Messages

16

Local Forecast / Re: Weather STAR XL Replaced

« on: February 13, 2014, 01:18:37 AM »

Are the IS2Jrs taking the analog feed then?  That'd explain why they cue after the chimes.  Eventually they'd switch them over to digital - which is why the legacy STARs are getting replaced in the first place.

As for Fios - I'm looking forward to being able to watch and record on 619 and not 119.  Finally.  (Though there's a chance I might be back on xfinity by then.......)

17

Local Forecast / Re: Weather STAR XL Replaced

« on: February 11, 2014, 04:50:20 PM »

This is the IntelliStar Jr. It is replacing all legacy units. It will get the updated graphics at some point.

Intellistar Jr., huh?

Do you know how this compares, tech-wise, to the IS1 and IS2?  It's obviously different in that it has Cantore's Vocal Local, but also the specs have to be closer to the IS2, right?

And, if we have an IS already, like with Fios, will they go to the ISJr.?

18

Programming and Graphics / Re: New show coming soon to TWC: Coast Guard Northwest

« on: February 04, 2014, 09:20:49 PM »

It's not people mining for gold.

So that's a plus.

19

IntelliStar 2 Discussion / Re: Intellistar 2 Greetings list

« on: February 02, 2014, 11:56:24 PM »

There was one saying "Phil!  Phil Connors?!"

20

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: DirecTV Dropping TWC

« on: February 02, 2014, 11:53:32 PM »

I actually like the new TWC maps.

A lot of weather apps on smartphones and tablets use those kinds of maps, mostly because they're the default look that Google/Apple/Bing/whatever use.  Forecast.io is one of the examples I'd use.  Hell, weather.gov uses those styles of maps.

I really like TWC's graphical look as opposed to, say, what WPVI is doing with their whiz-bang WSI/VizRT setup.  They can generate an accurate map of all of Atlantic City's casinos, or they can do a morning rush forecast with cars whizzing under an overpass with absolutely no lag... and there's so much flying around that I can't understand the forecast.  WCAU's a bit better (actually a lot of the NBC O&Os have really good weather presentation).

21

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: DirecTV Dropping TWC

« on: January 30, 2014, 05:14:32 PM »

...well this is novel.

The Weather Channel properties cost about $3.5 billion to acquire.  How Network Weather, a very small startup, would be able to swallow such a big fish is beyond me.  It has happened - tiny Capital Cities Communications ended up buying ABC, thanks in large part to Warren Buffet - but it's still unlikely.

That said, I can see The Weather Channel being sold.

Network Weather Channel posted this on Facebook:  " *** URGENT MESSAGE FROM NETWORK WEATHER CHANNEL ***
There have been rumors running around that our company should buy The Weather Channel. Yes, we are heavily considering that option and a press release will be put out to the press explaining this situation. More in the coming days. STAY TUNED"

Whaaaaaaaatttttttt. Would NBC even consider that? Can't wait to hear more..

The one thing that I keep saying is that NBCUniversal does not own The Weather Channel.  It owns a stake in The Weather Channel.  Bain Capital and Blackstone Group hold the rest.  In fact, I've heard NBC's stake referred to as a MINORITY one, meaning that Bain and Blackstone probably have more control of the company than NBC.

That said, Bain and Blackstone are private equity firms.  They buy companies, they invest into them, and then they eventually sell their stakes or take the company public.  They don't own companies forever.  At some point they're gonna sell.

What I can see, more than any other outcome, is Bain and Blackstone selling their stakes to NBC/Comcast, giving them 100% control.

And hopefully some adult supervision.

22

IntelliStar 2 Discussion / Re: Intellistar Background suggestion...

« on: January 30, 2014, 04:56:14 PM »

I would like to throw this idea out there for everyone...


How hard would it be for the background images used on the HD Star to be linked to the location you are watching from? For example if you live in San Francisco image of the Golden Gate Bridge or in New York a picture of the Statue of Liberty?

I wouldn't think it would be that hard; in fact, I thought that's what they were going to do in the first place.  It's a little weird if you live in the city and see a farmland background, or vice versa.  I also don't like seeing a bright sunny background in the middle of the night.

This.

My star constantly displays farmlands and canyons and meteor showers.  Maybe, maybe some foggy city background.  I'll get backgrounds of something in the middle of the day at 1:48 at night, or the meteor shower background at 2:08 in the afternoon.  I don't mind the variety at all, mind you, but it'd make more sense to at least have it match the time of day?

As for the Boston mockup, keep in mind, it's probably not running on actual Intellistar 2 hardware.  Granted, the IS2 should theoretically be able to look like that, but I think they want to keep the IS1 and IS2 as identical as possible for some reason.

23

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: DirecTV Dropping TWC

« on: January 23, 2014, 10:07:35 PM »

I seriously wonder if he watches his own damn network.

Since 1982, we’ve invested millions of dollars in building a system to display NWS watches and warnings within minutes on a local basis. Folks with vision and hearing problems can access those weather alerts on the Weather Channel.

D* viewers don't get that alert system because they had the satellite feed only.

Also, the recent revamp removed the alert tone and vocal announcement, so those with vision problems don't get the alert. And the new scrolls are so small and go by so fast that it's impossible to make them out.

That's only one of the bullcrap things he says... seriously.

24

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: DirecTV Dropping TWC

« on: January 22, 2014, 02:58:40 AM »

Any word on negotiations between TWC and DirectTV? Was the ball fumbled or just dropped and no one is willing to pick it up?

Something just came in now - they've written an open letter asking DTV to waive cancellation fees.  It's in PDF format, so I've included the text - in full - below.

Just before midnight on January 13, DIRECTV customers lost access to The Weather Channel.

Since then, over 4 million customers have come to keeptheweatherchannel.com to express their frustration. Over 400,000 have called and emailed DIRECTV. And over 90,000 have pledged to switch providers.

Many thousands have called your customer service centers asking to terminate their contracts since they are now getting less content for the same price. But DIRECTV is threatening them with termination fees of $200 to $400.

We have heard from viewers across the country, like Heather in Texas who wrote, “We just signed on with DIRECTV.…Had I known this was going to happen I would NOT have signed up. I read the fine print (too late) and found that they can do that. It’s wrong.”

We agree. Fairness ought to trump the fine print in your contracts.

The decision to switch providers is never taken lightly. Those who are trying to do so clearly believe The Weather Channel is a valued resource for their families. They are people like @jlawson2011, who tweeted “The Weather Channel saved my life when there was severe weather in my area. Tornado imminent + TWC warning to hide.”

These viewers—your customers—value the fact that since 1982 The Weather Channel has been relying upon the National Weather Service for watches and warnings, which we deliver on a hyper-local basis through our proprietary localization technology.

Your customers were never given a vote about DIRECTV’s decision to drop The Weather Channel. The least you can do is allow them to vote now with their feet by waiving termination fees for those seeking to switch to a provider that still carries The Weather Channel, as every other pay-TV company in the nation does.

Our preference would be for DIRECTV to come back to the negotiating table and restore The Weather Channel to your line up. But as you seem intent on proving a point at the expense of your customers’ interests, then at least allow them to make their own choices without unaffordable penalties.

As our team of more than 220 expert meteorologists tracks winter storms, wildfires in Southern California, and many other potential weather emergencies, a prompt reply—not to me, but to your customers—would surely be appreciated.

....excuse me one more time.

25

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: The Weather Channel App added to FiOS

« on: January 22, 2014, 01:38:30 AM »

Oh god I hope it holds up.  The Intellistar for VHO8 is a little more stable, but still wonky.  (Are maps supposed to be green or white?)  I'd love to watch 619 and see local forecasts.

26

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: DirecTV Dropping TWC

« on: January 21, 2014, 12:43:24 AM »

The hilarious thing about that video?  The Weather Channel aired the first part of it.

In other words, AN NBC-OWNED PROPERTY ACKNOWLEDGED THE EXISTENCE OF CONAN O'BRIEN.

But Conan's with TBS now.

Yes, but he's at TBS because of all the crap that went down when they decided to give him The Tonight Show, then panicked and gave Jay Leno a 10pm show, and then decided to move Jay back to 11:35, at which point Conan rebelled and said he wasn't going to do it.

Since then, NBC has pretty much wiped the fact that Conan was employed by them from the Internet.  Promos for the Tonight Show even make it seem like Conan hosted PRIOR TO JAY TAKING OVER IN 1992.  Seriously.  That's why it struck me that they aired a Conan clip.

I love Jim Gardner!  I used to visit Philadelphia every summer, and I always watched "Action News"!

Jim Gardner is the greatest local news anchor in America.  His twitter is an absolute must-follow, and he's let a bit more of his snarkiness appear on the air.  Action News is great but I think editorially right now the best newscast is NBC 10.  Comcast backed up a dumptruck of money to that station, and the extra investment is showing on-screen.

27

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: DirecTV Dropping TWC

« on: January 20, 2014, 08:01:06 PM »

The hilarious thing about that video?  The Weather Channel aired the first part of it.

In other words, AN NBC-OWNED PROPERTY ACKNOWLEDGED THE EXISTENCE OF CONAN O'BRIEN.

---

Anyway, for Janus, is this the type of thing D* would put emergency channels on for?  Because I'm assembling a list of streams.

28

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: DirecTV Dropping TWC

« on: January 20, 2014, 02:10:36 PM »

Never,ind the not naming winter storms hypothesis.  Because we now have warnings for the I-95 corridor, they've gone to Winter Storm Janus.

Allow me to introduce you all to Facepalm Jim..

29

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: DirecTV Dropping TWC

« on: January 20, 2014, 12:44:51 AM »

I love Stelter, so I'm quite a bit disappointed he really didn't push on the issue of long-form dominating the schedule.  I know weather being a commodity is also an issue here, there are many other sources, but the key thing is that The Weather Channel is getting flack for abandoning its mission.

Weather Channel is talking around the reality show topic by focusing on it going live during severe wx, it having a huge set of meteorologists and experts., etc.  That's not the issue - it's a great, tremendous resource.  Problem is that it has not been making it a priority.

---

As for taking WeatherScan or another network and taking an "ESPNEWS" policy with them, I should tell you that ESPNEWS really doesn't exist anymore.  It used to be a channel with some live periods and rolling tape during others, and its own distinct feel from The Mothership.  Then they decided that instead of doing live ESPNEWS shows, it would have SportsCenter run on the channel on the hours it wasn't running on ESPN or ESPN2.  The ESPNEWS look was scrapped and the last shows that really were produced by and for ESPNEWS ended a few months ago.

Nowadays, it's SportsCenter, the one news program that I absolutely cannot stand, surrounded by their opinion shows, led by the extremely toxic First Take, pretty much the worst thing ever created that has to do with sports.  The current ESPN is probably more detrimental to journalism than Fox and MSNBC ever were.

30

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: DirecTV Dropping TWC

« on: January 19, 2014, 12:32:50 AM »

There's a number of things that haven't been nailed down yet regarding the schedule.  It has been mentioned that the 4am-8pm schedule will return next week - but that hasn't been backed up yet by any of the TV listings sites I've been going to.  Tribune (Zap2it) and TitanTV have been listing it, but TVGuide.com is listing no changes on the 27th.

Honestly we're not going to know what is airing until it's airing.  I think it's safe to say they're in panic mode at the moment.

I believe the best approach is still weather coverage from 4am to 8pm, longform from then until 4.  CNBC uses this structure, though mainly because market coverage doesn't do that well at night.

Thank you all for checking out the site!  I'm trying to fill it with as much as I can and I'm going to address some of the issues with the design.  (Posts should be easier to get to.)  I also plan to continue the site once this is over and done with, but with a different address and a more general focus.

I've been trying to focus on specifics to DirecTV, but Local on the 8s is the soul of The Weather Channel and it absolutely needs some help.