Report: New Sam Champion Show Bombs

The forecast is not so good for Sam Champion's new Weather Channel show. AMHQ pulled in an average of just 207,000 viewers during the course of its three-hour March 17 premiere, according to THR.

That number would not be a huge bummer for Weather -- it isn't exactly a ratings force -- were it not for the fact that AMHQ actually fell 12 percent from the four-week time slot average. And that's following weeks of an aggressive marketing campaign from the network, which is actively trying to broaden its brand (and its audience).

AMHQ's haul had it ranking 80th in all of cable between 7 and 10 a.m.. That's below HLN's Morning Express with Robin Meade (No. 52) and a Lifetime rerun of Frasier (No. 66).

The targeted news demo of adults 25-54 tells a similar story. AMHQ's average 64,000 viewers in the group marked a 14 percent drop from recent showings in the time slot, and ranked 78th in all of cable.

Champion made a very high-profile exit from the top morning show, ABC's Good Morning America, back in December.