Allen Media Group Scraps Plan to Replace Local TV Meteorologists

Less than a week after announcing that it would replace local weathercasters at its local TV stations, Allen Media Group decided on Thursday to scrap its plans after viewer outcry.

Last Friday, a number of meterologists with AMG’s 27 stations—mostly in small to midsize markets—began announcing their departures to viewers. On Saturday, in what looks like an attempt to get ahead of the bad press, AMG officially made its announcement of its “groundbreaking format” to use meteorologists from AMG-owned The Weather Channel for its live forecasts, replacing local weather forecasters.

“We are proud to announce that Allen Media Group is leveraging the full resources and expertise of The Weather Channel to make our local weather news the very best,” said Tom O’Brien, President of Weather Group/The Weather Channel. “We are one hundred percent committed to delivering next-level weather news to our local television stations 24/7.”

Viewer feedback was immediate and overwhelmingly negative.

“Remember when #SinclairBroadcastGroup tried ‘NewsCentral’ and what a complete out of touch sh*tshow that was?”, user “cantnot” posted on X earlier this week. “That’s exactly what will happen here with #AllenMediaGroup removing all local meteorologists. We need owners that want to run tv stations, not bean counters.”

“Laying off Weather People in tornado prone areas is very dangerous,” posted LeeWatson_357. “People based in Atlanta don’t know the local areas in markets like Tupelo, Mississippi.”

TV Tech has not yet confirmed whether the decision to end this experiment will apply to all 27 of its stations, but AMG gave its stations a canned statement on Thursday, announcing its plans to rescind the move.

KEZI, the ABC affiliate in Eugene, Oregon, issued this statement: “After receiving significant feedback across various markets, Allen Media has decided to pause and reconsider the strategy of providing local weather from the Weather Channel in Atlanta, and KEZI will continue to provide market-leading coverage from your StormTracker 9 Meteorologists.”

The same statement was also posted by ABC affiliate KDRV Medford, Oregon.

Craig Ford, news anchor for ABC affiliate WTVA in Tupelo, Mississippi, said, “We cannot speak to what the future holds months or years down the road, as we certainly could not have predicted how the past few days have unfolded, but what we can say is that your severe weather coverage is here to stay … coming from our studio, coming from our team … and for that, we thank you.

“Your calls, emails, texts … every word spoken in support of our team was heard, and without your outpouring of messages that rang so loud, this change may not have been possible.”

Mike Wright, vice president and general manager of WAAY-TV Huntsville, Alabama, agreed, saying viewer feedback made all the difference.

"While The Weather Channel is consistently voted one of the most trusted weather brands in the country, this decision was about keeping local meteorologists who have a deeper understanding of the unique weather patterns and challenges of our region,” Wright said. “We understand our viewers rely on timely, in-depth coverage of our communities, especially during severe weather events. Our commitment to providing that expertise remains steadfast.

“The overwhelming feedback from our viewers—through calls and emails—has been instrumental in guiding this decision,” Wright continued. "We appreciate the loyalty and trust of our audience, and remain committed to delivering the high-quality, localized coverage they expect."

The change elicited cheers from viewers online, with Brad Mitchell (aka @BallCoach2009), posting: “Heck yeah!!! I can respect @AllenMGroup for admitting their mistake and making it right, but mainly for listening to their viewers!”