Dozens of meteorologists and weather broadcasters are losing their jobs across America this week as television stations eliminate local weather departments, expecting to replace them with a feed from national broadcaster The Weather Channel. The layoffs are part of a plan impacting more than 50 people around the country from Alabama to Hawaii which will be replaced by a national “hub” set-up at the Weather Channel.
The Weather Channel is owned by Byron Allen-owned media group, Allen Media Group, which also owns local television stations around the country in the process of eliminating their local weather teams. Instead of relying on local talent, the Weather Channel will beam a feed from their Atlanta, Georgia headquarters to individual stations, with Weather Channel meteorologists now responsible for several stations and markets. Allen Media Group owns 33 television station licenses, of which some repeat the signal of another.
A source with Allen Media Group says some of the meteorologists being laid off around the country will be offered new positions at The Weather Channel in Atlanta while others will be allowed to remain in their respective markets as part of this new programming initiative.
The Weather Channel has also experienced its own cost-cutting. Last May, while celebrating its 43rd birthday, the Weather Channel announced several lay-offs, including on-air meteorologist Mike Seidel, who has since joined Fox Weather last August. The network also terminated their Spanish weather reporting station last year.
In a press release, Allen Media announced that they will offer local stations new technologies, upgraded forecasting tools, additional graphic capabilities, and the ability to cover weather stories 24/7. The company emphasized that weather coverage will remain a “top priority” for local stations, adding that the new format “will dramatically improve reporting capabilities, especially in high-stakes weather situations.”
The cuts are being made as less people rely on television for weather content and instead turn to websites and apps for their weather forecasts and reports.
Byron Allen and his media group purchased the Weather Channel from The Blackstone Group, Bain Capital and Comcast/NBCUniversal in 2018 for a reported $300 million. The group had previously purchased the Weather Channel for $3.5 billion in 2008, illustrating the declining value of television networks.
