The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel is an Australian 24 hour cable and satellite channel that broadcasts weather news and information. The Weather Channel is available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.

History

The Weather Channel started broadcasting on January 1 1999 under the name "Weather 21". The name was chosen as it was channel 21 on the Austar channel line up. Weather 21 was set up by Cox Inall Communications and the meteorological firm, The Weather Company and was owned by Austar. The programming was pitched to Austar's largely rural and regional audience. Initial presenters on the channel were Allan Humphries, Lyndal Davies and meteorologist Mark Hardy. Presenters were live from 6am to 10pm daily with the overnight programming consisting of an automated loop of forecasts, satellite and radar covered by music.

In early 2000 the channel's name was changed to "The Weather Channel" as it was no longer number 21 on viewer's remote controls. As the hours of live presentation were extended, additional presenters were added in Tracey Malmborg, Jaynie Seal, Rebecca Le Torneau and Garry Youngberry.

In 2003 Austar sold the channel to XYZ Networks and the channel appeared on the Foxtel Network. At the same time the channel programming evolved to better suit the now largely metropolitan audience. By now the channel had extended it's distribution with an Open TV interactive weather application (Weather Active) and a popular weather web site.

In 2004 The Weather Channel had a major change including their logo, graphics and programming line up and a new version of Weather Active for Foxtel Digital. Weather content on the channel is provided by the New Zealand meteorological firm, Metra and the Australian private provider, The Weather Company.

Services

On Foxtel and Austar Digital Services, an interactive weather service called 'Weather Active' is available by pressing the red button on the digital remote. It provides local weather information, such as current conditions, marine and surf reports, dam information, 28 day rain check, capital city forecast and 7-day forecasts for your postcode. It also provides a state radar, national satellite and national lightning tracker. You can also search through capital cities, major regional centres and international locations by pressing the blue button while in active.

The Weather Channel's web site has a weather poll, breaking weather, weather pictures sent in by viewers, weather cancellations, information on the water crises, emergency contact numbers, weathercams, program information, 28 day raincheck and forecasts.

There is also a weather e-mail service. E-mails are sent to members on Fridays and gives the weekends (Sat, Sun and Mon) forecast and information on new programs, special reports or a major current weather feature, such as cyclones.

Programming

Main article: The Weather Channel (Australia) Programming

Presenters

Current Presenters

* Sally Bowrey
* Gavin Morris
* Rose Kelly
* Lee Brooks
* Nathanial Buzolic
* Dana Kronental
* Bianca Hartge
* Ian Thorpe
* Katrina Warren
* Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

Former Presenters

* Allan Humphries
* Lyndal Davies
* Mark Hardy
* Dave Kirwan
* Tracey Malmborg
* Jaynie Seal
* Rebecca Le Torneau
* Garry Youngberry
* Jane Drinkwater
* Jaci Brown
* Bruce Buckley
* Graham Creed
* Ed Phillips
* Angela Tsun

Meteorologists

* Richard Whitaker

Former Meteorologists

* Mark Hardy
* Tracey Malmborg
* Bruce Buckley
* Don White
* Clare Richards (Credit: Wikipedia)

Articles

Watching the weather, by Larry Schwartz - 13th December 2007
(Credit: The Age)

Larry Schwartz meets a campaigner showing viewers how to clean up their act.

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigner Jon Dee is so upbeat it takes you aback to see the tears in his eyes. "I'm starting to get emotional," he says.

The Planet Ark founder's voice falters as he considers a question about his father.

"He's proud of me and that means a lot because my dad's a very principled man," says Dee discussing a new 16-part series he is presenting on The Weather Channel called Tipping Point in which he shows how to create an environmentally sustainable future.

He attributes his activism largely to the family ethos. "My father was a firefighter and we had very little money," he says.

"But we were very community-minded. We were brought up to go and fundraise and doorknock for people less fortunate."

His father was once the only officer in Shropshire county, western central England, to go on strike for seven weeks in solidarity with fire brigade workers.

"It killed his career," Dee says. "He never got promoted again. We did it really tough. We were reliant on people bringing stale bread and yesterday's cakes. We got cash handouts from other union people."

The second-eldest of five, he marvels that his 60something mother regularly flies to remote parts of the EU to monitor elections.

Also inspiring was his grandfather, Sam, the only one in whom he could confide when neglecting school work in his teens to edit a fanzine for rock band, Yes.

"When my parents found out I was flunking grades and producing this magazine, they were horrified. They thought I was throwing my life away. But my granddad kept saying, 'You keep doing what you believe in', and he sent me this note I still have, saying, 'You know I'll always back you'."

These days, home is in the Blue Mountains with Australian-born wife Leanne and daughters Estelle and Claudia.

He's been doing the promotional rounds for his show — Gold FM, Radio National's Breakfast, Channel Ten's 9am with David and Kim, 3AW's Neil Mitchell and others.

"How great to launch a TV series that's been in the planning for this long in a week that we're going to Bali," he says of Australia's involvement in this month's annual UN climate change conference.

Each episode lasts just a few minutes and is shown on the hour each hour. Next week, it's about the environmental implications of the more than 3 million tonnes (worth about $5.3 billion) of food that Australians throw out each year.

Dee, 43, considers the series on the 24-hour channel on which meteorologists, weather presenters and environmental hosts provide the latest weather information, a timely follow up to his role in fronting a campaign to promote the DVD of former US vice-president Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth in Australia.

He says the Tipping Point series focuses on solutions to the kinds of environmental problems highlighted in An Inconvenient Truth.

Dee brightens when asked about music and enthuses over Yes' 2001 last album, Magnification.

He has organised several music events and recordings for causes including an earthquake-ravaged Armenia for which he persuaded the Who's Roger Daltrey to sing on a remake of Led Zeppelin's Rock'n'Roll with bass and drums by players from Iron Maiden.

At the suggestion of Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan, he asked tennis stars John McEnroe and Pat Cash to play guitar. (Daltrey baulked initially but was persuaded.)

"John just came in that night and he was all over the place with his guitar-playing," says Dee who famously decided to found Planet Ark over a few beers with Cash in June 1991. "Pat just nailed his guitar work. He was awesomely good."

He set up the organisation in Australia, attracted by its relatively small population and accessible business networks that he thought would make it easier to start projects that could be adapted by other countries.

He's wary of comment that might suggest political partisanship but concedes he was disillusioned by former prime minister John Howard's lack of initiative on the environment that saw it lose ground to countries including Britain.

"When I first came here, there was this optimism and gung-ho attitude that we can do whatever we like because we're Australian and the environment was very important to people," Dee says. "Sadly that went off the boil at a political level, federally."

He is encouraged that the Rudd Government has ratified the Kyoto Protocol and says there are now great opportunities for Australia to get on the front foot again.
Tipping Point airs every hour on the hour on The Weather Channel, on Foxtel, and Austar on Channel 603.

Profiles

Foxtel

Jon Dee