I Luv Ya Jim Cantore, But ... The DirectTV-Weather Channel Kerfuffle
This month (Jan. 2014) DirectTV stopped carrying The Weather Channel due to a financial dispute between the two companies about carriage fees. This meant that 20 million homes that subscribe to DirectTV no longer received the station. This has resulted in all sorts of alarmist talk by The Weather Channel about how the public's welfare is in jeopardy. Oh, puleez! There are so many other sources available for weather forecast information nowadays, e.g. local TV stations, alerts on smartphones, radio broadcasts, online, that no one is going to be surprised by bad weather.
The Weather Channel is great if you want to know what's going on across the country. But the fact that some viewers in Wyoming won't be able to see Jim Cantore knee-deep in snow in Milwaukee or getting tossed about by hurricane winds in South Carolina isn't going to threaten their well being where they live. If people want to be apprised of their local weather they can still tune to one of their local stations, all of which have a "Storm Team" or "Severe Weather Experts" who tout their latest razzle dazzle radar equipment. And, like The Weather Channel, they all send their reporters out into the field to brave the elements on camera.
Of course, employees of The Weather Channel can be expected to come to its defense. Except that there's not much of an argument to make. Viewers still know when it's going to snow in their city or when a severe thunderstorm is about to rake the neighborhood by watching any number of local telegenic forecasters. (And since The Weather Channel has put more emphasis on lifestyle and science oriented programs in the past ten years chances are good viewers won't see a detailed local forecast information when they tune in.)
Of course, employees of The Weather Channel can be expected to come to its defense. Except that there's not much of an argument to make. Viewers still know when it's going to snow in their city or when a severe thunderstorm is about to rake the neighborhood by watching any number of local telegenic forecasters. (And since The Weather Channel has put more emphasis on lifestyle and science oriented programs in the past ten years chances are good viewers won't see a detailed local forecast information when they tune in.)
Bottom line, with the proliferation in weather forecasting media, no one's life is in danger if they can't view Jim, Al, and now Sam Champion, on The Weather Channel.
So, who are your favorite TV Weatherpersons in NY City? I'm partial to Lee Goldberg on Ch. 7, and Janice Huff on Ch. 4. The awful ones are too numerous to mention.
Posted by: Ken K. in NJ | 02/01/2014 at 09:30 AM
Ken, like you, I'd also say Janice and Lee are my favorites. However, I don't have any issues with the others, they're all agreeable, even if some don't possess knowledge of NYC weather history as deep as mine (as I give myself a self-serving pat on the back!)
Posted by: Rob | 02/01/2014 at 02:56 PM
Mine is Elise Finch on Ch. 2, but that's partially because I went to HS with her and my family knows hers well. But #2 for me is Lee Goldberg
Posted by: Harry | 02/02/2020 at 03:12 PM