The E.W. Scripps Co. is expanding the mobile availability of its weather coverage with the acquisition of a mobile apps provider.

The Cincinnati-based company purchased WeatherSphere, which includes a portfolio of top-rated mobile apps, including RadarCast, NOAA HI-Def Radar, WeatherAlerts, Simple Tides, NOAA Snow Forecast, Lightning Cast and Hi-Def Animated Radar (Free).

“For decades, the people in our communities have tuned in to our television stations for weather coverage both during emergencies and on an average day,” said Adam Symson, chief digital officer for Scripps. “Acquiring WeatherSphere lets us secure that relationship with an entirely new generation of consumers seeking a way to get weather information wherever they are.”

WeatherSphere founder and CEO Raghav Gupta will continue to lead the company following the acquisition, and he expects the new ownership will help accelerate the pace of development and innovation of apps. He released his first weather app as an experiment, but a series of deadly tornadoes in 2011 led more people to make use of the apps Gupta was designing. WeatherSphere was recently named to Fast Company magazine’s list of 10 most innovative companies in travel.

Erin Caproni
Digital Producer-Cincinnati Business Courier