Meteorologists at 27 local TV news stations are facing uncertainty about their jobs after Allen Media Group announced a new local weather initiative with The Weather Channel.
The group, which owns TV stations in 21 markets across the country, said Saturday it is rolling out a new format for weather coverage that will have "additional visual storytelling capabilities" across its stations in 2025.
The move comes as the broadcast industry, particularly television, seeks new ways to engage audiences as it navigates waning viewership amid cord cutting and the rise of streaming platforms.
The plan involves meteorologists at The Weather Channel in Atlanta producing content for local stations across the country. The team under the new initiative will be led by Carl Parker, a meteorologist at The Weather Channel, and include some meteorologists from local TV stations moving to Atlanta, the media group said in a statement.
Severe weather will remain a priority, the group said, and the new format will "improve reporting capabilities, especially in high-stakes weather situations." It will also ensure "the most accurate, timely, and engaging forecasts for communities across the country," according to the release.
The company would not publicly detail how the change would affect meteorologists at local TV stations.
Meteorologists at some stations say they expect to be impacted by the decision. There are also stations facing ongoing layoffs that were announced in early 2024.
"By now most of you have probably seen the chatter about Allen media letting local meteorologists go, well I am one that will be affected by this," Amber Kulick, a meteorologist with WAAY-TV in Huntsville, Ala., a station owned by the media group, wrote in a social media post. "For now I am still at the station but I am looking for my next career opportunity."
Josh Franson, a meteorologist with KWWL-TV in Iowa, said he is among those facing layoffs at his station.
"Hey guys, If you haven't heard the recent news about the layoffs, I wanted to share that our station is one of those impacted," Franson wrote in a post on X. "To my viewers and those of you who have been on Frannys Report since day one, thank you."
Zach Stanford, a former state coordinator for crisis information and disaster intelligence for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said local meteorologists are the "obvious choice for life-saving local weather information" and serve critical roles in sharing other information such as wildfire perimeters and evacuations.
"Local meteorologists on TV are a trusted face, not only because they know their science, but also because they're a member of that community," Stanford told NPR. "The community component has to be thought through to make sure that that critical service is not lost."
Allen Media Group took ownership of The Weather Channel in 2018.
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