{"id":371889,"date":"2026-04-02T22:14:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T22:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/371889\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T22:14:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T22:14:08","slug":"retro-the-weather-channel-may-be-the-best-thing-to-watch-on-not-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/371889\/","title":{"rendered":"Retro The Weather Channel May Be the Best Thing to Watch on Not-TV"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tOne theme of DTF St. Louis, definitely not its main one, is that with smartphones, there is no real need for a weatherman anymore. By this point it\u2019s a pretty old joke (that isn\u2019t even really a joke), but in the whodunnit limited-drama series on HBO<\/a>, which reveals all on April 12, the sentiment is used to inform (some of) Clark Forest\u2019s (Jason Bateman) mid-life aimlessness<\/a>. The commonplace observation \u2014 and I\u2019m talking well-beyond HBO and the greater St. Louis metropolitan area \u2014 is often triggered by the realization that the Weather Channel<\/a> still exists.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou see kids, in a time before all of the world\u2019s knowledge fit into your pocket, we got our weather information one of several ways: the newspaper (a bit old), the radio (every quarterhour on the hour!), and\/or a dedicated minute, maybe two, on your local news. In the early 1980s, TV meteorologist John Coleman and Landmark Communications launched a 24\/7 cable channel dedicated to the weather. At its peak, the Weather Channel reached just over 100 million U.S. homes. Though no longer at that level, and probably by about half, it has continued to exist and evolve this whole time.<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, the Weather Channel\u2019s heyday is back, baby! Quite literally.<\/p>\n

\n\tWeather.com has launched a \u201cRetro\u201d extension, available at weather.com\/retro\/<\/a>, which brings visitors their local forecast alongside a tornado of nostalgia. The graphics are a perfect facsimile of decades-old Weather Channel telecasts, complete with a crop fit for a tube TV. The only thing better than its no-frills voiceover is the muzak. Only the actual weather information is current \u2014 it\u2019s perfect.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s also a bit confusing. You see, in 2018, Byron Allen\u2019s Allen Media Group (AMG) purchased the Weather Channel for roughly $300 million<\/a>. What AMG did not acquire were digital assets like weather.com; in 2024, the private-equity firm Francisco Partners bought those, including the website. The Retro forecast is a collaboration between the two \u2014 \u201cThe companies have ongoing agreements that have been in place for many years and such things are the result of that,\u201d a spokesperson for AMG told The Hollywood Reporter \u2014 one that\u2019s here to stay.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cNo this is not a joke,\u201d the Weather Channel wrote on X on Thursday, the day after April Fool\u2019s Day. \u201cRetro Weather Channel is officially back!\u201d<\/p>\n

No this is not a joke\u2026Retro Weather Channel is officially back! \ud83c\udfb6 Head to https:\/\/t.co\/sJgpOSHVgR<\/a> enjoy RetroCast Now for your forecasts in the way you know and love. \ud83d\udc99\ud83c\udfb7\u2600\ufe0f<\/p>\n

\u2014 The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe saxophone and sun emojis are a nice touch.<\/p>\n