Local forecasts every 4 minutes

[Eric]

My, how times have changed between 1987 and now...

Weather Channel Prime Time With Colleen Wine 1987

[Metarvo]

Fast forward to today and now you've got the OCM's saying, "Now that you've got your Local On The 8's fix..." and moving on to the next topic.  For me, that little saying translates as, "Now that that's over with... ."  It's kind of a little pet peeve I have with TWC now.  Given the choice between that video and what I'm watching now, I'll take TWC back then anytime.  Add to that the fact that if you turn to TWC during tonight's prime time, you'll probably catch "Storm Riders" instead of real weather coverage — unless, of course, they do some WS Khan coverage instead.

[Eric]

So true.  Given their latest programming changes, I'm honestly very surprised at all that there are any local forecasts left, or, for that matter, any live (or "semi-live," or just pre-recorded) weather programs left at all, as diluted as they are.

Just how long will it be before The Weather Channel turns into a full-fledged longform programming network?  I hate to say it, but I really do think it's just a matter of time.  As it is, the local forecasts and weather programs even now just feel as a "legacy holdover" from the old days, to claim that TWC is still "fulfilling" its core mission.

Barely.  Just barely.

Or, maybe they're so that cable companies won't want to try moving TWC to a higher-cost tier.  After all, TWC gets a larger audience share if it's available on basic cable.

[twcclassics]

Why did you post this under contributions? I posted that video.

Anyway, when I watch these old videos, I wish I had discovered TWC earlier than 1992. It seems like things were even better back then. Sure, they weren't as "polished" as they are today. And there weren't as many "babes" on air, but it was clearly all about giving viewers what they wanted...weather.

[Eric]

Why did you post this under contributions? I posted that video.

I was just looking for a place to put it. 

TWC, in my opinion, was so much better back then.  I think it was at its peak from about 1987 to 1995-1996 at the latest.  For various reasons, depending on the timeframe, it's been going downhill ever since.

[Star4000 Fan]

Why did you post this under contributions? I posted that video.

Anyway, when I watch these old videos, I wish I had discovered TWC earlier than 1992. It seems like things were even better back then. Sure, they weren't as "polished" as they are today. And there weren't as many "babes" on air, but it was clearly all about giving viewers what they wanted...weather.

It was more fun to catch the stuff that went wrong, too.  It was so much more friendly back then.  Before 1989, I would only catch TWC at my grandmother's house.  By 1989, the special presentations on TWC were like one a month and actually had meterologists do the report!  I still have a few of them on VHS with the 3000 local forecast - before the version with the font change .

[twcclassics]

TWC, in my opinion, was so much better back then.  I think it was at its peak from about 1987 to 1995-1996 at the latest.  For various reasons, depending on the timeframe, it's been going downhill ever since.

I totally agree. I also agree that errors were more fun to catch back then. I remember being so excited when the BTF version of "Seguaro" played during a 3 min LF around Thanksgiving 1993! Mainly because it was the first time I had heard the song past the 53 second mark. New playlists were a lot of fun when they came around. Mainly because they were done so infrequently that it was a big deal when it happened. Of course, back then it was almost all jazz and new age music. No rock or mainstream music. So each playlist brought a batch of songs that were brand new to me. The longer timespan, of course, gave you a better chance to get used to the playlist. I also like how many of the earlier playlists were added over the course of days/weeks.

I'd add that changes were more fun to notice back then. New BTF backdrops, changes to the 4000, etc.

[Metarvo]

Although I guess I never watched it when it was really good in the 90's, I almost cry when I think back to the good times I had in 2003-2004 with TWC.  I would make sure to set my alarm clock to a time ending in 7 (one minute before the LF) so I could wake up and hear the LF music and catch a peek at the day's weather forecast as a bonus.  It's true that longform had already started by then in the form of "Storm Stories," but I would take that over any of the varying forms of "Lifeguard or Coast Guard [insert state]" that are on the channel today.  It seems like the forecasts were even more accurate then, despite older technology.

Just so cable companies could have something to put on the higher tiers, I think NBC/TWC could come up with a "Weather Reality" channel showing all of the longform programming for higher-tier packages and leave The Weather Channel as a weather-only channel for the lower tiers.

[Eric]

I don't think that would ever happen.  They'd want as many people as possible to watch the longform programming on basic cable, and who would pay extra just to watch the weather on a higher tier?!

Canada has the right idea.  The Weather Network is considered an essential service, and so it's not only guaranteed to be available on every basic cable/satellite subscription, but it's also guaranteed to have actual weather programming.  Their local forecasts have always been, in my opinion, much more informative, too.

[Localonthe8s]

Canadians are much more concerned with the weather than here. I'm sure they get wilder weather than In the US, especially in the northern part of the country.

[Mr. Rainman]

Canadians are much more concerned with the weather than here. I'm sure they get wilder weather than In the US, especially in the northern part of the country.

Define "wilder weather." The United States probably gets some of the most dynamic and potentially dangerous weather of any place in the world.

[TWCCraig]

The United States probably gets some of the most dynamic and potentially dangerous weather of any place in the world.

I agree. The US can see almost every kind of weather known, if not all. Tornadoes, hurricanes, blistering heat, extreme cold, dust storms, high winds, blizzards. Sure Canada gets some of those, but the US can get it to a higher degree. The climate of the US is so diverse too. From tropics, to deserts, to mountains, plains, you name it. I think if NOAA ran TWC, there would be more local forecasts (that are more accurate too), and better in depth analysis of weather events unlike the cheesy stuff they call "in-depth analysis" at TWC.

[Localonthe8s]

They get more frequent and severe cold spells and blizzards. Maybe summers are not as eventful as here but Canada is a much more vast and spread out country than here. I also believe TWN is more weather focused because it is a service, unlike TWC

[twcclassics]

I think the problem here isn't that TWC isn't a service, but that it's primary concern today is ratings. If it was more concerned with adhering to its original goal, it would be more watchable. But instead it sees in the ratings that someone stopped watching after 9 minutes and says "oh no, we need another long-form program!"

[Ice Man]

But instead it sees in the ratings that someone stopped watching after 9 minutes and says "oh no, we need another long-form program!"

Kinda like... music videos? I think someone slipped TWC the MTV marketing plan.