In the early 2000s, Americans who wanted to catch the local weather forecast at any time might turn on their TV and switch over to Weatherscan, a 24 hour computer-controlled weather forecast channel with a relaxing jazz soundtrack. The Weather Channel announced that it will be closing down after 23 years. A group of die-hard fans will not allow it to end quietly.
There are only a few local American cable TV and satellite markets left. Local weather information is generated by a computer system installed in each market. It's going offline because of declining viewers and the proliferation of weather apps.
Maintaining the hardware behind the service is a problem. A tech who collects and restores Weather Channel computer hardware is part of a group of die-hard fans who follow the company. More and more cable companies are pulling the service.
Smaller cable companies have continued to use Weatherscan, despite the fact that giants have dropped it. "Because of the small subscriber user base for the technology, I am assuming the Weather Channel just stopped using it and moved to newer hardware." They let it run until we get to the point where we are dying. There are at least 60 or 70 Weatherscan units out there. I don't know how many.
Weatherscan developed a cult following due to the way it mixes computers with weather and the smooth jazz music that plays continuously over the forecasts. There are people who collect the hardware necessary to run their own weather stations out of their houses. Some people have created software that makes the service look like it.
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Over the years, The Weather Channel has amassed a large fan following, and that community maintains a wiki filled with details about beloved on-air talent, discontinued programs, and the back-end tech that pulls it all together. It's that deep lore that motivates people to attempt to preserve equipment. We are not only preserving the hardware and software that we are nostalgic for, but also that which made The Weather Channel what it used to be.
The Weather Channel had a computer called the Weather Star4000. It provided on-screen computer forecasts until just before Weatherscan launched in 1999, but some units still exist today. The Weather Star software inspired a wave of nostalgia.
The team effort to get Weatherscan to run locally was led by friends named Brian, Jesse, andEthan. There is a blue rack-mount enclosure where one of the computer models behind the service is housed. There is a proprietary PowerPC-based card that pulls it all together to make it broadcast ready.
A group of friends found old Intellistar units on eBay and used forensic tools to reconstruct data from the hard drives in order to make a working version of Weatherscan. They exhibited their work at shows last month.
In mid-September, the National Content & Technology Cooperative received a letter announcing the demise of Weatherscan. None of the alternative TV weather services will have that smooth jazz charm. The soul of Weatherscan will live on thanks to fans like you.
It was an icon that was forgotten about except for enthusiasts. The way we consume content is different. The era is over.
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