Posted by madcityradio.com on October 17, 2008 at 10:38:52:
iDGi: DirecTV adds Weather Channel local alerts, forecasts
If you're a weather aficionado, you probably haven't considered satellite TV because you can't get the Weather Channel's local severe weather alerts or "Local on the 8s" segments.
That definitely was a drawback for me when I switched from Charter cable to DirecTV a year ago; I found the weather product on the company's "active" service to be slow and not very useful with only the kind of forecast you'd get in a static Web site.
The loss was mitigated partly by installing a "rabbit ears" antenna that enabled me to get WMTV's 24/7 weather service at Channel 15-2.
But I'll admit I missed the Local on the 8s and those blaring Weather Channel alerts during severe weather.
Now it's pretty much all there on DirecTV: severe weather alerts, ZIP code-specific weather information during the "Local on the 8s" segments, and a handy "Local on Demand" service available while watching the Weather Channel (in standard definition, not yet high definition) through the newly designed DirecTV "active" portal.
That Local on Demand service includes current conditions, a five-day forecast, regional radar maps, weather alerts and weather for up to five other cities that can be saved as favorites.
(Jeff Richgels, 77 Square)