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The Weather Network (TWN) is a
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
English-language weather information specialty channel available in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It delivers weather information on television, digital platforms (responsive websites, mobile and tablet applications) and TV apps. The network also operates counterpart brands including
MétéoMédia MétéoMédia is a Canadian French-language weather information specialty channel and web site owned by Pelmorex. MétéoMédia primarily serves viewers in Quebec, although some cable TV systems in Ontario and New Brunswick carry the channel as we ...
;
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
, Eltiempo
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, Wetter Plus
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and Clima
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
. The company is owned by Pelmorex Media which is headquartered in a 100,000 square foot media centre located in Oakville,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada. The company continues to grow on a global scale, while maintaining its status in the Canadian market. Their specialty television networks are among the most widely distributed and frequently consulted television networks in Canada, theweathernetwork.com is among Canada's leading web services, and their mobile web property is ranked #1 in the weather category and the second largest mobile website in Canada. The channel offers regional feeds for
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
,
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, Atlantic Canada and
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
.


History

The Weather Network was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on December 1, 1987 and began broadcasting on September 1, 1988 (six years after the U.S.
Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather forecas ...
) as WeatherNow, under the ownership of engineering firm Lavalin Inc. (now known as
SNC-Lavalin SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is a Canadian company based in Montreal that provides engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services to various industries, including mining and metallurgy, oil and gas, environment and water, infrastructure, a ...
) and
Landmark Communications Landmark Media Enterprises, LLC (a spinoff of Landmark Communications, Inc.) is a privately held media company headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia specializing in newspaper publishing, Internet publishing and software. History Norfolk Newspape ...
.Sarah Dougherty
Weather Network bucks media-business trend
Canwest News Service Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is a Canadian media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in newspaper publishing, news ...
via '' The Gazette'' (Montreal), December 31, 2008
The channel gained its present name on May 1, 1989. In the early years, TWN, and its sister channel, MétéoMédia, shared a single television feed via analogue
transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...
on one of the Anik satellites, with computer-generated local
forecasts Forecasting is the process of making predictions based on past and present data. Later these can be compared (resolved) against what happens. For example, a company might estimate their revenue in the next year, then compare it against the actual ...
airing on one while the
video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...
feed of a live forecaster or commercials aired on the other. At first the video section was only available during
drive time Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this cl ...
s on weekdays and half of the day on weekends; at other times local forecast was looped. The two services began to run separately starting in 1994, while both were still based in Montreal. Local forecasts were generated using the same systems owned by The Weather Channel in the U.S. called
WeatherStar WeatherStar (sometimes rendered Weather Star or WeatherSTAR; "STAR" being an acronym for Satellite Transponder Addressable Receiver) is the technology used by American cable and satellite television network The Weather Channel (TWC) to generate i ...
. 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 website in 1996. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, The Weather Network's broadcasts were divided into different programming blocks. One of the most notable was "EarthWatch", which originally began as a five-minute news segment discussing environmental and weather-related issues. The show had expanded as a nighttime programming block in the mid-1990s, and the news segment later spun off as the current "WeatherWatch" segment. Other programming blocks included the "Morning Report", focusing on
Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/ Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrado ...
in the mornings; "Sea to Sea", focusing on
Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada†...
in the "workday" hours; an unnamed afternoon block which would later be known as "Across Canada" (spun off from a segment seen on "EarthWatch"); and the "Weekend Report", later known as "This Weekend". ("Morning Report" was, coincidentally, the title of the GTA broadcast dated back to February 7, 1994; the runtime was 4 hours. When it was upgraded to a national broadcast; "Good Morning Toronto" was provided as a replacement, but runtime was reduced by half-hour.) Programming blocks were discontinued in 2002 for weekdays and 2004 on weekends, although "This Weekend" continued to air until 2007. On May 2, 1998, The Weather Network started broadcasting nationally from a new studio facility in Mississauga,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
after relocating from Montreal. This led to the departure of several presenters, notably those who were on air during weekends. Several new presenters arrived at the time, while many of the Montreal presenters initially relocated, most departed from the channel over time, many of whom moved back to Montreal. To date, Chris St. Clair is the only presenter from Montreal remaining. Late 2000 marked the beginning of a period of gradual, but significant changes with The Weather Network's programming, starting with the launch of a seven-day and short term precipitation forecast during the Local Forecast along with the introduction of new weather icon that is used currently. In 2002, The Weather Network introduced "Metacast Ultra", a weather presentation system that consisted of weather maps featuring more than 1,200 local communities, commuter routes and regional highways, animated weather icons, and higher resolution weather graphics. 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 Shaw Direct is a direct broadcast satellite television distributor in Canada and a subsidiary of the telecommunications company Shaw Communications. As of 2010, Shaw Direct had over 900,000 subscribers. It broadcasts on Ku band from two commu ...
) after moving TWN on a new bundle without giving any notice to its subscribers. The channel's management tried to prevent Star Choice from moving the channel as subscribers would have to pay an additional $7 to watch The Weather Network. 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 channel's GTA 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 December 2, 2005. 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. In 2009, The Weather Network was granted 9(1)(''h'')
must-carry In cable television, governments apply a must-carry regulation stating that locally licensed television stations must be carried on a cable provider's system. North America Canada Under current CRTC regulations, the lowest tier of service on ...
status by the CRTC, under the condition that Pelmorex develop a "Alert Ready, national aggregator and distributor" of localized emergency alert messages. In early 2013, The Weather Network launched regional feeds, currently for Alberta and the Maritime provinces. Each feed features its own regional forecasts, weather stories, and where available, traffic information was provided by Beat the Traffic. On December 8, 2014, The Weather Network and CBC News began a content-sharing partnership, in which TWN produced national weather forecasts that would appear on CBC News Network and during ''The National (CBC), The National'', and The Weather Network would be able to syndicate CBC News content on its television and digital outlets. In 2015, Pelmorex bought out The Weather Channel's stake in the service.


Programming


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 headend is given, typically consisting of current conditions, 18-hour, 4-day and 14-day forecasts, as well as almanac. On most satellite providers, a run-down of weather conditions and three-day forecasts for major cities across Canada is featured. The two- to three-minute segment occurs on the 10's (analogous to The Weather Channel's "Local on the 8's"). At the start of the 2015 winter programming cycle, a one-minute update is also scheduled on the 6's. 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. In the 2014 spring programming cycle, as part of the channel's 25th anniversary, a variety of songs that were originally played in the '90s and early '2000s eras were re-used at random. Some digital television providers in Canada (primarily IPTV services, such as Bell Fibe TV and Telus TV, Telus Optik) may also offer ''The Weather Network iTV'', an app which allows users to view expanded local forecasts.


Studio/Live Programming

The Weather Network broadcasts in a news-wheel format, featuring various forecast or weather-related segments throughout the hour. For some regions including the Greater Toronto Area, Alberta and the Maritime provinces, "Regional forecasts" are shown every half-hour, featuring forecasts and weather stories specifically for its respective region. For some areas, traffic reports are also presented during the morning and afternoon commute. For other regions "WeatherWATCH" provide a detailed analysis of the current weather across Canada, including the weather expected nationwide over the next three days. WeatherWATCH airs for three minutes just before the local/regional forecasts. The remaining half-hour cycle features various weather stories from across the country and around the world. In addition, TWN airs a variety of smaller segments including: * Force of Nature - (Featured every 10 minutes on the 3's, a show-reel of significant weather making headlines around the world). * Flu, Cold and Covid Reports * Weather Watch *Storm Centre * Science Behind the Weather *Regional *Climate *Beyond The forecast * Local Forecast - Radar update and major cities' forecasts for 7 days ahead.. * Storm-Hunters - weekends at 7 and 10pm. * Captured * Share Your Weather * Must See * Weather and Your Health * The Travellers Report - Today's outlook for major cities in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. The Weather Network's news department won the first annual Adrienne Clarkson Diversity Award for network television. This award is given by the Radio and Television News Director's Association (R-T-N-D-A) 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.


The Weather Network HD

The Weather Network HD is a 1080i High-definition television, high definition simulcast of The Weather Network that launched on May 30, 2011. It is currently available on Cogeco, EastLink (company), EastLink, Bell MTS, Rogers Cable, Telus Optik TV, and Shaw Communications, Shaw Cable. The HD simulcast for cable and IPTV providers currently do not offer local forecasts unlike the standard definition feed. On August 22, 2017, the HD feed debuted on
Shaw Direct Shaw Direct is a direct broadcast satellite television distributor in Canada and a subsidiary of the telecommunications company Shaw Communications. As of 2010, Shaw Direct had over 900,000 subscribers. It broadcasts on Ku band from two commu ...
. At first, the channel's design featured a carousel consists of current temperatures, 18-hour and 3-day forecasts (including expected temperatures, conditions and precipitation possibility) for key cities within the viewer's region. Throughout the local forecast segments, an additional L-shaped banner was introduced, with the top two-thirds of the ticker displays similar information (for two cities at a time instead of one), while the bottom of the ticker promotes upcoming segments in the programming cycle. At the start of 2014 spring programming cycle, "14 day trends" were introduced to the latter, whilst the former showcased information from 50 major Canadian cities. The L-shaped banner was expanded to be used at all times. Special weather statements are shown on a crawl that appears above the bottom of the ticker, when active. In 2017, the HD feed underwent another change in on-screen design, now featuring DIN Next as the principal typeface. This typeface has been dominant in the SD feed since roughly the mid-2010s. The top two-thirds now features three "boxes", with the first one showing the city as a header, and contains the current local time, date and weather conditions. The second one cycles through extra information on ceiling, pressure, humidity, apparent temperature, wind, gusts and visibility. The final "box" contains 18-hour forecasts for the city. The bottom of the ticker now alternates between national weather headlines and information of upcoming programming, which could be overridden at anytime by special weather statements on a bottom-up scrolling text format.


Satellite services

In 2006, Bell Satellite TV and The Weather Network started an Interactive television, interactive version of The Weather Network, enabling viewers to set their city and view specific forecasts every tim


Web & mobile services

In addition to its website, The Weather Network runs an e-mail and text messaging service called WeatherDirect, that sends weather forecasts via e-mail. There is also an e-mail service for pollen conditions and road conditions. The Weather Network also operates a Twitter and Facebook account, which include Severe Weather alerts and Weather News.


Mobile App

The Weather Network is currently available as an app for iPhone and Android (OS), Android smartphones.


Smart TV App

In November 2015, an app-only version of the TV channel was launched on Android TV (using Live Channels) and Apple TV. It has a similar news-wheel, albeit with some changes, and overlays the local forecast at the bottom dynamically using GPS. It also includes on-demand video and local maps.


Criticism

The channel has been criticized for its excessive use of advertising 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 U.S.-based The Weather Channel (United States), The Weather Channel. In the past, there was little to no advertising. Currently, local forecasts are sponsored using static logos during and after forecasts. The channel has also been criticized for putting more coverage over the weather in Southern Ontario than the rest of Canada during its national segments. The 2008 launch of local programming for the Greater Toronto Area had also further limited updated forecasts throughout the rest of Canada.


Notable on-air presenters


Former presenters

*Debra Arbec *Carla Collins *Martine Gaillard *Ross Hull *Carolyn Jarvis *Patty Kim *Elissa Lansdell *Marcia MacMillan *Waubgeshig Rice * Chris St. Clair *Scott Simms *Robin Ward (television), Robin Ward *Kevin Yarde


See also

* The Weather Channel, the American equivalent of The Weather Network. *
MétéoMédia MétéoMédia is a Canadian French-language weather information specialty channel and web site owned by Pelmorex. MétéoMédia primarily serves viewers in Quebec, although some cable TV systems in Ontario and New Brunswick carry the channel as we ...
, French version of The Weather Network.


References


External links

*
All Channel Alert
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weather Network, The Android (operating system) software Wear OS software BlackBerry software Analog cable television networks in Canada Companies based in Oakville, Ontario English-language television stations in Canada IOS software MacOS software Pelmorex Satellite radio stations in Canada Sirius Satellite Radio channels Television channels and stations established in 1988 1988 establishments in Canada TvOS software Universal Windows Platform apps WatchOS software Weather television networks Windows software