Media trade publications are reporting today that Landmark Communications is putting its high profile network, "The Weather Channel," on the auction block - and NBC is licking its lips.
The New York Times says, "Among the Weather Channel's suitors, NBC is expected to compete aggressively, people involved in the auction said. NBC has a weather-related unit called NBC Weather Plus, a joint project of NBC News and NBC affiliates, but the venture has never taken off. NBC Weather Plus includes a cable channel, frequently available only on digital cable platforms and high on the dial, along with a Web site, weatherplus.com."
"The Weather Channel" has a staff of 800 employees; 125 are meteorologists.
This could make for an interesting marriage between NBC and a network that at one time was seen as a fledgling network that was not going to make it. But it did and has remained as one of the last remaining independent cable networks not goggled up by big media.
The deal could be worth $5 billion including the channel and the website, weather.com (currently the 18th largest media website by traffic).
Other possible players include News Corporation, Comcast, Time Warner and Yahoo.
Some information courtesy: The NY Times
