Country | United States |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Selected areas nationwide/selected cable providers |
Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Allen Media Group [1] |
Parent | Weather Group Television, LLC |
Sister channels | |
History | |
Launched | March 31, 1999 |
Closed | December 12, 2022 [2] |
Former names | Weatherscan Local (1999–2003) |
Weatherscan was an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Allen Media Group. [3] [4] A spinoff of The Weather Channel, Weatherscan featured uninterrupted local weather information in graphical format on a continuous loop that was generated by an IntelliStar unit installed at the cable provider's headend; unlike The Weather Channel, Weatherscan did not feature on-air talent of any kind.
The channel launched on March 31, 1999, as Weatherscan Local. Originally, Weatherscan operated five collective services for local weather information: Weatherscan Local featured animated weather information with a complete local weather segment every two minutes; Weatherscan Radar featured a continuous Doppler radar loop, along with severe weather advisories when warranted; Weatherscan Plus (debuted April 30, 1999) featured activity-specific forecasts for golf, skiing, boating, beachgoing, and business and leisure travel; Weatherscan Plus Traffic (May 31, 1999) featured the same format as Weatherscan Plus with the inclusion of traffic information; Weatherscan Español, which launched with Weatherscan Plus Traffic, was a Spanish-language version of Weatherscan Plus allowing regional or international weather information. [5]
The IntelliStar unit used by Weatherscan was configured differently from that used by The Weather Channel, featuring different graphics and additional forecast products, with information running on a continuous basis. Vocal Local, a pre-recorded narration function installed in the IntelliStar system—which utilizes a different narration track than that used on The Weather Channel's Local on the 8s forecast segments, featuring a female announcer—introduces several of the segments.
At the height of its coverage, Weatherscan was available in many major markets around the United States, though its availability was never as widespread as that of parent network The Weather Channel. Many cable providers offered Weatherscan on their digital tiers, although a few providers carried Weatherscan on their basic tier (where The Weather Channel is also offered). In 2011, Dish Network became the first satellite provider to add Weatherscan. Most cable providers that carried the channel had it identified as "Local weather" on their interactive channel guides (Weatherscan was also classified on TV Guide Channel as "Local weather" and/or under various abbreviations of such).
Verizon FiOS dropped Weatherscan, along with parent network The Weather Channel, from its lineup at 12:00 a.m. on March 10, 2015 after the two parties were unable to come to terms on a new carriage agreement. Verizon officials cited many customers turning to the internet and mobile apps for weather any time of day as the main driver of letting the agreement lapse. [6] The service was replaced by the local WeatherBug "widget" in some markets.
While the domestic IntelliStars were decommissioned and replaced by newer IntelliStar 2 units on November 16, 2015, the modified IntelliStar units continued to run Weatherscan until decommissioning in late 2022. [2]
On March 22, 2018, Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios announced its intent to acquire The Weather Channel's television assets from an NBCUniversal/Blackstone Group partnership. The actual value is undisclosed, but was reported to be around $300 million; the channel's non-television assets, which were separately sold to IBM two years prior, were not included in the sale. [3] [4]
In a September 2022 letter to the National Content & Technology Cooperative, which most remaining cable affiliates were part of, Weather Group announced its intention to terminate the Weatherscan service no later than December 9, 2022, with a preference to take it off the air sooner rather than later. [7] Declining viewership, the availability of weather conditions and forecasts on the internet through computers as well as smartphone weather apps, and aging equipment were cited as the main reasons that the channel went offline. [8] Those same reasons ultimately led to major television providers dropping the channel previously between March 2015 and December 2017, with carriage mostly limited to small to mid-size cable affiliates. [9] Additionally, Weatherscan did not broadcast in HD, which was nearly universal for television news and weather in the United States by the time of the shutdown announcement, but not feasible due to the decades-old technology in use.
The remaining providers exercised their options to air their in-house local weather services, switch to similar networks such as AccuWeather Network, WeatherNation, or Fox Weather; or delete the channel space entirely. [10] [11] [12]
Weatherscan was officially discontinued on December 12, 2022, three days after the original end-of-service date, when the last unit was believed to be decommissioned on that day. [2]
In 2022, an unofficial recreation of Weatherscan was created, offering real-time weather information for users. Unlike the original version of Weatherscan, the online version also allows users to check weather for cities around the United States as well as the world. [13]
In late 2024, due to a split in the community, the emulator split into two separate websites. One on the original domain, and the other on a new domain. [14] [15] [ citation needed ]
Weatherscan displayed a variety of forecast products that show different types of weather information, some of which are not included on certain providers.
Segment title | Description |
---|---|
Local Forecast (1999-2022) | Used by all providers carrying the service, the segment provided local weather data, including the current observations, a local radar loop, a text-based 36-hour forecast, and a five-day forecast. This segment was mainly used for one city, but in some markets, the forecast segments incorporate multiple cities. |
Local Doppler Radar (1999-2022) | A one-minute continuous loop of Doppler radar imagery over the course of three hours. During severe weather situation, affiliates could choose to only show this segment or does so alongside the Local Forecast segment. |
Airport Conditions (1999-2022) | This segment, which was available in most markets, shows flight arrival, departure delays, and weather conditions for up to four airports within the headend's service area; a list of delays and current conditions for 8 selected major airports throughout the United States is also included. |
Travel Forecast (1999-2022) | Available in most markets, this segment featured a map featuring overall national weather pattern throughout the upcoming daypart (set to be current day's evening and next day's morning at around 4:00 a.m. and p.m. respectively), two-day forecast maps for the surrounding region and a three-day "destination forecast" for 9 selected U.S. cities. |
International Forecast (1999-2022) | Carried on only a few headends, this segment displaying the forecasted weather conditions and temperatures for select cities around the world. |
Weather and Your Health (1999-2022) | This segment featured health-related forecasts for the area, including air quality, pollen and ultraviolet indexes. A slide or two illustrating safety information relevant to the current season concluded the segment. |
Ski and Snow (seasonal) (1999-2022) | This segment displayed snowfall forecasts and current skiing conditions (including present snowpack and snow density information) for select ski resorts throughout the country. |
Golf Forecast (seasonal) (1999-2022) | This segment provided weather information for up to 4 golf courses and resorts within the area, as well as a golf index (gauging the forecast's impact on golfing activity) and a "tee time forecast" segment. |
Garden (seasonal) (1999-2022) | Carried on only a few headends, this segment included forecasts tailored toward gardening and a "watering needs index" (gauging the forecast's impact on one's need to water lawn/garden), as well as maps showing forecasted precipitation amounts (both in the past and next 24 hours) and drought severity. |
Boat and Beach (seasonal) (1999-2022) | Available only in coastal locations, this segment displayed marine forecasts, tidal information and forecasted surfing conditions. |
Traffic Report (2005-2010) | This segment displayed a live map showing traffic flow across the metropolitan area (red indicates jams, yellow indicates slow traffic, green indicates little to no traffic); a text-based construction report, and the average speed and trip time for major highways. Traffic Pulse provided this information until a contract with The Weather Channel expired. |
During the early 2000s, when the channel's segments were generated mainly by WeatherStar XL systems, up to five different products, excluding the local product, could be chosen for display. [16]
When Weatherscan Local debuted in 1999, the channel maintained a national feed that was used for satellite and smaller cable providers that could not afford a secondary and more technologically advanced WeatherStar system to use for a local Weatherscan feed. The national feed, branded as simply Weatherscan, debuted in July 1998, [17] and ran current temperatures and extended forecasts for select cities throughout the United States, as well as national and regional radar images. There is uncertainty as to whether or not the national version was discontinued; however, since Weatherscan Local simplified its name to "Weatherscan" in 2003, it is likely the national feed was discontinued around that time.
A new Weatherscan feed launched on June 29, 2011, for Dish Network subscribers, replacing the short-lived service The Weather Cast that had been founded as a replacement for The Weather Channel as a result of a May 2010 carriage dispute with the satellite provider; the Weatherscan feed provides regionalized information for cities within 125 miles of a given area, and is delivered in the same manner as the Weatherscan systems on cable providers. Dish Network dropped Weatherscan on June 24, 2015, while WeatherNation took place for regional viewers.
The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news and analysis, along with documentaries and entertainment programming related to weather. A sister network, Weatherscan, was a digital cable and satellite service that offered 24-hour automated local forecasts and radar imagery. Weatherscan was officially shut down on December 12, 2022. The Weather Channel also produces outsourced weathercasts, notably for CBS News and RFD-TV.
The Weather Network (TWN) is a Canadian English-language discretionary weather information specialty channel available in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. It delivers weather information on television, digital platforms and TV apps.
WeatherStar is the technology used by American cable and satellite television network The Weather Channel (TWC) to generate its local forecast segments—branded as Local on the 8s (LOT8s) since 2002 and previously from 1996 to 1998—on cable and IPTV systems nationwide. The hardware takes the form of a computerized unit installed at a cable system's headend. It receives, generates, and inserts local forecasts and other weather information, including weather advisories and warnings, into TWC's national programming.
Local on the 8s is a program segment that airs on the American network The Weather Channel. It provides viewers with information on current and forecasted weather conditions for their respective area; a version of this segment is also available on the channel's national satellite feed that features forecasts for each region of the United States. The name comes from the timing of the segment, as airs at timeslots that end in "8" ; because of this manner of scheduling, the forecast segments air on the channel in ten-minute intervals. From 2006-2013, each forecast segment had usually been preceded by a promo for one of The Weather Channel's programs or services, leading into the segment with the announcer stating "And now, your Local on the 8s". On November 12, 2013, the promo segment was replaced by an intro that was built into the Local on the 8s segment. As of April 2018, the segment airs at approximately :18 past each hour. It also usually airs at approximately :48 past each hour during live Weather Channel broadcasts.
NBC Weather Plus was an American weather-oriented digital multicast television network owned as a joint venture between NBCUniversal and the local affiliates of the NBC television network. The service, which was broadcast in standard definition, was carried on the digital subchannels of many NBC affiliates and on the digital tiers of cable providers.
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