August 31, 2021--Fox Weather

Some years ago I read that on local TV weather reporters and sportscasters earned more than anchors. Simple--more viewers tuned in for sports and weather updates and those who provided them had higher salaries.

So it should come as no surprise to learn that as viewers tune out cable news, Rupert Murdoch is preparing to launch Fox Weather to take on the Weather Channel where, as climate is more and more in the news, viewers have been flocking.

At the three cable news channels (CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News) average viewership for the first half of 2021 declined 38 percent from the previous year. The Weather Channel by contrast was up 7 percent.

It didn't take Murdoch long to notice and figure out how to make money from the weather.

Later this year, he is planning to debut Fox Weather, a 24-hour streaming channel that is projected to do for forecasting what Fox has done for (or to) politics, financial news, and sports. 

To stay competitive, the Weather Channel announced the creation of its own streaming service, Weather Channel Plus, that the company claims could reach 30 million subscribers by 2026.

Weather around the clock needs something to cover and attract viewers even if they have to exaggerate what is going on or, out-and-out, make it up. Thus most of what they present will continue to be bad news about impending storms--especially hurricanes and tornados. All telegenic.

Local and national weather news also depend on receiving video from amateur storm chasers. Viewers who roam the countryside with iPhones in hand. Another way to keep people glued to the screen. 

And with weather satellites it's possible to begin to cover potential hurricanes many days in advance as we saw and are seeing as Ida makes its way across the Gulf and up through the states that border the Atlantic Ocean.

Of course this coverage makes it possible for those in storms' paths to prepare, but the exaggerating and trolling for viewers and subscribers also makes things worse as panic also follows the worst potential storm tracks.