Messages

1111

Local Forecast / Re: General LF Discussion

« on: July 18, 2011, 09:54:50 PM »

It's not what I'd call ideal.  I'd actually like to see a return to the 1990s style satellite forecasts, when a list of cities with a 3-day forecast was included along with maps for temperatures, current conditions, satellite and radar, etc.

It seems like the satellite forecasts now have gotten much too busy for the limited amount of information they contain.  And, considering forecasts these days last no longer than 2 minutes, all of those fancy transitions just eat up time that could be used for showing actual weather information.

Granted... it's still better than the never-ending "Travel Cities Forecast" scroll.  Believe me, it was downright boring when you had to stare at a grey screen with lines and lines of text scrolling across the screen for up to three minutes at a stretch! 

1112

Local Forecast / Re: Trammell Sightings

« on: July 18, 2011, 09:51:54 PM »

I have to wonder what's causing all of these emergency feeds.  "All of these" is in comparison to the 1980s and 1990s, when I watched TWC religiously.  Back then, it seemed like a technical problem disrupting programming happened on an extraordinarily rare basis, or at least it was done in such a way that the audience wouldn't know.

But now we have a whole thread about emergency feeds.  Hmm... 

1113

Local Forecast / Re: Satellite LF Sightings

« on: July 18, 2011, 04:25:58 PM »

The day wouldn't be complete without the 4:08 satellite forecast. 

1114

General Discussion / Re: WeatherNation

« on: July 18, 2011, 10:07:31 AM »

It's been nearly four days since WeatherNation said they were getting a new "lower third system".

Maybe they announced this when it was decided that a new LDL would be created, not at the point when it's ready to be used.

1115

Hurricane Central / Re: Tropical Storm Bret

« on: July 18, 2011, 10:05:38 AM »

There isn't any need to worry about this storm but you know TWC goes insane when a tropical system develops.

Imagine the news in central Florida.  It's a relatively weak system that's moving away from land, and yet the only story getting more coverage here than Bret is Casey Anthony!!

1116

IntelliStar 2 Discussion / Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch

« on: July 17, 2011, 02:37:17 PM »

No HD feed in Daytona Beach, so I guess I'll never see it for myself. 

Wow, both Central FL brighthouse operations surely are taking their sweet time getting TWC HD onto their lineups

Interestingly, Bright House has more HD channels than Comcast has in Massachusetts!  But TWC HD is conspicuously absent for some reason.  No Weatherscan, either.  All I can think of is that Bright House has its own weather channel, but it's basically similar to a satellite local forecast on TWC with voiceover narration.  That, and Bright House has its own 24/7 local news station with rather detailed weather reports every 10 minutes.

1117

IntelliStar 2 Discussion / Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch

« on: July 17, 2011, 01:41:12 PM »

Figures - the IS2 would come to Boston after I leave.  I waited over a year for it to come when I was there!!

No HD feed in Daytona Beach, so I guess I'll never see it for myself. 

1118

Programming and Graphics / Re: Another Flick and a Forecast situation is happening

« on: July 16, 2011, 11:15:23 PM »

I'm thinking about Hurricane Hugo in 1989.  John Hope was absolutely tireless in his efforts to warn people about what was happening and to make sure that people stayed safe.  That one incident, in my opinion, made TWC a trusted source of weather information, and that distinction stayed with the network for almost twenty years.  But then NBC came along and decided to turn TWC into another run-of-the-mill reality/entertainment network that just happens to talk about the weather every now and then.

1119

Programming and Graphics / Re: Another Flick and a Forecast situation is happening

« on: July 16, 2011, 10:07:19 PM »

That being said I wonder if they'll eventually be all longform all the time, even during hurricanes. I can just imagine the 30-second live updates "A major hurricane is pounding the Atlantic coast, now back to Peter Lik."

That would be unforgivable, and perhaps the one thing that would make me stop watching The Weather Channel for good after almost a quarter century.

1120

Your Local Weather / Re: Tampa Bay Weather

« on: July 15, 2011, 11:31:21 PM »

I've noticed that in Daytona Beach, too. 

1121

Local Forecast / Re: General LF Discussion

« on: July 15, 2011, 11:01:02 AM »

Wow... so many local forecasts all at once...! 

1122

Local Forecast / Re: WeatherSTAR4000- Degraded or not??

« on: July 12, 2011, 08:57:32 AM »

Wow - that is one of the worst I have ever seen!

How is it that no one ever bothers to report this so that it can be repaired or (hopefully) replaced?  These severe problems obviously didn't just start overnight.

1123

Local Forecast / Re: WeatherSTAR4000- Degraded or not??

« on: July 11, 2011, 08:36:33 PM »

If I had to rely on a 4000 on a regular basis, then I'd of course want one in perfect working condition.  If it's a rarity that I see (while travelling, for example), then it might be fun to see a degraded one - just to see what happens. 

1124

General Weather Chat / Re: What's the weather in your area?

« on: July 11, 2011, 08:34:30 PM »

1,200 miles later, and I finally arrived in Florida a few hours ago.  By gum, it's so muggy!!  I don't know how people can stand it!

1125

General Discussion / Leaving you for a while...

« on: June 27, 2011, 12:10:32 AM »

Well, my friends... the time has come.  Even though I won't be moving to Daytona Beach for another couple of weeks, I will be temporarily relocating starting tomorrow afternoon.

I'll still be able to check my email and Facebook using my Kindle and my cell phone, but, unfortunately, neither one supports the message boards.

So, I'm afraid I'm going to have to say "good bye" for now.  It could be up to a month before I can get online again with any degree of regularity.  I hope you'll still remember me when that happens! 

All the best, and I hope to see you soon!!