The topic at hand is a simple one and one that has received
lots of media attention. After major contracts disagreements, DirecTV decided
it was best for them to part ways with The Weather Channel. With the cut of the Weather Channel from
Direct TV, it opens the door up for other private companies to compete for the
prime position as chief weather distributor. Currently WeatherNation has taken
over the reins of chief weather provider within the cable network. AccuWeather
though has made a strong case that they will take over in the absence of the
Weather Channel with their own network. This is the same Weather Channel that
has helped revolutionize weather in popular media and helped bring the ideas of
up to the minute updates and accurate 5-day regional forecasts into the light.
This is the same Weather Channel that defined my childhood
as an aspiring meteorologist. I remember as young as the age of 7 or 8,
getting up and sneaking downstairs to turn on the Weather Channel hours before
the rest of my family would wake up.
Though over the years of gaining popularity, the Weather Channel
has shown signs of committing themselves too much to the people’s support with
new shows that border on the side of entertainment rather than science.
This probably was not the reason that Direct TV, a
high-ranking cable provider and the main provider for George Mason University
dropped them. Yet it brings up the point of the article. Weather media is
rapidly changing. Even as I write this article, thousands of students at GMU do
not tune into the Weather Channel, rather they just scan their smart phones or laptops
for updates on the coming weather for the week.[i] There are ways to share
informative and visual updates on road conditions and travel delays via Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram. It brings up the obvious point…why do we need the Weather
Channel?
So for the survey, I picked a random selection of students
who are either friends of mine, or my older sister Rachel, who is an Arlington
County teacher.
So with that in mind I started asking questions to these
students:
Question 1: How often do you watch the Weather Channel?
A. Once
or more a day
B. A couple of times a week
C. Every other week
D. Whenever there is a hurricane/severe storm
incoming
E. Never watched it
Everyone I asked put D. Maybe it was a bias question, but I
wanted to gauge the audience’s viewership of the station. It presents the
purpose of why people feel the need for weather information to be on public
media: Safety. We trust these men and
women with our lives as they read watches, warnings and storm tracks. Their
intent is to keep everyone safe and out of harm’s way by relaying specific and
comprehendible information.
Question 2: What do you think of the Direct TV news? Are you a fan? Not
a fan? Indifferent?
Here is where I started to get some differences with my
responses. While the majority of responders stated that they were indifferent
and that “business is business,” some were not pleased with the news. They
pleaded, “Direct TV doesn't care about their customers because the weather
channel is a trusted cooperation and they give accurate information.” Others
were not familiar enough with the story to even answer.
Question 3: Have you heard of AccuWeather?
Most respondents had not heard of the Penn State-based
Company other than in passing, though one respondent “trusts the widget as it is
more accurate than the Weather Channel’s app”.
Question 4: Is it important to have live up to the minute coverage of
severe storms on our television? If yes, why so? Can people just check their
smart-phones for the same information?
This is the question I deemed as the most important of the
interview. The two -part question
made it tough for many of the interviewers to find the answer right away. It is
true that we have become so entranced and impatient for direct and accurate
data that the idea of up-to-the-minute coverage is something that we just
expect rather than appreciate. Imagine if this was not the case, and the
dangers that might loom because of it.
The answers I received also reaffirmed the generation gap in
how we get information. The older generation still turns to the television as
their sense of comfort when accurate information is needed. The younger
generation has found little use for this source of media, so it will not truly
be missed
Question 5: Do you see the trend of weather media shifting in the future?
And do you see this as the catalyst of the said trend?
Many respondents immediately noted the sensationalism that
weather media and media in general have succumbed to. It is all about
instilling fear into the people to keep them begging for more. The 24/7 news
outlets are constantly streaming the same story, with each and every detail
blown up to dramatic proportions.
The world is becoming faster paced and people do not have
time to merely sit down and watch the Weather Channel like I did is a child.
They just want to know when, how much, and how they will be affected in 20
seconds or less.
The difference between television, radio and smart-phones as
weather media outlets is that there is a dramatic loss of the human aspect of
weather information. It limits the reader to just a screen of graphs and numbers
that has been extrapolated and manipulated from hundreds of ensemble model runs done. All they see is “High 55 Low 38, partly
cloudy and a 60 percent chance of rain”.
Question 6: How do you think weather coverage can be improved for future
generations?
Again this is more of an open-ended question, as I wanted to
see the respondents’ unbiased viewpoints.
The overall consensus is better emergency alert systems,
farther out improve the overall accuracy of the information given in an updated
fashion.
One respondent answered that weather coverage should also be
“breaking down why things are happening and describe anything we can do to help
mediate the problem.”
Though I agree with the overall consensus, the last response
made me realize what Forecast GMU is really about. It is about not only the
reporting of events and education for the public domain, but also to begin to
empower the common student with knowledge on how he or she can be an advocate
for a safer future in weather as climate change looms.
A special thanks to Maria, Meagan, Aaron, Jacob, and Rachel for their thoughtful contributions and helping me write this article.
