City: Atlanta, GA

Category: Media

Telephone: (770) 226-0000

Address: 300 Interstate North Pkwy.

Description: When they want to get the latest on hurricanes, floods, or earthquakes—and when they just want to know what to wear to work—more than 93 percent of U.S. cable households can check the Weather Channel. The world’s only 24-hour, continuous-coverage network devoted exclusively to the weather is headquartered in northwest Atlanta. The Weather Channel reports local, regional, national, and international weather conditions and runs a forecast specific to the viewer’s local area every 8 to 10 minutes around the clock. There are also regular reports such as the Weekly Planner (:20 past the hour) and International Weather (:11 past the hour). The channel’s “weathertainment” shows focus on phenomena such as tornadoes and flooding. As conditions warrant, the channel adds regular reports on fall foliage, heat or cold waves, holiday weather, and beach forecasts. The Weather Channel really shines when the weather acts up. Its forecasters meticulously track the path of big storms, often giving far more detailed information about their progress than other news sources. Frequently the channel has a crew beachside bravely beaming live video as a hurricane makes landfall. (We have often wondered if that crew had “won” or “lost” the argument for who went there!) The Weather Channel was launched in 1982, the brainchild of John Coleman. The weather forecaster on ABC’s Good Morning, America, he served as the network’s first president. The Weather Channel has generated an operating profit since 1985. Originally owned by Landmark Communications Inc. in Norfolk, Virginia, it was purchased by NBC in 2008 for $3 billion.