To this day, I don't think I will ever, ever understand why TWC cut back on the LOT8s and dumbed it down. A few years ago (or more like several at this point) in the HD promotional video, Jim Cantore said he thinks the LOT8s is the number one reason why people tune in to The Weather Channel. Well, if that's the case, then why did they reduce the length of the LFs to one-minute only, and why are they wasting practically half of this minute with a dumb Welcome screen and even more useless hashtag screen? I just don't get it. Is the LOT8s just too expensive to maintain or something?
Personally, I don't have a problem with the removal/replacement of legacy STARs. Yes, I know it removes even more pieces of the "classic TWC" we all knew and loved, but that had to happen soon enough, as the old systems were certainly showing their age and probably difficult to maintain with the ever-advancing technology. However, at this rate, I think I would certainly prefer a WeatherSTAR 4000 (especially an XL) over the junk they show now.