After Allen Media Broadcasting said it would hub some local weather forecasts using The Weather Channel in Atlanta, reaction came from those affected and from news outlets looking to understand how the moves would affect local stations
Allen operates 27 broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets. The Byron Allen-owned media group acquired The Weather Channel for $300 million in March 2018.
Amber Kulick at Allen’s WAAY in Huntsville, Alabama, said she was one of those affected, “By now most of you have probably seen the chatter about Allen media letting local meteorologists go, well I am one that will be affected by this.” she wrote on Facebook. “For now I am still at the station but I am looking for my next career opportunity.”
James Spann, who works at Sinclair owned WBMA in Birmingham, said he hated “that so many colleagues are involved in this, but at the same time I am excited about our future.”
“All businesses change, and ours is no exception. I have been on this horse for 47 years, and it has been a great ride. But media consumption is radically different now, and we have to change how our products and services reach you,” Spann posted on Facebook.
At WTHI in Terre Haute, Indiana, anchor Patrece Dayton, told viewers on Friday that both her and chief meteorologist Kevin Opurt‘s positions have been eliminated.
“Kevin and I have come into your homes for decades — nearly 37 years for me,” said Dayton. “And more than 40 for me,” added Orpurt.
The layoffs at roughly two dozen local television stations from Massachusetts to Hawaii will impact at least 50 meteorologists. Some of the meteorologists will be offered new positions at The Weather Channel.
Spencer Denton, a meteorologist at Gray Media-owned WVLT in Knoxville, Tennessee, said on Facebook that while the change “may save money in the short term,” it also “takes away value and credibility in the long term.”
“WEATHER is the number one reason most people watch a local newscast,” Denton wrote. “These folks are more valuable than some companies realize and I am certain they will land on their feet.”
A 2019 Pew study found that weather was the most important news topic in respondents’ day-to-day lives, with 70% of those surveyed “expressing a daily need for information.”
Recent weather-related disasters have also highlighted the need for local news reporting during emergencies. As devastating wildfires tore through thousands of homes and structures in the Los Angeles area this month, local television outlets saw a surge in viewers seeking immediate information, with audiences doubling and tripling their usual size across news programming, according to Nielsen data.
Some meteorologists warned that the loss of local weather forecasters across the country will come at a cost to their communities.
