Staffing and equipping a weather department for a local TV news operation is expensive. Meteorologists’ salaries, a Doppler radar, on-air graphics, etc., all this is a serious and on-going investment. But for some local TV stations, there is another option: WeatherVision. “WeatherVision is an out-sourcing mechanism,” says Edward St. Pé, WeatherVision’s president, “where a television station […]
Staffing and equipping a weather department for a local TV news operation is expensive. Meteorologists’ salaries, a Doppler radar, on-air graphics, etc., all this is a serious and on-going investment.
But for some local TV stations, there is another option: WeatherVision.
“WeatherVision is an out-sourcing mechanism,” says Edward St. Pé, WeatherVision’s president, “where a television station — small, medium or large — can outsource their daily weather forecasts.”
St. Pé admits WeatherVision isn’t for everyone, but “for stations that haven’t developed a total infrastructure for a weather department, our service is perfect for that because, it’s a customized piece which is produced specifically for them.”
St. Pé says WeatherVision has about 30 stations using its service in markets including Miami; Detroit; Evansville, Ind.; Baton Rouge, La.; and Morgan City, La.
“Weathevision is ideal for us because we’re small town, small budget,” says Chris Hunter, KWBJ’s general manager. KWBJ is an America One affiliate in Morgan City owned by the Price Media Corp.
“We’ve had WeatherVision for about 10 years.”
Hunter says the only thing his station doesn’t have that the network affiliates have “is my weather man standing next to the anchor at the beginning of the newscast.”
St. Pé says while WeatherVision does have access to national and local radar, “our service is a forecast product, and a sales product for clients who only buy newscasts. It’s a simple process for stations to monetize.”
What the stations get is a custom forecast tailored to their market.
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“They will tailor everything they do exactly how I want a two-minute weathercast every day,” says Hunter.
“They’ll directly address it to my anchors, a direct toss, as if they were in the studio, they make it look just like they were here.”
The graphics use pictures from recognizable locations around the market as a background, and mention local communities the client wants highlighted.
“I asked them to mention a few towns outside of Morgan City and the very next day they were showing a map that showed other communities in our parish,” says Hunter.
“There’s never been a situation where I needed something that they couldn’t deliver. It’s just like having them sitting here with me.”
“We’ve been doing this since 1990,” says St. Pé. “There are so many screens out there, there’s a burgeoning market, and weather is such a strong content I think it’s really a good time to be in this business.”
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