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    Weather Channel sold to Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1817 Views
    In this May 8, 2009, file photo, Byron Allen arrives for an event in Los Angeles. Allen's Entertainment Studios, Inc., one of the largest independent producers and distributors of film and television, on Thursday, March 22, 2018, announced its acquisition of the Weather Group, parent company of The Weather Channel television network and LOCAL NOW streaming service. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File)

    By Lynn Elber, Television Writer

    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    The Weather Channel is under new ownership.

    Entertainment Studios Inc., an independent movie and TV producer and distributor, said Thursday it's acquired the channel's parent company, Weather Group.

    Byron Allen, founder and owner of Entertainment Studios, bought the Weather Group from the Blackstone Group, Bain Capital and Comcast-NBCUniversal, Entertainment Studios said.

    "The Weather Channel is a phenomenal asset," Allen said in an interview. "It is the No. 1 weather news network in America. It's a network that's very important, that provides us information to protect our families and our lives."

    The purchase price for the channel and Local Now, a news streaming service, reportedly was $300 million.  Entertainment Studios declined to confirm the figure.

    Bain, Blackstone and Comcast-NBCUniversal bought the Weather Channel Cos. from Landmark Communications in 2008 for a reported $3.5 billion. The new owners sold digital assets including the Weather.com website for a reported $2 billion-plus to IBM in 2015.

    Allen called the Weather Channel "an American treasure" that he intends to expand.

    "We're just honored to be able to own and take it to the next level," he said. "They're already doing great, we're just going to invest more to position it for greater success" domestically and internationally.

    Meteorologist Jim Cantore is among the familiar faces at the basic cable channel that's available in more than 80 million North American homes.

    In a statement, Weather Channel CEO Dave Shull said Allen's ownership will benefit its viewers, distributors and advertisers.

    Entertainment Studios owns seven TV channels, including Comedy.tv and Justice Central.tv, which are distributed online and by pay-TV providers.

    It also owns TheGrio.com, a website devoted to African-American stories and issues.

    Allen said the purchase of the Weather Group was completed Thursday morning through his company Allen Media LLC.

    Tags:Byron AllenEntertainment StudiosThe Weather Channel



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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