Al Roker joining The Weather Channel July 20
When NBC Universal purchased the Atlanta-based Weather Channel, peppy “Today Show” meteorologist Al Roker quickly figured this could be a great marriage for him, too.
He approached Weather Channel executives earlier this year and suggested a show before his daily 7 to 10 a.m. stint on “The Today Show.” Called “Wake Up With Al,” the 6 a.m. show starting Monday, July 20, will be co-anchored by Roker and existing Weather Channel anchor Stephanie Abrams.
“If you have Bob Costas, why not use him for the Olympics?” Roker said in a phone interview Wednesday. “This seemed like a perfect fit. I just wanted to make sure there was a way to do it without killing myself.”
Roker said he’s already up at 3 a.m. in the morning each day: “I just have to put my pants on a little earlier.”
NBC built him a separate studio at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City with a 103-inch high-definition interactive touch screen. (”Whiz bang technology!” he said.) Abrams will work out of Atlanta headquarters.
“He’s personable. He’s likable. He’s humorous. It’s a pretty safe venture for the Weather Channel,” said Brad Adgate, senior vice president for research at Horizon Media, an independent media services company.
Geoffrey Darby, executive vice president of programming, agreed that the move is a no brainer. “Mornings are the Weather Channel’s primetime,” he said.
The Weather Channel’s ratings are typically highest on weekends. During the week of July 6, the top-rated program was “Weekend View” on Saturday mornings with 462,000 viewers.
“First Outlook,” the current weekday 6 a.m. show, drew 185,000 to 228,000 viewers last week. (In comparison, repeats of “Married With Children” on TBS brought in between 500,000 and 700,000 viewers that hour.)
“Wake Up With Al” will, of course, focus on the weather, including the signature “Locals on the 8s.” But the network is also going to use other NBC news operations, with headline summaries from MSNBC and CNBC anchors.
Darby said the network did focus groups and found people typically flip around at 6 a.m., catching some weather on the Weather Channel, then another network for news. He hopes by providing a bit of non-weather news on “Waking Up With Al,” viewers might stick around a bit longer.
Logistically, Roker said it will take him only five minutes to walk from his Weather Channel studio to “The Today Show.” And if there’s a big breaking weather story, he said he could stay at the Weather Channel and report from there for the NBC crowd.
TVNewser got Abrams and Roker together for an interview:
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77 comments Add your comment
Jim
October 24th, 2009
9:04 am
Enter your comments here
Oh brother. I can’t wait until they bring back another of their stellar entertainers–Willard Scott. Sheesh.
Capt. Hank
October 25th, 2009
11:47 am
The sad thing, I really don’t think NBC cares what we think about Al. I was preparing a list of the sponsors, would you believe most of their commercials are geared to hawking this A$$?
NBC has ruined a once stable tv station, forever. By the way, I must be on email block, Ms. Medori doesn’t reply to any of my emails. So be it….!
Capt. Hank
cyoti
October 26th, 2009
12:44 pm
Enter your comments here
cyoti
October 26th, 2009
12:48 pm
And I thought I was alone….. I left NBC because of Al Roker,, NOW he’s on the Weather Channel.
I don’t want to/ will not–”Wake up w/AL”– it’s morphing into a “Mini-NBC”,, what a shame.. This AM I got to watch someone play the piano,, not anymore, I’m after weather.
Karl
October 26th, 2009
12:57 pm
I’ll say it again, an added insult is having a REPEAT of Al @ 10:00AM…………….a disgrace and an insult to us viewers. Or former viewers that is.
JJ
October 26th, 2009
4:37 pm
Abrams is obnoxious. Roker is obnoxious. I can’t stomach it. I am back to watching my local news for weather. Yuck. The “news” breaks from CNBC and MSNBC (yuck, yuck, yuck!) are even more annoying than having to listen to Abrams yacking and Al trying waaaay too hard to be witty. Eww. Bad move Weather Channel. Bye.
Justin R.
November 3rd, 2009
10:55 pm
I agree. Abrams and Roker are both complete douchebags. When I wake up in the morning, I want the weather, not some comedy wannabe. I wish they would bring back the Weather Channel that I remembered and enjoyed from the late 80’s through the 90’s. I thought Cantore was the biggest tool, but now I know it’s Roker. What a joke.
Randino
November 4th, 2009
12:07 pm
Thank goodness for my DVR! I can wait until a couple of minutes past one of the “Local on the Eights” in the morning, then turn Weather Channel on and back through to the beginning of the segment–thus getting my local weather AND avoiding Al altogether! Programming Director please note: I’m also turning the TV off immediately AFTER viewing the recorded “Eights” segment, so I hope you didn’t have any commercials you wanted me to see…’cause it ain’t happening! The new format is–as has been stated MANY times in the foregoing posts–a travesty.
Roy Wolin
November 13th, 2009
3:40 pm
Al Roker is useless. You can tell that he spends more time watching prompter than the other on air personalities. He tries to be funny, but is boring.
Bring back Dave Schwartz, Sharon,Cheryl, Kristina and others who have more talent.
Casey
November 18th, 2009
11:19 am
Get rid of roker…what a joke…what happened to the weather channel that we all loved…where you could actually get the weather…anytime day or night…I’m loving my weather bug…I can actually get the weather and NO roper there…what the hell is the weather channel thinking or lack of…we want weather plain & simple…no storm stories or roper and what the hell is this on friday nights…MOVIES…you have got to be kidding me…weather channel you have hit an all time low…won’t be watching anymore I can’t stand it…yuck.
Randum
November 23rd, 2009
7:56 am
Haven’t watched the Weather channel since Roker became a part of it.
I was a loyal fan,the Weather channel Was my screen saver.On 27/7.
Capt. Hank
November 23rd, 2009
7:57 pm
Melissa doesn’t reply to my emails. I’m now looking for the next layer above her. Maybe, they will reply.
E.Healy
November 27th, 2009
3:31 pm
I disliked Al Roker when he was on NBC in Cleveland. Was so glad when he departed for NYC. Now all these years later, he’s back in my life on TWC. Lord, help us all! There seems to be no end to the “JUNK” they are now putting on the WEATHER channel. They spend so much time “hypeing” themselves all day long, they very seldom give us the LOCAL ON THE EIGHTS anymore. The first page seldom comes up at all and it doesn’t even start usually until 09 and they rush through it like there was no tomorrow. Just a rotten shame!!!!!!! So many of us who live some distance from a big city and cannot rely on their forecasts for accuracy, have nowhere to turn now. Tthink it all comes down to money. NBC and GE have ruined one more station!!!
BergOnePwnage
November 29th, 2009
10:33 am
Screw Al, how about Wake Up with Dave Schwartz.
V Kerns
December 9th, 2009
3:56 pm
Cant believe how many people agree with the way I feel. Bring back the old weather channel. Cannot stand Abrams & Roker in the AM. Used to put the Weather Channel on and leave it there all day, now I can’t stand to listen to it. Very sick & tired of the reruns of When Weather Changed History & It Could Happen Tomorrow. Boring the first time, nauseating the second time. Didn’t know NBC was responsible, guess this explains. Also, what the heck are we doing watching MSNBC news updates on the weather channel? Who’s idea was this, you have ruined my favorite channel. (PS-The drama does not work and the wittiness they are trying for is not funny)
N. Elizabeth
December 16th, 2009
3:38 pm
I keep hoping TWC will improve and get rid of the Wake Up With Al show. As soon as 6:00 a.m. arrives, I grab for the remote. It’s AWFUL! So many people just waking up would like to hear about the weather, not the latest MSNBC news updates or other nonsense that SHOULD NOT BE ON TWC!! Thank you for letting me VENT! The suits at NBC and GE just DON”T GET IT!
Joseph Smith
December 21st, 2009
7:00 am
Let’s see…we had the latest news headlines, the latest business news, and then people strumming on their guitars. THIS IS THE WEATHER CHANNEL??? IF REFUSE TO WAKE UP WITH A!!!!!
James Rogers
December 24th, 2009
11:12 am
How long is the Weather Channel going to allow this to go on?? It is clear that everyone can’t stand wake up with Al !!!!! So please take him completely off of the Weather Channel, and let Stephanie do the morning show alone if you must have a morning show.Stephanie is the best.
Capt. Hank
December 29th, 2009
4:14 pm
I’m hoping the Weather Channel has learned a lesson and will start the New Year, without Al Roker.
Ed
January 4th, 2010
10:34 am
I agree with a lot of the above posts. TWC has sunk to a new low in trying to be an entertainment channel instead of a weather resource. The “Wake Up with Al show” is an insult to any breathing human being.
The other day I changed to TWC so as to watch some commercials. Every so often, a weather forecast would pop up. After doing some timing, I discovered that TWC is airing about 22 minutes of commercials, promos and self adulation for every hour of air time. I am expecting them to reach 30 minutes of ad time every hour very soon.
I, for one, watch TWC for the forecast on the 8’s as infrequently as possible in order to avoid their ad’s, movies and pseudo documentaries (It could happen tomorrow, storm stories, high sea rescues, ad nauseum). I expect TWC to sink and disappear soon.
Axel
January 4th, 2010
11:47 pm
TWC was great for years, but now it’s turning out to be like almost every other TV network, cable or otherwise. Nothing new. Nothing original. Nothing worth watching.
Satch
January 9th, 2010
11:54 am
I used to watch TWC. I can’t believe they ruined the show by adding Al Roker to the line up.
All the promotions for commercial advertisement for this guy makes me sick.
Anyone honestly believe the celebs used, would actually endorse this guy if they were not
getting paid well to do so? For me I just look out the window and read the thermometer at 6 A.M.
Less painful that way.
Love Abrahms,Bettes, and the rest of the meteorologists on TWC. Roker just stinks it up!
cindo
January 10th, 2010
4:28 pm
terrible new format! i used to love the weather channel..NO more! al roker…a joke…its is SO NBC now! …and we all know they are at the bottom of the ratings pile!
Ed
January 15th, 2010
4:32 pm
Well, this is new one on me. TWC is treating the earthquake disaster in Haiti as though it is was a hurricane. Since when is an earthquake related to weather? Enough said.
Annie
January 30th, 2010
12:25 am
Glad to know I’m not alone in my utter disgust with TWC since it’s been GE’d. Roker isn’t even a meteorologist go back to your co-flakes Matt and Merideth. They got rid of the heart of the channel (Dave, Kristin, Sharon, et al) and replaced seasoned meteorologists with “fresh faces” like Bouncing Betty and Adam the Woodchuck (he must be some exec’s nephew; nothing else explains any station hiring him.) There is so much more propaganda like perpetuating the global warning hoax. Repeat after repeat in the afternoon of canned programming during which there is no local forecast – which, by the way half of the time isn’t on the 8’s. More often it’s on the 9’s and sometimes on the 10’s. Hey it’s Corporate Weather now so lies are part of the product. Glad to see Bill Kennelly is on tonight. He and Kelly Cass were the ultimate anchor pairing. Oh excuse me…I just had to get up and switch the channel the Woodchuck came on reporting from Arkansas…Stephanie Abrahams is way too over the top and they’re over doing Jim Cantore. I don’t want movies, news headlines or market updates, I don’t care if Kate Hudson is a fan – John Hope must be spinning in his grave. PS Carl Parker stop being so preachy and just do the damn weather.
Karl
February 3rd, 2010
3:35 pm
WELL said, Annie. Spot on with your comments and thoughts.
George Space
March 6th, 2010
12:43 pm
Please let Al Roker move to Atlanta and do a three hour shift like the rest of the weather people do. I want to see the weather not Al’s Buddies and I did not want the Olympic coverage on there either, it sucked. The Today show is the today show, not the weather channel.