New Huge Weather Warnings

[SugarRay]

Check out the huge Weather Warning on Fox 6 on "24: tonight. I knew that the weather folks controled things at the stations, but this is bad! NOt to mention the size 36 red font that scroolls every 5 min saying there is a T-storm warrning.

Plus no HD.

Not buying any of the products they advertise.

[SRW1000]

Yes, more silly weather hype. At one time, Fox 6 was able to show some moderation. Now, they've joined the other crowd.

Kudos to 10, 18, 24, and 36 for choosing not to propagate the ridiculous exaggeration of this evening's weather conditions.

To the rest of them, a big raspberry.

Scott

[tywest]

Nice....
Well i'm glad i can watch the 24" version of Heroes, on my 37" tv.
Ridiculous:bang:

[LowSignal]

I think we should all chip in and send a giant pair of novelty eye glasses with a card reading "Thanks for the weather alert, We can SEE!"

[kjnorman]

There's a thunderstorm. Big Woop!

WTMJ shrunk Heroes to 1/4 it size and then pre-empted the beginning. Gits!

Consequently I will not watch the crappy presentation of Heroes tonight (which really makes me mad). Instead I'll have to watch for the Sci-fi rerun or (more likely) download it on bittorrent tonight.

BURN IN HELL WTMJ :Shoot:

[kjnorman]

I figured that it was no use ranting on here. This place is not going to change anything, and so I fired off an email to tmj4feedback@todaystmj4.com. I suspect it will just be deleted but this is what I wrote (not very eloquent but I was a little po'd)

To TMJ4,

Thank you so very much for destroying tonight's presentation of Heroes. I have been looking forward to this show all week - it is my number one show. I was appalled at how you butchered the presentation so that you can display your enormous and unreasonable weather graphics all over the picture. There was a thunderstorm, big deal!!! Why do you plaster so much crap over the TV picture every time there is the teeniest chance of a bit of rain. I am not suggesting you stop this for tornado warnings and such like, but a relatively minor thunderstorm. Get real.

What sickens me even more is that I am watching on digital 4-1 your high definition channel. While I understand that on analog you may not have much alternative when it comes to weather warnings this is not the case with new digital technology. First you have your high definition channel and then you have a dedicated weather plus channels on 4-2. If severe weather threatens why could you not run a VERY SMALL radar in the lower left of the screen with an OCCASIONAL text scrawl at the bottom of the screen mentioning the weather warning and for more information to tune to 4-2 for those who want more weather into. You could even go a step further and preempt the regular 4-2 programming and put the standard definition feed of 4-1 in a quarter of the screen along with all the other weather graphics so that viewers who did want to see the show (but also see the weather warnings) would not miss out.
There are many better ways to handle weather warnings. Your current solution is not one of them. In the end I did not watch your show because of your lame presentation. Now I will have to watch Heroes on the Sci-Fi channel or download it on the Internet. I wanted to watch it with you tonight but your crap presentation drove me elsewhere. These days there are many easy ways to get a show if your presentation is less than perfect. It is time your got with the picture and stop this silly battle of one oneupmanship with the other locals on who has the biggest and most obnoxious weather warnings going. Your viewers do not care.

Kerry Norman.
Disgruntled viewer.

[Dan the Man]

Dear TMJ4:

I am disappointed that the program/news director elected to ruin tonight's presentation of Heroes with the atrocious weather alert AND pre-empting of the beginning with the weather update. I was appalled at how you butchered the presentation so that you can display your enormous and unreasonable weather graphics all over the picture. There was some bad weather, but was it that bad that it warranted the disturbance you created?

What bothers me the most is that I am watching the show on Time Warner channel 504 (high definition) and this warning not only cut the HD feed out, but compresses the picture so much it is difficult to watch. If severe weather threatens why could you not run a very small graphic in the lower corner with a text crawl at the bottom of the screen mentioning the weather warning.

There must be better ways to handle weather warnings. The current solution is not one of them. Please look for better ways to communicate this information without ruining the HD picture quality.

Sincerely,

Dan Rehbein

[RLJSlick]

That's a very good idea, maybe if we all write TMJ they will listen.


I figured that it was no use ranting on here. This place is not going to change anything, and so I fired off an email to tmj4feedback@todaystmj4.com. I suspect it will just be deleted but this is what I wrote (not very eloquent but I was a little po'd)

To TMJ4,

Thank you so very much for destroying tonight's presentation of Heroes. I have been looking forward to this show all week - it is my number one show. I was appalled at how you butchered the presentation so that you can display your enormous and unreasonable weather graphics all over the picture. There was a thunderstorm, big deal!!! Why do you plaster so much crap over the TV picture every time there is the teeniest chance of a bit of rain. I am not suggesting you stop this for tornado warnings and such like, but a relatively minor thunderstorm. Get real.

What sickens me even more is that I am watching on digital 4-1 your high definition channel. While I understand that on analog you may not have much alternative when it comes to weather warnings this is not the case with new digital technology. First you have your high definition channel and then you have a dedicated weather plus channels on 4-2. If severe weather threatens why could you not run a VERY SMALL radar in the lower left of the screen with an OCCASIONAL text scrawl at the bottom of the screen mentioning the weather warning and for more information to tune to 4-2 for those who want more weather into. You could even go a step further and preempt the regular 4-2 programming and put the standard definition feed of 4-1 in a quarter of the screen along with all the other weather graphics so that viewers who did want to see the show (but also see the weather warnings) would not miss out.
There are many better ways to handle weather warnings. Your current solution is not one of them. In the end I did not watch your show because of your lame presentation. Now I will have to watch Heroes on the Sci-Fi channel or download it on the Internet. I wanted to watch it with you tonight but your crap presentation drove me elsewhere. These days there are many easy ways to get a show if your presentation is less than perfect. It is time your got with the picture and stop this silly battle of one oneupmanship with the other locals on who has the biggest and most obnoxious weather warnings going. Your viewers do not care.

Kerry Norman.
Disgruntled viewer.

[klwillis45]

It is replaying May 4 on SciFi. No HD, but at least they won't have those annoying weather bugs.

[basshive]

That's a very good idea, maybe if we all write TMJ they will listen.


Survey says.................

no... :(

It really was bad enough that they shrunk it down so much, even on the 60inch it was pretty tiny, being widesreen makes it even smaller, but then they have the nerve to preempt..... This is not some summer re-run!! In this day in age where getting new episodes of shows becomes more and more rare (ie, shows that split seasons up and make you wait 2 months, etc) and we are forced to go longer stretches for them it is unacceptable to have them butchered in such a manner when we finally do get a chance to sit and enjoy!

[Mikey]

Yeah, the weather season warnings are now upon us...again.

It seems to me they have gotten larger.

I didn't realize so many legally blind people watch TV in SE Wisconsin.

My picture was cut by more than 50% of what it should have been in HD.

And to pre-empt the beginning of the show to tell us there is a t-storm warning? What am I, retarded? A graphic and a window aren't enough for me to deduct that it is raining outside and whatnot?

Bad form WTMJ.

[Jayflap]

Like Kerry mentioned, if you are watching on HD you have access to 4-2. The graphic on HD should be small and direct you to 4-2.

My wife works over at 4, I could see if she would mention something to the managers over there, but I doubt anything would come of it.

Jason

[Snard]

Like Kerry mentioned, if you are watching on HD you have access to 4-2. The graphic on HD should be small and direct you to 4-2.

My wife works over at 4, I could see if she would mention something to the managers over there, but I doubt anything would come of it.

Jason
TWC doesn't broadcast 4-2, do they?

[jjallou]

TWC doesn't broadcast 4-2, do they?

On channel 104.

Weather Plus is promoted as being on the radio, newspaper, and TWC channel 104.
Never a mention of it being available OTA on channel 4-2. Why would they want to promote that? :rolleyes:

[LoadStar]

On channel 104.

Weather Plus is promoted as being on the radio, newspaper, and TWC channel 104.
Never a mention of it being available OTA on channel 4-2. Why would they want to promote that? :rolleyes:

Honestly, because so few people actually use an OTA tuner, even mentioning it would just muddy the message. It's the same reason they didn't mention the OTA channel numbers in the NCAA multicast ads for WDJT.

I'm not even sure how you'd properly refer to it, out loud that is. On paper it's usually "4.2" or "4-2" - but out loud, would you say "Four dot two," "Four dash two" or would you say something like "Subchannel two" and hope people know what a subchannel is?

[greenskingIV]

I live in Kenosha (TW Cable) and at least when the milwaukee channels start running their weather junk I can turn on a Chicago ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, OR PBS and get the full screen. The channels aren't HD but at least i get a little relief. The Chicago channels very seldom ever run weather warnings. In Milwaukee if there is a dark cloud on the horizon you can be sure the weather warnings will run non stop.

[Bebop]

Everyone should just make a big cardboard cut of the weather warning logo and picket around all the TV stations. :)

[Absopo]

Everyone should just make a big cardboard cut of the weather warning logo and picket around all the TV stations. :)Agreed!!!!!!

[Mikey]

Well, one beneift of summer-time storms is I hardly if ever watch local network TV during the summer as it is all crap or re-runs, so I don't have to suffer through the giant warnings.

On a hardly related note, I have noticed myself lately (now that TV season is over), my channel surfing lands on Mojo-TV alot lately. Three Sheets is an awesome show and just makes me want to drink as I watch it.

:D

[gparris]

I live in Kenosha (TW Cable) and at least when the milwaukee channels start running their weather junk I can turn on a Chicago ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, OR PBS and get the full screen. The channels aren't HD but at least i get a little relief. The Chicago channels very seldom ever run weather warnings. In Milwaukee if there is a dark cloud on the horizon you can be sure the weather warnings will run non stop.

Agreed, the Chicago network channels like CBS2 come in the worst possible analogue (if there is such a thing) on the HDTVs, but there is nothing like the sort of warnings you get from Milwaukee stations, either.:D

[gparris]

Well, one beneift of summer-time storms is I hardly if ever watch local network TV during the summer as it is all crap or re-runs, so I don't have to suffer through the giant warnings.

On a hardly related note, I have noticed myself lately (now that TV season is over), my channel surfing lands on Mojo-TV alot lately. Three Sheets is an awesome show and just makes me want to drink as I watch it.

:D

What? A TWC HD sub that actually still SUBSCRIBES to the HD package?

(I thought I was the only one left).:blush:

The network reruns are not watched, unless it conflicted with my HD DVR recordings (requiring three at the same time during the fall/winter/spring shows), but if the weather warnings from Milwaukee stations get bothersome, no loss...you're right.

I stick with Sci-Fi Channel, USA (4400, Dead Zone, Psych) amongst others that are non-standard network fare "cable" channels like you do - and the HD channels I find time to watch/record.;)

As for tornado warnings, unless there is one bearing down on me, I don't think the cable company cuts in for these, do they?

[Stanley Kritzik]

Yeah, the weather season warnings are now upon us...again.

It seems to me they have gotten larger.

I didn't realize so many legally blind people watch TV in SE Wisconsin.

My picture was cut by more than 50% of what it should have been in HD.

And to pre-empt the beginning of the show to tell us there is a t-storm warning? What am I, retarded? A graphic and a window aren't enough for me to deduct that it is raining outside and whatnot?

Bad form WTMJ.


Where do these weather prophets come from -- San Diego? This is Wisconsin, and we DO have weather, and it changes, by cracky! The over-promotion of fairly normal seasonal weather is disgusting. If we could only watch the network feeds -- which will never happen, of course. After all, if it rains and the wind blows, we'll survive. Save the drama for something really wicked, such as a tornado warning or watch.

But, it isn't only the weather -- most of the local news is overblown, with these utterly silly photo ops -- outside of hospitals, jails, etc. The intelligence level the local stations are aiming for is tragicly low. Thank goodness for HBO, ESPN, Discovery, etc.

Stan

[Tom Snyder]

Curprisin's blog today is a hoot!

http://www.jsonline.com/blog/?id=87

[RLJSlick]

That's great, good stuff!

[RLJSlick]

They better not have this silly warning up through the whole NBA final game tonight!!!! The game look like !@$# with the screen smashed like that. I don't see anything on the radar that show we need to have this huge warning on 512!!!

[Stanley Kritzik]

They better not have this silly warning up through the whole NBA final game tonight!!!! The game look like !@$# with the screen smashed like that. I don't see anything on the radar that show we need to have this huge warning on 512!!!

Yes, during the entire NBA final, the weather warnings (largely for things that didn't happen) took up a third of 12-1's HD screen, not to mention the crawl, too.

So, when the dust settled, there was 0.3 inches of rain on my rain gauge in Milwaukee County; there have been a few reports about uprooted trees; 18,000 people without power for some time period; tornados somewhere in the State with no fatalities; and, pleased to report, Toto and her mistress, Dorothy, are still in Kansas!

Stan

[Mikey]

They better not have this silly warning up through the whole NBA final game tonight!!!! The game look like !@$# with the screen smashed like that. I don't see anything on the radar that show we need to have this huge warning on 512!!!

Oh I was ****ed off!

Lets take a gander at what we HD watchers were given for game one of the NBA finals last night.

It SHOULD have been a nice 16:9 HD image of a glorious sport to watch in HD.

Instead, the 16:9 was shrunk down to 4:3. THEN, the 4:3 was further pushed off to the right of that already reduced image to allow 25% of THAT screen to have the weather warning for the legally blind to see.

So, in conclusion, I was able to watch the game at about the 55% of the size it should have been, and not in high definition...and distorted so everyone looked like stick figures.

Awesome.

[RLJSlick]

I was so mad I wrote a very nasty email to WISN, about their use of weather warnings, and how the kid crying wolf once too many times, and no one payed attention after that. Makes no sense. End up watching the game on Channel 7 in Chicago.

By the way Mikey I love that avatar, my wife and I took the New Glarus beer tour last year. Ummm!
Spotted Cow is the 'bestest' beer in the world!!! LOL!