Local on the 8s

 

 

Current logo for Local on the 8s

The Local Forecast opener from the "Weather You Can Always Turn To" period in the mid-1990s.

The Local on the 8s or Local Forecast is the portion of programming where viewers see current weather conditions and local weather forecasts for their respective area on The Weather Channel in the United States. The name comes from the timing of the segment, as the times it airs end in "8" (such as 9:18, 9:28, etc.) and because of the timing of the segment, "Local on the 8s" airs in ten minute intervals.

Before the implementation took place in mid-1995, the forecast was seen either every five minutes or 8 times an hour at various times (more in the morning and less at night). The name was introduced on April 21, 1996 to coincide with a sweeping revamp of the channel's presentation. The Weather Channel filed for a trademark on the name on June 24, 1997. The name has caused confusion in the New York area with CBS Corporation properties WCBS-TV and WCBS AM, as the properties use a similar slogan, "traffic and weather on the 8s".

Forecasts are generated by a WeatherStar machine, a proprietary hardware system in the form of a computerized unit; the machines are installed in a headend and receive the information from the vertical blanking interval of the TWC video feed and from data transmitted on satellite. The information is then inserted over the TWC feed with local insertion technologies. The WeatherStar systems are capable of adding or removing segments shown within the main local forecast segment, with the common exception of the extended forecast, in what are referred to as "flavors"; the forecast flavors allow variabilities in the weather graphics displayed during each local forecast segment, causing certain graphics to appear only at specific times or lengths.

Despite the name, the segment occasionally airs at times that do not end in "8" (such as 9:27, 9:57, etc., usually no more than two minutes before the "8"s in an hour), particularly during original long-form programming and weekday morning forecast programs Wake Up with Al and Day Planner.

Weather Star systems

As of 2008, the majority of cable operators use the IntelliStar, the latest STAR system. The IntelliStar platform can also generate graphics for Weatherscan, The Weather Channel's 24-hour localized weather network. With an IntelliStar, cable viewers see current weather conditions for their area, surrounding areas, and their region; 36-hour, daypart, and 7-day forecasts; almanacs; air quality and health reports; specialized school day and activity forecast; in coastal areas, tides and marine forecasts; and, in certain large media markets, traffic conditions supplied by Traffic Pulse (which gathers the information in real time from intelligent transportation systems operated by state departments of transportation).

The IntelliStar is not the only type of STAR in operation. Three other STAR systems are used sporadically. The Weather Star 4000 is the oldest and the first in the series that produces graphical local forecasts and radar. The Weather Star Jr is a budget model introduced in 1994 that was very uncommon from its introduction. It is similar to the now-discontinued Weather Star III in terms of products and appearance, but uses the typeface of the 4000.

The Weather Star XL, introduced in the fall of 1998, is an IRIX-based machine, a major leap from 4000s in terms of capabilities and graphic generation. It was used for Weatherscan until 2003 (the first use of the IntelliStar was on Weatherscan that year).

As satellite television is broadcast to a large area, this localized weather model must be adapted for its viewers. The satellite forecast segment includes hourly forecasts for 20 major cities, three-day forecasts for 40 U.S. cities, satellite loops and composite radars of the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest, and Southwest, respectively. At :18 and :48 after the hour, the Northwest and Southwest satellite/radars are replaced by one showing the entire West. IntelliStars are hooked up at both DirecTV's and Dish Network's primary uplink sites, but they run a different lower display line graphic at all times even during television commercials. This cycles through current conditions (sky and temperature only) and today or next-day forecasts for major U.S. cities, as well as major airport delays. As of November 8, 2006, Dish Network viewers are now able to view local weather conditions and radar on The Weather Channel on DISH HOME Channel 100, based on their billing ZIP code, along with access to weather in other cities. DirecTV viewers can get local forecasts by zip code, which works through the "interactive" function of later receiver models.

Although IPTV services are wired services (in a similar vein to cable television), allowing for the use of WeatherStar systems, AT&T U-verse also does not provide localized forecasts through the aid of an IntelliStar computer system (AT&T U-verse does provide a dedicated Weather on Demand channel with forecasts provided by AccuWeather); as such, U-verse subscribers also see the satellite forecast segment during the "Local on the 8s" segments. Verizon FiOS subscribers receive IntelliStar-delivered local forecasts on The Weather Channel's standard definition feed.

It is noted that during The Weather Channel's "Storm Alert" mode (introduced in 2005), specifically when a dangerous hurricane prepares to make landfall, the number of local forecasts seen throughout the hour is reduced from six times to four - :18 past the hour, :28 past the hour, :48 past the hour, :58 past the hour.

Lower Display Line (LDL)

The Weather Star systems also utilize weather information in the form of an Lower Display Line (LDL); the LDL displayed by Weather Star systems from Weather Star Jr. and earlier were text-based only and included only current conditions and monthly precipitation. The Weather Star XL included a translucent background for the LDL and added weather forecasts, while the IntelliStar system includes current conditions and forecasts for three nearby areas and until March 11, 2010, included air quality indexes, travel forecasts for three cities in the region, traffic information and almanac data.

Time data was included on LDLs since the initial Weather Star system (this function was dropped on March 11, 2010 on the IntelliStar, though it has since returned to the LDL) and the current date was also included on systems from Weather Star XL and earlier. With the addition of a national LDL during national programming on March 11, 2010, cable headends still using the Weather Star 4000 and Weather Star Jr. will now overlay the text-only LDL over the national LDL as the 4000 and Jr.'s LDLs have no background (the LDLs on the 4000 and Jr. and earlier Weather Star systems contain no background for the LDL). The XL's LDL no longer gets a signal to cue either after this update. However on extreme, rare conditions, the 4000 and or Jr.'s LDLs will cue and remain on for a period during the day it gets cued.

In recent years with the inclusion of original programming such as Storm Stories and Full Force Nature to The Weather Channel, the local forecasts now generally air in the "8"'s of every hour only during long-form forecast programs on the channel. Local weather information is provided during all programming, even during commercial breaks, on the Lower Display Line during these programs, however the standard "Local on the 8s" segment airs during non-forecast programming once every half-hour during these programs.

Music

The Weather Channel released its own Smooth Jazz CD in 2007, The Weather Channel Presents: The Best of Smooth Jazz, based on collections of popular music played on the "Local On the 8s" segments. It peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz charts in the same year. Artists included on this CD are Joyce Cooling, Dave Koz, Paprika Soul, Four 80 East, Jeff Lorber, Pieces of a Dream, Chick Corea, Jeanne Ricks, Ryan Farish, Mark Krurnowski, Najee, 3rd Force. In 2008, their second compilation CD containing their most requested music was released, titled The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz II. Artists on this CD include Russ Freeman & The Rippingtons, Jeff Lorber, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Bradley Joseph, Bernie Williams, David Benoit, Spyro Gyra, Norman Brown, Chris Geith, Joe Sample, Charlie Parker Quartet, and Eric Marienthal.

Other artists that can be heard during this segment include the Network Music stock music service, Trammell Starks (who composed 40 tracks specifically for The Weather Channel), The Rippingtons, Moby, EKO, Shadowfax, Chris Camozzi, Scott Ward, Miles Davis, Robert A. Wolf, David Becker, Kent Marcum, and many others. Instrumentals performed by bands such as The B-52's ('Follow Your Bliss'), Derek and the Dominos (the Layla piano exit), The Who (the beginning intro of Eminence Front), the Allman Brothers Band (Jessica), parts of Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Terminal Frost by Pink Floyd, and Divided Sky by Phish can also be heard during this segment. When Wake Up With Al premiered in July 2009, music from 3 Doors Down including Here Without You was added to the lineup, marking the first time the broadcast played music with lyrics. Most recently, much of the solo piano music is provided by new age pianist, Matthew C. Shuman, with his original pieces ('Chasing the Wind'), ('Stormy Sea'), ('Finding Freedom'), ('Frosty Sunrise'), ('Fallen Snow'), ('Falling Rain'), ('Night Storm'), ('Mixed Emotions') and ('White Water').

Other songs containing lyrics from artists such as Taylor Swift and Vanessa Carlton have been rotated into the local forecast cycle since then, though the inclusion of lyrical songs poses a problem as the audio ducking feature on the Intellistar system at cable headends causes both the music and lyrics to be nearly muted (this is not seen on the Intellistar 2) as the Vocal Local function is played especially during the local forecast narrations, when the Vocal Local narration is nearly continuous until the end of the 24-48 hour forecast segment. This is in addition to the fact that the songs will not be played in their entirety due to the local forecast lengths which now range from 60 seconds to two minutes (prior to 2008, all local forecasts were roughly two minutes in length).

The Weather Channel suspends the music during local forecasts when a hurricane approaches the United States coastal areas and airs the "Storm Alert" music during the Local on the 8s. During the holiday season, appropriately-themed music such as instrumental versions of popular Christmas carols and music from A Charlie Brown Christmas is often played during the Local on the 8s. Music and score from various films have also been played including; Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Home Alone, Shaft, and Tron: Legacy.

Also, on July 7, 2009 (and on into the early morning of July 8), The Weather Channel played "Billie Jean" by the late singer/dancer Michael Jackson in honor of his memorial service held that day in Los Angeles. It was also played during the Wake Up with Al playlists in the months following.

See also

• Weatherscan
• WeatherStar
  • Weather Star III
  • Weather Star 4000
  • Weather Star Jr
  • Weather Star XL
  • IntelliStar
• The Weather Channel

External links

• The Weather Channel