Freeze said there “will be climate conversation” on the new network and how it impacts different communities. Some media analysts question whether the polarizing Fox brand will inspire trust in its weather forecasts, particularly in blue states, with conservative Fox News commentators frequently expressing doubts about climate change. “But what we know from our success over 60 years is it takes a very specialized and focused infrastructure to be successful at weather warnings, weather forecasting and weather communications.” “I think clearly Fox has significant experience and resources for news gathering, sports and financial information,” Porter said. Jon Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, is skeptical Fox has the expertise to accurately forecast national weather with local precision. IBM bought the Weather Channel’s digital and data assets, including and its mobile apps, for more than $2 billion in 2015.Īnother competitor is AccuWeather, a 60-year-old Pennsylvania-based company that employs more than 125 meteorologists to provide localized forecasts for media outlets across the country, including WBBM-AM 780 in Chicago.ĪccuWeather has also staked out turf in the digital media world with its own weather website, app and a recently launched streaming network. “When you open up the app … you hit the button live, and I’ll be talking to you in a matter of seconds.”įox Weather’s main competitor may be the Weather Channel, a nearly 40-year-old cable network which is beefing up its own digital offerings in the wake of cord-cutting, with a paid streaming service set to launch later this year.Īllen Media Group, the company founded by comedian and entrepreneur Byron Allen, bought the Weather Channel cable network for $300 million in 2018. “I think that this is the future of how weather will be consumed,” Freeze said. Freeze said the Fox Weather streaming network brings her back to Chicago through an innovative platform, with live national weather reports, localized forecasts and a familiar face streamed on your smartphone.

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