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Allen Media Group is a scourge on the weather community

TornadoFan17 said:
Matt will be fine. He'll land on his feet.

I sympathize for those at WTVA just entering the industry and having to search again and for the people in WTVA's broadcast area.
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I’m sure he’ll be hired quickly. That was a selfish request because I don’t want him leaving our area.
 
I don't know if it will do any good but anyone can file a complaint with the FCC. Go to this website:
https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/...7268-TV-Form-Descriptions-of-Complaint-Issues
and select "TV service issues" then follow the instructions selecting "availability" Mention the call letters of the stations in your reception area before mentioning Allen Media. Mention that you get weather reports from there and that you don't believe that dropping the Meteorologists is in the best public interest and may adversely impact anyone who relies on that station for weather information and severe weather warnings.

I don't know if it will do any good but it might help, as all over-the-air broadcasters (radio and TV) are licensed based on them serving the public interest for the area they cover. Of course share this wherever you can and also complain to Allen Media, the local Station Manager, as well as your Federal Legislators. Maybe with a flood of complaints something good will come of our efforts.
 
TornadoFan17 said:
Matt will be fine. He'll land on his feet.

I sympathize for those at WTVA just entering the industry and having to search again and for the people in WTVA's broadcast area.
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I’m sure John can retire. He’s been there longer than I can remember, and I’m in my mid-40s. He also has another business in town to fall back on if he does retire.

I do feel for Gabe and Chelsea though. Both are also good at what they do, and they are just starting out.

If we lose Matt and he moves, we’ll also lose his wife Emily as the main anchor. She does a great job too so it’ll be a sad loss to our area. They’ve been here for over 10 years, and they’ve assimilated themselves not only into Tupelo but all of their market area.
 
Sawmaster said:
I don't know if it will do any good but anyone can file a complaint with the FCC. Go to this website:
https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/...7268-TV-Form-Descriptions-of-Complaint-Issues
and select "TV service issues" then follow the instructions selecting "availability" Mention the call letters of the stations in your reception area before mentioning Allen Media. Mention that you get weather reports from there and that you don't believe that dropping the Meteorologists is in the best public interest and may adversely impact anyone who relies on that station for weather information and severe weather warnings.

I don't know if it will do any good but it might help, as all over-the-air broadcasters (radio and TV) are licensed based on them serving the public interest for the area they cover. Of course share this wherever you can and also complain to Allen Media, the local Station Manager, as well as your Federal Legislators. Maybe with a flood of complaints something good will come of our efforts.
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I was thinking about the role of OTA stations and the public interest when I first saw this thread. Certainly, AMG's lawyers have this covered, but maybe not???
 
I hate to see it because of what it means for the broadcast meteorology community as a whole, but I can't say I'm surprised to see this general development. Long term how viable are a lot of these smaller market stations in general? The way we view and get information has changed so much, I'm surprised there hasn't been more consolidation than there already has been.
 
Mike S said:
I was thinking about the role of OTA stations and the public interest when I first saw this thread. Certainly, AMG's lawyers have this covered, but maybe not???
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I don't have insider contacts anymore but as best I can tell the only absolute requirement is to be part of the EAS, and of course they will still do that. Still, if the FCC comas a-knocking with a large number of complaints seeking Allen's response it might cause them to reconsider. Or the FCC might stymie them via the public service aspect.

It can't hurt to try.
 
kcyalater said:
this.

it just means broadcast meteorology will end up direct to consumer. ryan hall has pioneered this delivery method and sees tens of thousands of viewers during weather events.

much like everything else, we’ve got to adapt to 2025 and beyond.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but the problem with Ryan Hall and the like is the viewer has to seek them out. They can't cut into your YouTube or Netflix stream of something else if a warning goes out for your area. So they mainly benefit people who are already intrinsically weather-aware at least to some extent. And like The Weather Channel, they have to cover the entire country. So during widespread outbreaks they have to focus on multiple areas, not just one TV market. They also can't be everywhere at once, so they're not as familiar with the local area as a meteorologist who lives, works and knows people in the community. One of the things that most impressed me about James Spann (and Jason Simpson) during the April 27 coverage was their encyclopedic knowledge of local jargon/points of reference. Obviously not all local TV meteorologists have that, but the good ones do.
 
I apologize for the incorrect information, but I have been informed by a friend that Matt is still there (for now). I don't live in MS, so I was taking the multiple X and Facebook posts that said he was let go as truth. Either way, it's still a bad situation and he only has a limited time left if he is indeed still there. The FCC really needs to investigate this corporation, or Elon Musk needs to buy it.
 
MichelleH said:
I apologize for the incorrect information, but I have been informed by a friend that Matt is still there (for now). I don't live in MS, so I was taking the multiple X and Facebook posts that said he was let go as truth. Either way, it's still a bad situation and he only has a limited time left if he is indeed still there. The FCC really needs to investigate this corporation, or Elon Musk needs to buy it.
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I hope they can figure something out at WTVA. I remember his coverage in 2011, 2014, the Amory tornado a couple of years ago, and way too many others to count. I can always jump on the Internet and watch his coverage, which covers my hometown and where my family lives. I do not know what my mother will do. She trusts this guy like family.
 
Austin Dawg said:
I hope they can figure something out at WTVA. I remember his coverage in 2011, 2014, the Amory tornado a couple of years ago, and way too many others to count. I can always jump on the Internet and watch his coverage, which covers my hometown and where my family lives. I do not know what my mother will do. She trusts this guy like family.
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We still have WCBI. They aren’t bad, but I just trusted WTVA more.
 
Austin Dawg said:
I hope they can figure something out at WTVA. I remember his coverage in 2011, 2014, the Amory tornado a couple of years ago, and way too many others to count. I can always jump on the Internet and watch his coverage, which covers my hometown and where my family lives. I do not know what my mother will do. She trusts this guy like family.
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Yeah, from what I've read the past few days from people, this would be like Alabama losing James Spann. :(
 
Gail said:
I’m kind of upset at James Spann after his post last night saying this would end up being a good thing.
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I remember him saying some time after 4/27 that traditional broadcast media was on its way out. While I don't disagree with that assessment overall, everyone over 40 I know still turns on local news for severe weather, and the other options, like YT streams from people like Hall are just not localized enough (and that's without getting into issue of the quality of some streams).
 
I see Spann's point. The TV side of weather is dying specifically local. I also get the fact that not every elderly person knows what all these streaming platforms are and much less know how to access them. What this means is it's an opportunity for people like me who is a local county meteorologist to grow and be that platform of communication. Now, I get that every county or state doesn't have that. Which is why you need to be getting better relationships started between your local EMA and NWS offices as well as your local county officials. That's one of my goals going forward is getting better acquainted with our county supervisors, etc. It is a convoluted and sad situation no doubt. For this to happen to a city like Tupelo, though, that baffles me. I've met everyone there except for Gabe and Chelsea. In fact, Dick Rice was the very first chief meteorologist I met and he took me under his wing. I miss him so much.
 
Gail said:
I’m kind of upset at James Spann after his post last night saying this would end up being a good thing.
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I noticed from the comments that you aren't the only one. I hope he explains himself on Weatherbrains, but yeah, not happy with that either. I know he sees this as an opportunity to change the way people get severe weather information and warnings, but I have a problem with that - most elderly people don't use apps, YouTube or other "alternative media" for their weather information, they watch TV. And most of them become loyal to a certain station. If the station they are loyal to is one of the ones affected, then they're likely not going to change stations. They are going to trust what is told to them by pre-recorded TWC nonsense that is likely incorrect and almost certainly outdated. They're not going to know that they need to take shelter from an incoming tornado until it's too late - or more likely - they won't know about it at all and will be blindsided. I was raised by my mother and grandparents, so I speak from experience. They will trust what the TV tells them, even though, now, it could lead to their demise.
 
MichelleH said:
I noticed from the comments that you aren't the only one. I hope he explains himself on Weatherbrains, but yeah, not happy with that either. I know he sees this as an opportunity to change the way people get severe weather information and warnings, but I have a problem with that - most elderly people don't use apps, YouTube or other "alternative media" for their weather information, they watch TV. And most of them become loyal to a certain station. If the station they are loyal to is one of the ones affected, then they're likely not going to change stations. They are going to trust what is told to them by pre-recorded TWC nonsense that is likely incorrect and almost certainly outdated. They're not going to know that they need to take shelter from an incoming tornado until it's too late - or more likely - they won't know about it at all and will be blindsided. I was raised by my mother and grandparents, so I speak from experience. They will trust what the TV tells them, even though, now, it could lead to their demise.
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Yeah. I still don't understand how that gonna work.
 
Gail said:
We still have WCBI. They aren’t bad, but I just trusted WTVA more.
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They mostly cover the Golden Triangle area. If you don't mind, please send me a link to WCBI's weather link or their online feed if they have one. I have a link to the television station fee, but I don't have one on their online feed if they have one.
 
CheeselandSkies said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the problem with Ryan Hall and the like is the viewer has to seek them out. They can't cut into your YouTube or Netflix stream of something else if a warning goes out for your area. So they mainly benefit people who are already intrinsically weather-aware at least to some extent. And like The Weather Channel, they have to cover the entire country. So during widespread outbreaks they have to focus on multiple areas, not just one TV market. They also can't be everywhere at once, so they're not as familiar with the local area as a meteorologist who lives, works and knows people in the community. One of the things that most impressed me about James Spann (and Jason Simpson) during the April 27 coverage was their encyclopedic knowledge of local jargon/points of reference. Obviously not all local TV meteorologists have that, but the good ones do.
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Yeah that latter part is something that I think was probably going by the wayside even before the suits started sucking the life out of local media just because the industry isn't really constructed to facilitate having someone become a local institution like that anymore, but completely taking the local aspect out of it is incredibly short-sighted. Yes, people have other ways of getting warning info, but a lot of people still rely on local news as their primary or at least as a supplemental form of severe weather info, and the last thing we ought to be doing is removing potential layers of safety from the system. Of course, that assumes that the well-being of the public is the primary concern here, and we all know that's not the case. It's a nice little microcosm of the entire media industry in 2025, where the things that benefit the consumer are rapidly being destroyed because they're not the things that make profits for the executives, and the end result is going to be a less safe, less-informed public.
 
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