UK television weather channel ?

[Roger J Smith]

Is there / should there / could there be

a television channel for weather coverage in the UK ??

I pose this question (and I think the answer is, no there isn't, and yes there should be) because in both the USA and perhaps surprisingly to you Canada, there are weather channels on the basic cable service.

The U.S. variety is known as the Weather Channel, and in Canada we have the Weather Network. It has been on the air over fifteen years, I don't recall when it started operations but I remember trying to access it before we moved into a cable-TV serviced area in 1995.

I would think with a nation of weather-conscious people like the UK and with Ireland perhaps added in for a larger audience, the UK would be at least as profitable a country for an all-weather channel as Canada would be, and they seem to be doing very well with it here.

As you can imagine, within the space of a half hour, which is the basic coverage cycle, you can do a pretty thorough job of a five-day forecast, local severe or interesting weather coverage, weather news, and all sorts of weather-related stuff like gardening, allergies, and although it's not my cup of tea, the relationship to climate change and global whatever.

So I thought I would mention this concept, because Netweather seems like an exceptionally well positioned organization to provide the sort of foundation that such a channel would require -- you basically need a half dozen good forecasters, some graphics people, on-air presenters who aren't totally unfamiliar with the weather, and the usual technical support.

The advertising revenue pays for it all, I suppose. With a placement on the basic cable system here in Canada, the Weather Network must do fairly well with advertising revenues.

But maybe on my recent trip to England I just plain missed an already existing weather channel on TV, I did notice that there were dozens of channels available now, but I didn't get much of an explanation of how your system works, whether it's cable, satellite-generated or whatever. The Weather Network here is also available on satellite so it can now be accessed almost anywhere.

You would have a lot of technical advantages, actually, because they have to figure out how to get dozens of forecasts and radars onto the various cable and satellite systems, whereas in the UK everything would probably boil down to one large radar grid and the regional forecasts are not that different or numerous that they would have to be separated out all the time as is obviously the case here.

I'd be interested in hearing what people think of an all-weather TV channel there.

[Scorcher]

I actually enjoy watching the weather channel when I'm in the US. In fact I find it's one of the few channels worth watching over there! I believe that there was a UK version of the Weather Channel, but it only lasted 2 years before it was decided that it wasn't viable in 1998.

[simonperkins]

Superb idea! I'm always addicted to the Weather Channel whenever I'm in the States! Lets set one up!!

[I remember Atlantic 252]

yeah should be all about past british weather and everything about it, eg channels 211-250 dont exist maybe one of them

[dogs32]

you know there used to be the Weather Channel in the UK..But for some reason they got rid of it....maybe not enough viewers..so cant see them bringing it back...anyone else remember it

[Greyowl]

I have a suspicion this is in Paul's masterplan of world weather domination.

[Evening thunder]

If not a UK weather channel then perhaps a European one?... apart from the language problem

maybe Netweather could set one up. Anyways this is netwether.tv

[davehsug]

There was a Uk Weather Channel. From what I remember it wasn't terribly good with a lot of repitition & not much more information. If I'm not mistaken I think Carol Kirkwood was one of the presenters?

I think with the 30 minute forecasts on News 24 & the advent of internet sites (NW being easily the best of course!), there is less call for a dedicated channel these days & I doubt it would be anymore succesful than before

Dave

[dogs32]

Im glad someone remembers it....I used to watch it every day even though I was probably one of the few...shame really I thought it was good..I think it was carol kirkwood

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

Im glad someone remembers it....I used to watch it every day even though I was probably one of the few...shame really I thought it was good..I think it was carol kirkwood

I remember it too, I used to watch it every morning before going to school. I remember there were 5 day forecasts every half hour.

[dogs32]

I remember it too, I used to watch it every morning before going to school. I remember there were 5 day forecasts every half hour.

thats right mate....I was gutted when it vanished from our screens...I cant see them bringing it back

[Cookie]

Id love a British weather channel.

[Louby]

you know there used to be the Weather Channel in the UK..But for some reason they got rid of it....maybe not enough viewers..so cant see them bringing it back...anyone else remember it

I remember it , did they not turn it into the holiday channel.

Would be nice to have a channel that did more indepth stuff on a regular basis throughout the day, the news channels just don't seem to cut it on the weather front for me

[Thundery wintry showers]

One problem here is that it seems to be generally considered that most people have no interest in the weather, other than "will it spoil my outdoor activities or make it hard to get in and out of work". Hence the changes to the BBC national forecasts to cater for people in that category at the expense of everyone else (although ironically they've moved away from that extreme with the regional forecasts).

In reality it's a common misconception. People with no interest in the weather bar "will it affect me" are probably as much in the minority as we weather fanatics are- in my experience most have at least a passing interest in it. There are, of course, plenty of other misconceptions about the public- e.g. the perception that the vast majority of people despise thunderstorms, when in reality such people may well even be in the minority. The cynic in me notes that most of these misconceptions are consistent with what people would think of weather if they were only interested in it from a "what does it do to the economy" perspective, illustrating how economics dominates.

However, even if we did somehow shake those misconceptions such a channel would probably struggle for reasons that a few others have mentioned- the internet is becoming increasingly dominant for presenting weather information. And unlike news and tabloids, the media has less of a stranglehold on internet sources, including N-W, the MetO etc.

[Cookie]

I remember it , did they not turn it into the holiday channel.

Would be nice to have a channel that did more indepth stuff on a regular basis throughout the day, the news channels just don't seem to cut it on the weather front for me

I agree with that

[UKVoodoo]

Discovery Weather would be a good one, maybe a few programs about storm chasing, weather phenomenon (sp?) tornados thrown in throught the day between weather updates would be a fav on my Sky +

[the-weather]

No point as most UK residents arnt botherd by the weather due to meto and a few other resources being so off the mark.

I mean if a TV channel made up by of cause the METO just how many would think there no point the forcast is storms,snow,thunder,n so on n so on. Yet it wont happen judging recent forcasts would u watch such rubbish?

kinda reminds me of a few weather sites out there not to name this one that so often say something will happen only to find its a great day nothing that was warned n so on

we need doplar in the UK b4 such an idea is ever thought up IMHO