The Weather Channel 2014. Aside from location-based weather forecast information, the apps provided radar maps, and tropical and seasonal updates, as well as social media related functions that track weather-related Twitter messages and allow users to send Facebook friends severe weather alerts. The channel also disseminated severe weather information, and photos and videos submitted by meteorologists and viewers, on its Twitter feed (@TWCBreaking, which also served as a hashtag usable for posts). In July 2012, The Weather Company (former owner of The Weather Channel) purchased competing weather website Weather Underground. While The Weather Channel already had success with its own mobile apps, it
History of The Weather Channel done on the basis that "our most passionate fans come to us for the weather and the science behind the weather, not our original shows." As part of the overhaul, The Weather Company would lay off around 50 of TWC's employees (or 3% of the channel's 1,400 staff members), including production, engineering and financial staff, while overall spending for the television channel would be reduced to focus more on the company's internet and mobile properties. The channel also announced that it would launch Local Now, a localized weather, traffic and news service similar in format to Weatherscan, that is intended