Weather Channel

Landmark Communications is seeking as much as $5 billion for the cable television network Weather Channel, with preliminary bids due next week, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. Interested parties include General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, Time Warner Inc., CBS Corp. and Comcast Corp., these people said. Privately held Landmark said in January that it was exploring options for its publishing and television businesses, hiring JPMorgan and Lehman Bros. to look at its alternatives.

BOSTON -- Meteorologists might not be sure whether the storm heading into the East Coast will drop 12 inches or 24, but they are sure about one thing - this storm is definitely, absolutely, not called Nemo. But that's what the Weather Channel has decided to call it, part of a policy announced in the fall in which the TV station will give names to winter storms so that people can more easily follow them. It's angered a few meteorologists, and has spurred a Facebook page , "STOP the Weather Channel from naming winter storms.

Frank Batten Sr., who created television's Weather Channel in 1982 amid skepticism that there was an audience for 24 hours of news on storms and temperature readings, has died. He was 82. Batten, the retired chairman of privately held Landmark Communications and a former chairman of the board of the Associated Press, died Thursday in Norfolk, Va., after a prolonged illness, Landmark Vice Chairman Richard F. Barry III said. A non-smoker, Batten suffered from throat cancer in 1979 and underwent surgery to remove his larynx.

Hurricane Sandy is moving west and losing steam, according to the latest report from AccuWeather.com. But the damage has been done.  As of Tuesday morning, the death toll from Sandy is at 38 people, and more than 8 million homes are without power from North Carolina to Maine to Michigan The New York Times  reports . Crews are working hard to restore electricity, but some additional power loss is expected as weakened trees fall and take power...

Hurricane season has battered Florida, but it's been more than kind to the Weather Channel, which posted its biggest ratings month ever in September. The Atlanta-based cable channel's staffers know that hurricanes are nothing to celebrate. But there's no question that five major storms in six weeks means a sunny payoff for them. "This was a history-making event from a weather perspective, and for the Weather Channel it was a record-breaking ratings season," said general manager Terry Connelly.

The forecast is for corporate synergy at the Weather Channel. Al Roker, longtime weatherman on NBC's "Today" show, will get up an hour earlier starting this summer to host a morning program on the Weather Channel. "Wake Up With Al" will air from 6 to 7 a.m. in the East; then he'll report to work at "Today." Meteorologist Stephanie Abrams will co-host from Atlanta. NBC Universal is one of the owners of the Weather Channel.

John Hope, a meteorologist and expert on hurricanes whose calm on-air demeanor made him an influential presence on the Weather Channel for more than 20 years, died Thursday at a hospital in Macon, Ga., of complications from open-heart surgery. He was 83. Once called the Walter Cronkite of hurricane coverage--a label that made him wince--Hope provided reports that were a staple in homes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts during hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

The people who run the Weather Channel faced a couple of major questions in the last few years that had nothing to do with whether or not to carry an umbrella to work. Instead, both struck at the very heart of what a television network is supposed to be. Question One: Do you risk alienating loyal viewers of perhaps the most regimented schedule on TV with new programming designed to get people to lay off the remote control for a while?

THE Weather Channel: It's not just for motel rooms and eccentrics anymore. With handsome hurricane hunters, new vocabulary words and major disasters provided by nature itself, its viewership has spiked during this historic weather period. But the Atlanta-based channel, already a closet addiction for many people, wants more.

NBC Universal and two partners said Sunday that they had reached a deal to buy the Weather Channel from Landmark Communications Inc., ending a drawn-out process that had attracted interest from several major media companies. The purchase price was about $3.5 billion, according to a person who asked not to be identified because the terms weren't made public.

Before the coffee. After making sure my mom is safe from Frankenstorm. The Skinny: Hope all my peeps back in New York and D.C. are out of harm's way from the big storm. I thought of staying home from work as a show of solidarity but wasn't sure if my bosses would appreciate it. Monday's headlines include a recap of the weekend box office, a look at how the DVR is changing the TV industry and ratings troubles at Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Daily Dose: When the final ratings for the World Series come in (perhaps as early as Monday although there is a good chance the storm back east may delay the results)

Many television stations on the East Coast have preempted network and syndicated programming in favor of local coverage of Hurricane Sandy. In New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Boston the majority of the television stations are in storm coverage mode. Many other stations in the Carolinas, Virginia and elsewhere are doing the same. The networks themselves are not yet sure how many of their affiliates in regions affected by Hurricane Sandy are currently preempting programming or are planning to later this afternoon.

"Sandy Frankenstorm" could inflict $1 billion in damage on the Northeast, forecasters warn -- but $1 billion isn't what it used to be.  The financial toll and effect on Americans from the tropical storm-cold depression combo that is expected to hit the Northeast  next week  could reach historical proportions, National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Kocin told the Los Angeles Times. Forecasting the outcome of weather systems -- particularly in a circumstance like this with a cold front flowing south over the Great Lakes and a tropical storm snaking up the Eastern Seaboard, combined with rising tides from a full moon -- is an inexact science, Kocin said.

After the coffee. Before trying out as Yankee shortstop. The Skinny: Do you think Obama and Romney let each other know what color tie they will be wearing before the debate? Just wondering. Wednesday's headlines include a look at who has the better hosts, the Oscars or the Golden Globes, and layoffs at the Weather Channel. Daily Dose: The TV season is only a few weeks old but NBC already has something to celebrate. The network has won the 18-49s demo race for the third week in a row, the first time in a decade it has put together such a hot streak.

After the coffee. Before making a counter offer for Variety. The Skinny: I'm almost through the Pete Townshend autobiography, so look for my review in the days ahead. Wednesday's headlines include a look at Jay Penske, the new owner of Variety; a debate over the use of split-screens during the debates; and Big Bird saying: Don't use me in your political ads. Daily Dose: The Pac-12 Network was originally only going to carry one USC football game this season (against Cal a few weeks ago)

For Mike Kelly, talking about the weather is anything but shooting the breeze. As president and chief executive of the Weather Channel Cos., Kelly oversees a cable network in nearly every one of the 100-million cable homes in the country; weather.com, a website with more than 40 million monthly visitors; and the second most popular smartphone app behind Facebook. Annual revenues are north of $500 million. In other words, your rainy day is his cash cow. The Weather Channel, which turns 29 on Monday, was initially a hard sell.

A family-owned business that started with a local newspaper more than 100 years ago and became best known as owner of the Weather Channel is looking into selling its businesses, including nine daily newspapers. Frank Batten Jr., Landmark Communications Inc.'s chairman and chief executive, announced Thursday that the privately held company had retained investment banks JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Lehman Bros. to help it look into possible sale scenarios.

Highlights from the week in royal wedding TV "William and Kate": 9 p.m. Monday on Lifetime; Ben Cross and Camilla Luddington play the happy couple who meet at Scotland's University of St. Andrews in this TV movie. "Royally Mad": 10 p.m. Tuesday on BBC America, Part 2 of the two-part series airs, with repeats of both segments throughout the month; five American royal wedding enthusiasts travel to London to indulge in the fairytale. "Say Yes to the Dress: Princess Brides Special": 9 p.m. Friday on TLC; experts explore fantasy wedding dresses fit for a princess.

Prince William and his bride-to-be Kate Middleton could never have had an intimate wedding. They've invited 1,900 guests, after all. But the British couple's big day has set off a massive media frenzy rivaling the recent coverage of natural disasters, wars and government breakdowns combined. There have been hundreds of hours of royal-themed TV programming already, with plenty more coming, including wall-to-wall coverage of the ceremony at historic Westminster Abbey. Every major U.S. news organization plans to be there with its top talent April 29, from CBS' Katie Couric, NBC News' Brian Williams, ABC's Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer to Fox News' Shepard Smith and CNN's Anderson Cooper and Piers Morgan.