The Weather Channel Will Deepen Commitment to Forecast Earth and Related Content on All Platforms
Weekly Program Will Expand to One Hour with New Anchor and Regular
Contributors; Web Site Will Add New Regular Bloggers
ATLANTA--(Business Wire)--The Weather Channel (TWC) today announced the expansion of
Forecast Earth, the network's weekly program on climate change, to a
full hour. The show, which airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. ET and is a part
of the company's multi platform climate initiative, has also added
journalist Natalie Allen as its new anchor along with several new
regular contributors. Forecast Earth online has also undergone an
expansion, including the addition of columnist Don Wilmott, a content
partnership with LifeWire focusing on sustainability and a new "Green
Box" video player.
"Doubling in length to a full hour each week will enable Forecast
Earth to delve deeper into the issues surrounding climate change,
while giving viewers perspective on how to easily make green living
part of their daily routines," said Kaye Zusmann, VP of programming
strategy and development for The Weather Channel. Features scheduled
for January episodes include a profile of the Philadelphia Eagles, the
greenest team in pro sports; a story on the green evangelical
movement; and a feature on how climate change is impacting winter
sports.
Heidi Cullen will continue as the scientific expert reporting on
issues of climate change for The Weather Channel while also taking a
position with Climate Central at Princeton University. This newly
formed, non profit, non partisan organization is dedicated to
providing the public as well as policy makers with the latest
peer-reviewed information on global climate change. This dual role of
being in academia as well as contributing to Forecast Earth will help
Dr. Cullen be an even greater asset to The Weather Channel. Audiences
will learn about and benefit from Dr. Cullen's work at Climate
Central, giving them direct access to the latest insights from the
academic and scientific communities working on climate change. Climate
Central is a non profit organization based in Princeton, NJ, with
another bureau opening near Stanford University this year.
Natalie Allen joins Forecast Earth as an anchor and field
reporter, reporting on the big stories impacting climate change and
green solutions. She brings more than 23 years of award winning
broadcast journalism experience, including nine years behind the
anchor desk at CNN as well serving as a correspondent, producer, and
writer. For Forecast Earth, her first work will include profiles of
environmental scientist and broadcaster David Suzuki, green leader Van
Jones, and Philadelphia Eagles' owner Christina Lurie.
Joining Dr. Cullen as regular Forecast Earth contributors in 2008
will be Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Dr. Bill Nye, both of whom go beyond
science to engage viewers and provide entertaining and informative
segments. Dr. Eriksen joins Forecast Earth having been a regular
contributor on The Weather Channel with his Commando Weather segments.
He is known for doing anything in the name of teaching science,
including using himself as a human guinea pig in some incredible
scenarios, such as standing knee deep in a landfill, crawling through
a storm drain or diving through ocean pollution.
Bill Nye, also known as "The Science Guy," is a recent TWC
addition, hosting a Climate Quiz during the popular evening program
Abrams & Bettes - Beyond the Forecast. In this feature Dr. Nye asks
questions about everyday situations in our homes and lives that can
impact our world and plans to bring this sensibility to his features
on Forecast Earth.
Last year, The Weather Channel launched
www.weather.com/forecastearth, an interactive, broadband site
dedicated to creating open dialogue regarding the important issues
surrounding climate change. The Forecast Earth site is rich with
interactive content including constantly updated blogs with guest
bloggers, celebrity videos on green living topics from GLiving,
breaking news, links to scientific resources and household tips.
Recently, the site added the Forecast Earth Temperature Index, which
tracks average daily temperatures for 50 U.S. cities. Regular
contributors to Forecast Earth include Don Wilmott, along with
bloggers from ScienceBlogs, the largest online community dedicated to
science.
About Forecast Earth
A leader in the area of climate change and the environment, The
Weather Channel airs Forecast Earth: This Week, an original weekly
program where climate news meets green living. The one-hour program
airs Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET, with a re-airing on Sunday at 5 p.m.
ET. The television show and its Web site enable viewers to become even
more knowledgeable about environmental issues and what they can do to
make a difference. A broadcast journalist for 23 years, Natalie Allen
will anchor and report from the field. The show's climate expert, Dr.
Heidi Cullen, has been with The Weather Channel since 2003 and has the
key responsibility of adding explanation, depth and perspective to
climate stories. For more information, visit
www.weather.com/forecastearth.
About The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel, a 24-hour weather network, is seen in more
than 96 million U.S. households. Its Web site, weather.com, reaches
more than 35 million unique users per month. Its content is currently
among the top 15 most popular in the U.S. by Nielsen//NetRatings. The
Weather Channel also operates Weatherscan, a 24-hour, all-local
weather network available to 22 million households; The Weather
Channel HD; The Weather Channel Radio Network; and The Weather Channel
Newspaper Services. It is also the leading weather information
provider for emerging technologies. This includes broadband and
interactive television applications and wireless weather products
accessible through high-speed Internet services, phones and mobile
devices. The Weather Channel is owned by Landmark Communications,
Inc., a Norfolk, VA-based, privately held media company.
The Weather Channel
Media Contact:
Melissa Medori, 770-226-2191
mmedori@weather.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
