Do We Matter? An HD Weather Warning Update

[SRW1000]

Tonight, both WTMJ and WDJT have dumped their HD programming and gone to SD versions inside of a weather window because of a Thunderstorm Warning.

Oddly enough, WISN, who took the brunt of our anger earlier this year, is showing Brothers and Sisters in full HD.

Congratulations, Channel 12, you get it.  If that was due to some of the comments here, thank you very much for listening.

To WTMJ and WDJT, please reconsider how you handle weather warnings.  Watching football tonight is comparable to viewing it on my old 32" SDTV.  Yuck.

Scott

[VoidXero]

We can't they come up with an HD compatible weather warning if they insist on putting them up?

[Ralph Kramden]

Yeah, that really ****ed me off. I could see if it was a tornado warning, but an hour of watching a T-storm warning? Someone should be fired over this. But watching the Bears kick Seattle's asses was SWEET. GO BEARS!!

[picopir8]

I don't understand the fuss.  Sure if this was your typical over-reaction to the first snow of the year then I can understand the gripes.  Yet in this case, there was a T-Storm Warning was issued for the viewing area.  While there was no warning for Milwaukee, it did get pretty violent here.  It was getting so bad that I was considering unplugging some of my electronics.  Public safety should alwasy come first.

As far as why they are going to SD instead of presenting some HD warning.  I think its a matter of convenience and/or the equpment available.  They already have equipment that puts SD in a window to then broadcast as HD and they still receive SD from the network.  So why not use that.  It takes a lot more processing power to scale an HD signal to add weather info.  This will likely change once the networks stop transmitting SD

[kevbeck122]

Like people have said here before, just stick a thunderstorm icon in the lower right.  They have the capability to put their logo there, so why not just put the icon by the logo and keep the HD?

[Doug Mohr]

Funny thing is, I actually switched to 4-2 to see what this storm was all about because it was getting pretty rough in my neighborhood.

Guess what was on??? Come on, guess!!

A looping tape of this weeks forcast and a current weather of "Partly Cloudy"

 :bang:   :bang:

What's the point of having a weather subchannel if you don't use it?

[picopir8]

I have not seen a weather icon (T and S icons) for at least a decade or more.  Now the programing is either boxed or an overlay map is put on the screen with a warning runner at the bottom.  Since everyone does this, it makes me wonder if there is some legal obligation to put up this info.

[LoadStar]

Funny thing is, I actually switched to 4-2 to see what this storm was all about because it was getting pretty rough in my neighborhood.

Guess what was on??? Come on, guess!!

A looping tape of this weeks forcast and a current weather of "Partly Cloudy"

 :bang:   :bang:

What's the point of having a weather subchannel if you don't use it?

I agree. The WeatherPlus is useless during severe weather, when you want it most. During severe weather, instead of breaking in on both channels like I'd expect, all they do is cycle the radar on 4-2. (Apparently they expect viewers to be amateur meteorologists.)

Edit: and as soon as I post this, they actually start simulcasting the break-ins. What a concept.

[gopheralex]

WISN simulcast the ESPNHD feed during their last broadcast, looks like this time around we're in for some SD squished weather radar fun during MNF. I pity all the poor ESPNHD viewers who will not benefit from this weather radar information and will likely be drowned, hit by lightning, scared to death by thunder or otherwise killed by the severe weather as a result.

I heard them use the term "slight rotation" which pretty much means weather watch orgy for the next 6 hours.

Edit: I am mistaken! Thank you WISN!!!!  :hug:

[SRW1000]

It looks like WDJT is the only channel that has decided to run their HD programming in a little SD box tonight.

Thank you to all the stations who have decided to show their HD programs in actual HD tonight.

Scott

[SRW1000]

Oops, I posted too soon.  WTMJ started showing Heroes in HD, but then switched to the little letter box screen in a tiny SD area.  Too bad.

Scott

[SRW1000]

One more thing.  Why is it that WDJT is running in full weather warning status, but sister station WMLW isn't?  Wouldn't you expect them to be consistent?

Scott

[tazman]

My power just came back on 10 minutes ago so I missed all the fun.  It was out since 6:30 this evening.

What needs to happen is that all the Milwaukee viewing area needs to go digital.  Then there is no excuse for TMJ to not run 100% HD during prime time, weather be dambed.  Because they have a dedicated whether channel and there will be no need to pollute the HD multicast with banners and radar pictures.  If you want acurate radar and weather info tune to 10-6.  Those scatered storms that blew threw yesterday were a joke as far as coverage on all the locals except 10-6.  NOA weather radio on 10-6 was the only one that seemed to be up to the minute and acurate as to what was going on.  At least when I looked out my window they were telling me the same thing I was seeing.  Also... and I could be wrong on this.  WVTV 18 appears to be transmitting HD all the time even with 4x3 SD content.  Because when they ran their weather banner across the top of the screen it scrolled the  full width of my 16x9 screen.  Go figure, Jimboy didn't have to switch back and forth and drop out of HD just for the weather junk!  Maybe Jimboy has got to start giving HD broadcasting seminars. :rock:   If anything he's doing all he can and then some.  At least he appears to be getting it wright more offten than all the other Milwaukee locals combined.

[FreQi]

Adding a semi-transparent "weather alert" bug in the bottom left seems like a perfectly effective-enough solution to me.  In fact, why not put the weather warning ticker text information into a subtitle feed for the channel?  That should be simple enough.

CW had a huge RED banner at the top of the screen that covered about 30% of the real estate and even covered the actors faces for quite a while.  It was ridiculous enough, and then NBC's Heros and Studio 60 got sidebars, and letter boxed and then squished to fit the left side and bottom with the weather wrapper.

Why not do the warning during commercials?  I understand that the commercials are what pays the stations, but I would argue that keeping your viewers happy is just as important.  I would expect that the producers, investors, directors, actors and studios that created the $2,000,000+ episode get upset when their shows are crapped on like that.  Everyone I know hates it.  Even grandma.

Are the stations bound by some legal obligation to show this information?  Do we have to lobby congress to get something repealed?  Does anyone think that a tv station could be held liable for not reporting a severe weather alert?  Can I sue WISN for not letting me know that all that wind and noise outside last night was a pretty wicked storm?  I figured it was pretty obvious a storm was coming, but I was cutting the grass when the rain came down.  Can I sue Milwaukee Public Works for not sending out a truck to tell me I should get in the house before I got my new lawn mower all wet?  I could have suffered injury due to the city's public service department's negligence!

I just think it's completely unnecessary to deface the network prime-time programming so dramatically.  And I am not alone.  Thank you to the stations that don't do it, and shame on those that do.

[Jimboy]

Also... and I could be wrong on this.  WVTV 18 appears to be transmitting HD all the time even with 4x3 SD content.  Because when they ran their weather banner across the top of the screen it scrolled the  full width of my 16x9 screen.  

Our HD switchers for 18 & 24 have EAS text crawl capability. And no I don't do seminars.

CW had a huge RED banner at the top of the screen that covered about 30% of the real estate and even covered the actors faces for quite a while.  

I agree it's huge but currently there's no method to resize it. Looking into it however.

Are the stations bound by some legal obligation to show this information?  

For a little light reading on EAS check here.... http://www.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2005/FCC-05-191A1.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use of EAS for state or local emergency
information is voluntary.  Broadcasters and cable systems may
decide individually whether to transmit such messages that
originate at the state or local level.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is also a stations requirement & commitment to public service.
Stations decide how to meet that goal.

Does anyone think that a tv station could be held liable for not reporting a severe weather alert?

I believe it's been tried when a tornado struck Barneveld WI in 1984 and the town was leveled. WVTV was on cable out there at the time but it's not part of the official WVTV viewing area.