Everything about Accuweather totally explained
AccuWeather is an
American media company that provides for profit
weather forecasting services worldwide.
AccuWeather was founded in
1962 by Dr.
Joel N. Myers, then a
Penn State graduate student working on degrees in
meteorology. His first customer was a gas company in Pennsylvania. While running the company, Myers also became a member of
Penn State's meteorology faculty. The company adopted the name "AccuWeather" in
1971.
AccuWeather is headquartered in
State College,
Pennsylvania, with a sales office in
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. In 2006, AccuWeather acquired WeatherData, Inc. of
Wichita,
Kansas. As WeatherData Services, Inc., an AccuWeather Company, the Wichita facility now houses AccuWeather’s specialized severe weather forecasters.
(External Link
)
Company Profile
AccuWeather markets weather products and services, with 175,000 clients worldwide in media, business and government.
(External Link) It also runs the free, advertising-supported website AccuWeather.com, an online weather provider. The company claims that the AccuWeather brand and weather are presented to over 110 million people every day. AccuWeather employs 404 persons, of whom 113 are meteorologists.
AccuWeather's forecasts and services are based on weather information derived from numerous sources, including weather observations and data gathered by the
National Weather Service and meteorological organizations outside the United States, and from information provided by non-meteorological organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the armed forces.
AccuWeather operates a 24-hour commercially sponsored weather channel known as
The Local AccuWeather Channel, which is similar to
NBC Weather Plus. The Local AccuWeather Channel launched in 2006 and is currently on the air in 48 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Houston.
(External Link)
The regular weather provider for
Bloomberg Television and numerous local TV stations, AccuWeather also provides guest commentary on major TV networks. AccuWeather also provides weather for numerous radio stations and newspapers, including
WINS (AM) in
New York City,
KFWB (AM) in
Los Angeles and
WBZ (AM) in
Boston. During severe-weather episodes, AccuWeather experts have been called upon by television journalists such as
Larry King,
Geraldo Rivera, and
Greta van Susteren for expert commentary. Many of its broadcast meteorologists, such as
Joe Bastardi and
Elliot Abrams, are known nationally.
AccuWeather produces local weather videos each day for use on their own web site, on the Local AccuWeather Channel, and on wired Internet and mobile web sites
(External Link). The company is also active in the areas of
convergence(External Link) and
digital signage (External Link).They have added a user-contributed video section to their photo gallery.
Current Programming
- Weather Detectives with Jacqueline Noto. Discusses how AccuWeather.com forensic meteorologists have assisted in establishing the truth in legal proceedings.
- Headline Earth with Katie Fehlinger. Presents discussions of the science behind the global warming debate. (AccuWeather also contributes space on its website for this discussion at www. global-warming.accuweather.com.)
- Travel Talk with Jason Handman. Weekly reviews of travel destinations around the U.S.
- Entertainment Weather with Karah Donovan. Presents weekend weather and its impact on entertainment options.
- Astronomy with Katrina Voss. Explores scientific topics related to meteor showers, eclipses, prominent constellations and reports on recent news and events in the field of astronomy.
- Weather 101/Weather Whys with Kate Bilo. Educational discussions of how the weather happens and how it impacts the world around us.
- Weather History with Kate Bilo. How precipitation, temperature or wind events have influenced the course of history. .
- Point Counterpoint with Joe Bastardi and Ken Reeves. Offers weather enthusiasts a fresh perspective on the current weather around the country. The Internet's only weather talk show.
On-air Personalities
AccuWeather’s broadcasters include
Elliot Abrams, Brett Anderson, Carl Babinski,
Joe Bastardi, Kate Bilo, Jack Boston, Dave Bowers, Dean Devore, Karah Donovan, John Feerick, Katie Fehlinger, Jason Handman, Maggie Johnson, Jim Kosek, Bob Larson, Michael Leseney, Henry Margusity, Melissa Magee, Byron May, Josh Nagelberg, Jacqueline Noto, Paul Pastelok, Steve Penstone, Jon Porter, Dan Pydynowski, Bernie Rayno, Ken Reeves, Matt Rinde, Kerry Schwindenhammer, Dr.
Joe Sobel, Kari Chessario Smith, Katrina Voss, Eric Wilhelm, and Heather Zehr.
AccuWeather in the Profession of Meteorology
AccuWeather has made a number of technical innovations in the the field of meteorology. It has replaced the commonly cited wind chill and heat index values with a unified value known as The AccuWeather Exclusive RealFeel Temperature(r). The formula for calculating this value incorporates the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation and elevation on the human body. AccuWeather has been granted a United States patent on The RealFeel Temperature
(External Link).]
AccuWeather employees who have been recognized for their services to the profession of meteorology include:
Elliot Abrams, AccuWeather Chief Forecaster and Senior Vice President, is one of only a few living persons who has earned both the title of Certified Consulting Meteorologist and the AMS Seal of Approval for both radio and television from the American Meteorological Society. He is a member of the AMS Board of Certified Consulting Meteorologists, a Fellow of the AMS, and winner of the 1993 AMS award for Outstanding Service by a Broadcasting Meteorologist. In 1996, the National Weather Association named Abrams "Broadcaster of the Year". In 1994, he won the AMS Charles L. Mitchell Award for “outstanding and unique dissemination of weather forecasts to the nation’s public by radio and television.” Abrams is co-inventor of the AccuWeather Exclusive RealFeel Temperature(r).
Dr. Joe Sobel, AccuWeather Senior Vice President, was recognized in 2004 by the AMS for Outstanding Service as a Broadcast Meteorologist. Dr. Sobel is co-inventor of the AccuWeather Exclusive RealFeel Temperature(r).
Michael R. Smith, CEO of WeatherData Services, Inc., (External Link)an AccuWeather company, is a Fellow of the AMS. In 1992, he won the American Meteorological Society's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Applied Meteorology and shared in WeatherData's 2000 Award for Outstanding Service to Meteorology by a Corporation. He is a recipient of five United States patents, with four other U.S. and foreign patents pending.
AccuWeather CEO Barry Lee Myers has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Weather Services Association, the weather industry’s trade association, since 1990, serving as the industry’s chief federal-relations officer. Barry Lee Myers is recognized as an expert in weather information exchange and public/private relationships in the weather field. He also has served as advisor to the Director of the U.S. National Weather Service at the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization Meetings in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather Founder, Chairman and President, was awarded the National Weather Association’s Operation Achievement Award in 2004. Dr. Myers was recognized in 1997 as one of the 528 greatest entrepreneurs in American history in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs. Dr. Myers is the co-recipient of two United States patents for the AccuWeather Exclusive RealFeel Temperature (r) and AccuWeather StormRisc(r).
Criticisms
The National Weather Service (NWS) states as their mission the following: "The National Weather Service provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. NWS data and products form a national information database and infrastructure which can be used by other governmental agencies, the private sector, the public, and the global community."
AccuWeather and other members of the Commercial Weather Services Association have from time to time criticized the NWS for what they've claimed is a lack of focus on this mission, often exemplified by NWS activities that are claimed to compete with the private weather companies.
On April 14, 2005 senator Rick Santorum introduced the "National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005" into the U.S. Senate. The legislation would have placed into federal law a definition of the duties of the NWS similar to its stated mission and would have prohibited the NWS from providing products or services for free that the private sector is willing and able to provide (S. 786). The bill didn't garner a single co-sponsor, didn't come up for a vote and Santorum was subsequently defeated in his re-election bid.
AccuWeather received criticism for their support of the legislation, (External Link), and Santorum received campaign contributions from the privately-held company's president and family. (External Link)Further Information
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