Weatherscan


Weatherscan is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios. A spinoff of The Weather Channel, Weatherscan features uninterrupted local weather information in graphical format on a continuous loop that is generated by an IntelliStar unit installed at the cable provider's headend; unlike The Weather Channel, Weatherscan does not feature on-air talent of any kind.

Overview

The channel launched on March 31, 1999, as Weatherscan Local. Originally, Weatherscan operated five collective services for local weather information: Weatherscan Local featured animated weather information with a complete local weather segment every two minutes; Weatherscan Radar featured a continuous Doppler radar loop, along with severe weather advisories when warranted; Weatherscan Plus featured activity-specific forecasts for golf, skiing, boating, beachgoing, and business and leisure travel; Weatherscan Plus Traffic featured the same format as Weatherscan Plus with the inclusion of traffic information; Weatherscan Español, which launched with Weatherscan Plus Traffic, was a Spanish-language version of Weatherscan Plus allowing regional or international weather information.
The IntelliStar unit used by Weatherscan is configured differently from that used by The Weather Channel, featuring different graphics and additional forecast products, with information running on a continuous basis. Vocal Local, a pre-recorded narration function installed in the IntelliStar system—which utilizes a different narration track than that used on The Weather Channel's Local on the 8s forecast segments, featuring a female announcer—introduces several of the segments.
Weatherscan is available in many major markets around the United States, though its availability is not as widespread as that of parent network The Weather Channel. Many cable providers offer Weatherscan on their digital tiers, although a few providers carry Weatherscan on their basic tier. In 2011, Dish Network became the first satellite provider to add Weatherscan.
Verizon FiOS dropped Weatherscan, along with parent network The Weather Channel, from its lineup at 12:00 a.m. on March 10, 2015 after the two parties were unable to come to terms on a new carriage agreement. The service has been replaced by the local WeatherBug "widget" in some markets. No public announcement was made regarding this issue until over 12 hours after the discontinuation. Verizon said its reason for dropping the services was because many customers turn to the internet and mobile apps for weather any time of day.
While the domestic IntelliStars were decommissioned and replaced by newer IntelliStar2 units on November 16, 2015, the modified IntelliStar units are currently still active for Weatherscan.
With the rise of online weather information available both on computers and on mobile devices, the channel has seen decreased relevance through the 2010s. Comcast removed the channel from its Xfinity systems throughout the third quarter of 2017.
As of 2020, the channel has mostly been discontinued on major cable providers, however some Weatherscan units are still in operation by smaller cable operators. It has largely been replaced in function with Local Now.

Sale to Entertainment Studios

On March 22, 2018, Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios announced its intent to acquire The Weather Channel's television assets from an NBCUniversal/Blackstone Group partnership. The actual value is undisclosed, but was reported to be around $300 million; the channel's non-television assets, which were separately sold to IBM two years prior, were not included in the sale.

Products

Weatherscan displays a variety of forecast products that show different types of weather information, some of which are not included on certain providers.
Segment titleDescription
Local ForecastUsed by all providers carrying the service, the segment provides local weather data, including the current weather observations, a local radar loop, a text-based two-day forecast, and a five-day forecast. This segment is mainly used for one city, but in some markets, the forecast segments incorporate multiple cities.
Local Doppler RadarA one-minute continuous loop of Doppler radar imagery over the course of three hours.
Airport ConditionsThis segment, which is available in most markets, shows flight arrival and departure delays, and weather conditions for up to four airports within the headend's service area; a list of delays and current conditions for 16 major airports throughout the United States is also included.
Travel ForecastAvailable in most markets, this segment features a map featuring overall national weather pattern for the next 6–10 hours, two-day forecast maps for the surrounding region and a three-day "destination forecast" for select U.S. cities.
International ForecastA segment displaying the forecasted weather conditions and temperatures for select cities around the world.
Weather and Your HealthThis segment features health-related forecasts for the area, including air quality, pollen and ultraviolet indexes; during the summer months, a slide illustrating safety information while in the sun is also displayed.
Ski and Snow
This segment displays snowfall forecasts and current skiing conditions for select ski resorts throughout the country.
Golf Forecast
This segment provides weather information for area golf courses and resorts within the area, as well as a golf index and a "tee time forecast" segment.
Garden
Carried on only a few headends, this segment includes forecasts tailored toward gardening, and includes a "watering needs index" as well as maps showing forecasted precipitation amounts and drought severity.
Boat and Beach
Available only in coastal locations, this segment displays marine forecasts, tidal information and forecasted surfing conditions.
Traffic Report This segment displays a live map showing traffic flow across the metropolitan area ; a text-based construction report, and the average speed and trip time for major highways. Traffic Pulse provides the information.

From 1999 during the early 2000s, when the channel's segments were generated mainly by WeatherStar XL systems, five different products could be chosen for display.

Weatherscan timeline

Note: "Domestic IntelliStar" refers to STARs that output content for The Weather Channel.
DateNotes
March 31, 1999Weatherscan Local debuts, showing only a two-minute local forecast in a repetitive fashion. Only one song was used for each segment, a two-minute cut of the first track from a suite of music composed by Atlanta-based jazz artist Trammell Starks.
Late 2000
  • Weatherscan Local receives a graphical revamp. With the changes, the weather icons are no longer animated, rendering them static icons.
  • New products are added to several Weatherscan Local units nationwide, including health, airport and Spanish language forecasts. Some units were reported to still show only the local forecast segments in a continuous loop.
  • An entire album of Trammell Starks music is now played instead of just "Fair Weather". Some Weatherscan Local units did not receive this update until late 2002.
  • Vocal Local narration also debuts, voiced by TWC staff announcer Allen Jackson, but only two segments had incorporated narration at the time: the current conditions and for the 36-Hour Forecast, but sometimes an announcer from The Weather Channel's Radio Network would read the 36-hour forecast segment.
2001Forecast data for Weatherscan Local's forecasts begin to be sourced directly from The Weather Channel, instead of the National Weather Service. This change occurred on Weatherscan Local earlier than the WeatherStar systems used on TWC.
February 2003
  • Weatherscan Local begins beta testing of the IntelliStar system, about six months prior to The Weather Channel commencing testing of the domestic IntelliStar systems. Most areas did not see the upgrade until late 2003 or early 2004, however. This brought with it a major upgrade to the channel's visual presentation.
  • As part of the channel's rebrand as simply Weatherscan, the channel unveils a new graphics package, using Frutiger as the principal typeface. The weather icons once again become animated.
  • A "severe weather mode" was added to Weatherscan during this upgrade. After a warning tone is heard, a weather ticker appears at the bottom of the screen, the yellow and blue color scheme changes to red and gray, with the local forecast being the only product shown, as well as a ticker message saying "Weatherscan gives you this special message because of severe weather in your area".
  • The Vocal Local narration by Allen Jackson is replaced by a narration track by Amy Bargeron.
    • Early-mid-August 2004
  • The local radar is enhanced, showing additional major roads within a given area on the radar imagery, and city identifiers that are closer to the domestic IntelliStars.
  • The local radar imagery now shows the precipitation's movement within the past three hours instead of two.
  • An error that causes the music to skip is fixed.
    • February 17, 2005
  • The descriptive forecast segment is revised to show forecasted weather conditions for the next 48 hours, starting with the current or pending daypart.
  • While in the severe weather mode, Weatherscan now shows only the local radar imagery, weather bulletins, and the special weather message.
  • The severe weather message is changed to "Weatherscan/ brings you this message because of severe weather in your area."
    • July 2005
  • A "traffic report" segment is added to Weatherscan systems in major markets such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta, with local traffic conditions for certain metropolitan areas provided by Traffic Pulse.
  • A one-minute-long local radar segment is added to Weatherscan units nationwide.
    • September 27, 2005
  • Weatherscan receives a graphical overhaul in accordance with the rollout of The Weather Channel's new logo and graphics package. This iteration has the same aesthetics and features as the previous look, although now featuring an "L-bar" which shows instant information to viewers, similar in vein to that used by the now-defunct NBC Weather Plus. Current conditions, extended forecasts, local radar imagery, and area weather observations are now shown constantly on-screen. This graphical overhaul introduces the Interstate typeface for use on L-bar products, matching the main typeface used in The Weather Channel's on-air presentation.
  • Additional narration tracks are added to Weatherscan, including on the local radar and traffic segments.
    • April 2006HiRAD technology is introduced on some Weatherscan-powered IntelliStar systems.
    December 12, 2006
  • New weather icons debut in accordance with their rollout on The Weather Channel and the weather.com website.
  • The gradients on the squeeze back section are modified to match the new icons.
    • March 11, 2010The weather icons change once again to more realistic icons, switching to a variant of the 2006 design.
    December 8, 2010The traffic information segment is permanently discontinued after The Weather Channel is unable to renew its contract with Traffic Pulse. Prior to this, traffic information had already been discontinued in some regions for quite some time.
    March 9, 2015Verizon FiOS discontinues carriage of both Weatherscan and The Weather Channel.
    June 24, 2015Dish Network discontinues carriage of Weatherscan.
    November 10, 2015
  • The Vocal Local narration track by Amy Bargeron is discontinued on all products. However, the Weather Bulletin product is given a new narration track by Jim Cantore.
  • The severe weather warning messages provided by The National Weather Service were discontinued and replaced by new severe weather warning messages, which contains a new alert tone to match the IntelliStar2 systems, and a new narration track also by Jim Cantore.
    • March 29, 2016The Weather Channel logo is removed from Weatherscan.
    May 14, 2016Cox Communications discontinues carriage of Weatherscan.
    July 11, 2016
  • The Palmer Drought Severity map replaces its key from Extremely Moist to Excessively Dry, to Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought, and provides a more accurate reading of areas in the region that are affected by drought conditions and the levels of their severity.
  • Any references to The Weather Channel are dropped in favor of "Weather Group Television".
    • March 2017Wintry precipitation indicators are added to the Radar/Satellite loop.
    October–December 2017Weatherscan carriage is gradually discontinued on Comcast Xfinity.

    National/satellite feed

    When Weatherscan Local debuted in 1999, the channel maintained a national feed that was used for satellite and smaller cable providers that could not afford a secondary and more technologically advanced WeatherStar system to use for a local Weatherscan feed. The national feed, branded as simply Weatherscan, debuted in July 1998, and ran current temperatures and extended forecasts for select cities throughout the United States, as well as national and regional radar images. There is uncertainty as to whether or not the national version was discontinued; however, since Weatherscan Local simplified its name to "Weatherscan" in 2003, it is likely the national feed was discontinued around that time.
    A new Weatherscan feed launched in June 29, 2011, for Dish Network subscribers, replacing the short-lived service The Weather Cast that had been founded as a replacement for The Weather Channel as a result of a May 2010 carriage dispute with the satellite provider; the Weatherscan feed provides regionalized information for cities within 125 miles of a given area, and is delivered in the same manner as the Weatherscan systems on cable providers. Weatherscan was dropped on June 24, 2015, while WeatherNation took place for regional viewers.