American Red Cross and The Weather Company Join Forces to Prepare Communities for Weather Disasters

Parent Companies of The Weather Company, Bain Capital, The Blackstone Group and NBCU, to Match Viewer/User Donations for Sandy Relief Up to One Million Dollars



WASHINGTON, DC AND ATLANTA — The American Red Cross and The Weather Company today announced a new partnership to promote weather safety & preparedness and to support the disaster relief work of the Red Cross, reinforcing a shared mission to keep the public safe and informed. The partnership brings together two iconic organizations known for their commitment to the keeping the public safe and informed. The Weather Company is launching the partnership with a matching donation program for Hurricane Sandy relief for up to $1 million dollars.

Over the past months The Weather Company, through its properties The Weather Channel, weather.com and its mobile and tablet applications, has collaborated with the American Red Cross sharing weather and disaster preparedness content. Viewers of The Weather Channel, users of The Weather Channel or American Red Cross mobile apps and tablets, and visitors to weather.com will see jointly developed disaster preparedness and relief information. In addition, users of Red Cross mobile apps will be able to access maps and forecast information from The Weather Company. The Weather Company will also support the Red Cross disaster relief efforts by making donation options available through its mobile and tablet apps, online at weather.com, weatherunderground.com and intellecast.com and throughout its cable network programming. The Weather Company and Red Cross will be jointly sharing weather and preparedness information on their individual social platforms as well.

To mark the launch of this partnership, The Weather Company, and its ownership group of Bain Capital, The Blackstone Group and NBC Universal, will be matching Hurricane Sandy relief donations to the American Red Cross for up to $1 million. Viewers will see and hear instructions during all of the network’s Sandy coverage to go to www.redcross.org/sandy or text SANDY to 90999 to make a $10.00 donation to the American Red Cross. On digital platforms, users will see links to donate throughout weather.com, wunderground.com and intellicast.com, and on The Weather Channel smartphone and tablet apps, an ad will appear with the link to donate.

“The Weather Company has always supported the American Red Cross and featured news of its important work on all of our platforms, and as we continue our around-the-clock coverage of Sandy, the matching donation was the ideal way to demonstrate how the storm’s devastation has moved our employees” said David Kenny, chairman and CEO of The Weather Company. “This partnership formalizes our relationship with ARC so we can integrate critical information that will enable us to get important information to people when and where they need it.”

“This is a perfect partnership between two organizations that are trusted sources of information,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “The Red Cross is a leader in providing preparedness information and disaster relief, and The Weather Channel is the brand so many millions of Americans turn to for the weather.”

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization—not a government agency—and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

About The Weather Company

The Weather Company is the world’s leading weather authority. Through The Weather Channel, weather.com, wunderground.com, Intellicast.com and third-party publishing partners, the company provides millions of people every day with the world’s best weather forecasts, content and data, connecting with them through television, online, mobile and tablet screens. Through WSI and Weather Central, the company delivers superior professional weather services for the media, aviation, marine and energy sectors. The Weather Company is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. For more information, visit www.weather.com/press.