With cable television growing in popularity in the 1980s, 24-hour niche networks were sprouting up. Months after the launch of Cable News Network, or CNN, several industry veterans began discussing the creation of a round-the-clock channel devoted simply to weather. John Coleman, a weatherman at Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV, is credited as the founder. Coleman took his idea to Norfolk, Virginia-based Landmark Communications, a media company known for its print publications. In 1981, Coleman and Landmark joined forces and announced the formation of The Weather Channel.
After nearly a year of behind-the-scenes preparation--including selecting a studio site in Atlanta and securing deals with cable companies across the nation--The Weather Channel debuted May 2, 1982. Programming included local, regional, national and global weather forecasts. While viewers across the country saw the same programs, scrolling information at the bottom of the screen varied from one cable company to the next. Cutting-edge technology at the time known as WeatherSTAR provided customized weather information at each cable company's head-end. Initially, Weather Channel anchors gathered their information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service offices.
As with most early cable networks, The Weather Channel was run on a shoestring budget. After a year on the air, officials announced the network had lost millions of dollars. The Weather Channel might go dark. After a little more than a year at the helm, Coleman stepped down in August 1983 and gave full control of The Weather Channel to Landmark. To get much-needed cash, Landmark decided early in 1984 to charge cable companies to carry The Weather Channel; it previously was offered free and income came solely from limited commercial advertisements. The majority of cable companies, eager to have specialty channels on their line-ups that would draw in customers, agreed to Landmark's request. Charging cable companies to carry channels has since been a standard practice.
In the latter half of the 1980s, fortunes at The Weather Channel reversed. Landmark invested in technological advancements, cable companies continued carrying the channel and, perhaps most importantly, the network became a part of popular culture. Landmark announced an image campaign in 1986 when The Weather Channel adopted the slogan, "You need us for everything you do." Throughout the 1990s, the channel continued to evolve with new graphics and sets. By 2001, The Weather Channel ended its relationship with NOAA and the weather service and all forecasting was done in-house.
In 1995, Landmark purchased the domain name Weather.com and brought The Weather Channel to the Internet at a time when the new medium was growing in popularity. Like the main channel, Weather.com offers web users customized weather forecasts, but in a more specialized manner. For example, visitors can get information on how the weather will impact gardening. Weather.com consistently ranks as one of the most visited websites. According to audience ranking company Nielsen, Weather.com brings in more than 20 million unique visitors each month and is among the top 15 websites.
From its earliest days, The Weather Channel presented an endless loop of weather updates. That programming strategy changed in 2000 when Landmark introduced a full-length program, "Atmospheres," in prime time. Although the long-form programs address weather, they are often pre-recorded and are a departure from the channel's original format. True to its heritage, however, The Weather Channel continued its scrolling updates at the bottom of the screen. One of the channel's most popular long-form programs is "Storm Stories," which has been syndicated to over-the-air stations across the country.
After more than a quarter century of ownership, Landmark sold The Weather Channel and Weather.com to NBC Universal in July 2008. The sale was made with the backing of Bain Capital and The Blackstone Group. Prior to the sale, The Weather Channel was one of the last remaining independently run cable networks. Since assuming ownership, NBC has made tweaks to the channel's on-screen image. For example, Al Roker, the meteorologist on NBC's "Today" show, began hosting a morning program on The Weather Channel after the shift in ownership.