Would you watch the same commercial 18 times in 60 minutes?

[freedom_please]

I did... while I was talking to my parents, I turned off the volume and recorded the number of times The Weather Channel scared us with:

- IT COULD HAPPEN TOMORROW
- TORNADO WEEK
- SEVERE WEATHER

In exactly 60 minutes, it was shown 18 times!

Here's are my notes:

10:27 TW
10:28 ICHT
10:38 TW
10:47 TW
10:48 ICHT
10:50 TW
10:57 TW
10:58 TW
11:08 TW
11:08 ICHT
11:10 SW
11:11 T
11:11 ICHT
11:18 TW
11:20 SW
11:25 TW
11:27 TW
11:28 ICHT

My parents thought I was crazy, but after hearing me say, "Up... there's another scary promo"... they were astonished.

Normally, self-promotions are used to fill empty advertising slots... yet I'd have a hard time believing 18 ads slots per hour are vacant.

So who is paying for these ads? I do know our government admits paying for ads (as well as paying reports to embed positive stories). And if we find out our government is paying for these weather documentaries, how would you feel about it?

[BrklynLiberal]

1. They do that on commercial TV too. The same commercials over and over..

as if there are new viewers every 3 minutes, or we are all suffering from short-term memory loss.
I guess that is one of the advantages of TIVO and the rest of that recording stuff...you can skip the commercials.

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. I too had the weather channel

on mute while I talked to my parents this morning and noticed the repeated fearmongering commercials. The time slot wasn't exactly the same (there was some overlap). Thanks for noting the frequency.

[LifeDuringWartime]

i would have turned it off

the ads on weather.com aren't any better! i usually use the accuweather widget on my osx dashboard

[LoZoccolo]

3. Yes, the Weather Channel has cut back on the "good weather" promotions.

They used to have documentaries all the time about what a pleasant day is like; now they have been almost completely eradicated and the commercials have gone with them.

[fiveleafclover]

7. But people don't want to see documentaries

on pretty days and sunshine. They want to see death and destruction. If you want people to watch something on tv, you either have to make it screw or bleed. Maybe even both.

[LoZoccolo]

9. I was being sarcastic.

I know of no "good weather" documentaries.

[fiveleafclover]

10. Oh, I know

I was just backing you up with my own sarcasm.

[BlooInBloo]

12. It's the damn liberal media....

They have an agenda - they don't want to show all of the good weather that's taking place. I mean San Diego - sunny and 75 - doesn't get any better than that.

In fact, good weather is on the march all over the country, and it's because of the US govt! Average temperatures are up by 3 degrees. So you see, the bush administration is introducing good weather all over the country. It's just the liberal media who plays up and exaggerates the bad weather.

[walldude]

4. I believe the term for that is Brainwashing... n/t

[boobooday]

5. They must not be selling much ad time these days

If you were watching the Weather Channel, that just means they couldn't sell the air time to anybody else, and had to fill it with their own promos.

If you were watching another channel, I would think that is pretty damn weird.

[C_U_L8R]

6. That was my thought too

Running house ads means they aren't selling inventory.

[annabanana]

8. recommended for methodology recognition...

Once you become aware of the methods while they happen they lose their mojo.. Your parents will now NOTICE when they are being bombarded by bad weather scares..
(Now do it on a cable news station...)

[JackintheGreen]

11. In all fairness to WC

I grew up in central IL, and certain times of the year it really could happen tomorrow.

But keep in mind it's a channel about weather, ferchrissakes. They decided that forecasts 24/7 wasn't getting them the audience they deserved. They made a marketing decision (much like MTV, many years ago) to expand programming, but for now they still have to limit themslevesto weather. Would anybody watch:

It was a beautiful summer day, when a sudden gust of wind caught Julia's kite and swept it away into the blue sky. Were it not for Julia having tethered it to a 500 ft length of string, THAT VERY MORNING, she would have lost her box kite FOREVER!

But just as I miss turning on MTV and actually seeing music, I miss turning on the weather channel and seeing doppler radar and storm forecasts on Romania, knowing that within 8 minutes I'll see the local barometric pressure. Good times....

[SheilaT]

13. Given that we've had a couple of tornadoes touch down this morning

in Kansas, it doesn't strike me as overdoing it.

Oh, yeah and last night two people were killed in a tornado in southern Missouri.

I realize that if you don't live in tornado country, it's not as interesting, but I don't live anywhere near hurricanes or volcanoes (and earthquakes are extremely unusual around here) and I find stuff about all of those things to be fascinating.

It seems to me as though much of the weather channel ads are promos for their various special weather shows.

[Coyote_Bandit]

16. Maybe some folks

like yourself find the programming on extreme weather interesting - perhaps even educational. I personally know some folks who find weather quite interesting and like to study all kinds of weather patterns in all kinds of plces and its causes and interrelationships. But that is their personal choice and interest. And it is not the result of sensational fearmongering advertising.

I live in JOklahoma - long recognized as part of tornado alley. I've seen a few of the beasties up close and personal and have come to hate storm season here.

I think that extreme weather programming (and most certainly advertising for such programming) does more to reinforce a sense of fear than to educate and prepare folks. I have some sense of what to do and not to do and where to seek safe shelter during tornado friendly weather. Running educational spots informing folks of such information is one thing - and a valuable public service. Showing the most horrific video of destruction that is available and constantly reminding them that they could be the victim of such uncontrollable forces of nature at a moments notice is quite another. It is not a whole lot different than frequently reminding folks - as we did during the cold war - to be ready at a moments notice to seek safety in their bomb shelters.

[SheilaT]

17. Interesting point.

But I would argue that the extreme weather programming does serve a valid educational service. However, if people take it as fear-mongering and become fearful of extreme weather totally out of proportion to its real danger, then you're right.

What I actually love about living here in Kansas is the violent weather. It's the most violent of anywhere I've ever lived on a regular basis. I've spent my share of time in the basement when the sirens have gone off, although the only time I ever actually saw any funnel clouds was when I lived in Boulder.

[SPKrazy]

14. Not Exactly Prime Time

But that is quite unusual to see the same promos over and over

either the local cable didn't sell any ads, the cable stations support the Weather Channel so they aren't strictly ad dependent.

But who knows, maybe they are being subsidized to advertise.

Although it is Tornado season, as last night and the last few nights, and probably tonight will attest to.

There is always some disaster on the horizon, what is it this week?

Some people like to be frightened by stories like this as it stirs up the adrenaline a little, without actually having to do anything other than watch and imagine.

If we found out our government is paying for these documentaries, I would want to know why? But I'd have to reserve judgment as to whether it was more than just a waste of taxpayer money or not. And certainly to determine if it was something more nefarious.

[Armstead]

15. I doubt it's anything conspiratorial -- Just normal sensationalism

It's unfortunate, but television has devolved to the point where they feel that they have to hype up eberyting these days. Make it larger than life.

The Travel Channel -- Instead of straightforward documentaries about diferent plaes, it's now 20 Haunted Resorts! or Luxury Spas You Will Never Be ble to Afford....or te all time favorite Las Vegas Secrets!

Instead of giving you the weather, the Weather Channel figures they have to hop on the bandwagon with scary promos and "doumentsries" that are just an excuse to show things getting blowed up.

I almost wish this trend were something specific like government propaganda. Unfortunateluy, it's just the latest version of PT Barnum.

[applegrove]

18. I sometimes get fascinated by infomertials.

[SheilaT]

19. At least nine people were killed

in tornadoes here this weekend.

Half of the buildings at the University of Kansas in Lawrence were damaged and there's no classes there today.

[Atman]

20. But...but...but...it could happen TOMORROW! WE COULD ALL DIE!

:hide:


And don't be so quick to think theses promos aren't just filling unsold ad time. CNN is also having a tough time selling ads, but with them, it's much more obvious...they've been filling the time with Big Brother/Big Sister PSAs the Ad Council, I while I haven't counted (and they're probably not up to 18/hr yet), there does seem be one in virtually every commercial break.