Think of what they're saying. If you can't afford Direct TV or a premium cable plan, you deserve to die from bad weather.

[Charles Martel]

If I need to know, I look it up online. Why sit through a cycle on Weather Channel?

Exactly. And there's always the old Sam Kinison observation from back at the beginning of TWC: you could always go open the door and look outside (expletives deleted).

[rawhide]

I agree. TWC is inferior to the local channels weather reports.

[rawhide]

I see.

[adorno]

The Weather Channel, in less than 12 hours, will lose 20 million viewers

Wait a minute. 20 million viewers? That must be a huge mistake.

That a station is accessible to 20 million viewers, is not the same as the station getting that many viewers. Likely, the number of viewers is a very tiny fraction of those who do have access to the station. I have access, but I never watch it. So, neither I, nor most of those 20 million viewers, will be missing something that they never used anyway. It's like having a latrine in the back-yard that one never uses anyway. It's a waste, and could be gotten rid of with no consequences.