Gene Russo, Disco Daze, 1978 remixed by Imp Kerr

As it turns out, the Weather Channel has a regular audience of hardcore fans. And, among those people, the consensus is that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

As Sandy churned toward Atlantic City on Oct. 29, 2012, the Weather Channel was having a very good day. For a few hours in the early morning, TWC was the most-watched channel on cable: over 2 million people tuned in—more than CNN or Fox News—to track the whereabouts of the superstorm/frankenstorm/post-tropical nor’easter. The network, which is owned by NBC, took its good fortune in stride. In a press release the next day, TWC chairman and CEO David Kenny said, “People had an immediate need for information about Sandy. We were just happy they came to us for it.”

Weather events like Sandy might be the only times anyone has an “immediate need” for the Weather Channel these days, and even then, it’s a strong claim. Most people

And when I say, “Most people,” I mean the people who matter to media outlets, i.e., 25-54-year-olds with means to own a laptop and a smartphone and maybe some other type of smart device.

don’t think about the channel much at all, even as they’re using weather.com—TWC’s online arm—or its self-titled mobile app. My own impression of the channel was that it was a relic, rarely spotted except for on the offcolor, wall-mounted screens of retirement homes and Laundromats. But, as it turns out, TWC the channel has a regular audience of hardcore fans. And, among those people, the consensus is that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.