Handing out Pink Slips to dozens of beloved local TV weather makers on the Kleine Markt would even be unwise in the best times. But to do well now that unpredictable and dangerous weather disasters are raging through the country this month – from forest fires in California to a historic freezing in the south – was particularly deaf.
And yet that is what all Media Group did last week by announcing that it would abolish the trusted local weather anchors in a cost -saving way. The idea was to simply send the predictions of the Weather Channel-Hub in Atlanta to the stations of the company throughout the country. Allen Media Group said it might move some of his local meteorologists to Atlanta, but that your local prediction would now be handled for most by someone who was hundreds or even thousands of kilometers from the community operated by the station .
In a press release, the Allen Media Group – which owns 27 television stations throughout the country, in addition to the Weather Channel and other channels – tried to make it a big victory for the viewers: “This initiative aims to change the way the local It is reported again – which guarantees the most accurate, timely and fascinating predictions for communities throughout the country, “says Allen Media Group. What was not discussed were the local dismissals that would follow. Allen Media Group refused to give a figure about how many people were affected.
But all Media Group was clearly not ready to let the viewers see through that explanation. And somehow they forgot how personally attached news viewers are to their local weather makers. These TV personalities are superstars in their local markets, often because they have been the most important source of information when the weather gets scary. They know exactly where that tornado strikes, where the wind blows and who is on the path of danger, because they also live there. Not some meteorologist in Atlanta.
I also don’t think they expected that so many farewell words of their local channels would go viral. I noticed that I erupted in tears at the farewell of all Media Group’s Terre Haute, Ind., WTHI TV presenters Patrece Dayton and Kevin Orpurt. I had never heard of them, and I have never been to Terre Haute, but I immediately understood why the city loved these two – and was not happy with the decision to visit them.
That was repeated with both weather makers and other presenters all over the all media group stations throughout the country, while stations again underwent a brutal dismissal round. That is not only a problem of the Allen Media Group, it is a journalistic problem, output, since both national and local news channels implement drastic cuts – exactly when we need them the most.
Allen Media Group is of course not the only TV channel group that is implementing drastic cuts by centralizing the activities; Sinclair, CBS, Gray Media and others have done variations in recent years. These cost -saving measures are a disappointing financial reality in view of the weak advertising market and the audience that divends his attention from television. It naturally also happens in the newspapers.
But what is lost in these attempts to centralize the reporting is the local expertise and nuance that is accompanied by having a good basis, knowing the intricacies of your community and having a personal relationship with viewers. Ironically, the removal of all that the downfall of the local media as we know it will only speed up. What is more local than the daily weather forecast? Removing the sales argument that still makes broadcasts valuable – its live, local character – can save a few coins in the short term, but is a recipe for aging in the long term.
When I recently wrote: De la Brandt here Reminded us of the importance of local media at a time when social media has largely become a worthless fire hose of lies, conspiracy theories and hatred. And things will only get worse under the new regime in Washington DC – a regime that rewards lies and disguises the truth.
When it comes to the weather, the consequences of climate change will only make our environment more dangerous and more unpredictable in the coming years. This is a problem for public safety, and broadcasting stations have an FCC license that requires some responsibility to operate in the public interest. The dismissal of your meteorologists and the broadcasting of reports from Atlanta is the opposite.
Byron Allen has proven to be a smart entrepreneur in the development of Allen Media Group as a diversified company with assets in the field of broadcast, cable, streaming and film distribution. Recently he is also known for his bids of billions of dollars at media companies, so he has the resources. And according to some reports in the local media, the Allen Media Group might want to reconsider the mass dismissal of weather makers and to retrieve some of them after advertisers had also objected. Requests for comments to the Allen Media Group have not been answered, so it is unclear how many employees do or do not retain their jobs. But this has been a lesson for all broadcasters: get the ‘local’ from local television at your own risk.