Weather Center Live

Weather Center Live (previously named Weather Center from its March 2009 relaunch until May 2011) is a weather news program produced by The Weather Channel in Atlanta, Georgia.

Program history

Weather Center debuted in 1998 and was originally a program devoted to hard weather. Weather Center aired almost 24 hours a day during its first few years. In 2000, with the additions of First Outlook and Your Weather Today, the program became a daytime and evening show only. Weather Center has been shortened since as more shows debuted, and by the end of 2008, it aired only an hour a day during the week.

In February 2009, The Weather Channel's media kit began showing a different logo for the program; the most notable change to come from this, however, was showing the program's name as Weather Center with Abrams & Bettes.^[1] Changes to electronic program guide systems revealed that Weather Center would absorb the repeating overnight hour on weeknights, and that Weather Center was becoming an evening program (which correlates to the merger of Evening Edition and Abrams & Bettes). The expansion of Weather Center reversed a trend of partitioning that took place between 1998 and 2003. The changes themselves are some of the most far-reaching since the 2003 addition of Day Planner, Afternoon Outlook, and Weekend Outlook, itself a casualty by being replaced by Weekend View.

From May 5 to June 12, 2009, Mike Bettes left the studio to report on the VORTEX 2 project, a project in which researchers spent five weeks in tornado alley hunting down tornadoes in an attempt to discover more information about the formation of tornadoes. Throughout the entire duration of the project, Bettes reported live in the field throughout every edition of Abrams & Bettes Weather Center except for a couple of days where the entire project took the day off due to lack of tornadic activity. Several editions of the show featured Bettes and the Vortex 2 crew actively chasing potential tornado-producing supercells, and on June 5, 2009, the crew caught its first and only tornado of the year live on PM Edition, the coverage of which spilled over into the beginning of Weather Center; both programs covered the entire tornado event commercial-free. While Bettes was gone in the field, Adam Berg filled his role in the studio.

On June 22, 2009, Stephanie Abrams and Mike Bettes moved to Your Weather Today. The final edition of Weather Center with Abrams & Bettes was a week and a half before on June 12, 2009; allowing Abrams and Bettes to take a week off from studio work prior to moving to mornings. This allowed Alexandra Steele and Jim Cantore to permanently take over their 7pm ET timeslot on June 15, 2009; despite the fact that TV listing services such as Zap2it listed Cantore and Steele as taking over the show on June 22, 2009; the same day as Abrams and Bettes began hosting Your Weather Today. Kevin Robinson, a former host of Your Weather Today, began his role as a third host on the show on June 22, 2009. On the same day, Nicole Mitchell became Paul Goodloe's permanent co-host on the 10pm ET edition of Weather Center. The 7pm-10pm ET edition of Weather Center had a different name, as it was called Weather Center with Cantore and Steele with co-hosts Jim Cantore and Alexandra Steele, similar to the morning show on The Weather Channel called Your Weather Today with Abrams & Bettes with co-hosts Stephanie Abrams and Mike Bettes.

In December 2009, Kevin Robinson left Weather Center with Cantore and Steele, to become a meteorologist at Cincinnati NBC affiliate WLWT-TV; Chris Warren became his replacement.

In late September 2010, Crystal Egger joined Weather Center as a full-time co-host.^[2] Jim Cantore remained on the show reporting on breaking weather news from the newsroom. In September 2010, Weather Center co-host Alexandra Steele left the network, and later became an on-camera meteorologist for CNN in early 2011.

In November 2010, Nicole Mitchell left the program, and was replaced by Kelly Cass.

A major shift in TWC's evening programming began on January 31, 2011. Weather Center aired three one-hour blocks each night (7pm-8pm, 10pm-11pm, and 1am-2am). Also, beginning February 5, 2011, Weather Center began airing on the weekends as well. The weekday blocks were hosted by Chris Warren and Crystal Egger. The weekend blocks were hosted by Paul Goodloe and Kelly Cass.

In May 2011, Weather Center changed its on-air name and off-air branding to Weather Center Live. On November 16 of that year, Weather Center Live debuted the Winter Weather Update taking over the Tropical Update, which is usually on at :50 past each June to November. The segment lasted until March 24, and is now taken over by the Severe Weather Update. That segment lasts until the Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1.

On March 26, 2012, Weather Center Live began airing at 4pm ET. On March 31, the weekend edition of the show began airing at 4pm as well, thus effectively cancelling PM Edition Weekend.

On November 12, 2012, Weather Center Live began airing from 5pm-7pm ET.

Weather Center Live is currently anchored by Kelly Cass and Paul Goodloe weeknights from 5pm-7pm ET. Chris Warren and Crystal Egger presented segments during the 6pm to 7pm ET timeslot and anchored the show weeknights from 7pm to 8pm and 10pm to 11pm ET. Danielle Banks anchored Weather Center Live weeknights from 1am to 2am ET. On the weekends, Alex Wallace and Alexandra Wilson anchored Weather Center Live from 4pm-pm ET, while Kim Cunningham and Danielle Banks anchored the show from 7pm-8pm, 10pm-11pm, and 1am-2am ET.

In July 2013, Todd Santos left TWC, and was replaced by Keith Carson.

In September 6, 2013, Crystal Egger left TWC. She returned on September 12 to anchor a 1am to 3am ET extended show, but then left the network for good. Alexandra Wilson left the weekend 4pm-5pm edition of Weather Center Live to replace Egger and co-host the weeknight edition of the show with Chris Warren and Jim Cantore from 7pm-8pm ET.

On November 12, 2013, Weather Center Live was relaunched with new graphics and expanded to mornings and afternoons, replacing First Forecast, On the Radar and Day Planner on weekdays and Sunrise Weather, Weekend View and Weekend Now on weekends. It currently airs on weekdays from 4am-5:30am, 11am-2pm, and 5pm-8pm ET and on weekends from 4:30am-2pm ET. The nightly 10pm-11pm and 1am-2am ET, as well as the weekend 4pm-5pm and 7pm-8pm ET editions of Weather Center Live have all been replaced by long-form programming.

Weekday's WCL is hosted 4:00-5:30am Monday-Wed w/ Julie Martin & Alexandra Wilson. Hosted Thursday & Friday by Jen Carfagno & Alex Wallace. Then It hits the air again at 11am w/ Vivian Brown & Nick Walker Monday-Wed. Thursday & Friday hosted by Keith Carson & Jennifer Lopez. Then WCL it back on 5-7pm w/ Kelly Cass & Paul Goodloe. Final Weekday hour is on 7-8pm w/ Chris Warren. Jim Cantore on somedays, diff meteorologist help out thru out the hour. Then Weekends its on 4:30-7am on Saturday's w/ Ray Stagich on Sundays w/ Mark Thibideau. WCL continues 7-11am w/ Jen Carfagno & Alex Wallace. Then again 11a-2pm w/ Keith Carson & Kyla Grogan.

When Chris Warren is off either Kelly Cass or Paul Goodloe will fill-in from the 5-7pm or from the 7-8pm time-slots.

It was a big day for Weather Center Live team, January 21st 2014. Kait Parker made her debut with Jim Cantore live in Washington DC for Winter Storm Janus! Even something bigger Sam Champion made his debut at 4PM w/ Maria LaRosa until 8PM! Welcome Sam & Kait to TWC!

When the big DirecTV & Weather Channel dispute started The Weather Channel decided to change Weather Center Live to airing 11am show until 3pm. Kelly Cass & Paul Goodloe to air 3-7PM! They have cancelled there programming that airs 2-5PM! Weather Center Live weekdays got extended from 11AM-8PM.

Segments

Current

• Forbes Factor (from TWC Severe Weather Expert Dr. Greg Forbes)
• Open Mike, (hosted by Mike Bettes from Morning Rush; new each Thursday)
• Severe Storm/Tropical/Winter Weather Update
• Top 5 (weekdays 7pm)
• Weather Walking
• Weather Wizard
• Weekend Forecast
• Big Picture
• Earth At Risk
• 7 Day forecast
• That's Fascinating
• The Weather Lab
• Ask The Weather Channel (Tuesdays & Thursdays)
• The View From Above
• In-Front
• Extreme Boulevard

Former (March–June 2009)

• Destination:
• YourCast (later known as "Weather Wannabe", ended in August 2009)
• Now You Know! (moved to Your Weather Today, now discontinued)
• 6 Degrees
• Extreme-O-Meter
• Weather 101
• Forecast Earth Climate Scorecard
• Forecast Earth Eco Update (presented by Natalie Allen)

Schedule and hosts of Weather Center Live

Weekdays

• 4am-5:30am: Alexandra Wilson & Julie Martin (Mondays-Tuesdays, alt. Wednesdays); Jen Carfagno & Alex Wallace (alt. Wednesdays, Thursdays-Fridays)
• 11am-3pm: Vivian Brown and Nick Walker (Mondays-Wednesdays); Keith Carson(Thursdays-Fridays)
• 3pm-6pm: Kelly Cass and Paul Goodloe
• 6pm-8pm: Chris Warren and Jim Cantore

Weekends

• 4:30am-7am: Ray Stagich (Saturdays); Mark Thibodeau (Sundays)
• 7am-11am: Jen Carfagno and Alex Wallace
• 11am-2pm: Keith Carson and Alex Wilson; Kyla Grogan (3rd Anchor)

Former hosts

• Stephanie Abrams (2009) (left for Your Weather Today)
• Danielle Banks (2013) (departed to be fill-in)
• Adam Berg (2011-2012) (departed and left The Weather Channel)
• Mike Bettes (2009) (left for Your Weather Today)
• Kim Cunningham (2010-2013) (departed to become a fill-in)
• Crystal Egger (2010-2013) (Left TWC, now at NBC Los Angeles KNBC-TV)
• Mark Elliot (2013) (departed to be a fill-in)
• Nicole Mitchell (2009-2010) (departed and left The Weather Channel in January 2011)
• Kevin Robinson (2009) (left TWC; now at WLWT-TV)
• Todd Santos (2012-2013) (departed and left The Weather Channel)
• Alexandra Steele (2009-2010) (departed for CNN)
• Heather Tesch (2012) (departed and left The Weather Channel)

References