Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

Quantity:

More Buying Choices

88 used & new from $0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Tell the Publisher! I�d like to read this book on Kindle Don�t have a Kindle? Get yours here.

The Weather Channel (Hardcover)

by Frank Batten (Author), Jeffrey L. Cruikshank (Author) "The date, as I will not soon forget, was July 30, 1981..." (more)
Key Phrases: new cable systems, weather channel, local weather information, John Coleman, Dubby Wynne, New York (more...)

3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

List Price:	$29.95
Price:	$22.76 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save:	$7.19 (24%)
	Special Offers Available

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Monday, July 13? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

30 new from $2.00 54 used from $0.01 4 collectible from $16.98

Also Available in:	List Price:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Hardcover (Import)			Order it used!

More from Harvard Business Press
Harvard Business Press is discovering innovative ways to conquer the changing business universe while keeping its focus on the basics. Find out more in the Harvard Business Press Store.

› See more product promotions

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Purchase this entertainment book and get 12 issues to either Rolling Stone, Men's Journal or Us Weekly for $2.95 each. That's less than $0.25 an issue. Here's how (restrictions apply)

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Portable Machiavelli

by Niccolo Machiavelli

5.0 out of 5 stars (12) $12.24

Bill & Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company

by Michael S. Malone

4.7 out of 5 stars (23) $15.68

My American Journey

by Colin L. Powell

4.4 out of 5 stars (90) $8.81

Den of Thieves

by James B. Stewart

4.2 out of 5 stars (89) $11.56

Personal History

by Katharine Graham

4.2 out of 5 stars (137) $10.85

› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In 1982, Frank Batten flipped a switch and began what he called "a weather forecast that will never end." There's probably no better emblem of niche media than the Weather Channel and its super-specialized field of interest. After 20 years of mapping high-pressure fronts and covering hurricanes, however, "We have built one of the strongest brands anywhere in the media business," writes Batten, former chairman and CEO. Most of The Weather Channel concentrates on all the problems Batten and his media company experienced in the early 1980s when they hatched their idea for all-weather programming and struggled to get it on the air. "I'm sure that we tried to do too much, too fast," says Batten, who nevertheless endorses the too-much, too-fast approach: "I'm convinced that if we hadn't acted as aggressively as we did--if we hadn't spent the money, rushed down the road, and pushed ourselves and our partners ... The Weather Channel may never have been." Batten concludes by discussing the future of weather predictions (they're going to get a lot better, he thinks) and offering unconventional advice to aspiring media tycoons (don't offer stock options to employees). This book will appeal to aficionados of isobars and other weather events, as well as readers interested in how to start a thriving business. --John Miller

From Publishers Weekly
With the recent spate of books documenting the failure of hundreds of Internet startups, it's refreshing to read about the successful launch of a business in what was once a fledgling industry itself: cable television. The Weather Channel was born on May 2, 1982, less than two years after Good Morning America weatherman John Coleman brought his idea about a 24-hour channel dedicated to nothing but weather to Frank Batten, then chairman of Landmark Communications. In his comprehensive account of the channel's history, Batten details the many financial, technical and management obstacles the Landmark team overcame to get the service on the air and keep it there until it became profitable. As documented by Batten, the Weather Channel reached its low point in mid-1983 when, racked by losses, Landmark came within days of shutting down the operation, only to be saved by the cable system operators who agreed to pay subscriber fees to keep the service running. Given some breathing room, the Weather Channel steadily improved its programming and technology and, as Batten acknowledges, rode the wave of the explosive growth of cable television to the point where in 2000 the Weather Channel generated revenues of $320 million and attracted millions of loyal viewers. While the Weather Channel encountered some stormy times, its ultimate success proves that a sound business concept, hard work and a little luck can turn an idea into a national institution. Batten's book offers valuable business lessons that many entrepreneurs can learn from. 23 color photos.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press; 1st edition (May 2, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1578515599
ISBN-13: 978-1578515592
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #349,885 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#83 in Books > History > United States > State & Local > Georgia
#88 in Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Planning & Forecasting

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
The date, as I will not soon forget, was July 30, 1981. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
new cable systems, weather channel, local weather information, cable advertising, multiple system operators, cable programmers, weather network, subscriber fees, local forecasts, cable operators, fee plan, cable franchises, cable industry

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
John Coleman, Dubby Wynne, New York, Gordon Herring, United States, National Weather Service, Alan Galumbeck, Doyle Thompson, Latin America, Las Vegas, Mike Eckert, Bahns Stanley, Bill Diederich, Dick Roberts, Good Morning America, United Kingdom, Craig Henry, Nick Worth, Overland Park, Debora Wilson, Dick Barry, Hugh Eaton, Landmark Communications, Louis Ryan, Mike Ban

New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats

Citations (learn more)

11 books cite this book:

Big Weather: Chasing Tornadoes in the Heart of America by Mark Svenvold on 7 pages
Corporate Governance (Executive MBA Series) by John Colley on page 230, and Back Matter
It Takes a CEO: It's Time to Lead with Integrity by Leo Hindery on page 165, and Back Matter
Corporate Governance : The McGraw-Hill Executive MBA Series by John L. Colley on page 229, and Back Matter
Make Your Own Luck: 12 Practical Steps to Taking Smarter Risks in Business by Eileen Shapiro in Back Matter

See all 11 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Media Selling by Charles Warner

Discusses:

The C-Span Revolution by Stephen E. Frantzich

Discusses:

Radio, Tv, and Cable Programming by Herbert H. Howard

Discusses:

Invisible Crises by George Gerbner

Discusses:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	86% buy the item featured on this page: The Weather Channel 3.6 out of 5 stars (14) $22.76
	14% buy Weather: The Ultimate Book of Meteorological Events 4.5 out of 5 stars (4) $29.20

Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

weather(2)

weather channel(1)

See all 4 tags...

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

14 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

3.6 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Invaluable Component of "The Age of Information", June 11, 2002

By	Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Although I agree with others that tighter editing would have eliminated repetitions and the photos provided should have offered a better visual presentation of the channel's development and (especially) its operations, I still rate this book as highly as I do for several reasons. First, Batten (with Jeffrey L. Cruikshank) provides a compelling analysis of the challenges and problems he and his associates had to overcome to achieve the improbable business success of "a media phenomenon." Also, after having read this book, I had a much better understanding and appreciation of the value of what the Weather Channel now offers in this so-called "Age of Information." What if advanced warnings about severely inclement weather had been easily accessible in years past? How many lives would have been spared from natural disasters such as the hurricane which devastated Galveston Island in 1900?

For many people I personally know (including my wife), the Weather Channel is "must viewing" at the beginning and end of of each day. For them and countless others, it is the modern day equivalent of a crystal ball. For business travelers, which clothing to pack? For parents, what should the children wear to school? For those about to be involved in an outdoor activity (e.g. a Little League game, family picnic, or round of golf), "what's it going to be like?" Of course, born and raised in Chicago, I know how unpredictable the weather can often be. Years later, while living in Boston, I recall an elderly woman who called the meteorologist at a local television station to complain that "I now have four inches of `partly cloudy' in my basement!" In this book, Batten brilliantly achieves two major objectives: To tell a unique "business success story," and in process, thereby to explain why the Weather Channel has become so important to so many people.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding business book, May 16, 2002

By	Donald E. Graham (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been a friend and admirer of the author for almost thirty years. But I can be objective enough to say that you won't read a better business book this year than The Weather Channel. It tells an amazing story: how a very small company, centered around the newspapers in Norfolk, Va., and Greensboro, N.C., took a gigantic risk. Competing with the largest communications companies, Landmark Communications started one of the first national cable channels. And almost failed (you can't come closer to failing than this one). And, in the end, succeeded gloriously.
Though the impossibly modest author almost paints himself off the stage altogether, you will also meet one of the most decent and admirable executives in American business, Frank Batten. Because Mr. Batten's company is private, almost no one knows of this remarkable man. Although he's reticent about himself (a life-threatening and life-altering cancer that occurred at the time of the Weather Channel launch is dismissed in a paragraph),you'll understand how lucky the citizens of Norfolk and Greensboro have been to have him in charge of their newspapers the last 40 years.
This is a book about business, not weather. But if business interests you at all, it's a hell of a book.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting but......, December 29, 2002

By	C Mahaney "tvchip" (Flower Mound, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This book is a business story of how The Weather Channel became one of the leading media brands in the nation. It is not a "behind the scenes at TWC" tale, although a few pages in the "afterword" give readers a brief glimpse at how it all comes together on air.

The most fascinating parts of Batten's story are the tales of how TWC came to be in the very beginning, from the early company history, to the initial concepts and business plans of the late 1970s and early 1980s, to the 1981/1982 start-up, to the birthing pains caused in part by a messy corporate divorce with one of the founding partners. The book also provides an interesting glimpse into how the cable TV landscape was first settled by pioneers like HBO, ESPN, WTBS/CNN and, of course, TWC.

The latter half of the book deals with many of TWC's forays in the 1990s, including the highly-successful weather.com website, as well as several international ventures). But the final chapters lack excitement or drama.

The book has 264 pages, and it's not a hard read. I think the same story could have been told more effectively in about half the space, leaving out many of the details. The authors of this book focus almost exclusively on the TWC dealings and strategies at the corporate and operational levels. A better story could have been told by weaving in more perspectives from other TWC people, namely the on-camera meteorologists, some of whom have been with TWC since the very early days. Combine the best elements of this book (the first half of the story, in particular) with a real 20 years of "behind the scenes", and you'd have a compelling tale that would appeal to audiences beyond the book's target audience (TWC die-hards, business students, weather and media professionals).

Finally, the book provides 16 pages of full-color photos, but none appears to be older than 1998. Why didn't the authors add photos from the early days? Those of us who have been TWC fans for many years would have appreciated seeing some of the old faces, old graphics, and old technology that have made The Weather Channel the familiar and trusted friend it is today for millions of people.

Despite its flaws, I recommend the book for those who are interested in TWC specifically, or in the media or weather businesses in general.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 14 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars This book misses the boat
If I were editing the book I would have told the author I want it to look like this: 10 pages on the idea of the weather channel and how it got to cable, 5 page pictoral of hot... Read more

Published on August 29, 2005 by Rich King's Breakfast Nook

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting look at a media success
This is an interesting book, using the Weather Channel as an example of the birth of specialized channels in the early cable market. Read more

Published on December 3, 2002 by J. J. Kwashnak

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, but it is a book on TWC...
For those thinking about buying this book. One word of caution, it is NOT specifically about TWC. It is more about creating a business from the ground up and ignoring critics,... Read more

Published on November 8, 2002 by twcfan

4.0 out of 5 stars Improbable? I don't think so. Phenomenon? Definitely.
I'm so old that I remember when Cable TV promised to give commercial-free programming in return for the customer's subscription fee. Read more

Published on October 22, 2002 by R. Tiedemann

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Management and Personal Lesson
I know the senior author and the Landmark newspaper in Norfolk well. At least I thought I did. This book was an eye-opener about Frank Batten, Landmark,and The Weather Channel... Read more

Published on June 11, 2002 by gary l. schechter

2.0 out of 5 stars Battan's Book a Bore (Zzzzzzzzz......)
This is a story about an old media company (Landmark) that was inherited by Battan from his uncle, which built up cash reserves in the newspaper and radio businesses since the... Read more

Published on June 10, 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars The text is fine, but...
This is a good book. However, I was disappointed in the photograph section that shows only current, highly "Hollywood" style pictures of the anchors. Read more

Published on May 14, 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Raindate: My life before The Weather Channel
I'd like to predict the future, but I am psychically challenged, so the next best thing is The Weather Channel. Read more

Published on May 8, 2002 by Virginia Ellison

4.0 out of 5 stars Not enough stuff about the weather people.
I bought the book and enjoyed it but I was so disappointed that the authors didn't show us more pictures and tell us more about the history of the on-camera weather people and... Read more

Published on May 6, 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars Dissappointing
What a shame - could have been a great story. Really a bit more about Mr. Batten and Landmark Communications than the title suggests. Read more

Published on May 6, 2002 by Bruce Humbert

› See all 14 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
science Step up and point out the flaws of evolution/science	2277	6 minutes ago
science Darwinists are Condescending, Arrogant, Bullies	309	7 minutes ago
science David Ussery speaks	75	8 minutes ago
history Islam: the Facade and the Facts	530	8 minutes ago
history Burqa losing favor as Afghan women opt for chador	1	39 minutes ago
childrens books books set in other countries	22	2 hours ago
childrens books Looking for a certain book...	3	12 hours ago