You all realize that long-form existed in the early days of TWC, too? There were some shows and featured specials I watched that taught me a lot about weather and helped me to pursue what I'm doing now. In fact, one of my favorite TWC memories of all time was a long-form show:
Exposures. Go look it up on YouTube for a few episodes to see what I mean.
I realize things have changed a lot since the 1990s, and I find the bigger issue being that society doesn't want to learn more about weather and the world around them. Don't blame NBC or TWC for simply following suit and pursuing ways to reach the mass majority that only wants eye candy. You're all a more intelligent group, which is why you all feel upset. However, let's hope TWC tries to come up with something new for long-form.
Tipping Points is actually one of the better ideas I've seen in a while here. If you use education and relevant material as the focus along with a fair scheduling of when it airs so that it doesn't interrupt live weather, a long-form show can be very useful to viewers.