Sorry, Tony...Actually, one can't keep politics completely out of a thread caused by a government regulation. True? Dumb FCC moves are prominent in our discussions on this board.
And, it makes NO sense for the FCC regulation on requirement for education/information to apply to a 100 percent dedicated weather-format station designed for UPLINK, not for local-only origination. (meaning a local market only station.)
All it will take to change things.... is a major weather "event" not being covered during this government mandate time period by a weather channel, and you open the floodgates to public outcry against the particular weather service that is too busy meeting its "FCC requirements" to "protect" the public. Remember, we're a very litigious society.
Yeah, like a hurricane. Or another tornado like those that hit Joplin or OKC..
We get LOTS of hurricanes here on the Gulf of Mexico.
One thing I would like to mention, I have a weather alert radio. It sounds an a very annoying alarm that won't shut off without me getting up to push a button.
When there is a weather event the NWS sends a signal to trigger these radios and you're suppose to go listen to them.
BUT, here's the deal. Baton Rouge. They are HUNDREDS of mile away from us. And storms there trigger the alarm here.
And it's pointless. I've lived here 51 years and weather ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS blows from NW to SE and no storms ever, not once, never have blown this way FROM Baton Rouge. Weather there has ZERO effect on us here.
It's STUPID to trigger our alarms here, hundreds of miles away when history has proven that no storm was ever blown in from that direction.
And it's not just them but every little hick town and Parish for 300 miles in every direction that triggers our alarms. And the d*mn thing goes off sometimes 8 or 10 times a day, several days a week.
I get sooooo sick of having to go reset it that I finally just shut the stupid thing off and I only turn it on when I know there is a hurricane on the way.
That means I have to rely on TV weather to see things like all other storms. Tornadoes (rare and small here), lightning, violent fronts, etc.. I would like to stay informed.
One of the advantages of me going over to the Dark Side (Dish Network) and having a 1m dish, I'm pulling signals down so crazy strong that there's little chance even heavy rain will affect it.
I'll have The Weather Channel sometime this week. The REAL weather channel.
Oh, that reminds me, isn't there a weather channel on one of the C-band Anik satellites that's ITC?
Actually, I want to buy one of those home weather stations. My uncle has one but it's pretty basic. The kind I want costs about $700..