WRAL and AccuWeather Announce Collaboration to Offer Viewers 24-Hour-a-Day, Local Weather Channel

AccuWeather's Local Digital Weather™ Allows WRAL to Take Full Advantage of its Already Strong Weather Brand

(State College, PA, May 9, 2003) - WRAL in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and AccuWeather Inc., the World's Leading Weather Authority™, have announced a partnership to offer viewers a 24-hour-a-day local weather channel through AccuWeather's Local Digital Weather™.

Local Digital Weather is a first-of-its-kind programming system that allows local cable operators and broadcasters to expand their revenue by tapping the high demand for 24-hour-a-day, continuous local weather programming. The system includes continuous local avails that can feature text, graphics, audio, banners and full-motion video. Also, the system offers stations additional avails that either can be sold to outside advertisers to boost revenues or used to promote the station's programming and their brand.

WRAL is using this technology to build on their already strong brand reputation as the ultimate resource to turn to for weather information in the Raleigh-Durham area. Through their digital multicast capability and Local Digital Weather, the station can now offer viewers the easiest, most accurate and fastest way to receive important weather information from a source they can trust.

WRAL Station Manager Chuck deCourt believes the partnership between his station and AccuWeather will be a complete success for both the station and viewership. "Our viewers have grown to respect and depend on WRAL for our forecasts, and AccuWeather has helped us take advantage of this strength," deCourt said. "Instead of having to wait for a local forecast, our viewers can quickly tune to our local weather channel to get an update whenever they need it."

This weather information will include local and regional radar, current conditions, short-term forecast maps, a five-day local forecast, local almanac information, satellite imagery, and weather-related trivia. In addition, WRAL takes advantage of their weather team's popularity by offering a two-minute video segment every 10 minutes to present viewers both a familiar face and even more area weather details. This wealth of localized weather information is further enhanced thanks to AccuWeather's high-quality, leading edge graphics and animation.

"Weather forecasting is only as compelling as its accuracy and relevance to local communities and regions, and Local Digital Weather fits those requirements," Joel Myers, founder and president of AccuWeather, Inc., said. "WRAL viewers can now get Raleigh-Durham area forecasts when they need it, instead of sitting through irrelevant weather information from national sources just to get a local forecast."

About AccuWeather and AccuWeather.com

AccuWeather.com, The World's Weather Authority®, provides a portfolio of products and services through the airwaves, via the Internet, in print, and behind the scenes that benefit hundreds of millions of people worldwide. AccuWeather.com services more than 130,000 paying customers in media, business, government and institutions, and millions more through the website. AccuWeather.com also provides content onto more than 1200 Internet sites including CNN Interactiv, ABC's owned and operated stations, The Associated Press©, The Washington Post and The New York Times.

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