Weather Channel Touts HD Launches
Comcast, Charter, Cox, Time Warner Additions Cited As Part Of Ambitious HD Push
By Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 4/16/2008 11:53:00 AM
The Weather Channel cited several recent launches of its high-definition sister network, riding on earlier-completed affiliate agreements for the HD version.
Time Warner Cable has launched The Weather Channel HD in Albany, N.Y., and on systems in Waco, Austin and San Antonio, Texas. Time Warner launches of TWC HD will take place in Staten Island, the Bronx and Queens on April 30.
Comcast launched The Weather Channel HD in Boston and Brookline, Mass. on April 3; with plans to launch the service for HD viewers in the Northwest New Jersey system May 15.
Cox Communications launched the HD network in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, La., April 15. And Charter Communications launched it in St. Louis, Mo.; in parts of Georgia that include areas in the vicinity of Atlanta and in systems in Virginia, North Carolina, Minnesota, Nebraska and Michigan.
The Weather Channel has nearly completed outfitting a newly constructed HD facility that houses studios that will revolutionize the look of programming on the 24/7 weather information network.
The four-story studio has an advanced lighting system, new set designs for each program and a 37-foot long projection screen to serve as a versatile high-tech backdrop for maps, graphics, video, and live shots from the field.
Rehearsals begin in May with the first of the new HD studio presentations to premiere on June 2. Upon completion of this transition to the HD studio in 2008, almost all of the programming on the network will originate in the true HD format.
The network, which plans to invest more than $60 million to produce more than 90% of its programming in HD by June 2008, will have production and transmission technology in place to provide select field coverage of severe weather in HD starting with the first day of hurricane season, June 1.
Other affiliates recently launching The Weather Channel HD or planning to soon are RCN in Chicago and Boston; Service Electric Cable TV launched in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; Blue Ridge Communications in Pennsylvania; ETC Communications Georgia and Bresnan Communications in Montana.
The Weather Channel completed HD carriage agreements this year with all of the top six TV programming distributors, it said: Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, Cox, DirecTV and dish Network. DirecTV added The Weather Channel HD on Oct. 1.
