Weather Channel President Exits

Weather Channel Networks president Patrick Scott has retired. Starting immediately, Marketing and Strategy Executive VP Wonya Lucas will assume a role as GM of The Weather Channel Networks, adding programming to her oversight.

Scott, who joined The Weather Channel ten years ago when he established TWC in the UK, will now focus on philanthropic efforts in his home region of East Africa, including an AIDS orphanage and a venture fund in Rwanda.

Lucas has been with the network for the past three years, ascending from executive VP of strategic marketing to overseeing the network's strategy and development department. She was instrumental in the network's rebranding this spring, which adopted the tagline "Bringing Weather to Life" to focus on viewers' emotional connection with the weather. She will broaden her focus to programming for The Weather Channel, Weatherscan and The Weather Channel Radio Network, as well as newspaper syndication. Scott officially departs in November. The Weather Channel averaged 513,000 total viewers in prime third quarter - down 12 percent from last year.