CBS News solidifies partnership with The Weather Channel for technology, reporting

As NewscastStudio first noted in January, CBS News has partnered with The Weather Channel to enhance weather and climate reporting. 

“By bringing together CBS News and The Weather Channel’s weather teams and virtual view technology, we will not only be able to forecast the weather but show viewers what it’s really going to look like,” said Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations. 

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Khemlani notes this is a holistic partnership, but it remains unclear if CBS News reporters will also appear on The Weather Channel or if any compensation is tied to this content sub-licensing. 

CBS News has typically relied on affiliate weathercasters — such as WCBS’s Lonnie Quinn — for breaking weather coverage, while NBC and ABC maintain network personnel for the role. 

The Weather Channel brand and talent first began appearing on CBS News properties, including “CBS Mornings,” in January 2022, with CBS at the time opting not to comment to NewscastStudio on the larger relationship between the two organizations.

Under the partnership, The Weather Channel’s virtual technology and storytelling tools — including its immersive mixed reality virtual explainers — will appear on various CBS properties along with its community-level virtual forecast, which is powered by Zero Density and the Unreal Engine and known as “Virtual View.” 

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“We will also collaborate on field reporting and pair our investigative teams to expand our environmental investigative efforts. Together we will deliver deeper coverage of one of the most important stories of our time — the impact of the climate on the communities we live in,” said Khemlani.

“This new collaboration is designed to offer the CBS News audience the most innovative weather reporting, as well as greater reach for The Weather Channel’s brand. CBS News and The Weather Channel will work closely together to explore and investigate issues related to climate and our environment,” said Byron Allen, CEO of The Weather Channel’s parent company, Allen Media Group.

The partnership extends across properties including “CBS Mornings,” “CBS Evening News,” CBS’s streaming news network and even local CBS News streaming channels. 

From 2008 to 2018, NBCUniversal owned The Weather Channel and it was common to see the cable network’s meteorologists on NBC News programs. At one point, “Today” forecaster and co-anchor Al Roker and The Weather Channel’s Stephanie Abrams co-hosted a morning show called “Wake Up with Al!” that was split produces from New York and Atlanta.