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When it came to weather alerts in the not-too-distant past, broadcast meteorologists only had to attend to linear-TV bottom-of-the-screen scrolls. That is not at all the case today.
“Technology has advanced so rapidly in the communications and broadcast sector that now there are so many more platforms that viewers are going to to consume content, and that is where you need to be,” said Brian McDonald, senior media technical sales and consulting manager for The Weather Company, an IBM business.
McDonald’s observation was made during a recent conversation with TVNewsCheck Publisher Kathy Haley. Called “Weather Alerting: Expanding Demands & Evolving Technology,” McDonald added during the talk that the souped-up tech of contemporary times has not only meant an increase in the number of broadcast platforms, but changes in consumer habits and expectations that publishers must cater to.
“As a consumer, we’re used to being alerted multiple times a day,” McDonald said. “When your cellphone vibrates, you’re being alerted that there’s new content there that you need to look at.”
New email alerts pop up on your tablet, laptop or PC; digital calendars remind you of upcoming events you have to hurry out the door to.
Consumers Now Expect Alerts to Find Them
“We are now conditioned for information to find us,” McDonald continued. “Viewers want you to find them no matter where they’re at, no matter what platform where they’re consuming your content.”
So the demand for weather alerting is higher than it’s ever been. Combine this new technological reality