The Weather Channel:Winter Storm Brutus-Really?

Is The Weather Channel embarked on a serious effort or a publicity stunt by naming winter storms this season?So far,no one else is acknowledging the practice or the names.
The National Weather Service has forbidden its employees from using TWC names for winter weather systems.In a statement,the NWS said it has no opinion about private weather enterprise products and services.A winter storm's impact can vary from one location to another,and storms can weaken and redevelop,making it difficult to define where one ends and another begins.While the NWS does not name winter storms,we do rate major winter storms after the fact.
TWC competitor AccuWeather complained that we are concerned about the lack of strict criteria with naming winter storms.TWC lists its criteria as being 1.an event that involves snow and ice and/or extreme temperatures or wind;2.that significantly affects travel;3.and that the network thinks people need to know about.
TWC winter weather expert Tom Niziol said that an organized system of naming winter storms will raise public awareness of the weather system and make it easier to track its progress and plan ahead.If we can hashtag a storm with a name,that leads to a one-stop shop to exchange information about a storm.
He predicts 6-8 named winter weather events for the season.They have already named two storms,however,and it's only November-not even winter yet.
In Germany,naming storms has gone even further.There,people and companies pay for naming rights to weather systems.The Weather Channel's naming venture may seem more fiasco than forecasting to many observers.It will be interesting to see if the iconoclastic project makes them more the subject of ridicule than enhances their credibility as a leader in the field of meteorology.
The Weather Channel is co-owned by NBC Universal;Bain Capital;and The Blackstone Group,L.P.

Acquisition Part of Big Move

The Weather Channel is the third most-distributed cable network,NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker noted.NBC-U has worked with co-acquirer The Blackstone Group before-on its Orlando theme parks.They have a lot of history with them,Mr.Zucker said.Launched on May 2,1982,The Weather Channel reaches 96 million homes.They have been great in their space,have owned their space for a long time.We're just thrilled they're a part of the NBC family,Mr.Zucker enthused.Although NBC remains an important part of NBC-U,there's been a big move-we've really moved to become a cable network company.The real strength of the company has become the cable portfolio,and that's going to continue in the years ahead,Jeff Zucker predicted.

Weather Channel Deal

NBC Universal,a division of General Electric(GE),is acquiring The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications for 3.5 billion dollars.The Blackstone Group(BX) and Bain Capital are also participating in the acquisition.Jeff Zucker,CEO of NBC-U,says that they are a news and information company.The cable portfolio is the backbone of who they are.NBC-U owns MSNBC,CNBC,Bravo,USA Network,Oxygen and Sci-Fi.The digital unit of The Weather Channel,weather.com,fits in NBC-U with 40 million unique monthly visitors.The deal,which is expected to close by the end of 2008,is leapfrogging NBC-U into whole new areas,Mr.Zucker maintains.They get a great strategic asset at a very fair price.