Blogs

StormWatch: Day 73

By Hillary Profita

February 14, 2007 / 2:27 PM EST / CBS News

(DREAMWORKS)

When it comes to snow storm coverage, as anyone watching or reading the news can attest, there is no shortage of information available online, on television and in the newspapers. And it's not just a local story – two evening newscasts (CBS and NBC) led with the winter storms last night. As for today's morning shows, NBC led with the weather and the "Early Show" and ABC's "Good Morning America" were pre-empted for local weather coverage.

While weather might not seem like the most important story when you stack it up against, say, North Korea taking steps to dismantle its nuclear program (which also happened yesterday) it's still what audiences show up for.

The second most popular story on CBSNews.com right now is "Northeast Gets A Blast Of Winter." Twenty-eight reporters apparently contributed to the Washington Post's snow coverage this morning.

And for local television news outlets, the drama of a winter storm can make for a ratings bonanza, as some local news folk told the Connecticut Post.

For example, during last year's "major northeaster" in lower Fairfield County, ratings for local cable network News12 "spiked, topping the heavy-hitter New York City broadcast stations that normally dominate Fairfield County rating wars."

"It's the biggest thing we do," Tom Applebee, anchor and news director Cablevision's News12 told the paper. "Weather is the main reason people watch local television news, and when a snowstorm hits it's even bigger."