I don't think I am contradicting myself. I am only saying that without a source of data from their contributors they have absolutely nothing. They, "Weathercloud", other than gathering official NWS or other publicly available weather data, are totally dependent on PWS inputs. It is those individual personal weather station feeds that provide them with the detail they need for them to have the unique data that isn't available publicly. Sure, they have development costs for the software as well as data servers to handle the inputs but, if they don't do something special for those who provide them with that vital data, they will not survive. As we've seen in the past when rumors came out that WU was going to start charging all users, including those of us who were contributors, the response by this community was immediate and unanimous that we would stop all feeds to WU - period. Weathercloud is essentially doing the same thing by forcing everyone to view their ads and thus, not taking into consideration any alternative for those who provide them with "free" data feeds.
The real question is whether Weathercloud can create a product that is unique enough to draw the necessary user base to keep them going financially. Only time will tell. WU, whether we like it or not, did provide a product that drew many viewers from around the world. We also see what happens when a company stops providing products that their customer base wants - they slowly begin to deteriorate and lose that essential critical mass of users. The decline simply feeds on itself and soon, the viewers stop visiting their website and they go out of business.
I used to work for a company that had small a lapel button with the letters "C.A.R.E." on it. It stood for Customers Are the Reason for Everything and without customers, we will have no business. If any business stops asking their customers what they want and need, and thus eliminating the customer from the business equation, they will fail very quickly.