Jared W. Smith

The Weather Channel’s days as a privately owned cable network are numbered. There’s a lot of wondering why they’re up for sale for as much $5 billion. They certainly have prime-time Web real estate (weather.com), but I think people underestimate their IntelliStar platform. The IntelliStar, the latest iteration of the computer which serves up that Local on the 8s you’ve come to know and love over the years, is secretly one of the better advertising platforms out there on cable. Check out this Broadcasting & Cable piece from 2004, when IntelliStar was introduced. In short, the computer can serve up commercials based on weather conditions you may be experiencing. Now, imagine this technology licensed out. It’s amazing they haven’t done that yet…and one almost wonders if they’ve missed the boat. Cable isn’t exactly what it used to be on an excitement scale as far as a media delivery platform.

October has finally arrived, 11 days into the calendar month. It actually feels like October now. Apparently it’s going to feel even cooler than that, with temperatures expected to plunge into the lower to mid 50s. That’s quite a downshift from the mid-70s lows we had just a few days ago. The first part of October was definitely insane, temperature-wise. I don’t know how anybody took it.

With the cooler weather settling in, I’ve noticed my fall/winter playlist is starting to emerge. Heavy doses of 2000-2001 era Ryan Farish and a sizable helping of Trammell Starks are becoming the order of the day. BTW, The Weather Channel released a compilation of smooth jazz tunes used over the years during the Local Forecasts. I don’t know how I feel about the song selection. I sure can’t remember “Holding Hands” by Ryan Farish ever being used on the channel (then again, I barely watch it anymore). Kudos to them for including some 3rd Force from 1994, but I would have liked to see a few more oldschool classics. What about Carmel by Joe Sample? Valley in the Clouds by David Arkenstone? Those tunes helped define TWC in “the good ol’ days.”

While I’m on this bizarre Weather Channel tangent, expect a new look for the Local Forecast next Tuesday. TWC is beta-testing a new look for the IntelliStar local forecast insertion machines in about three locations this week, with nationwide release slated for next week. Beyond the look, which does a respectable job of finally putting to bed the six-year-old design for the titlebars, little has changed to the system itself, aside from one thing. Somehow, they’ve found a way to make the IntelliStar even more annoying — in the text forecast area, where the robot voice (Allan Jackson, NOT the country artist) narrates the forecast, they now have sound effects to indicate rainy weather if that’s what’s forecasted. While the graphic that comes with the text forecast is useful for illustration purposes, the sound effect is completely distracting and has to go. Everyone I’ve shown it to seems to hate it. Let’s hope they eliminate it and don’t add more sound where is necessary.