# Severe Weather Pre-emption



## loowaters (Jun 4, 2007)

Forgive me if this has been hashed out here before but I couldn't find anything on this by doing a search. 

I understand that when severe weather strikes local weathermen like to jump on and let us know that the storm we're experiencing will end civilization before the the thunderstorm warning expires at 7:45pm, but with subchannels available, must they do it by overriding prime time network programming? Last night my wife just wants to watch some mindless Singing Bee and Biggest Loser but our NBC affiliate pre-empts with weather coverage. Well, now I gotta hear it from my wife. Weather that is taking place to the far south of the viewing area and we're up north away from the nasty stuff. Couldn't they put the network programming on one of the subchannels? Our NBC runs NBC Weather Plus on -2 (which would be a logical place for...weather, but they're running the network wx on that end)and now, with the demise of the Tube, -3 is vacant. Move the the network stuff somewhere that we can see it, they have the ability.


----------



## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

Part of their licensing requirements is to carry these severe weather warnings.

There are no requirements that it be on the primary channel. I'd tink that if they put it on a secondary channel and someone missed it because they were watching the primary, there might be liability problems.

They could switch the pre-empted programming to a secondary channel.


----------



## Tower Guy (Jul 27, 2005)

loowaters said:


> I understand that when severe weather strikes local weathermen like to jump on and let us know that the storm we're experiencing will end civilization before the the thunderstorm warning expires at 7:45pm, but with subchannels available, must they do it by overriding prime time network programming?


Assuming that I got the location hint from your user name, try an antenna aimed at Rochester, MN. KTTC on channel 10 just might make it to Waterloo, Iowa.

According to www.antennaweb.org, a 50' tower will pull in Des Moines.

Also, call or write the station and tell them that you prefer a crawl instead.


----------



## koji68 (Jun 21, 2004)

loowaters said:


> Last night my wife just wants to watch some mindless Singing Bee and Biggest Loser but our NBC affiliate pre-empts with weather coverage. Well, now I gotta hear it from my wife.


My advice: Tell your wife to be quiet! Or do some "active listening" :listening

What can you do about the weather and how the local station chooses to cover it!!


----------



## boilerjt (Jan 12, 2007)

Tower Guy said:


> Assuming that I got the location hint from your user name, try an antenna aimed at Rochester, MN. KTTC on channel 10 just might make it to Waterloo, Iowa.
> 
> According to www.antennaweb.org, a 50' tower will pull in Des Moines.
> 
> Also, call or write the station and tell them that you prefer a crawl instead.


KTTC likes to break in a lot for weather as well. When they don't break in, they will replace the HD 16x9 with a 4x3 picture and overlay a huge weather bug (showing the 30 or so counties in the viewing area) in the lower left of the show. Nothing frustrates me more when they do this when a flash flood watch is issued 70 miles SW of Rochester


----------



## jacksonm30354 (Mar 29, 2007)

Those people 70 miles away probably are just as irritated when it's your county under a warning. The station has to serve each one of those counties. If a tornado was approaching your area, I am sure you would appreciate the interruption.

There might be technology that could make your set top box flip to an emergency channel when it effects your zip code. 

However, you have to remember that the digital signal is pretty much a simulcast of the analog signal. Many of the folks are watching analog tv with rabbit ears and the only way to ensure the warnings reach as many people as possible they have to accommodate the lowest common denominator.


----------



## kaz (Sep 18, 2006)

A lot of channels have pulled their subchannels offline due to the little law that states you must have X amount of "family programming" or pay a fee. They see no revenue by having a radar loop or weather info on a channel with no advertisements or "programming." Its a bureaucratic thing, hope it gets hashed out soon.


----------



## boilerjt (Jan 12, 2007)

jacksonm30354 said:


> Those people 70 miles away probably are just as irritated when it's your county under a warning. The station has to serve each one of those counties. If a tornado was approaching your area, I am sure you would appreciate the interruption.
> 
> There might be technology that could make your set top box flip to an emergency channel when it effects your zip code.
> 
> However, you have to remember that the digital signal is pretty much a simulcast of the analog signal. Many of the folks are watching analog tv with rabbit ears and the only way to ensure the warnings reach as many people as possible they have to accommodate the lowest common denominator.


Warnings are one thing, but watches are what irritate me. Not only do they take down the HD, 20% of the SD signal is covered by the weather bug. :nono2: At this point, I usually will download the HD capture from the net.


----------



## loowaters (Jun 4, 2007)

I fully understand the requirements of local stations and their need to cover weather situations. I only bring this up for thoughts on why these locals don't use their subchannels to avoid conflicts and pre-emptions. If a network affiliate decides to run, say, a college basketball game and dump an evening of network programming, why not run the network stuff on a subchannel even if it's in SD? I don't buy the argument that they're then competing with themselves because they win either way in Neilsen's eyes. To just rerun programming outside of prime time is the loss as not much credit is given to a prime time show when aired at 1:00am. It's not just about severe wx, that's just what sparked my thoughts on the matter.


----------



## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

loowaters said:


> I fully understand the requirements of local stations and their need to cover weather situations. I only bring this up for thoughts on why these locals don't use their subchannels to avoid conflicts and pre-emptions. If a network affiliate decides to run, say, a college basketball game and dump an evening of network programming, why not run the network stuff on a subchannel even if it's in SD? I don't buy the argument that they're then competing with themselves because they win either way in Neilsen's eyes. To just rerun programming outside of prime time is the loss as not much credit is given to a prime time show when aired at 1:00am. It's not just about severe wx, that's just what sparked my thoughts on the matter.


The satellite services do not carry the subchannels, nor do many cable systems. In this DMA I'll bet less than 1% of the market sees the subchannels.


----------



## loowaters (Jun 4, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> The satellite services do not carry the subchannels, nor do many cable systems. In this DMA I'll bet less than 1% of the market sees the subchannels.


I do know that local cable outlet's digital packages carry the subchannels and the NBC and ABC affiliate channels themselves promote their subchannels. They can still run the preempted programming in late night or overnight as they have in the past on the main signal for those that don't have the subchannels. To me, the use of the subchannels as a back up for regular scheduled or preempted network programming is a no brainer...but apparently I'm alone on that.


----------



## kbuente (Mar 25, 2007)

What is scarry that many people watch the premium movie channels and unless you have a weather radio, or live within ear-shot of an outdoor warning system, you wouldn't even know a weather warning had been issued.


----------



## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

kbuente said:


> What is scarry that many people watch the premium movie channels and unless you have a weather radio, or live within ear-shot of an outdoor warning system, you wouldn't even know a weather warning had been issued.


Hmmm...

Deep pocketed satellite providers.

Viewers who suffer damages/injury.

No EAS.

Hungry Lawyers.

Why hasn't something ALREADY been done.


----------



## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

kbuente said:


> What is scarry that many people watch the premium movie channels and unless you have a weather radio, or live within ear-shot of an outdoor warning system, you wouldn't even know a weather warning had been issued.


It's not scarry, it's called peace. No stupid interruptions telling me it might snow when I can just look out the damn window and see what the weather is like if I actually care enough. I'd be happy if weather warnings we're eliminated altogether, useless annoying interruptions is all they are.


----------



## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

Steve Mehs said:


> It's not scarry, it's called peace. No stupid interruptions telling me it might snow when I can just look out the damn window and see what the weather is like if I actually care enough. I'd be happy if weather warnings we're eliminated altogether, useless annoying interruptions is all they are.


Steve: You are fortunate to live in an area generally free from severe weather other than snowstorms. Even with just snowstorms to worry about, it's important that people be advised that a storm of major proportions is taking place. Yes, you know it's snowing when you look out the window, but do you know that you're about to get three feet of the fluffy stuff with blowing and drifting? Or, for that matter, when you look outside and see rain, are you aware that in reality your area is being hit by a major ice event? Unless you have some sort of prescience about weather events, the answer in both cases is, "No".

It may be an annoyance to you that programs are interrupted by weather announcements, or simply crawls at the bottom of your TV screen, but in general, stations are required to pass emergency information to their viewers. Perhaps the severe weather event is occurring fifty miles from you, but if that area is in the primary coverage area of the station, the information still has to be presented.

We all have to endure minor inconveniences in our lives. The folks in hurricane or tornado prone areas are grateful for the warnings.


----------



## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

> The folks in hurricane or tornado prone areas are grateful for the warnings.


You can say that again.


----------

