Messages

31

Local Forecast / Re: Local Update LFs/vs. narration & mid-1997 4000 graphical curiosity

« on: February 26, 2013, 01:32:39 PM »

The "warning flavor" dates to 1995, somewhere around the time the local update was introduced. Was just looking at some video from March 95 and the regular flavor played with the red crawl, so it must of been in the next few months when it was introduced (red crawl dates to Sept 1993). The routine from Sept 93 til that time in 1995 was the older full screen scroll would run through once, then the local radar would loop several times, then that would disappear and the red crawl would run. The STAR would switch audio to the music only channel during the local update flavors and anything else that was not normal.

The anomaly on the blue boxes appeared everywhere it seems (see my attachment). It looks like a rectangle drawn over the other shapes. 

32

Contributions / Re: Suggestions for archiving/restoring analog video to digital?

« on: February 26, 2013, 12:44:09 PM »

I've been using a AverMedia video capture card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100049 to transfer many VHS tapes to PC over the last few years. Used Virtualdub to record the video stream, Adobe Premiere to edit and encode the video files to MPEG2, Photoshop to create dvd menus and Adobe Encore to create the dvds.

Things that can effect the video playback is quality of the tape and storage conditions, but usually it comes down to variations between VCR manufactures. I've been using a RCA model made in 1994 without many issues reading old tapes. Getting the tracking set properly on the LP speed can be an issue, depending on how the original vcr recorded the video. My advice would be to try the troublesome tapes in more than one vcr and see if they play better.

My experience has been the settop dvd recorders don't have long lives. The first one I had lasted about 3 years and the next about the same. Of course, they were used heavily transferring tape and recording tv shows.

33

TWC Classics News / Re: TWC Classics relaunch

« on: October 27, 2012, 06:17:46 PM »

I might be able to help with historical weather events. I have a feeling your list will be a lot of work though...everything would have to be sortable by date.

34

Everything Else TWC / Re: The Weather Channel's parent company to be renamed...

« on: October 23, 2012, 01:42:00 PM »

So does this mean long form programming will be totally removed?

My take is there won't be less shows, since they have turned more OCMs loose (you really need more than they have now if you increase the live programming hours). But, the upcoming lineup will consist of shows where weather is front and center.

35

Local Forecast / Re: 20th Anniversary of playlist

« on: October 17, 2012, 03:10:18 AM »

I remembered songs from the previous lists, but this is the first one I really made an effort to record. The first four months of this list played with 3000 narration on my cable system (as did the previous ones in 1992), then in the first week or two in 1993 I turned on TWC one afternoon and heard the 4000 narration.

Figured out back then that "Caravan" only played at 11:36 pm and "St. Tropez" at 5:36 and 6:36 pm. No idea why they went with that arrangement, but the previous few lists had similar strangeness. Also "Just The Way I Feel" played at 10:57 am, bridging the gap from the morning and afternoon dayparts. There was just enough songs to fill each slot in the list, so you'd hear the same song at the same time each hour.

The list wasn't actually set until about August 20th or so when "Weekend In Monaco" by the Rippingtons was released. Three John Nilsen songs were replaced thereafter.

On November 21st, the local radar premiered on three flavors, with those flavors being rearranged (J K M) plus one other (L). The "I" flavor was dropped around this time with a "D" being shown instead from 5 pm - 2 am at :23. "Cloud Cover" by Barry Coates & The Hats was assigned to this slot (with the 1991/92 narration).

Other BTF songs I can think of:
"And I Think About It All The Time" by the Meeting
"Miles Away" by the Rippingtons
"Seguaro" by David Lanz & Paul Speer

Long run backup songs:
"Dark Passage" by Clifford Marshall Van Buren
"Eyes of a Lost Child" by Kevin Eubanks
"Wednesday's Child" by the Rippingtons
"Quadra's Domain" by Tom Scott

36

Everything Else Classic TWC / Re: Market East, Phila, PA TWC Feed

« on: October 10, 2012, 03:00:21 AM »

Do you remember if any local weather was displayed? They converted the satellite local forecast from the travel forecast scroll to the version with forecast maps, satellite and radar in April of 1994.

37

Programming / Re: Local Radars circa 1989

« on: September 20, 2012, 09:29:05 PM »

That radar display was made by Kavouras Inc, they have since been absorbed into another company. The user would connect to the radar they wanted to see by dialing it up. It provided four ranges to chose from: 60 nautical miles, 120 nm, 180 nm and 240 nm. Eventually they came up with a version with a color background and built in looping (TWC called it "action radar"). All of these radars provided reflectivity on the DVIP scale (6 levels) and you only got to see whatever elevation the operator set the radar to (unlike the multiple elevation volume scans of the 88D).

38

Local Forecast / Re: John Tesh

« on: July 17, 2012, 06:10:24 PM »

Nope

39

Programming and Graphics / The Weather Channel Says Aloha! to Hawaii Air Rescue

« on: July 17, 2012, 06:07:30 PM »

The Weather Channel Says Aloha! to Hawaii Air Rescue Produced by Zero Point Zero Productions

New Series Premieres Wednesday, September 5, at 9 p.m. ET

ATLANTA (July 16, 2012) - The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC) today announced the latest in its rapidly growing original content slate by greenlighting "Hawaii Air Rescue" (working title). The new docu-series follows the crew of Hawaii Life Flight, the exclusive air ambulatory service for the Hawaiian Islands, who face traumatic medical cases, dramatic weather conditions, and other environmental dangers as they make life-saving medical calls, rescues and transfers throughout the most remote island chain on Earth. Produced by Zero Point Zero Productions ("Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," "Meat Men"), "Hawaii Air Rescue" premieres Wednesday, September 5, at 9 p.m. ET (repeating at 12 midnight ET) and will feature 6x 30-min. episodes.

http://press.weather.com/press_detail.asp?id=413

40

Everything Else TWC / Re: TWC Acquires....Wunderground!?!?!?!

« on: July 02, 2012, 07:28:31 PM »

"Sure. My wife's not too happy with the sale, for some of the reasons y'all have expressed here. But change is the only constant in life, and after 17 years, I'm ready to be done managing the company. I want to focus on reaching as many people as I can with the message that we have pushed our climate to a new, more dangerous state. We'd better start taking strong action to prepare for what's coming.

Jeff Masters"

One comment:

"Whenever you hear "we've sold the business and I'm excited", cringe and be afraid."

41

Programming and Graphics / The Weather Channel Orders More Iron Men

« on: May 31, 2012, 02:48:59 PM »

http://press.weather.com/press_detail.asp?id=397

Breakout Hit Gets Nine-Episode Order

The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC) announced today it has ordered a full season of  "Iron Men," a docu-series profiling the iron workers who spend their days battling weather conditions hundreds of feet above New York City to build skyscrapers, bridges, arenas and other major structures. In addition to the four episodes currently airing, nine new episodes have been ordered that will premiere later this year. New episodes will take place at the 4 World Trade Center site inaddition to the Barclays Center, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets, and theAlexander Hamilton Bridge (note: watch construction progress at 4 WTC via TWC's exclusive live webcam at www.weather.com/IronMen). "Iron Men" is produced by Pipeline39 (formerly known as KPI), the producers of "The Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero," "MonsterQuest" and "MegaStructures."

"This line of work isn't for the faint of heart, and it's truly fascinating to live vicariously through these iron workers and the perilous conditions that they consider ‘business as usual,'" said Michael Dingley, senior vice president, content and development for The Weather Channel.

"Iron Men" first premiered on May 8, 2012, as part of "Braving the Elements," a new docu-series anthology revealing the work, subculture and characters of professions exposed to theelements and impacted by the weather. The series will now be a standalone series outside of "Braving the Elements," moving into its own timeslot on Thursday, Aug. 30, at 9 p.m. E.T.

42

Local Forecast / Re: Have these songs played on the weather channel before?

« on: May 29, 2012, 03:47:06 AM »

Other songs were played from that CD, but not that one.

43

Local Forecast / Re: 1998 Playlists Missing?

« on: May 24, 2012, 11:17:03 PM »

They ran a separate list back then at night for the extended travel forecast and those songs also played on the local forecast (as in the Trammell song above).

44

Local Forecast / Re: 1998 Playlists Missing?

« on: May 18, 2012, 04:22:52 PM »

Here's the 1st and 2nd quarter 1998 lists I put together. For the 2nd quarter, the George Howard songs were added in late March, Brian Savage's cd was released on April 21 so those songs appeared after that time. The George Winston songs appeared in late April (I think) and played through May (the cd was advertised on-air). There's video of the Incognito song around April 10th, not sure when it was added.

Discovered Bryan Savage's cd on the old Borders.com website in June 1998 (it was on the front page). That Incognito song was played on the radio here. Don't recall how I found Chris Camozzi. Not sure what the deal was, but some of the songs from the 4th quarter 97 to 2nd quarter 98 didn't seem to play much, or I just wasn't watching/recording when they were on (think they removed some of the non commercial songs from the 2nd quarter list when the new songs were added).

45

Local Forecast / Re: 1998 Playlists Missing?

« on: May 17, 2012, 01:56:23 PM »

For whatever reason they never issued a list with the correct songs for 1st quarter 98. That list ended on March 9th with WeatherScope becoming WeatherCenter on March 10th and all new intro videos beginning on that date.

The 2nd quarter list added and subtracted songs in the first month or so, so the list I received didn't include those songs.