Less than a week after announcing that it would replace local weathercasters at its local TV stations, Allen Media Group decided on Thursday to scrap its plans after viewer outcry.

Last Friday, a number of meterologists with AMG’s 27 stations—mostly in small to midsize markets—began announcing their departures to viewers. On Saturday, in what looks like an attempt to get ahead of the bad press, AMG officially made its announcement of its “groundbreaking format” to use meteorologists from AMG-owned The Weather Channel for its live forecasts, replacing local weather forecasters.

“We are proud to announce that Allen Media Group is leveraging the full resources and expertise of The Weather Channel to make our local weather news the very best,” said Tom O’Brien, President of Weather Group/The Weather Channel. “We are one hundred percent committed to delivering next-level weather news to our local television stations 24/7.”

Viewer feedback was immediate and overwhelmingly negative.

“Remember when #SinclairBroadcastGroup tried ‘NewsCentral’ and what a complete out of touch sh*tshow that was?”, user “cantnot” posted on X earlier this week. “That’s exactly what will happen here with #AllenMediaGroup removing all local meteorologists. We need owners that want to run tv stations, not bean counters.”

“Laying off Weather People in tornado prone areas is very dangerous,” posted LeeWatson_357. “People based in Atlanta don’t know the local areas in markets like Tupelo, Mississippi.”

AMG gave its stations a canned statement on Thursday, announcing its plans to rescind the move.

KEZI, the ABC affiliate in Eugene, Oregon, issued this statement: “After receiving significant feedback across various markets, Allen Media has decided to pause and reconsider the strategy of providing local weather from the Weather Channel in Atlanta, and KEZI will continue to provide market-leading coverage from your StormTracker 9 Meteorologists.”

The same statement was also posted by ABC affiliate KDRV Medford, Oregon.

Craig Ford, news anchor for ABC affiliate WTVA in Tupelo, Mississippi, said, “We cannot speak to what the future holds months or years down the road, as we certainly could not have predicted how the past few days have unfolded, but what we can say is that your severe weather coverage is here to stay … coming from our studio, coming from our team … and for that, we thank you.

“Your calls, emails, texts … every word spoken in support of our team was heard, and without your outpouring of messages that rang so loud, this change may not have been possible.”

Mike Wright, vice president and general manager of WAAY-TV Huntsville, Alabama, agreed, saying viewer feedback made all the difference.

"While The Weather Channel is consistently voted one of the most trusted weather brands in the country, this decision was about keeping local meteorologists who have a deeper understanding of the unique weather patterns and challenges of our region,” Wright said. “We understand our viewers rely on timely, in-depth coverage of our communities, especially during severe weather events. Our commitment to providing that expertise remains steadfast.

“The overwhelming feedback from our viewers—through calls and emails—has been instrumental in guiding this decision,” Wright continued. "We appreciate the loyalty and trust of our audience, and remain committed to delivering the high-quality, localized coverage they expect."

The change elicited cheers from viewers online, with Brad Mitchell (aka @BallCoach2009), posting: “Heck yeah!!! I can respect @AllenMGroup for admitting their mistake and making it right, but mainly for listening to their viewers!”

A number of meteorologists have announced their departures from local TV stations owned by Allen Media Broadcasting in recent days, after the station group announced a partnership with The Weather Channel that would replace local weather personnel with TWC forecasters based from its Atlanta headquarters.

As part of the Allen Media Group owned by media personality Byron Allen, AMB owns and operates 28 TV stations nationwide, covering all four commercial networks. AMG acquired The Weather Channel, part of The Weather Group, in a deal worth $300 million in 2018 and the “groundbreaking format” has been in Beta for several years, according to AMG.

“The new format will dramatically improve reporting capabilities, especially in high-stakes weather situations,” AMB said on Saturday. “This initiative aims to transform the way local weather is reported—ensuring the most accurate, timely, and engaging forecasts for communities across the country.”

AMB announced the move on a Saturday—not a typical day to issue such news releases—most likely in response to the number of news personalities who informed their viewers about their pending departures on Friday.

A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the new arrangement “will impact at least 50 meteorologists,” and that some of them will be offered new positions at the The Weather Channel.

On Friday, WTHI-TV news anchor Patrece Dayton and chief meteorologist Kevin Orpur announced their departure from the station in Terre Haute, Indiana. “For those of you who don’t know, both of our positions are being eliminated here at WTHI-TV,” Dayton said. “The television business in general is changing nationwide and budget cuts are happening everywhere.”

Christina Burkhart, meteorologist with ABC affiliate WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan, put the number of layoffs at 100, announcing on her Facebook page: “Allen Media is laying off all local meteorologists company-wide. This is nearly 100 meteorologists at just over 20 stations across the country.

“Mid-Michigan friends, it breaks my heart to say ABC12 is on this list. Please keep these local meteorologists in your thoughts as they navigate big changes in the coming weeks, and their stations as they learn how to provide coverage without them.

“Weather forecasts will be sent from the weather channel in Atlanta. These will be pre-recorded by regional meteorologists recording hits for each Allen station. Live severe weather coverage will also come from them.”

Spencer Dayton, meteorologist with Gray Media-owned CBS station WVLT Knoxville, Tennessee, panned the new move.

“I don’t think this is a good move and I don’t see it being successful,” he said in a Facebook post. “It may save money in the short term, but takes away value and credibility in the long term. I personally know some in this group that were let go. They are wonderful people, employees and meteorologists.

“WEATHER is the number one reason most people watch a local newscast. These folks are more valuable than some companies realize and I am certain they will land on their feet,” Dayton continued. “I’m employed by Gray Media and we are still hiring, so there are no signs of us doing anything like that anytime soon.”

The new partnership comes after AMG announced a restructuring plan last May that impacted about 12% of its workforce, about 2,500 employees.

LOS ANGELES—Allen Media Group (AMG) has launched an instream “Frame” ad for advertisers on its The Weather Channel, Local Now and HBCU Go connected TV (CTV) apps.

Brightline streaming ad technology powers the new Frame ad experience. The Frame ad unit squeezes back programming to make space for branded content, logos, interactivity and shoppable moments while programming continues.

The ad units seamlessly integrate into programming, allowing for L-frame ad creative to appear without the need for traditional ad pods. This keeps viewers immersed in programming while allowing brands to reinforce messaging in revolutionary new ways, Brightline said.

AMG’s CTV ad experiences enable high engagement and non-disruptive formats, offering advertisers opportunities to reach audiences during live and on-demand programming without interrupting the viewing experience, the company said.

The launch of Frame within the AMG’s CTV HBCU Go app provides a path for new ad formats to reach specialized programming focused exclusively on targeted sports, entertainment and news content, it said.

AMG now features Frame as part of its upfront partnerships, offering brands a new ad opportunity beyond traditional ad pods. It also expands possibilities for new kinds of interactive and shoppable ad experiences tailored to viewers and programming content, Brightline said.

For advertisers, this means invasive ad interruptions during critical programming are no longer the only alternative—a welcome change for viewers, particularly for those watching live events, such as sports and weather coverage, it said.

“Frame ads not only reinforce brand messaging but also provide opportunities for interactivity and highlight shoppable moments within programming,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. 

 More information is available on the company’s website. 

As Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida today, DirecTV is launching a dedicated Severe Weather Channel and separate four-channel Severe Weather Mix emergency weather mosaic to keep customers up to date on developing conditions.

The standalone Severe Weather Channel is available on 361-2 on DIRECTV and 1226 (high-definition) and 226 (standard-definition) on U-verse. The Severe Weather Mix channel will launch on channel 200 and 361-1.

Severe Weather Channel will rotate live local news coverage from broadcast stations in regions that lie within the hurricane’s path providing residents living in the immediately affected areas to keep apprised of developments. DirecTV is currently working with local broadcast station owners in the area including Ft. Myers-Naples; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota; Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne; Gainesville-Ocala; Jacksonville FL-Brunswick GA; and will continue to add others as Hurricane Ian moves through the Gulf Coast or Eastern Seaboard in coming days.

The four-channel Severe Weather Mix will feature round-the-clock live coverage from the Weather Channel, AccuWeather and CNN (whose Atlanta headquarters lies within the anticipated path) in addition to the Severe Weather Channel and its local coverage from participating local broadcast stations. DirecTV launched similar efforts to assist viewers during Hurricane Ida (2021), Hurricanes Marco and Laura (2020), Hurricane Michael (2018), Hurricane Irma (2017), Superstorm Sandy (2012), among other national emergency situations. 

NEW YORK—Stringr has unveiled an API integration with the National Weather Service (NWS) API integration and has used that integration to create an automated alert system streamlining video newsgathering for severe weather events that is being used by The Weather Channel. 

Developed for use with Stringr’s proprietary network of 120,000 independent videographers, the Stringr Weather Feed automatically issues local requests for footage where NWS has issued severe weather warnings. Within minutes, videographers in the area can capture video right on location and upload to the cloud for use in newscasts. Following a successful pilot with the Weather Channel, the service is available on the Stringr platform.

“It’s a great idea and it really works,” said Tom Lea, vice president, newsgathering at The Weather Channel. “We’ve already seen a big increase in the amount of weather content they’re able to offer. It’s definitely working to our advantage. I have confidence in Stringr knowing that they are getting the word out to their videographers before the severe weather strikes.”

“The reporting that news networks offer during severe weather ranks among their most vital work,” added Lindsay Stewart, co-founder and CEO of Stringr. “After all, accurate, up-to-the-minute information during a storm can save lives. This NWS integration, which generates video content that is only available through our platform, allows both local and national newsrooms to get the footage they need as soon as a warning is issued.”

Stringr is a video news and content provider with an international network of videographers that offers broadcast-quality video and custom news packages to every major US market and the United Kingdom on its platform. 

To learn more, visit https://www.app.stringr.com/weather.

ATLANTA—The Weather Channel is now able to offer first-hand, virtual looks at what the weather in a city or town will be like with the new Virtual Views feature, an immersive technology offering hyper-realistic visualizations.

Based on The Weather Channel’s Immersive Mixed Reality (IMR) technology, Virtual Views transports the network’s on-camera meteorologists to cities to showcase the forecasted weather specific to that city before it happens. The technology debuted during an “AMHQ” segment, where meteorologist Stephanie Abrams previewed a rainy Miami that was forecasted for later that day.

Virtual Views is part of The Weather Channel’s IMR Weather Studio. Virtual Views combines HDR imagery, 3D LiDAR scanning and IMR to produce the virtualized scenes used during these segments. The Weather Channel can control the weather and visually display conditions using real-time data.

Weather Channel plans to integrate Virtual View IMR segments into its daily live programming and forecasts. It plans to feature landscapes/backdrops from around 50 U.S. cities.

ATLANTA—The total solar eclipse that will take place on Aug. 21 will also take over programming of The Weather Channel according to a press release from the network. A full-slate of programming is scheduled for the event, including live coverage of the phenomenon from seven locations across the country and use of augmented reality technology.

Starting at 6 a.m. ET on Aug. 21, The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore and Stephanie Abrams will broadcast live from Madras, Ore., and Carbondale, Ill., to launch the network’s coverage on the “AMHW” morning show. Cantore and Abrams will continue to anchor live coverage of the eclipse throughout the day. Additional meteorologists will report live from each time zone along the eclipse’s path; they will include Alex Wilson and Chris Bruin in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Maria LaRosa in Clemson, S.C., Jen Carfagno in Nashville, Tenn., Mike Seidel driving throughout the Southeast, and Dave Malkoff from the Royal Caribbean Total Eclipse Cruise. The live coverage is being sponsored by Dish and Jeep.

More live content is expected to be pulled from telescopes, cameras and with live-hits from viewers. The Weather Channel will also use social media and Skype to connect with viewers.

In the studio, The Weather Channel will use its AR technology to explore the eclipse from Earth and space to provide more info on the science. AR renderings of the umbra, penumbra, orbits and the path of totality will be shown. Mixed-reality technology will also be used to show different shots and 3D graphics.

This is the first total solar eclipse that will be visible to the entire contiguous U.S. since 1918.

Jeremy Jones, head of innovation and product at The Weather Channel television network, explains how he got into TV graphics, how weather programming has changed over the years and why getting people to believe in new technologies is one of his top challenges.

KINGSLEY COOK: How did you start out in the TV/graphics industry? Was it something you always wanted to do?

Jeremy Jones

JEREMY JONES: The buzzword for me at The Weather Channel is ‘opportunity’. Starting with the company as a designer for the ad sales team, getting to where I am now meant seizing small opportunities that presented themselves along the way until I found myself joining the live TV graphics environment. I’ve been with the channel for 11 years.

KC: Can you describe your day-to-day role? What are your key objectives?

JJ: It depends on the weather! My focus depends on whether it’s a calm, ‘sunshine theatre’ or a ‘breaking weather’ kind of day.

The live breaking weather days get busy and we find ourselves solving problems quickly, which is very rewarding work. In those cases, I take on a support role for our team. When the big weather events happen—hurricanes, tornadoes and so on—I ask the teams what processes they need refreshing on, what systems aren’t working, what technologies need to be taken out and dusted off.

The focus is on the service we provide to viewers, to keep them safe and aware of what’s going on. On “sunshine theatre” days, I focus on roadmap priorities and future technology investments to keep us ahead of the game. It’s a lot of fun to work in a live environment where we have to fly by the seat of our pants when necessary.

KC: How important is the technology you use?

JJ: Technology is the glue that holds everything together here. Television is facing a decline in general so we have limited resources. The teams we work with are some of the best in the business, but they need to have the technology behind them as there’s now often one person doing the job of three.

KC: How has TV weather programming changed throughout your time in the industry?

JJ: I’ve witnessed tremendous changes, including the transition from SD to HD, which affected both TV programming and weather.

The importance of weather has grown in the local market, especially during breaking events, outpacing every other category. The move to better graphic presentations, the migration from SD to HD and the growing importance of weather reporting have changed programming to a point where we now put a premium on presentation.

We want it to be more than just a person standing in front of a green screen with a map of the local weather. This involves building beautiful studios sets to really showcase the weather, augmenting graphics into the set and immersing the audience into the story.

KC: What are the key challenges of your everyday role?

Jim Cantore with The Weather Channel illustrates a lightning strike using augmented reality graphics.

JJ: The one that stands out is getting people to believe in the technology.

When you bring in new technologies with a promise that they can help us deliver, the challenge is getting people to believe. Our use of real-time camera tracking is a great example of this. Feedback went from ‘are you crazy’ to ‘it’s part of our daily routine’ as we worked through the implementation.

KC: Are you working on any new technologies or innovations at the moment?

JJ: Real-time camera tracking is a big focus for us at the moment. We were seeking to augment graphics into our environment and saw a lot of green screen options that didn’t convince us. Then, our technology partner Vizrt presented an Ncam solution on its NAB booth and the rest is history.

We launched our real-time camera tracking solution in May last year, which enables our meteorologists to interact with stunning augmented reality graphics to explain the science of weather. It’s integrated into our graphics and production system and gives the talent and the camera complete freedom of movement.

A tracking system provides a stream of extremely accurate positional information, without the need for special markers in the studio, whether the camera is on a pedestal, a Steadicam or hand held.

We can now provide the viewer with an actual tornado, for example, that meteorologists have helped design and build. I’m not hesitant to say that we’re head and shoulders above anybody else presenting weather at this point. Real-time camera tracking allows us to be this leader in the industry.

I think the future will see us bring in data and information from an actual storm and have the storm recreated in the studio environment. It’s one of the premium items on our roadmap at the moment. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but it’s definitely on the horizon.