After Allen Media Broadcasting announced it would broadcast some local weather forecasts on The Weather Channel in Atlanta, backlash came from those affected and the media seeking to understand how these measures would affect local stations.
Allen operates 27 television stations in 21 U.S. markets. The Byron Allen-owned media group acquired The Weather Channel for $300 million in March 2018.
Amber Kulick at Allen WAAY in Huntsville, Alabama, said she was among those affected: “By now most of you have probably heard about the Allen media letting local meteorologists go, well I’m one of those who will be affected by this. » she wrote on Facebook. “For now, I’m still at the station but looking for my next career opportunity.”
James Spannwho works at Sinclair WBMA in Birmingham, said he hated “that so many colleagues are involved in this, but at the same time I’m excited about our future.”
“All businesses change and ours is no exception. I have been riding this horse for 47 years and it has been a great ride. But media consumption is now radically different and we need to change the way our products and services reach you,” Spann posted on Facebook.
HAS WHAT in Terre Haute, Indiana, anchor Patrece Daytontold viewers Friday that she and the chief meteorologist Kevin OpurtThe positions have been eliminated.
“Kevin and I have been coming to yours for decades – almost 37 years for me,” Dayton said. “And more than 40 for me,” Orpurt added.
The layoffs at about two dozen local television stations, from Massachusetts to Hawaii, will affect at least 50 meteorologists. Some meteorologists will be offered new positions at The Weather Channel.
Spencer Dentonmeteorologist at Gray Media, owned by WVLT in Knoxville, Tennessee, said on Facebook that while the change “may save money in the short term,” it also “takes away value and credibility in the long term.”
“WEATHER is the main reason most people watch a local newscast,” Denton wrote. “These people are more valuable than some companies think and I am sure they will land on their feet.”
A 2019 Pew Study found that weather was the most important hot topic in respondents’ daily lives, with 70% of respondents “expressing a daily need for information.”
Recent weather-related disasters have also highlighted the need for local information in times of emergency. As devastating wildfires ravaged thousands of homes and structures in the Los Angeles area this month, local television stations saw a surge in viewers seeking immediate information, with audiences doubling and tripling their usual size in news programs, according to Nielsen data.
Some meteorologists warned that the loss of local forecasters across the country would come at a cost to their communities.
