Reports indicate Allen Media Group will centralize weather forecasts for its approximately 36 stations, originating from The Weather Channel's Atlanta facilities. This follows recent job cuts affecting managers, anchors, and forecasters across the group's stations.
Multiple anonymous sources suggest the plan involves producing weather segments for local stations from The Weather Channel. This is corroborated by Christina Burkhart, a forecaster at WJRT in Flint, Michigan, who publicly stated her station's parent company will eliminate "all local meteorologists company-wide."
Allen Media Group has not yet publicly commented on these developments. While The Weather Channel's careers page lists an "on-camera meteorologist" position, its specific role and the overall implementation timeline remain unclear. This strategy mirrors past attempts by other groups like Sinclair Media Group to centralize weather operations.
The potential job losses are estimated at around 100 nationwide, assuming two to three weather staffers per station. Advances in remote production technology make such centralization feasible, though concerns exist about the loss of local knowledge and familiarity.
While weather remains a significant draw for local news, the rise of advanced weather apps diminishes its unique value. The logistical challenges of live, simultaneous weather segments across multiple stations likely necessitate pre-taping, potentially leading to slightly outdated forecasts. However, breaking weather updates could still be handled live.