Fox News Media’s streaming climate science channel Fox Weather will cover the start of the Atlantic hurricane season with special programming this weekend.
Starting June 1, meteorologists Ian Oliver and Bryan Norcross will anchor “Hurricane HQ: Eye On The Season.” Oliver will host a three-hour special from Caddy’s Treasure Island, a restaurant that was impacted by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene last year, while Norcross will interview National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan.
Additionally, Fox Weather correspondent Robert Ray will spotlight the recovery efforts in western North Carolina following the devastation from Hurricane Helene, while correspondent Brandy Campbell will present an update on New Orleans’ recovery efforts 20 years after Hurricane Katrina. Fox Weather meteorologist Steve Bender will update viewers on the impact coral reef deterioration has on flood protection from Key West, Florida.
After the special on June 1, Fox Weather will kick off a week-long initiative called Hurricane Week that will feature special programming, including an hour-long interactive question-and-answer session with Norcross called “Hurricane HQ&a.” Fox Weather will also feature stories on the latest storm predictions for the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through the end of November.
During this year’s hurricane season, Fox Weather will mark its fourth years as a free streaming channel. The service has grown its audience each year thanks to a commitment to live reporting and a broad distribution strategy, which allows users of leading free streaming TV (FAST) platforms like Pluto TV, Xumo Play and those offered by Vizio, Samsung, LG and Roku to watch live coverage of hurricanes and other severe weather without any monthly fee.
“We feel like weather information shouldn’t be platform-specific or device-specific, and through an omnichannel strategy, we feel it’s only growth from here,” Sharri Berg, the President of Fox Weather, told The Desk in an interview last year.
Berg said Fox Weather goes beyond the typical computer-generated forecast and live reports during the storm by making a human connection with the residents and businesses most affected by climate events.
“With that idea in mind, we’re very specific about the investments we made and make,” Berg said. “We think about what will drive and enhance the audience experience and understanding of what’s going on.”
Special programming to kick off hurricane season, and the week-long hurricane initiative, raises awareness of the potential for severe weather along the Atlantic coast while also showcasing the best of Fox Weather’s reporting and technology.
“Once people find us, they’re sticking with us,” Berg said.
