Weather Channel Moves Left

You'd think that it would be possible to provide daily and short range forecasts over cable TV without resorting to political grandstanding. That was true for over 20 years as the Weather Channel grew and made a name for itself in the cable lineup.

I had the story a day or so ago about the Weather Channel "climate expert" who thought that any meteorogist who disagreed with the theology of human induced global warming should lose their American Meteorology Society certification. The piece written by that "expert" has created quite a ruckus in the media, and has put a big fat spotlight on the current state of politics at the Weather Channel. I wasn't aware that the programming had undergone significant changes, but Melanie Morgan has a piece that tells us what's really going on over there:

The move away from scientific forecasting of the weather to sensationalized leftist political advocacy is in part due to the influence of Wonya Lucas, executive vice president and general manager of The Weather Channel Networks.

Lucas admitted in a recent interview with Media Village that the reprogramming of The Weather Channel was influenced by her tenure at CNN when that network shifted from presenting straight news to personality-driven programming.

Lucas decided that what was good for CNN was good for The Weather Channel, and the objectivity and respectability of the network has now been thrown out the window. It doesn't matter that CNN's turn to the left has caused their ratings to plummet; The Weather Channel's embraced its model.

Media Village reported that the move by The Weather Channel "is intended to establish a broader perspective on the weather category and, says Lucas, to move the brand from functional to emotional."

Emotional weather forecasting?

The Weather Channel is launching a new website and broadband channel dedicated solely to global warming called "One Degree" and has a weekly program called "The Climate Code," devoted almost entirely to liberal advocacy on climate matters.

The network is running advertisements showcasing scared and confused Americans, including children and senior citizens, wondering about the coming apocalypse caused by global warming. (You can view the ad for yourself here.)

When people tune into the Weather Channel they're looking for the forecast. That's it. Nothing more. All the "storm stories" shows are interesting, but just give me the forecast and leave the politics alone.

With access to all kinds of weather information on the internet, the Weather Channel may find itself going the way of CNN - slowing losing viewership.