Pelmorex

Pelmorex Media Inc. is a Canadian company that specializes in producing weather information websites and applications, as well as specialty television networks. Pelmorex is the parent company of The Weather Network, MétéoMédia, Eltiempo.es, Wetter Plus, as well as Beat the Traffic. The company is headquartered in a 100,000 square foot media centre located in Oakville, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto.

Founded in 1989, "Pelmorex" is a portmanteau derived from the name of the company's Chairman and controlling shareholder, Pierre L. Morrissette. Using a great deal of in-house technology, Pelmorex properties produce weather forecasts, traveller information, weather-related news, predictions and analysis.

In addition to their specialty broadcast stations, Pelmorex has an extensive reach on their websites and mobile applications. When combining all platforms in every market they serve, Pelmorex properties reach over 40 million users on average each month.

Pelmorex was chosen as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2012 and 2013 and has maintained its status in Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies Platinum Club 2015 (recipient for 8 consecutive years). The Weather Network was also named 14th on Ipsos Most Influential Brands list in Canada 2015.

History

Pelmorex Media was established in 1989 and acquired The Weather Network and MeteoMedia shortly after. The brand grew in Canada and in 1996, The Weather Channel in the United States was brought on board as a strategic minority shareholder.

In the early 1990s, the company owned the Pelmorex Radio Network stations in Northern Ontario. The company sold the stations in 1998 and 1999, to Telemedia and Haliburton Broadcasting Group.

In 2006, Pelmorex purchased the operations of World Weatherwatch, a meteorological service company with clients such as; the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Hydro One and Bruce Nuclear Generating Station. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In 2008, The Weather Channel's interest in The Weather Network and MétéoMédia were acquired by a consortium led by NBCUniversal and became a significant minority shareholder.

Pelmorex acquired Eltiempo (located in Madrid, Spain) in 2012. Pelmorex experienced significant expansion in 2014 with launching properties in the UK, US and Germany.

In 2015, Pelmorex Management Inc. bought out The Weather Channel's 49% stake in the company. Pelmorex Management now owns 100% of Pelmorex Media Inc. The Weather Channel LLC had been a significant minority shareholder in the company since 1996. The transaction represented an important milestone in the company’s 27 year history.

Notable Pelmorex Technology

Pelmorex in-house technology called the Pelmorex Forecast Engine (PFE) allows meteorologists to issue weather forecasts for the entire world down to a 1 square kilometer grid – making it one of highest resolution forecasting systems available.

Pelmorex also developed PointCast™, a system that delivers weather information for specific postal or ZIP codes that provides the most accurate weather down to 1 kilometer.

The Pelmorex Lightning Detection Network detects and locates lightning strikes across Canada. Sensors are positioned throughout the country and use sophisticated electronics and GPS technology to detect radio waves generated by lightning activity, locating 90-95% of all cloud to ground lightning strikes within 250 metres of the strike location.

Alert Ready

National Alert Aggregation & Dissemination System (NAAD System)

Developed in partnership with federal, provincial and territorial emergency management officials, and Environment Canada, Pelmorex owns the distribution infrastructure of Alert Ready. Alert Ready is a national emergency warning system aimed to benefit all Canadians by notifying them immediately to potentially life-threatening events. Similar to the Emergency Alert System in the United States, the service provides alerts to participating media outlets, who will then relay the information to their viewers and listeners.

The system officially launched on June 10, 2010 and is legally backed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), who enacted a mandate in August 2014 for broadcasters and broadcast distribution undertakings in Canada to relay emergency messages that are distributed through Alert Ready as of March 31, 2015.