Network currently in 12 million homes across Canada

A10

Charles Perry
Weather

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He always thought The Weather Network and its French-language equivalent MétéoMédia had "real good potential" from the beginning, said Pierre Morrissette of Oakville, Ont.

"But the end result has been well beyond my expectations for sure," he said in a telephone interview.

Morrissette is chairman of the board and chief executive officer for Pelmorex Media Inc., the owner of The Weather Network/MétéoMédia, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

But at the beginning, he added, there were some doubters regarding the viability of a television network devoted entirely to weather 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Morrissette said The Weather Network was originally launched by Lavalin Engineering of Montreal in 1988. Pelmorex negotiated its acquisition in 1991 with the transfer of control approved by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission in 1993.

He laughed in recalling how some board members wondered at the time why they would want to acquire an all-weather network. He would often hear them remark -- "Who watches a weather station?"

Of course, no one is asking that any more, said Morrissette.

But he was not surprised by the incredible growth, he said, noting that weather affects everyone and is the first or second item of most casual conversations in most workplaces.

"It helps you plan your day, to know what to wear, what road conditions you will encounter, helps you in scheduling outings and activities, making plans to take off for the country on the weekend, do your gardening, and is beneficial in many other aspects of your life," he said.

The public wants information on the weather and local information, especially, said Morrissette. One of the most popular features on The Weather Network/MétéoMédia is the local forecast and highway conditions every 10 minutes "on the ones" -- 1:01 p.m., 1:11. 1:21, etc.

At the same time, they provide seven-day and 14-day outlooks, said the Pelmorex CEO. He said these assist people in making long-range plans such as trips or vacations and are therefore also very popular with the public.

Morrissette said about 12 million homes in Canada subscribe to the network.

n Charles Perry's weather column appears daily.