April 28, 2002

For the 'Weather-Engaged,' Manna From Heaven

By JOHN D. THOMAS

THE Weather Channel first went on the air on May 2, 1982. Before long, its somewhat wonkish and dowdy staff of meteorologists began dispensing weather reports and forecasts to an ever-growing cable audience. Popularity led to market research, and a few years ago the channel discovered something new about its viewers.

''Our viewer research indicated that there is a significant segment of the Weather Channel audience that can be characterized as 'the weather-engaged,' '' explained Terry Connelly, a programming vice president. ''They are fascinated by the science, power and mystery of weather and want more than maps and data. They indicated they would watch more often if we could satisfy that appetite.''

So the producers cooked up ''Atmospheres,'' an hourlong weather magazine show, and began showing it on Sunday nights. A hybrid of ''60 Minutes,'' ''Wild on E!'' and a Discovery Channel special, the show has now acquired a cult following -- not least because it sometimes comes off as ''America's Most Amazingly Devastating Home Weather Videos.''

The opening program, on Aug. 23, 2000, was on the tame side. The segments were about how the Coast Guard prepared for Hurricane Andrew, how window washers on Chicago skyscrapers deal with high winds, what the weather is like on Aruba, and how varying atmospheric conditions affect Space Shuttle missions.

Since then there have been more than 60 ''Atmospheres,'' with topics ranging from beach erosion to forensic meteorology, from windmills to the effect of weather on the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.

The show's main host is Jim Cantore, whose intense, in-the-field storm reporting has, in weather circles, earned him the title ''the Mike Wallace of meteorology.'' He joined the Weather Channel 15 years ago, after graduating from Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vt., with a bachelor's degree in meteorology.

''Atmospheres'' does indeed have an educational bent. Each broadcast features hard facts about weather phenomena and climates around the globe. Mr. Cantore anchored a recent broadcast from in front of the Pentagon, where he reported on the crucial relationship between weather and war. ''Today's weather soldiers use radar, satellites, climate data and computers to provide final reports to troops,'' he explained in a weighty tone. ''The accuracy of their forecasts can mean the difference between victory and defeat.''

But as the show's fans know, ''Atmospheres'' relies as much on emotion as it does on information. The show is anything but timid about tugging heartstrings; wildly melodramatic profiles of survivors of deadly weather are a staple -- the kind of programming that some weather wits refer to as ''weather porn.''

A good example played out in early April on a special edition of ''Atmospheres.'' Entitled ''Caught,'' it focused on people who had been trapped in extreme weather and must have been ecstasy for masochists. Viewers relived one harrowing story after another. Lawrence Williams, who lost 13 family members during Hurricane Camille, recalled the 1969 Gulf Coast storm as somber violins played over images of giant waves, lightning and destructive winds. ''We was in total darkness -- no communication, no nothing,'' Mr. Williams said. ''The world was ending. The world was coming to an end that night.'' When asked if he had any advice for others facing a similar situation, Mr. Williams said gravely: ''Take your family and leave. It's better to be safe than dead.''

The public's response to such reports has inspired the producers to rethink the program. ''Atmospheres'' will continue in its present form through the end of the year, when it will be replaced by a new half-hour program entitled ''Storm Stories,'' also presented by Mr. Cantore.

'' 'Storm Stories' will be about survivors and rescuers caught in life-threatening events,'' Mr. Cantore said. ''People are going to learn how to prepare for this kind of weather. Because I guarantee you one thing, there will be another hurricane, there will be more tornados, and there will be more blizzards and floods.''

Even though ''Atmospheres'' is meeting a popular need, Mr. Cantore said, he admitted that dropping a one-hour feature program into a format whose lifeblood was continuous weather maps and radar images has drawn some complaints from Weather Channel purists.

''We've gone almost 20 years, 24-7, with round-the-clock maps and local forecasts,'' he said. ''So when you throw an hour magazine show in there, some viewers are going to be a little taken aback. Most viewers have been very happy, because, after all, a lot of them told us that this was what they wanted. But occasionally, if there's a big squall line or something going through their city, and someone expects to tune in and see the weather on that squall line, and we're in a kayak in Belize, they are going to be a little upset.''

Like everything else, ''Atmospheres'' is subject to the vagaries of the weather. Once, it was pre-empted by a blizzard in the Northeast. Still, the program has been popular. According to the channel, the program is being watched in 250,000 to 350,000 households every Sunday.

''It almost always beats Headline News, often beats CNBC and is very competitive with MSNBC,'' said Mr. Connelly, the programming executive. ''The 'Weather and War' episode delivery of 359,000 households on Sunday, March 3, for example, beat 'National Geographic Explorer' on MSNBC, 'Weekend Hardball' on CNBC and Headline News. We think that's especially notable, given the intense interest in coverage of the war on terrorism on those other networks.''

But if the Weather Channel is getting great ratings from feature programming, will forecasts be eventually minimized by things like original weather movies and weather game shows? ''We like to take measured risks, but we're not crazy,'' Mr. Connelly said.

Forecasting, he added, will always be ''the franchise.''

''Movies and game shows have never been proposed and aren't even on our radar screen,'' he said.