Attn: Cleburne, Randolph, Marengo, Lamar Counties
No, this is not about severe weather… but about TV coverage for severe weather.
I have written a series of these articles over the years, but it comes up every time we have active weather.
There are a number of counties in which some people seem to prefer our severe weather coverage, but we can’t guarantee it for them because they are an “out of market” county. Some of these counties…
Cleburne (Atlanta market)
Randolph (Atlanta market)
Sumter (Meridian market)
Marengo (Montgomery market)
Perry (Montgomery market)
Lamar (Columbus market)
Tallapoosa (Montgomery market)
DeKalb (Huntsville market)
Unfortunately, we have absolutely nothing to do with county TV market assignments. Counties are assigned to TV markets solely by the viewing habits of the people who live there. If a majority of people in these counties watch local stations out of Birmingham, then Nielsen Media (the guys who determine these markets) will make a change and get you in our market. Otherwise, you stay in your assigned market.
Trust me, I know many of you that are satellite (Dish Network and DirecTV) customers have no choice. However, there are many people within these counties that DO have a choice thanks to cable systems that carry multiple network affiliates. Those are the “swing votes” we must have to make an assignment change.
So… if you want to be in our market, be sure you always watch local stations out of Birmingham every day… not just on stormy days (if you have a choice). And, pass the word. Our friends in Coosa County were successful in making this happen a few years ago; they were assigned to Montgomery, but are now in the Birmingham market.
Having said all that, if possible we will provide long form coverage for these counties, but we cannot promise it like we do our home counties. But, here on the blog, there will always be online coverage for severe storms that impact these counties. And, the warnings will always show up on ABC 33/40 with our map/crawl system.
And, one more note, if you are not happy with the stations in your home market and their weather coverage for your county, let them know, or more importantly, just change the channel. That is the ultimate way you can “vote” on the matter!
Category: Hodgepodge
About the Author (Author Profile)
James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
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