Will DirecTV & Weather Channel Weather This Storm?

Disputes between channels and cable or satellite providers are nothing new, but this one comes with an interesting twist: The Weather Channel says that DirecTV should keep it on the air as a matter of public safety.

“For over 30 years, The Weather Channel has been the most trusted resource for disseminating timely information to help prepare and protect families across the nation against weather-related emergencies. But now DIRECTV is threatening to remove this critical life-saving community resource from 20 million households,” says in a statement on a special site set up by The Weather Channel to provide information on the dispute, www.keeptheweatherchannel.com. 

The Weather Channel goes further, asking viewers to contact members of Congress and other lawmakers about the issue. An ominous countdown clock ticks down in an upper corner of the site.

DirecTV reaches some 20 million households in the United States. Representatives told The Washington Post that it has launched its own 24/7 weather channel.

The Weather Channel will go off the air on DirecTV if an agreement is not reached by 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

Would you miss The Weather Channel if it went off the air?