Non-stop coverage of Hurricane Irene was the Weather Channel's forte and, with an especially wide storm system, it affected a humongous number of people on the East Coast. Therefore, TV images of
reporters standing surfside served as a warning to some, as entertainment for others.
All of the major television networks extended hours of news programming over the weekend; they
knew that although some viewers laughed at images of reporters being blown over by winds, they were definitely watching.
They were accused by many of overhyping the storm, but as the
longtime anchor for NBC's New York station, Chuck Scarborough, said on air on Sunday, "We're in the news business. We deal in doom."
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