Weather Channel Layoffs Marks a Change in the Weather

There has been a marked change in the weather.   At the Weather Channel that is.  NBC Universal had bought the Weather Channel back in September.   Now come the layoffs and the buyouts.  I suppose there is not enough weather to go around.

While in this harsh economy it is necessary to cut costs, cutting staff is not always the best of solutions.  Sometimes it is, mind you, and there are situations where it is strategic to cut back on employees.   but other times employee layoffs are a reflexive action.   They are a planned action, but those making the choices do not always understand  the ramifications.

If you have a business that brands itself as distinctive and special, this is often your edge over your competition.   But when you start cutting staff your customer service will suffer, your internal efficiency.  In fact, whatever distinctive qualities you have as a business may be lost in the shuffle, and you are just another generic company.  Layoffs will often lead toward the generic.

In the case of the Weather Channel, the programming while necessarily repetitive was also quirky and highlighted with special features.   The weather casters at times were odd ducks, kind of lovable outcasts from local television channels.   They didn’t try to overwhelm you with the magnificence of their warm and fuzzy personalities,  call it cornball, the way the locals often do.  There was something offcenter and engaging about the Weather Channel men and women.

If  you tuned in during the middle of the night or real early in the morning, often you would find the casters struggling to stay awake.   they would all but yawn int he camera sometimes.   I found it endearing.  Hey, how many times can you go over the weather in Syracuse and try to make it exciting.   Or Los Angeles, where it seldom changes.   Tough work when you are half-asleep, the coffee is just out of reach, and you are trying to be friendly.

So let’s see what happens?   There is an example here how you can take something that is original and in the religious belief you are being cost effective cut the guts out of it.   too many layoffs will cause such an overload.  He can be original when you are struggling just to keep up with your duties?    I hope the Weather Channel doesn’t rain on its own parade.

But who knows what will happen now?   May be it becomes little more than a bloated  version of the local news and weather.   Just another blah-blah spot on the television.