It seems TWC doesn't care about LFs and the legacy STARs these days
To be fair, legacy support is generally limited across the board. For example, Windows 3.1, just a couple of years
younger than the WeatherStar 4000, hasn't been supported by Microsoft for a full decade, yet TWC does continue to support the 4000. Because of its technological limitations, it's just impossible for it to implement an L-bar, and an opaque LDL is barely within its abilities, though not exactly matching how TWC uses LDLs now, meaning the 4000 couldn't produce an L-bar leaving the ad space on the left transparent.
But you're right - TWC is caring less and less about reporting the weather. It really is only a matter of time before TWC turns into another Discovery Channel. And even
that channel's original mission has been distorted and perverted so that every channel is getting to be just like every other channel.
Ideally, competition between channels would make each channel increase the quality of its programming to attract more viewers. However, that would require a level of intellectualism that generally isn't "attractive." Instead, competition means that every channel lowers itself closer and closer to the lowest common denominator while making their programming choices blend into those of other channels. Thus, the more channels there are, the less there is worth watching.