contribution
Telling
a better
weather
story
According to Steve France,
media sales principal at
The Weather Company,
there are six key factors to
consider when choosing
a content production
solution.
R
apid climate change can lead to
unpredictable and potentially
dangerous weather patterns across the
globe. As a broadcaster, your goal is to help
viewers navigate weather-related decisions
by becoming a trusted source of information.
Your ability to provide an accurate weather
forecast as rapidly as possible can have a huge
impact on your viewers, potentially affecting
everything from family recreation time and
morning commutes to their personal safety.
But in a crowded, noisy market, even being
the first to air with an accurate depiction of the
oncoming weather may not be enough to grab
people’s attention. Because consumers check
the weather throughout the day from various
locations, you also should create a cross-
platform experience that can engage your
audience on their terms and tells the forecast
in a clear but exciting way.
For example, imagine that your station
covers a large territory and scattered storms
are approaching. Some of your viewers will
be largely unaffected, but others could face
potential flooding, road closures, or even
power outages. To effectively inform your
entire audience about the latest forecast, you
need the ability to deliver accurate regional
predictions using a large network of sources
that are updated frequently. You may also
want to create content not only for broadcast
but also on social media and mobile, using
exciting visualisations that help grab people’s
attention.
Weather content production solutions are
designed to help you achieve these goals. But
16 EUROMEDIA
with a myriad of options and functionalities
available, not every product is right for every
station. Choosing the right solution requires an
understanding of what’s available and how it
can help meet your needs.
With this in mind, here are six qualities
to consider when evaluating weather content
production solutions.
lives in their precise location.
Look for a solution that extends beyond
traditional sources of data – such as a national
weather service – to pull from other far-
reaching sources such as airline flights and
personal weather stations. This data can be
aggregated and analysed using technology
and models to build a more robust view of the
weather for a larger number of areas.
Accurate
Whether you’re determining how to keep your
family safe during inclement weather or simply
planning your weekend, accuracy in a weather
forecast is important. Creating accurate
predictions – both for the weather itself and
its potential effect on everyday life – begins
with data. Having a solution that collects
significant amounts of high-quality data can
help you better anticipate and communicate
the potential risk of a severe weather event.
Delivering broad weather forecasts involves
the ability to anticipate and answer your
viewers’ questions before they ask. Where and
when will severe weather strike? Will it cause
flooding in highly populated areas? Will it lead
to heavy traffic congestion or knock out power
in certain territories? And if so, how might that
affect the health and wellness for people in
those regions?
But modern consumers also demand a
personalised weather experience. If your
audience is spread over a wide geography,
it may not be sufficient to simply provide
an accurate forecast for a major city.
Viewers in more remote areas may want to
know how the weather may impact their
Distinctive
As mentioned above, telling an accurate
and hyperlocal weather story makes little
difference if nobody is paying attention. With
an ever-increasing number of national and
local outlets across platforms, you also need a
way to distinguish yourself from the rest.
When evaluating weather content
production solutions, consider the potential
of integrating augmented reality technologies
into your broadcast and digital experiences.
Rather than telling your viewers that it’s
raining outside, show raindrops splattering on
your studio floor and creating pools beneath
bar graphs that provide precipitation levels.
Certain solutions may also allow you to shoot
outdoors on location while still presenting the
standard ‘green screen’ visualisations to which
your viewers are accustomed.
Efficient
The unpredictable nature of weather means
that significant events can occur when you
may not be ready to cover them. For some
broadcasters, it might not be feasible to keep
a meteorologist available at all times, meaning