NBC's Storm Rangers, Weather Expansions and NBCU Model

[rkolsen 1684]

Anyone seen a Storm Ranger lately?

 

www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2017/8/25/what-the-hell-happened-to-nbcs-storm-rangers

 

I heard they had mechanical issues. Wonder if they already got scrapped.

 

They've been in parades and KNSD was training last month. I think some of the Telemundo O&Os are training.

 

Edit: Also the Rangers can only really work up to 65 knots (74.8MPH), they can handle 78 knot gusts (89.7MPH) and can survive (but I assume not operate) 130 knots (149.6 MPH). So they are probably being cautious and I guess will be place farther inland as it goes to a tropical storm.

 

EEC through Accelerated Media Technologies have made them as trailers and several have gone various militaries.

[Weeters 1916]

There's a real mystery here.

 

I poked around some on Twitter. Apparently the west coast Storm Ranger arrived yesterday. I'm assuming it's the west coast one because the only station that mentioned it was KNTV, and they mentioned the @stormranger account which lists it's location as San Francisco. I thought that truck was based out of KNBC in LA, but it seems to spend a lot of time in SF based on the tweets from earlier this year.

[MEDIA=twitter]900910744929058816[/MEDIA]

However, that still makes one wonder what's up with the KXAS truck if they're having to send the west coast one there.

 

Telemundo Houston was training on the StormRanger in June, but again, it was the West Coast one (California plates).

[MEDIA=twitter]870399702981779456[/MEDIA]

 

KXAS' Ranger was supposed to be shared with Chicago, and I doubt they're using it right now.

 

You'd think with how much hype they gave these things, there'd be more than one tweet from a station in San Francisco about it. And you'd think if KXAS' was running, NBC O&O's would be going bonkers promoting that not one but two of their noisy toys were running around in the hurricane.

[rkolsen 1684]

[quote name='Weeters']You'd think with how much hype they gave these things, there'd be more than one tweet from a station in San Francisco about it.[/QUOTE] If I remember correctly it did spend a ton of time up in San Francisco. They would park it up at their transmitter site and let it run. Jeff Raneiri seemed to be the one tweeting and instagramming the most about it. San Francisco probably had the most difficult weather compared to San Diego. It's not really needed by LA as they have there own radars. Also @Weeters check out my initial reply on why they may not be placed in the direct path. Which based on Jeff's tweet was proved false. [B]Edit:[/B] It appears that the data is being used on MSNBC.

[Eat News 4745]

I would have sent all 4 of those Storm Buggys to the hurricane. I would have parked them at FEMA and Red Cross command post...and made damn sure we got plenty of pics and video next to those FEMA sat units, and Red Cross ERV's.

 

"Oh Bluto...we can't do that because it cost money and overtime."

NBC us.

[Weeters 1916]

I would have sent all 4 of those Storm Buggys to the hurricane. I would have parked them at FEMA and Red Cross command post...and made damn sure we got plenty of pics and video next to those FEMA sat units, and Red Cross ERV's.

 

"Oh Bluto...we can't do that because it cost money and overtime."

NBC us.

 

This is what got me. They essentially could have surrounded the thing as it moved on shore with their 3 or 4 wonderful, amazing, terrific mobile radars, far outside the high wind areas.

[Eat News 4745]

This is what got me. They essentially could have surrounded the thing as it moved on shore with their 3 or 4 wonderful, amazing, terrific mobile radars, far outside the high wind areas.

 

Yup!

 

You are right. They could have "owned" the story...across "all platforms"...

 

NBC may have just had it's..

 

"Katrina Moment"

[rkolsen 1684]

All I've seen is that they've been working on training people over the last few months.

 

One thing I'm thinking that may have made them reluctant to deploy them is that it's not a quick operation. Apparently to get the device setup and running takes several hours and likewise to breakdown.

[rkolsen 1684]

One was deployed.

 

[MEDIA=instagram]BYObBtEBjbh[/MEDIA]

[WCAUTVNBC10 413]

WCAU had their's out today on the Delaware Beach covering the tropical system that made its way up the east coast.

[rkolsen 1684]

I was thinking that maybe the truck gets its branding group wide when live shots are being done. Data was definitely being transmitted from the one in Texas to NBC News.

[MidwestTV 1232]

There's a real mystery here.

 

I poked around some on Twitter. Apparently the west coast Storm Ranger arrived yesterday. I'm assuming it's the west coast one because the only station that mentioned it was KNTV, and they mentioned the @stormranger account which lists it's location as San Francisco. I thought that truck was based out of KNBC in LA, but it seems to spend a lot of time in SF based on the tweets from earlier this year.

[MEDIA=twitter]900910744929058816[/MEDIA]

However, that still makes one wonder what's up with the KXAS truck if they're having to send the west coast one there.

 

Telemundo Houston was training on the StormRanger in June, but again, it was the West Coast one (California plates).

[MEDIA=twitter]870399702981779456[/MEDIA]

 

KXAS' Ranger was supposed to be shared with Chicago, and I doubt they're using it right now.

 

You'd think with how much hype they gave these things, there'd be more than one tweet from a station in San Francisco about it. And you'd think if KXAS' was running, NBC O&O's would be going bonkers promoting that not one but two of their noisy toys were running around in the hurricane.

 

 

I still cannot fathom why LA, which only averages 15 inches of rain a year, has ANY need of a Storm Ranger, especially when they were in the midst of such a drought.

 

NBC dropped the ball on this. They had a perfect opportunity to have ALL of their trucks down there scanning the storm and providing valuable information not just to KXAS, KPRC, and KIII, but to the National Weather Service as well. To METEOROLOGY on a whole! They could have collected data that could have been studied for years down the road.

 

Instead they wasted it. As a scientist that really royally pisses me off.

[rkolsen 1684]

I still cannot fathom why LA, which only averages 15 inches of rain a year, has ANY need of a Storm Ranger, especially when they were in the midst of such a drought.

 

NBC dropped the ball on this. They had a perfect opportunity to have ALL of their trucks down there scanning the storm and providing valuable information not just to KXAS, KPRC, and KIII, but to the National Weather Service as well. To METEOROLOGY on a whole! They could have collected data that could have been studied for years down the road.

 

Instead they wasted it. As a scientist that really royally pisses me off.

 

From what I understand the station group and network can receive any Storm Ranger output. I'm sure the one that was down there's data has been collected.

[Eat News 4745]

We all imagine NBC staffing these things with dedicated crews, a reporter...running and gunning ahead of the storm. Doing live hits every 30 mins...saving babies and wrangling gators and reporting looters.

 

Not so fast...

NBC is not really interested in spending the money it takes to staff the Storm Buggy's. NBC would rather train and staff it with a single MMJ..,.on short local deployments. There is only half ass sharing and very little "coordination" between markets.

 

NBC would get better use out of the Buggy's if they just gut the radomes...and turn them into giant coffee urns.

[WCAUTVNBC10 413]

From what I understand the station group and network can receive any Storm Ranger output. I'm sure the one that was down there's data has been collected.

 

This is correct. This is also includes the group's stationary Dopplers as well.

[rkolsen 1684]

I watched an Instagram story from one of WBTS's photographers treks down to WCAU to pick up the Storm Ranger. The photog caught a flight this AM to Philly and drove the Storm Ranger the 320 some miles back to WBTS.

 

So be on the look out. I imagine it will be on display for the season opener where the Chiefs play the Patriots.

 

Edit: Whenever the last hurricane went up the eastern seaboard the Storm Ranger followed the storm up the coast to about Delaware but it didn't go any farther. Steve Sosna was the reporter for the various NBC stations and they used WRC's Storm Team 4x4 as part of their caravan.

[rkolsen 1684]

I’m going to pull an @Eat News and wonder why the Storm Buggy isn’t in the Bay Area? One thing the promoted the hell out of in Los Angeles (atleast) was their ability to track smoke clouds. Well there’s been raging wildfires up there and no Buggy. They don’t have to put it in danger as that thing has a range of 90 miles.

[A3N 1002]

[quote name='rkolsen']I’m going to pull an @Eat News and wonder why the Storm Buggy isn’t in the Bay Area? One thing the promoted the hell out of in Los Angeles (atleast) was their ability to track smoke clouds. Well there’s been raging wildfires up there and no Buggy. They don’t have to put it in danger as that thing has a range of 90 miles.[/QUOTE] Don't quote me on this, but I believe the Storm Ranger was in LA this week during the Anaheim Hills fire.

[Eat News 4745]

[quote name='rkolsen']I’m going to pull an @Eat News and wonder why the Storm Buggy isn’t in the Bay Area? One thing the promoted the hell out of in Los Angeles (atleast) was their ability to track smoke clouds. Well there’s been raging wildfires up there and no Buggy. They don’t have to put it in danger as that thing has a range of 90 miles.[/QUOTE] On paper Storm Buggy(tm) looked great... But the deployment and execution of these is a different story. It's one thing to deploy locally where it's your local talent and local crew...communicating to your local station and people. When you run local you have much better control over COST. I really doubt the people at KNTV are trained on that thing , and it's doubtful they have the multiple people it takes to staff it during a long term breaking story like the Norcal fires are. It's easy to swap out trained crews in the LA and SD area...but the SF/Bay area is 450 miles north. You need to send someone down to pick it up...or send the crew up with it. It makes more sense to send a trained crew from LA, but that's gonna cost some money to house and feed the crew, and pay the outrageous union wages they will be paid to be on the road. Simply put...it's a frigging logistics nightmare to deploy Storm Buggy outside of Socal. It's it the same problem for the other regions with SB's. It has to be pretty much planned out in advance to make it workable because NBC does NOT want to spend money on people and overtime unless there is a big payoff ...or it's sponsored. And... NBC does not have the balls to send those things anywhere near danger. Knowing NBC they would send a MMJ up to SF where they would be carjacked and SB would be stripped by tweakers who would just end up living in it.

[rkolsen 1684]

On paper Storm Buggy looked great...

 

But the deployment and execution of these is a different story.

 

It's one thing to deploy locally where it's your local talent and local crew...communicating to your local station and people. When you run local you have much better control over COST. I really doubt the people at KNTV are trained on that thing , and it's doubtful they have the multiple people it takes to staff it during a long term breaking story like the Norcal fires are.

 

It's easy to swap out trained crews in the LA and SD area...but the SF/Bay area is 450 miles north. You need to send someone down to pick it up...or send the crew up with it. It makes more sense to send a trained crew from LA, but that's gonna cost some money to house and feed the crew, and pay the outrageous union wages they will be paid to be on the road.

 

Simply put...it's a frigging logistics nightmare to deploy Storm Buggy outside of Socal. It's it the same problem for the other regions with SB's. It has to be pretty much planned out in advance to make it workable because NBC does NOT want to spend money on people and overtime unless there is a big payoff ...or it's sponsored.

 

And...

NBC does not have the balls to send those things anywhere near danger. Knowing NBC they would send a MMJ up to SF where they would be carjacked and SB would be stripped by tweakers who would just end up living in it.

 

I think there are a few crews trained for the one based at WCAU. I’ve seen one photographer fly down to Philadelphia from Boston for a few times and it’s tucked in WBTS’s garage by seven. I believe the photogs and the drivers are trained to operate the radar as well. The only time I recall it being used for an actual storm was some hurricane when it debuted and they drove it up the eastern seaboard. I think that it was run by a WRC crew.

 

I imagine the terrain in the Bay Area is a factor as well. Isn’t the area by the fires pretty much all different valleys? The few times I’ve seen it up there is when they park it on top of a hill inside the gated confines of either a Rx site or their transmitter.

 

From what I saw it appears the photographer (or whoever is trained to operate it with a CDL) has to stay with the machine - so your paying someone to essentially do nothing. I believe that once the radars setup it’s controlled back at the station but I assume someone’s needed incase something goes wrong.

 

I wonder if the area where they park it (assuming it’s fenced in with barbed wire) and they had the ability to hook it up to shore power if they’d leave it running alone. Essentially treating it as a regular radar. And I bet NBC has a ton of GPS trackers and security on that truck.

[Eat News 4745]

I imagine the terrain in the Bay Area is a factor as well. Isn’t the area by the fires pretty much all different valleys? The few times I’ve seen it up there is when they park it on top of a hill inside the gated confines of either a Rx site or their transmitter.

 

I wonder if the area where they park it (assuming it’s fenced in with barbed wire) and they had the ability to hook it up to shore power if they’d leave it running alone. Essentially treating it as a regular radar. And I bet NBC has a ton of GPS trackers and security on that truck.

 

It produces Zero useful data for fires.

Nada....zipp!

 

The ability to track smoke is a novelty. Smoke is not weather...but fire does make it's own weather as we saw however NBC does not employ anyone capable of analyzing and disseminating useful smoke info beyond "stay inside...don't breath smoke" warnings.

 

It's a fancy sat truck with an overgrown radar.

 

As a tool it's just much more useful on the east coast and in the midwest where they have real weather....and more use for Storm Buggy.

[Eat News 4745]

 

And I bet NBC has a ton of GPS trackers and security on that truck.

 

I can strip that thing quicker than they can report it stolen...or find it on GPS.

 

Question for you RKO...

Can you check that site where you found the data on th LA radars they installed?

 

I want to know if you can see info on the planned San Diego radar site.

 

Thanks!

[rkolsen 1684]

I can strip that thing quicker than they can report it stolen...or find it on GPS.

 

Question for you RKO...

Can you check that site where you found the data on th LA radars they installed?

 

I want to know if you can see info on the planned San Diego radar site.

 

Thanks!

 

I last checked about a month ago and the only licenses registered to NBC Universal were the three buggies along with the WNBC, WMAQ, KXAS, WTVJ and the two existing KNBC ones. I did not see anything regarding any active applications in California.

 

So I don’t know if the third radar that KNBC touts in recent promos (in addition to the Storm Ranger) is still planned or cancelled. There definitely was a third one mentioned when they started all this radar crap.

 

I never heard about a San Diego radar unless your referring to the KNBC one on that little map they did in promos.

 

Edit:These are the only two stationary radar licenses for NBC in California.

 

http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=3820321

http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=3820322

[rkolsen 1684]

Question for you RKO...

Can you check that site where you found the data on th LA radars they installed?

 

If you want to check out the website you head on over to FCC License Search page. You scroll down and under service group you check under the second option for “Match only the following radio service(s):” and select “RS - Land Mobile Radiolocation.” Under licensee name you either enter NBC Universal, NBC Telemundo License, Telemundo of Puerto Rico or Station Venture Operations. The latter has results for KXAS’ radars.

[Eat News 4745]

If you want to check out the website you head on over to FCC License Search page.

 

I know....

But the FCC ULS page has too many letters and numbers that confuse me now that I'm approaching 46million years old.

 

...in other words I'm too lazy...< smiley man

[CaptainNews 287]

I’m most certainly confident, NBC cancelled the planned San Diego region Doppler, it has disappeared from most recent promos.