Who could have envisioned, while watching television in the 1960s or 1970s that one day, we would have an entire channel dedicated to weather? The Weather Channel is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and you can find out what is happening in any part of the country. The Weather Channel is entertainment in its own right as the presenters put their personalities on display and become household names. I watch the Weather Channel occasionally, like when a storm is threatening or I have a game of golf planned and want to see how the weather systems are shaping up. It isn't exactly a channel you would switch to as a matter of course for some television entertainment, although no doubt some people do.
Watching radar and cloud formations for hours on end is not my idea of entertainment and I'm sure most people would see it the same way. Weather is a hot topic for most people at some time and especially when we have the likes of Hurricane Katrina or the latest one, Gustav threatening to flatten New Orleans once again. This is when the Weather Channel becomes the most important channel on television as they track the storm that threatens keeping up with rainfall, wind speed and where the hurricane is likely to hit land. People sit glued to their set hoping the eye of the storm will move elsewhere or miss land completely.
Some of the presenters on the Weather Channel are very knowledgeable about weather systems and how they are created. Knowing your stuff about isobars is a sure-fire way to secure a spot on the Weather Channel though some of the presenters are no doubt chosen for looks and ability to speak clearly. Talking about rainfall, sunshine, clouds, wind or hurricanes might be like watching paint dry for some people. Others are intensely interested in what is happening on the weather front from day to day even if it has no bearing on their own locality. America is a big place with a wide range of weather systems from north to south and east to west, weather that ranges from heavy rain and snow to extremely hot, dry weather.
The Weather Channel is here to stay and will continue to provide up-to-the-minute coverage of severe weather as it happens. Weather is regarded as a topic that is discussed by people every day as a matter of conversation. Some rely on the weather for their work and others want to know what's happening so that they can plan outdoor events. Wherever we may be and however the weather might affect us, the Weather Channel is always there with the information we need.