Weather Channel up for sale

[Modelworks]

Will be interesting to see what changes with the channel, if anything.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22485360/

The Weather Channel is up for sale by its privately held parent, which is seeking more than $5 billion for the U.S. cable television channel and its Web site, The New York Times said on Thursday.

Media companies such as NBC, a unit of General Electric Co., News Corp., and Comcast Corp are interested in The Weather Channel and its popular Web site, weather.com, the report said

 

[blackangst1]

Interesting. Seems like a logical asset for Bloomberg's or Turner's portfolio.

 

[MovingTarget]

Media consolidation FTL. Sad to see this happen.

 

[PottedMeat]

http://www.nws.noaa.gov is where it's at.

What does the Weather Channel do anyway? Don't they just take publicly available data and pretty it up for tee vee?

 

[jonks]

And only a few weeks after the founder calls global warming a hoax. Coincidence? I'd sell it too.

 

[conehead433]

I think I'll buy it and turn all the women weather casters into porn stars.

 

[techs]

Imagine the price if they were right even half the time.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: techs
Imagine the price if they were right even half the time.

The Weather Channel is esseentially worthless. Free accurate local weather (my home is 'Rich Mtn'- too bad that doesn't apply to me ) is available across the US.

And you can buy a freaking wireless weather station and connect it to your PC for $125.

 

[Noobtastic]

Does anyone watch the weather channel except for white noise??

XD

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: sirjonk
And only a few weeks after the founder calls global warming a hoax. Coincidence? I'd sell it too.

John Coleman was forced out of the Weather Channel back in 1983, only a year after he founded it. So yeah, I'm sure it's a coincidence.

The parent of TWC is quite profitable, and it's expected that one of the big media players will pick it up for full price.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat

http://www.weather.gov is where it's at.

What does the Weather Channel do anyway? Don't they just take publicly available data and pretty it up for tee vee?

Fixed. There's no reason to remember that long acronym of a name.

As for their data sources, most raw data is from the NWS. Predictions and models are a mix of NWS models, models from private companies, and their own models. They do real work, if that's what you're thinking.

 

[RU482]

maybe Rupert Murdoch will buy it and spice it up

 

[Kerouactivist]

Originally posted by: redly1
maybe Rupert Murdoch will buy it and spice it up

They would probably change to hot blondes 24 hours a day talking about how global warming is a supposed farce...

Murdoch is a fascist propaganda machine....

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: redly1
maybe Rupert Murdoch will buy it and spice it up

This is what I am afraid of. Most people think that the weather is the only part of the news that isn't biased. If Newscorp took over I could see them deliberately trying to influence the global warming "debate", depending on how you see it. I've been a weather channel junkie for a while and see a sale to these guys as being its downfall.

 

[imported_Lothar]

$5 Billion for that crap?

GE hasn't been known to overpay for crap. I don't expect them to in this case either.
Bloomberg wouldn't overpay for that crap.


Comcast and News Corporation? Most likely.

 

[herkulease]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget

Originally posted by: redly1
maybe Rupert Murdoch will buy it and spice it up

This is what I am afraid of. Most people think that the weather is the only part of the news that isn't biased. If Newscorp took over I could see them deliberately trying to influence the global warming "debate", depending on how you see it. I've been a weather channel junkie for a while and see a sale to these guys as being its downfall.

I think you're a bit delusional.

most times through out the day the Weather channel just runs the following

local weather, national weather, regional weather. They'll flip between temps, rain etc.

4 hours of the day they have non weather forecasting programming.

any influence they have would be extremely minimal and only the wierdos who watch the Weather channel 24/7 and tune into the very limited non-forecasting program would be affected.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: redly1
maybe Rupert Murdoch will buy it and spice it up

Spice it up? The Weather Channel already has Univision beat on cleavage. The Morning Report, presented by the Wonder Bra!

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: Lothar
$5 Billion for that crap?

Highly profitable crap it seems.

Think of how cheap it is to produce their programing and then how much revenue they get via ads.

It's the same reason that Rush or Oprah are able to make huge amounts of money. Shows are cheap to produce and generate lots of ad money.

 

[Modelworks]

For only 1Billion I'm willing to look out my window and tell them the weather.
I'll even stand out in the front yard , in the rain, and complain about how wet it is !
During hurricane season I'll go to the noaa website and download images that they can use.
I'll even provide them links to other countries weather organizations, at no extra charge !

 

[Epic Fail]

The $5 billion sale tag includes other properties in addition to the weather channel and website.

 

[BoomerD]

For some reason, I though Ted Turner already owned The Weather Channel...huh...lern sumthin new evaday...

 

[imported_Lothar]

$5 Billion for that crap?

GE hasn't been known to overpay for crap. I don't expect them to in this case either.
Bloomberg wouldn't overpay for that crap.


Comcast and News Corporation? Most likely.

 

[Lemon law]

I fail to see how its worth anything that can't be duplicated. Its not like they hold any patients on the "weather". Of course there are various franchise programming deals they have locked up now, there is not really room for two or three other competing weather channels, and its essentially a turn key operation.

There is some potential for a slick operator to sex things up to increase viewing volumes and therefore revenues, but not all that much without losing mission focus. And anyone with a PC or a weather radio can get more accurate local forecasts faster.

 

[jonks]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: sirjonk
And only a few weeks after the founder calls global warming a hoax. Coincidence? I'd sell it too.

John Coleman was forced out of the Weather Channel back in 1983, only a year after he founded it. So yeah, I'm sure it's a coincidence.

Ever see that Time/Life paranormal series commercial from the 80's about the woman who spills hot coffee on her hand, and her twin sister miles away feels a burning sensation and the narrator asks in a gravely voice, "coincidence?" And how that commercial became a popular spoof item? That's how I meant it. I wasn't suggesting a corporate entity made a business decision to sell off a cable channel because one person made a controversial statement.