For many over-the-air broadcast TV stations, bringing live and local newscasts includes detailed reports from staff meteorologists — an increasingly important feature of stations in markets where hurricanes, derechos, Nor’easters, “Pineapple Clippers” or Santa Ana Winds present weather threats.
For Allen Media Group, a change is coming for its stations, and it will see an adjustment to how the weather is presented on its local newscasts.
As AMG’s Allen Media Broadcasting sees it, its group of broadcast TV stations is “rolling out a groundbreaking format” for local weather coverage by centralizing its weather operations for the 22 over-the-air properties it owns.
To accomplish this “local weather coverage powered by The Weather Channel” is on the way.
For AMG, it is an “innovative partnership” that will see AMG’s stations — including four in the South, where hurricanes could present a threat — get its weather forecast from TWC’s Atlanta headquarters.
This will allow AMG to fully benefit from the meteorological expertise and technology tied to its investment in The Weather Channel, while also offering “visual storytelling capabilities” to AMG’s stations in small and mid-sized markets across the U.S., including Tucson; Madison, Wisc.; Honolulu; Lafayette, La.; Montgomery, Ala.; and Eugene, Ore., among other locales.
Across both the TV trade press and consumer media organizations including NPR, pre-announcement discussions of the use of The Weather Channel as a “hub” for local weather coverage was derided, with talk of pending layoffs the result.
The new weather initiative is set to roll out across Allen Media Broadcasting’s local television markets between now and the end of 2025. It comes after “several years of development and successful beta testing,” AMG says, including a strategic launch on the CBS Television Network. The company also believes the initiative “aims to transform the way local weather is reported — ensuring the most accurate, timely, and engaging forecasts for communities across the country.”
Tom O’Brien, President of Weather Group and TWC, commented, “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. We are 100% committed to delivering next-level weather news to our local television stations 24/7.”
The TWC-powered, Atlanta-based offering will feature a newly assembled team led by meteorologist Carl Parker, a 20-year veteran of the channel. What about local talent across the Allen Media Broadcasting properties? The new offering will include “some” of the company’s local market meteorologists “who will transition to Atlanta to be part of the next-level local weather initiative.”
Not transitioning to Atlanta is WAAY-31 meteorologist Amber Kulick. On Facebook, she addresses “the elephant in the room” — the widespread coverage of AMG “letting local meteorologists go,” noting, “[W]ell I am one that will be affected by this. For now I am still at the station but I am looking for my next career opportunity. I never imagined I would finally work in Huntsville only to have my time cut short.”
Kulick added that the WAAY management team “has done everything they can to make this better but this is at a corporate level so please don’t bad mouth WAAY … I’ll land on my feet I always do.”
At KWWL-7 in Waterloo, Iowa, Josh Franson is also losing his role as a staff meteorologist. On X, he said, “To my viewers and those of you who have been on Frannys Report since day one, thank you. You guys have kept me motivated to grow, take you to unimaginable places, and show you the most powerful forces of nature.”
It was not immediately known if others across the AMG stable of broadcast stations are impacted.
