Weather Channel nixes smooth jazz

ATLANTA, July 3 (UPI) -- U.S. cable network the Weather Channel has announced an end to the smooth jazz playing in the background of its "Local on the 8s" segments.

Geoffrey Darby, who joined the network as executive vice president of programming in February, said the segments will now feature soft rock songs instead of the smooth jazz that has accompanied the local weather segments for years, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday.

"I think we've been doing an injustice to our viewers playing, for the lack of a better word, elevator music on the segments for all these years," Darby said.

"People would have it on but they wouldn't be watching and they wouldn't be listening," he said of the segments. "We wanted music that would get their attention -- and this has."

He said songs featured in the "Local on the 8s" segments now include tunes by The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band and Devo.

Darby said the switch has received an "80 percent approval rating" from viewers.