Company Directory - The Weather Channel
Company Details - The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel
WebsiteAtlanta, United States
The Weather Channel is a leading provider of weather forecasts, news, and multimedia content. It offers up-to-date weather information across television and digital platforms, serving audiences with detailed local and national weather updates.
CCI Score
CCI Score: The Weather Channel
-21.76
0.01%
Latest Event
Layoffs and Restructuring at The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel announced sweeping changes including significant layoffs across departments such as HR, Finance, and Communications, as it restructures to focus exclusively on weather programming. This move has raised concerns about the impact on worker rights and job security.
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ACCOMPLICE
The Weather Channel is currently rated as an Accomplice.
Latest Events
- JAN192025
The Weather Channel announced sweeping changes including significant layoffs across departments such as HR, Finance, and Communications, as it restructures to focus exclusively on weather programming. This move has raised concerns about the impact on worker rights and job security.
-25
Labor Relations and Human Rights Practices
March 31
The restructuring resulted in layoffs affecting multiple support functions, undermining workers' rights and job security even as the company claims to assist affected employees. Such actions are viewed negatively from an anti-authoritarian, worker rights perspective.
- JAN192025
The Weather Channel's new initiative, led by Carl Parker, aims to centralize weather content production by relocating local meteorologists to Atlanta, potentially leading to significant layoffs at local TV stations and undermining community-based reporting.
-50
Labor Relations and Human Rights Practices
March 31
The decision to centralize weather coverage and shift local meteorologists to Atlanta is expected to lead to layoffs at local stations. This move undermines the vital role of local journalism and worker security, negatively impacting community access to critical, locally-tailored weather information.
Local meteorologists could face layoffs amid new initiative with The Weather Channel
- JAN192025
Allen Media Group, the owner of The Weather Channel, is consolidating local weather reporting by centralizing operations at its Atlanta hub and cutting local TV weathercasters across the US. The move has resulted in layoffs at stations such as Tucson's KVOA, impacting long-standing local weather teams and raising concerns about labor rights and job security.
-60
Labor Relations and Human Rights Practices
March 31
The consolidation initiative involves significant layoffs and cost-cutting measures that diminish local labor protections and disenfranchise long-serving weathercasters. This undermines fair labor practices and devalues the local expertise, thereby negatively impacting community media representation and workers' rights.
KVOA losing local TV weathercasters as chain owner cuts stations across US
- NOV082024
A lawsuit was filed alleging that the Weather Channel website, through its collaboration with third-party ad partners, improperly shared sensitive personal data—including full names, email addresses, and precise geolocation—without users' consent, potentially violating the Video Privacy Protection Act. The complaint highlights risks for vulnerable groups by exposing location data that could lead to tracking of attendance at sensitive venues.
-70
Business Practices and Ethical Responsibility
March 31
This incident reflects a significant ethical lapse in business practices where the Weather Channel's digital platform, potentially in partnership with IBM, facilitated the unauthorized sharing of personally identifiable information with third-party ad firms. The exposure of sensitive data, particularly precise geolocation which can be used to single out marginalized communities, undermines consumer privacy and trust and aligns with practices that can enable authoritarian forms of surveillance and control.
- JAN012024
The OpenSecrets profile for The Weather Channel shows that in the 2024 cycle the company made modest political contributions of $6,187 but spent $240,000 on lobbying, and its lobbyists predominantly have previous government experience, indicating a revolving door dynamic.
-40
Political Contributions and Lobbying Efforts
March 31
The Weather Channel's profile reveals a low level of direct political contributions paired with a relatively high amount of lobbying expenditure. The significant presence of former government officials among its lobbyists suggests an established revolving door practice, raising concerns about the company’s potential to leverage undue political influence. This combination of factors is concerning from a democratic accountability standpoint within the context of anti-authoritarian and anti-fascist principles.
- OCT012023
OpenSecrets has compiled a lobbying profile for The Weather Channel, presenting data on its annual lobbying totals since 1998, and noting that the company did not report lobbying on specific bills in 2024. This profile highlights the ongoing engagement in political lobbying by the company.
-10
Political Contributions and Lobbying Efforts
March 31
The OpenSecrets profile details The Weather Channel's historical lobbying activities, which indicate routine corporate involvement in political influence. Although the profile notes that no specific bills were targeted in 2024, the continued engagement in lobbying raises concerns about corporate influence over public policy, aligning with worries about undue corporate interference in democratic processes.
- APR262023
The Weather Channel is settling a lawsuit alleging it violated privacy laws by continuously tracking mobile app users and selling their geolocation data without proper consent. This marks the second such lawsuit in three years, following a previous settlement with the city of Los Angeles in 2020 that forced changes to its disclosure practices.
-60
Business Practices and Ethical Responsibility
March 31
The company's business practices have come under scrutiny for unethical handling of user data, as demonstrated by repeated privacy violations. Settling a lawsuit over secretly tracking and selling geolocation information reflects a disregard for consumer rights and responsible ethical practices.
-30
Technology and Services Impact
March 31
The incident highlights problematic use of technology in the form of mobile app tracking. The continuous tracking of users’ locations without explicit consent compromises privacy and could facilitate surveillance practices, contributing to broader concerns over technology’s role in undermining civil liberties.
- JAN012023
According to OpenSecrets data, The Weather Channel spent $240,000 on lobbying activities in 2023, an expenditure that underscores its engagement in efforts to influence public policy in ways that often advance corporate interests over public accountability.
-30
Political Contributions and Lobbying Efforts
March 31
The reported $240,000 lobbying expenditure by The Weather Channel in 2023 indicates a proactive use of corporate resources to shape policy outcomes. Such lobbying efforts can contribute to the concentration of political influence, undermining democratic accountability and potentially prioritizing business interests over those of the public, particularly marginalized communities.
- JUL022020
The Weather Channel settled a class action lawsuit alleging that its mobile app tracked and sold users' precise geolocation data without proper disclosure or consent, raising significant privacy and ethical concerns.
-70
Business Practices and Ethical Responsibility
March 31
The lawsuit alleges that The Weather Channel engaged in deceptive business practices by collecting detailed geolocation data and profiting from its sale without adequately informing or obtaining consent from users, thereby violating consumer privacy and ethical standards.
Weather Channel settles geolocation data privacy class action
-50
Technology and Services Impact
March 31
The company’s reliance on mobile app technology to incessantly track and monetize users' precise location data without transparent consent contributes to invasive surveillance practices, raising concerns about the impact of its technology on user privacy.
Weather Channel settles geolocation data privacy class action
- NOV072019
The Weather Channel is set to debut an hour-long special on November 7, 2019, featuring interviews with nine presidential candidates on the issue of climate change. This marks the network's first major foray into directly engaging with political debate and environmental policy, aiming to spur public discussion on these pressing matters.
+40
Public and Political Behavior
March 31
By producing a politically engaged special that addresses climate change and features interviews with leading presidential candidates, The Weather Channel is utilizing its platform to promote informed public discourse. This move encourages civic engagement and aligns with progressive, anti-authoritarian principles by challenging narratives that downplay environmental urgency. The network’s decision to maintain its own scientific perspective and to steer clear from partisan infighting further underscores its commitment to fostering a balanced but proactive debate on climate policy.
- JUN012017
The Weather Channel revamped its homepage to provide detailed educational coverage on climate change, countering denial narratives in the wake of President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.
+60
Public and Political Behavior
March 31
The Weather Channel's proactive revamp of its homepage to educate the public on climate change and counter denial represents a significant act of public and political engagement. In the context of the Trump administration's rollback of environmental commitments, this action supports progressive values and helps inform the debate against authoritarian disregard for scientific consensus.
The Weather Channel Is Not Holding Back When It Comes To Climate Change
+50
Media Influence and Propaganda
March 31
By leveraging its influential media platform to highlight the impacts of climate change and providing comprehensive coverage that challenges denialism, The Weather Channel demonstrates responsible media influence. This action reinforces its role in educating the public and supporting progressive, evidence-based environmental policies.
The Weather Channel Is Not Holding Back When It Comes To Climate Change
- OCT012015
In October 2015, The Weather Channel, in collaboration with Telemundo, produced an investigative report that exposed child labor on coffee farms in Chiapas. The report documented instances of young children carrying heavy loads during the harvest process, shedding light on labor abuses within supply chains linked to major brands like Nestlé and Starbucks.
+80
Media Influence and Propaganda
March 31
By airing an in-depth investigative report on child labor, The Weather Channel demonstrates a commitment to transparent, socially responsible journalism that exposes exploitation in global supply chains. This action promotes accountability and public awareness, aligning with anti-authoritarian and progressive values.
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