In a new weather image campaign from NBC-owned KNBC Los Angeles, the station says no one else in the market can make the claim they’re the most accurate.
In a new weather image campaign from KNBC, NBC’s Los Angeles O&O (DMA 2), the station says no one, other than KNBC, can make the claim they’re the most accurate.
Who says KNBC’s weather forecasts are the most accurate in Southern California?
For one, WeatheRate, which bills itself as the only independent, nonpartisan, weather verification company in the United States.
WeatheRate has certified that KNBC’s four-day weather forecasts are the most accurate in Southern California three years in a row.
How important is that endorsement from WeatheRate?
“It’s a big deal, no doubt about it,” said Tim Howick, KNBC’s VP of marketing and branding. ‘We know the viewers care as well. Our meteorologists take great pride in that and so does the station.”
And accurate weather forecasts, even in Southern California, matter.
“One of the main reasons people watch local news, even to this day, is for the weather,” said Howick.
“A couple of the things that remain at the top of the list of why people watch, one is technology, two is talent and three is accuracy.”
Who else says KNBC’s weather forecasts are the most accurate in Southern California?
Viewers, men and women approached on the street, offer testimony to KNBC’s accuracy.
“We just went out and talked to real people on the streets,” said Howick, “and time and time again, the word accuracy came out of everyone’s mouth.”
And how important are those viewer testimonials to KNBC?
“Those testimonials are real powerful as well,” said Howick.
“We have been doing testimonials for probably the last year and a half. This one is a little bit more fun and lighthearted, but it’s still all about reinforcing the accuracy.”
Seriously, how important can accurate weather forecasts be in Southern California where, as most people assume, it’s always sunny and warm?
“There’s seven microclimates in Southern California,” said Howick. “It can be snowing in the mountains or it could be 75 at the beach. It’s amazing with all the technology out there, your local weathercaster is still a very trusted source, and we hear it all the time when we are out talking to people.”
NOTE: Sometimes, you want to think of news viewers as a jury, and you’re the prosecutor trying to convince them your news operation is guilty of something, in this case, accurate weather forecasts. Use facts, indisputable evidence, to help make your case, like the WeatheRate verification in this case. Also, regular readers of Market Share know I’m a fan of viewer testimonials. Why? We rarely hear from news viewers in news promotion, so using testimonials is an effective advertising technique. It’s refreshing, and often, viewers will say something that nobody would believe if we wrote it ourselves. To some degree, news promotion is guilty of making hollow, unsupported claims, so hearing from people on the street is credible and genuine.
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