Topic: Not sure how to feel about this...

[BigOkie]

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2143

[cospringswx]

I have mixed emotions about that.

[CNYWeather]

Yep. Wonder if we'll still get the PWS love 


http://press.weather.com/press_detail.asp?id=409

[SlowModem]

Here's what I posted to their blog:

The Weather Channel used to represent cutting edge weather information and had quality people presenting it.  Since it was bought by NBC, it has turned into fluff (like Al Roker) and mindless dribble about idiots chasing tornadoes and flying airplanes in Alaska, solely for ratings.  I call it the commercial channel, with intermittent weather.  Sadly, now I expect WU to follow the same trend.  It has been pulled into the corporate vortex and it's only a matter of time before it sinks into the mire.

I'll watch how it goes for a while, but if I feel it's not a quality product, I'll stop sending data.

Does that mean that TWC will be using our data now at no cost to them?  Hmmmm.   

[CNYWeather]

Regarding all the shows on there now, I saw that Al Roker and his company produced the Coast Guard Alaska show.

Aint that cute?? 

[xykotik]

...Many Weather Underground features, such as our Personal Weather Station data, WunderMap, and my blog, are scheduled to also appear on the weather.com web site in the coming months.

I haven't been around for awhile (new job, tons of training and travel) but I got the "PWS Newsletter" and had to see how this news is buzzing here.

My guess is that WU is just going to be swallowed up.  I don't see them merging any forecasting models, etc, or incorporating PWS data.  I stopped using TWC for checking the weather before a trip about six years ago when my brother introduced me to WU and I found that their forecasts (even for the same day) seemed to be much more consistently accurate.  Once I became an enthusiast (WU's PWS features and better forecasts for my area being a deciding factor), I started using TWC forecasts only for comparisons with WU and my own data, and I saw this continued trend all these years later.

I can understand Jef Masters' enthusiasm to aquire his old company, but I have this gut feeling that the TWC brand will eclipse WU in short order.

[neondesert]

I for one, would like to call for a moment of silence in remembrance of one of the last vestiges of quality
weather information.   Take a good look at the site as it is today for over the coming months it will likely be
pulled down the same twisted rat hole that NBC has taken the Weather Channel.

Good bye my friend.  May your data always roam free throughout the internet.


The Weather Underground
1995 - July 2, 2012

[weatherforyou]

Does that mean that TWC will be using our data now at no cost to them?  Hmmmm.   

I'd bet on it.

We've been approached a few times throughout the years from some suspicious requests to use PWSweather.com data.  But when I said the data has to be accompanied by credit to the contributor I'd never hear back from them.  Curious if any of those was from TWC.

[MoradaWx]

just got my notice that this was happening, what are our options or alternatives to this?

Rick

[weatherforyou]

just got my notice that this was happening, what are our options or alternatives to this?

Hint below. 

[SlowModem]

Please please please please please don't sell this forum to TWC!!!!!!!!   

[DaculaWeather]

just got my notice that this was happening, what are our options or alternatives to this?

Hint below. 

Joe, does Weatherforyou have api's to pull data?

[weatherforyou]

just got my notice that this was happening, what are our options or alternatives to this?

Hint below. 

Joe, does Weatherforyou have api's to pull data?

If you mean retrieve data to display elsewhere, it's available in standard METAR format from the METAR mirror we've had available for years.  This is how it is used in VWS, WD and any other program that can retrieve METAR data from a designated place.  All you need is the station ID.  It's also available as an RSS feed.

If you mean pull data from a weather station, we don't have that.  Someone came up with an idea a few months ago they were successfully using to get data from a Davis to our system by polling a friend's data and sending it to us.  They said they'd share it with us, but I never heard back from them. 

[capeweather]

This domain and forum will never be sold, no worries! 

Please please please please please don't sell this forum to TWC!!!!!!!!   

[ocala]

In reading Masters Blog I have seen not one positive comment about this move. However someone did post this from facebook. Makes me think that the existing WU might survive.
Time will tell.

"You have to believe us when we say that nothing is going to change - other than extra resources for Weather Underground to build even more amazing weather products.

The Weather Channel is committed to keeping the Weather Underground brand and the Web site in its current form.
As an independent company we were no longer equipped to cope with the demands of our ever-growing user base. With the arrival of so many new digital platforms, such as mobile phones and tablets, came the need for more and more development resources.

We chose to merge with The Weather Channel Companies because they share the same goal as Weather Underground, which is to provide the very best weather data for the public across as many digital channels as possible. Combining the strengths of both companies will only lead to better weather data and products for all of our users. Weather Underground%u2019s founders and their small team of meteorologists and developers have spent 17 years building the wunderground.com that you see today. Having dedicated so much of their lives to creating such groundbreaking weather content, they naturally want more people across the world to discover our Web site and apps. Our founders would not have agreed to any merger that would in any way threaten the brand and community they%u2019ve spent so long building."

[neondesert]

In reading Masters Blog I have seen not one positive comment about this move. However someone did post this from facebook. Makes me think that the existing WU might survive.
Time will tell.

You have to believe us when we say that nothing is going to change - other than extra resources for Weather Underground to build even more amazing weather products.

1. No, I don't believe them.

2. If you do believe this, I have some prime oceanfront property here in Clark County I'll sell ya real cheap! 

[weatherforyou]

2. If you do believe this, I have some prime oceanfront property here in Clark County I'll sell ya real cheap! 

HAHAHA!  That reminds me of the "beautiful lakeside property on Nevada's wonderful Walker Lake" they've been selling on the radio. 

[ocala]

Larry what are asking for that property. I heard the west coast is supposed to fall off in the ocean giving us a new west coast. Might as well be proactive.

[neondesert]

Larry what are asking for that property. I heard the west coast is supposed to fall off in the ocean giving us a new west coast. Might as well be proactive.

Hey!  Who told you that?  That's supposed to be privileged information.   

[WeatherHost]

We chose to merge with The Weather Channel Companies because they share the same goal as Weather Underground, which is to provide the very best weather data for the public

That is no longer the goal of the Roker Channel.

As an independent company we were no longer equipped to cope with the demands of our ever-growing user base. With the arrival of so many new digital platforms, such as mobile phones and tablets, came the need for more and more development resources.

Translated:  'We no longer know what we're doing, so we're selling out and giving up.'

[W Thomas]

John just sent this on the CWOP list

No one is shutting us down!

We're keeping the Weather Underground brand and site. There will be less change than you'd think, but a lot more resources to draw from!

-John


I sure hope corporate what ever's will let him work as such.. TWC doesn't seem all that PWS friendly  IMHO

[Hhabilis]

Well, this has got me a bit worried although I guess TWC probably doesn't want to alienate PWSers who are also usually in CWOP.  Negative changes would raise (I hope) quite a stink.

We chose to merge with The Weather Channel Companies because they share the same goal as Weather Underground, which is to provide the very best weather data for the public

As an independent company we were no longer equipped to cope with the demands of our ever-growing user base. With the arrival of so many new digital platforms, such as mobile phones and tablets, came the need for more and more development resources.

I wounder if t we will only have TWC app and I wonder about our ad free status.  Will we have to pay again? or more?  I really don't like TWC app.

[vreihen]

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2143

I think that this quote from the comments sums it up best:

I haven't watched more than about 20 minutes of TWC per year over the past ten years or so; we don't have cable at my house. I'm ordering it this week--time to take a look at their programming and see if I can offer some suggestions on how it can be improved.

Jeff Masters

If he had seen what has become of TWC since NBC (Nothing But Commercials) took over, he wouldn't be so excited about the merger and future of WU.....

[gwwilk]

I'm a bit more optimistic about this pooling of resources than most of you seem to be.  There's considerable difference between satisfying the appetite of the masses for entertainment via TV and supplying concise, focused, timely, locally valid, useful information in a non-video format that we and WU use.  The WU team is taking more of a chance than it admits here of being overrun by TWC interests, but where both their interests currently intersect would appear to be the greatest opportunity for both.  How can you turn WU into a mass-media entertainment vehicle?  On the internet the user is in total control via clicks or taps.

[WeatherHost]

If he had been watching, he'd know better than to want to be part of them.