WJAR dropps Weather Plus

[Doug Drown]

I didn't know NBC Universal had bought The Weather Channel.  I was without the Internet for a couple of months last summer, and I guess this piece of news didn't get to me.  

Gannett is still running a 24/7 weather feed on HD and cable here in Maine, with repeated WCSH-6 (Portland) newscasts as part of the stream.  The national weather has been eliminated.  Now I know why.   -Doug
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Maureen Carney 
  To: Doug Drown ; Boston Radio Group 
  Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 9:43 AM
  Subject: Re: WJAR dropps Weather Plus


  NBC ultimately shut down the national service once they bought the Weather Channel. After 1/1 there were no live forecasts from any of the WJAR staff, just a loop showing radar and doppler along with the 7 day for Newport, Providence and New Bedford. No ads either, so it wasn't making money. There were breaks for ad insertion with NBC Weather Plus. I think it was done because the local cable companies (mostly Cox and Comcast) picked up 10.2 but were unwilling to give space for 10.3. I live over the boarder in MA and get it OTA with a regular converter box and rabbit ears.




------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  From: Doug Drown <revdoug1@verizon.net>
  To: m_carney@yahoo.com
  Cc: boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org
  Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 9:22:01 AM
  Subject: Re: WJAR dropps Weather Plus

  What are "the questions about NBC's weather service"?


  Jan 23, 2009 05:37:45 AM, m_carney@yahoo.com wrote:

    As of last night WJAR dropped Weather Plus on 10.2 and replaced it with Retro Network Television (RTN). They had originally planned to start running RTN back in October (on 10.3) but between RTN's somewhat shaky financial situation and the questions about NBC's weather service they decided to wait. RTN was running "It Takes A Thief" (which I haven't seen in over 30 years) and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" last night, and of course infomercials this morning.