The Weather Network is a
CanadianCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
English languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Category A
specialty channelA specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic....
that broadcasts weather-related news and information 24 hours a day.
TWN is based in
Oakville, OntarioOakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
and is owned by
PelmorexPelmorex Media Inc. is a Canadian broadcast group. The company operates the broadcasting licence for The Weather Network and its French sister station, MétéoMédia. The Weather Network and MétéoMédia are Canada’s only 24-hour national specialty television networks devoted to weather reporting...
, which is itself principally owned by Pierre L. Morrissette in partnership with the similar
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
service, The Weather Channel (now controlled by
NBC UniversalNBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
).
Pelmorex also operates
MétéoMédiaMétéoMédia is a 24-hour Canadian French language Category A specialty channel and web site, which provides weather information 24 hours a day. It primarily serves viewers in Quebec, although some cable TV systems in Ontario and New Brunswick carry the channel as well. It is available nation-wide...
, a
French languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
channel similar to TWN. TWN has a separate feed for the
Greater Toronto AreaThe Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
, much like MétéoMédia's separate feed for Metropolitan
MontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
,
QuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. An audio-only simulcast of the channel is also broadcast on
Sirius CanadaSirius Canada is a Canadian company, a partnership between Slaight Communications, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Sirius Satellite Radio, which was one of three services licensed by the CRTC on June 16, 2005 to introduce satellite radio service to Canada.On November 24, 2010, following...
channel 138.
Pelmorex employs its own meteorologists to make forecasts and graphical weather products. Pelmorex meteorologists use an in-house technology called
Pelmorex Forecast Engine or PFE. Pelmorex also uses a localization technology known as
PMXPMX refers to the technology developed by Pelmorex to generate local weather information on The Weather Network. PMX consists of computers, typically installed at a cable headend, that takes data fed to it and packages it for broadcast...
, a proprietary system that is able to deliver separate forecasts for over 1200 locations across Canada.
Early Years
The Weather Network began on September 1, 1988 as
WeatherNow, under the ownership of engineering firm Lavalin Inc., now known as
SNC-LavalinSNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is a large Canadian engineering firm. It is one of the ten largest engineering firms in the world and is based in Montreal, Quebec. It formed in 1991 from the merger of SNC and the failing Lavalin, another Quebec based engineering firm....
. In the early years, the station had been noted for the number of technical difficulties since TWN and MétéoMédia shared a single television signal—the two originally shared an
analogAnalog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
ue
transponderIn telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
on one of the
AnikThe Anik satellites are geostationary communications satellites launched by Telesat Canada for television in Canada. In Inuktitut, Anik means "little brother".-The Satellites:-Anik A:...
satelliteA communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
s, with computer-generated local
forecastWeather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
s airing on one while the
videoVideo is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
feedData feed is a mechanism for users to receive updated data from data sources. It is commonly used by real-time applications in point-to-point settings as well as on the world-wide web. The latter is also called Web feed. News feed is a popular form of Web feed. RSS feed makes dissemination of blogs...
of a live forecaster or TV commercials aired on the other. The channel gained its present name on May 1, 1989. The two stations began to run separately starting in 1994, while both were still based in Montreal. Initially, a separate feed was set up for MétéoMédia subscribers in the Montreal area, while the shared satellite signal remained in other parts of the country.
Local forecasts were generated using the same systems owned by The Weather Channel in the U.S. called
WeatherStarWeatherStar refers to the technology used by The Weather Channel to generate their Local Forecast segments on cable TV systems nationwide...
.
TWN began using its own system called PMX in 1996, which is still in use today.
Pelmorex purchased The Weather Network from SNC-Lavalin in 1993, two years after the merger of SNC and Lavalin. The channel launched its web site in 1996.
Relocation to Mississauga
On May 2, 1998, The Weather Network started broadcasting nationally from its new studio in Mississauga, Ontario after relocating from Montreal. This led to the departure of several presenters, notably those who were on air during weekends (today,
Chris St. ClairChris St. Clair is a Canadian weather broadcaster, currently the host of Saturday and Sunday morning and early afternoon broadcasts on The Weather Network. As he has said on the show he grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. On The Weather Network, Chris also hosts WeatherWise, a segment where he...
, is the only presenter from Montreal remaining). Several new presenters arrived at the time. These new presenters included Anwar Knight, Kim MacDonald, and Rory O'Shea. While many of the Montreal presenters initially relocated, including Sherrie Claridge,
Lila FengLila Feng is a Canadian weather presenter currently working for CNN International in Asia since 1999...
and Randy Renaud, most were gone from TWN within a year, and generally moved back to Montreal.
The Weather Network launched its redesigned web site in September 1999, promising users a more dynamic and integrated web experience. New content such as regularly updated severe weather warnings, a national weather map illustrating current conditions, course-specific golf forecasts, and ski resort conditions, as well as UV, air quality, and pollen forecasts were incorporated in the new web site.
2000-Current
Late 2001 marked the beginning of a period of gradual, but significant changes with The Weather Networks programming, starting with the launch of a 7-day and short term precipitation forecast during the Local Forecast. In 2002, The Weather Network introduced "Metacast Ultra", a weather presentation system that consisted of weather maps featuring more than 1200 local communities, commuter routes and regional highways, animated weather icons, and higher resolution weather graphics.
The Weather Network unveiled a redesigned website in 2003 that was faster, more localized, and easier to use. The re-designed site offered clients the opportunity to produce 'weather-triggered ads'. In addition, clients were able to localize their ads by tagging location-specific information onto a particular city or area.
On March 29, 2004, The Weather Network introduced a new 14-day trend outlook as part of the local cable weather package. It provided a two-week look at how the weather would trend compared to normal temperature values and weather conditions for that time of year.
In June 2004, The Weather Network took legal action against Star Choice (Now Shaw Direct) after moving TWN on a new bundle without giving any notice to its subscribers. TWN tried to prevent Star Choice from moving the channel as subscribers would have to pay an additional $7 to watch the channel. In late 2004, TWN made improved local forecast coverage, providing more localized forecasts in up to 1,200 communities across Canada.
The Weather Network relocated its headquarters to Oakville, Ontario in November 2005. The local (Toronto) morning show made its debut at the brand new broadcast facility on November 29, 2005, while the network's national programming started broadcasting from the new facility on Friday, December 2, 2005.
Over recent years, The Weather Network has gradually introduced new local weather products including an hourly forecast for the next 12 hours in 2006, long term precipitation forecasts in 2008 and improved satellite and radar maps in 2009.
Local Forecast
A notable feature of The Weather Network is its local forecast. On cable providers, a report for the nearest weather station to the cable head-end is given, from current conditions all the way to two-week forecasts. The local forecast occurs "every 10 minutes on the tens" (analogous to The Weather Channel's "Local on the 8s"). The segment is well known by frequent viewers for its background music. In January 2010 an online poll was held that allowed viewers to vote for their favorite Local Forecast music, which would play during the morning hours.
On most satellite providers, the segment is a two minute runthrough of weather conditions and 3-Day forecasts in major centres across Canada. Those subscribed to the Bell TV satellite service have the option of viewing a similar local forecast to that of cable providers, using ExpressVu's iTV service.
National Segments
National and Long Range forecasts provide a detailed analysis of the current weather across Canada including the weather expected nationwide over the next four days across Canada in the long range forecast. The national forecast airs following the local forecast at the top and bottom of each and every hour.
For residents in southern Ontario, particularly the Greater Toronto Area, forecasts have been changed for the viewing area. At the top and bottom of the hour, one of the presenters gives a 'Regional Forecast' focusing on current conditions around the Toronto listening area, in the style of a local news weathercast. Immediately following is 'Your Long Range Forecast' giving conditions for the next 4 days in southern Ontario. The new programming is a continuation throughout the day of Good Morning Toronto.
Weather news Airs at :12 and :42 minutes after each hour. This is a four- to five-minute newscast highlighting weather stories and environmental issues and includes packaged news reports. The Weather Network news department won the first annual Adrienne Clarkson Diversity Award for network TV. This award is given by the Radio and Television News Director's Association (RTNDA) for the best news reports on a subject of cultural diversity. The Weather Network then won for its 2006 two-part news series on weather and black history. The Weather Network also won a World Medal from the NY Festivals International TV Broadcasting Awards for a 2007 story on a blind woman learning to sail who uses her other senses to determine changes in wind patterns and potential storms. It won the same award again in 2008 for a story on a man and his seeing-eye dog trying to adapt to a harsh New Brunswick winter.
Other segments – year-round
- Travellers Forecast
- School Day Forecast - Airs weekday mornings from 5-11 AM ET from September to June
- Active Weather - Provides a detailed synopsis of active weather across Canada for the short term period.
Weather segments – spring/summer/fall
- Lawn & Garden Forecast
- Pollen Forecast
- UV Report
- Air Quality Health Index
Weather features
- Climate Change
- Facts of Fishing (Spring/Summer)
- Lawn & Garden Report (Spring/Summer)
- Weather and Your Pets
- Weather and Your Car (Winter)
- Under the Weather
- Vacation Bound (Winter)
- Weather and Your Home
- Weather Wise
- The Great Outdoors
- Going Green
Hourly and seasonal programming schedule
The Weather Network follows a schedule that repeats each hour, based on the current season. The spring/summer programming schedule often starts on the last Monday of March. It switches to the fall schedule the day after Thanksgiving, with the winter schedule going into effect on the first Monday of December. As of Monday, December 7, 2009, The Weather Network will operate on the winter schedule season.
In the
Greater Toronto AreaThe Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
, the top and bottom of every hour which airs the National Forecast will be replaced instead with another following similar broadcast of a separate feed with the 'Regional Forecast' and 'Your Long Range Forecast'.
The Weather Network HD
The Weather Network HD is a 1080i
high definitionHigh-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
simulcast of The Weather Network that debuted on May 30, 2011. MTS was scheduled to be the initial carrier of the service, however due to technical difficulties the channel was never made available to MTS subscribers and it is now looking to launch on MTS by the end of 2011. It is currently available on
CogecoCogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
and
Rogers CableRogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...
.
The HD simulcast for cable and IPTV providers currently do not offer local forecasts unlike the standard definition feed, though its expected to be introduced in early 2012.
Satellite Services
In 2006 Bell TV and The Weather Network started an
iTVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
interactive version of The Weather Network, enabling viewers to set their city and view specific forecasts every time.
Web and Mobile services
In 2001, The Weather Network launched an e-mail service called WeatherDirect, that sends weather forecasts via e-mail. There is also an e-mail service for pollen conditions and road conditions.
WeatherEye
WeatherEye is an application developed by The Weather Network that is available for PC and Mac desktops and for most smartphones. The application displays current conditions and forecasts as well as severe weather warnings and alerts.
Criticism
The network has been criticized for its excessive use of
advertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
through commercials and forecasts and some weather segments (e.g., hot spots, picnic/barbecue report, etc.) - which has led to less time for detailed forecasts and more time spent on advertising. The same problem also occurs with the U.S. based Weather Channel. In the past, there was little to no advertising. Currently, local forecasts are sponsored using static logos during and after forecasts.
The station has also been criticized for putting more focus over the weather in
Southern OntarioSouthern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
than the rest of Canada during its national segments. The 2008 launch of local programming for the
Greater Toronto AreaThe Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
had also further limited updated forecasts throughout the rest of Canada.
The network had also been noted for the number of technical difficulties in the early years when the network and its sister station MétéoMédia shared the same satellite transponder and facilities. During a technical difficulty, it often showed a repeated version of an earlier broadcast, or the feed from the opposite language network (either its audio or video, virtually never both).
Weekdays
| Timeslot
(All Times Eastern) |
| Hosts |
| CMOS
Certified? |
| On TWN Since |
| 5:00 am - 9:00 am |
Kim MacDonald |
Yes |
1998 |
| Carrie Olver Carrie Olver is a Canadian TV personality.Olver is a native of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. She grew up in Toronto, where her father, broadcaster Fergie Olver, worked at CFTO-TV for two decades on Toronto Blue Jays telecasts and also co-hosted the game show Just Like Mom created by co-host Catherine...
|
No |
2003 |
| Kevin Yarde |
No |
2001 |
| 5:30 am - 9:00 am (GTA) |
Emily Vukovic |
Yes |
2007 |
| Tom Reynolds |
No |
1995 |
| Kevin Yarde |
No |
2001 |
| 9:00 am – 2:00 pm |
Chris Mei |
Yes |
2006 |
| 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm |
Suzanne Leonard |
Yes |
1998 |
| 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm |
Gary Archibald Gary Archibald is a television broadcast anchor and reporter for The Weather Network. He was an NBC Weather Plus weathercaster for NBC, MSNBC, and CNBC from 2006 to 2009. He has also appeared as a correspondent on NBC's number one rated programs - The Today Show and NBC Nightly News. He was a...
|
No |
2002, 2010 |
| Nicole Karkic |
No |
2009 |
| 11:00 pm – 5:00 am |
Karen Johnson |
No |
2002 |
Weekends
| Timeslot
(All Times Eastern) |
| Hosts |
| CMOS
Certified? |
| On TWN Since |
| 6:00 am – 2:00 pm |
Chris St. Clair Chris St. Clair is a Canadian weather broadcaster, currently the host of Saturday and Sunday morning and early afternoon broadcasts on The Weather Network. As he has said on the show he grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. On The Weather Network, Chris also hosts WeatherWise, a segment where he...
|
Yes |
1995 |
| 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm |
Natalie Thomas |
No |
2007 |
| 7:00 pm - 12:00 pm |
Lyndsay Morrison |
No |
2010 |
| 12:00 pm – 6:00 am |
Nadine Powell |
Yes |
2008 |
On-Call, Video On Demand hosts
| Weather Anchor |
| Video on Demand |
| On-call |
| On TWN Since |
| Denise Andreacchi |
Yes |
Yes |
2011 |
| Kasia Bodurka |
Yes |
Yes |
2011 |
| Farah Dhalla |
Yes |
Yes |
2011 |
TWN Reporters
| Bureau Correspondents |
| Area |
| On TWN Since |
| Cindy Burgess |
Southern Ontario |
2010 |
| Chris Dawson |
Northern Ontario |
2005 |
| Ted Henley |
Prairies |
2009 |
| Kelly Noseworthy |
Southern Ontario |
2006 |
| Oga Nwobosi |
British Columbia |
1999 |
| Michelle Simick |
British Columbia |
2009 |
| Shelley Steeves |
Maritimes |
1998 |
CMOS members
Six TWN presenters are members of the
Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS). The Weather Network & MeteoMedia have more CMOS based presenters than any other Canadian weather media sources. On TWN,
Chris Murphy,
Kim MacDonald,
Sheryl Plouffe,
Suzanne Leonard,
Chris Mei, and
Karen Johnson are CMOS certified.
See also
- The Weather Channel, the American equivalent of The Weather Network.
- MétéoMédia
MétéoMédia is a 24-hour Canadian French language Category A specialty channel and web site, which provides weather information 24 hours a day. It primarily serves viewers in Quebec, although some cable TV systems in Ontario and New Brunswick carry the channel as well. It is available nation-wide...
, French version of The Weather Network.
External links