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The Weather Channel : the improbable rise of a media phenomenon by Frank Batten, Jeffrey L. Cruikshank

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Former Weather Channel Chairman and CEO Batten recounts the first twenty years of the popular cable network, discussing the business, technological, and meteorological innovations responsible for its success. Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Review In 1982, Frank Batten flipped a switch and began what he called a weather forecast that will never end. There's probably no better emblem of niche media than the Weather Channel and its super-specialized field of interest. After 20 years of mapping high-pressure fronts and covering hurricanes, however, We have built one of the strongest brands anywhere in the media business, writes Batten, former chairman and CEO. Most of The Weather Channel concentrates on all the problems Batten and his media company experienced in the early 1980s when they hatched their idea for all-weather programming and struggled to get it on the air. I'm sure that we tried to do too much, too fast, says Batten, who nevertheless endorses the too-much, too-fast approach: I'm convinced that if we hadn't acted as aggressively as we did--if we hadn't spent the money, rushed down the road, and pushed ourselves and our partners ... The Weather Channel may never have been. Batten concludes by discussing the future of weather predictions (they're going to get a lot better, he thinks) and offering unconventional advice to aspiring media tycoons (don't offer stock options to employees). This book will appeal to aficionados of isobars and other weather events, as well as readers interested in how to start a thriving business. --John Miller From Publishers Weekly With the recent spate of books documenting the failure of hundreds of Internet startups, it's refreshing to read about the successful launch of a business in what was once a fledgling industry itself: cable television. The Weather Channel was born on May 2, 1982, less than two years after Good Morning America weatherman John Coleman brought his idea about a 24-hour channel dedicated to nothing but weather to Frank Batten, then chairman of Landmark Communications. In his comprehensive account of the channel's history, Batten details the many financial, technical and management obstacles the Landmark team overcame to get the service on the air and keep it there until it became profitable. As documented by Batten, the Weather Channel reached its low point in mid-1983 when, racked by losses, Landmark came within days of shutting down the operation, only to be saved by the cable system operators who agreed to pay subscriber fees to keep the service running. Given some breathing room, the Weather Channel steadily improved its programming and technology and, as Batten acknowledges, rode the wave of the explosive growth of cable television to the point where in 2000 the Weather Channel generated revenues of $320 million and attracted millions of loyal viewers. While the Weather Channel encountered some stormy times, its ultimate success proves that a sound business concept, hard work and a little luck can turn an idea into a national institution. Batten's book offers valuable business lessons that many entrepreneurs can learn from. 23 color photos. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Review This remarkable story will appeal to entrepreneurs in all industries, as well as to the millions of Weather Channel fans. -- The Pittsburgh Business Times, April 2002 From the Back Cover Despite gusts of widespread skepticism and downpours of derisive one-liners, The Weather Channel found an audience.? Severe-storm coverage became riveting, breaking news, and the channel's meteorologists became minor celebrities. But The Weather Channel had a far more profound influence on mainstream culture. It didn't just feed farmers, pilots, and weather enthusiasts who had been hungry for more information. It created weather consumers by convincing ordinary people that they needed more weather information than they had been getting. -Chuck Salter, Fast Company Whether it's tracking a hurricane or pinpointing severe weather or just predicting the daily parade of high- and low-pressure systems, The Weather Channel has become a grand master of the weather game. -David Laskin, Smithsonian About the Author Frank Batten is the retired Chairman and CEO of Landmark Communications, Inc., a private media company that owns newspapers, specialty publications, television stations, and The Weather Channel. About the Author Frank Batten is the retired Chairman and CEO of Landmark Communications, Inc., a private media company that owns newspapers, specialty publications, television stations, and The Weather Channel.
Publication Details

Title: The Weather Channel : the improbable rise of a media phenomenon

Author(s):

  • Frank Batten
  • Jeffrey L. Cruikshank

Illustrator:

Binding: Hardcover

Published by: Harvard Business Review Press: , 2002

Edition:

ISBN: 9781578515592 | 1578515599

304 pages. 6.4 x 1.08 x 9.5 inches

  • ENG- English
Book Condition: Very Good
828p

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