Sweeping Changes Coming: Champion Cancelled, Less Reality Shows

[mightynine]

http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/09/media/weather-channel-sam-champion/index.html

The Weather Channel is canceling Sam Champion's morning newscast, replacing reality shows with more weather coverage, cutting TV production costs and laying off some staffers in a sweeping adjustment to changes in the cable business.

AMHQ's last day is October 30, though Champion "will remain a full-time host with a focus on prime time and new digital ventures" - i.e., we'll find some stuff for him to do while he's still under contract or we agree to a buyout.

That means paring back its original programming investments (shows like "Prospectors" and "Fat Guys in the Woods") and lifestyle coverage. The priority is essential, live weather coverage -- particularly during periods of severe weather -- and local information.
"It's going to cost more money to do longer hours of live, so we have to be more efficient about it," he said.
Overall TV spending will be reduced as well. Kenny said "we're now a technology company that owns a TV channel, not a TV company."

Getting ready to sell?  Also:

The company is also prioritizing a localized weather, traffic and news channel it is calling Local Now. It wants to sell the channel to streaming cable-like services like Sling TV.

[Adrian]

Just wow. I have no clue what will happen to TWC. It's future is very uncertain. I smell another relaunch coming. I surely do hope they will restore live weather programming that were cut in the past 2 years.

About 50 of the channel's 1,400 employees will be leaving.

Will any on-air personnel be leaving?

"Over the next several months, you will see us further simplify our branding across all dayparts," Shull said in his internal memo.

WCL replacing WUWA & AMHQ?

The company is also prioritizing a localized weather, traffic and news channel it is calling Local Now.

Weatherscan replacement?

[02Justin10]

Huh...another round of "sweeping changes" how many rounds of these "sweeping changes" has TWC seen since 2009?  I feel like they are constantly changing stuff up every two years.  And supposedly the reality shows are where the few ratings are and now the channel is going to be scrubbing them?  Days at The Weather Channel...

[TWCJim]

Hmm... I wonder if these programming changes may bring back the 90-second and 2-minute LF flavors. I'm very doubtful on that possibility, but we may never know what TWC will do next. 

[weatherfan_2013]

This looks like we are going backwards now which is good. Maybe Morning Rush will come back? I miss Morning Rush. Maybe Mike and Stephanie will host the 7-10am hour? As TWCJim said Although maybe(not) they'll extend locals to 90 seconds or 2 minutes? At least in the mornings? We'll see.........
Also they better go back to the old look style of graphics soon.

[Adrian]

http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/layoffs-programming-changes-at-weather-channel/271433

"The remainder of this memo covers the major changes we are making at The Weather Channel:
Migrate Away from Non-Weather Original Programming.
Refocus Entire Morning to Only Weather.
Prioritize Weather Expertise Over Production.
Market and Program to our Loyal Core Audience.
Streamline HR, Finance, and Communications Support"

Here is some good news:

"We will continue to invest in finding creative ways to explain the weather, but we will no longer greenlight any long-form shows. Over the next year, we expect to add more live hours back to our schedule after airing some great shows currently in development"

We are excited to welcome Stephanie Abrams back to Atlanta to be a key part of this new integrated morning team.

Good to see Stephanie remain at TWC and moving back to Atlanta.

[weatherfan_2013]

Maybe they'll return "Your Weather Today with Abrams and Bettes"?   

[WeatherSTARIII]

Despite the layoffs and cost cutting, it appears that Stephanie Abrams will return to the channel to be a "key part" of the morning team. Although, it's unclear what morning show is going to replace WUWA and AMHQ.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/sam-champion-al-roker-lose-shows-in-weather-channel-cost-cutting/ar-AAe6KCr?ocid=iehp

[Evan2015]

Maybe they'll return "Your Weather Today with Abrams and Bettes"?   

I don't think they're gonna move Mike Bettes off a show he hosts and is the poster boy for (see the LF background) less than 6 months after launching it. The more likely scenario is Abrams joining Bettes on WUTV. A change that I would not mind at all.

[gt1racerlHDl]

What does this mean for the 8s? I hope it means back to 90 secs or 2 minutes

[alex979]

Wow, a lot of great news! Things are about to get very interesting... who's ready to make some fantasy schedules?

[Adrian]

http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com/2015/09/09/weather-channels-sam-champion-moving-to-primetime-stephanie-abrams-joining-amhq/

According to this article, AMHQ will remain but without Sam and will be extended to 5AM ET with Stephanie as one of the hosts. The article also says that TWC invested a lot of money producing reality shows which may explain why they are losing money.

[CartoonJazzLover]

Best news ever relating to TWC in a long time, I will be a fan again if that happens. Though I wonder the future of Local on the 8s? I kinda don't like the new LOT8s, the radar is the only map they had there.

[jrhtwc]

http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com/2015/09/09/weather-channels-sam-champion-moving-to-primetime-stephanie-abrams-joining-amhq/

According to this article, AMHQ will remain but without Sam and will be extended to 5AM ET with Stephanie as one of the hosts. The article also says that TWC invested a lot of money producing reality shows which may explain why they are losing money.

WOW!!!!  YES!!!!!!!!

So, Why couldn't TWC hold on to Vivian Brown???Looks they'll have airtime for her now. Makes me wonder if Vivian's leaving was the tipping point somehow? She left the same day WUWA was cancelled and now this. Maybe someone got fed up(Cantore?) OR TWC"s social media got flooded the day she left? Wonder if TWC will get some people back now?

I wonder how long AMHQ will stay. If TWC just wants to do weather IDK if AMHQ is a good name. Even Moring Rush IDK about. It would have to be YWT or older names like Weather Center AM or Weatherscope This Morning.

Wonder if TWC will go back several shows? I liked it when TWC had Day Planner, Afternoon Outlook, EE etc.

2016's Severe Season should be very interesting!(Winter Season even??)  Wonder if Longfrom will be cut down early if the US Gets a landfall Trop. Storm by Nov 30th?

Anyone think the WATT LDL pic in the Gen. TWC Discussion is related to this?

[alex979]

So, Why couldn't TWC hold on to Vivian Brown???Looks they'll have airtime for her now. Makes me wonder if Vivian's leaving was the tipping point somehow? She left the same day WUWA was cancelled and now this. Maybe someone got fed up(Cantore?) OR TWC"s social media got flooded the day she left? Wonder if TWC will get some people back now?

I wouldn't be surprised to see her resurface as a contractor (like Nick Walker or Kelly Cass), who show up when needed to fill in, or anchor extended coverage. That is, if she's willing to work for much less money. I don't think her departure (or the reaction to it) had anything to do with today's announcements, though. AMHQ has been a failing show since it began, and the last-ditch move to bring on Cantore apparently didn't attract any viewers... at some point, they just have to cut their losses. This has been a long time coming.