In Response to Melissa Bonneville's Post

I totally agree with the lure of the weather report as a hook to keep you watching. I too enjoy watching the weather, and the seven-day forecast is what you always wait for. I've always noticed the short updates they use. They will use lines, sometimes ones that lead you to think something drastic will happen ("Will we get snow on the valley floor?") and then when it comes time for the actual report, it will have nothing to do with what they said earlier ("No snow in Portland, only above around 5000 feet in the mountains").

I've also noticed how they save the best stories for the end of the show. They broadcast a little tidbit of what they will talk about, and then at the very end of the program they will have a tiny clip about the supposed big story that they lured you in with.

These little tricks used by the evening news may seem kind of deceptive, but they are techniques that they have come up with, and they seem to be working. If I watch the news for the weather, I'll keep watching until the seven-day forecast. If the story I want to hear about is at the end of the program, I'll keep watching until it's over. So I guess they do know what they are doing over at the news station...