Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group is terminating or reassigning all local meteorologists at its nearly two dozen stations nationwide, replacing them with a feed broadcasted to individual stations from The Weather Channel, which he also owns.

According to CNN, the layoffs will impact at least 50 meteorologists at stations from Massachusetts to Hawaii. Carl Parker, a veteran storm and climate specialist at The Weather Channel, is leading the initiative, which will give some of the affected meteorologists new jobs at its Atlanta, GA-based hub, and others will have the option to stay in their current markets.

The Weather Channel will deploy meteorologists during certain weather events. In a news release on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, Allen Media said the “groundbreaking” operation “brings together world-class meteorological expertise, cutting-edge technology, and the most advanced forecasting tools to deliver superior weather content to local television station audiences.”

“We are proud to announce that Allen Media Group is leveraging the full resources and expertise of The Weather Channel to make our local weather news the very best,” said Tom O’Brien, president of Weather Group/The Weather Channel. “We are 100% committed to delivering next-level weather news to our local television stations 24/7.”

Meteorologist Christina Burkhart recently left ABC affiliate WJRT in Flint, MI, which AFROTECH™ previously reported Allen had purchased for $70 million in 2021. She explained on Facebook how The Weather Channel will handle reports remotely.

“Weather forecasts will be sent from the weather channel in Atlanta,” Burkhart wrote in a Facebook post, per CNN. “These will be pre-recorded by regional meteorologists recording hits for each Allen station. Live severe weather coverage will also come from them.”

Allen Media acquired The Weather Channel for $300 million in 2018. While speaking at the global tech event CES 2024, Allen explained that he continues to pursue the linear television space despite its streaming competitors’ success because “I can run them better just like I’m breathing right now.

“Right now, a lot of these legacy assets are overspending tremendously and there’s an enormous waste in our industry,” he added, per AFROTECH™. “I had to build my company from the dining table 30 years ago, so I combat things from the point of view of an owner and founder. I’m not an executive.”

The latest round of cuts involving local meteorologists follows workforce reductions at both Allen Media — attributed to “strategic changes” — and The Weather Channel last year, according to CNN. Citing “extensive cost-cutting measures,” Allen Media also axed the Weather Channel’s Spanish-language version.

While traditional television outlets have seen their viewership decline in recent years as more Americans turn to streaming services, a 2019 Pew study found that weather was the primary reason viewers tune in to local news, with 70% of respondents “expressing a daily need for information,” per CNN.

Allen Media emphasized in its news release that weather coverage remains a “top priority” for local stations, adding that the new format “will dramatically improve reporting capabilities, especially in high-stakes weather situations.”

Byron Allen reportedly has a net worth of $800 million. During a 2022 interview with “CBS Sunday Morning,” the media mogul made it clear that he views his company as a flashpoint for change in corporate America — and has no plans to ever sell it.

“Do we or do we not have economic inclusion?” Allen said, AFROTECH™ previously reported. “And the answer is no. … We have to correct the greatest trade deficit in America, which is the trade deficit between white corporate America and Black America. There are kids out there who look like me that, when they see that, they’re going to, it’s going to change their perspective of themselves.”