AccuWeather has partnered with Oddcast to produce WeatherHost, a virtual weathercaster targeting stations seeking to brand their Internet-based weather forecasts.

Weatherhost turns the weather talent into a virtual personality that can be displayed on the station's Web site. The companies say the virtual personality is "surprisingly lifelike" and can be customized to look like the actual person and feature their own voice. The first deployment of WeatherHost is with WRDW-TV in Augusta, Ga., which offers the service on its Web site, www.wrdw.com.

The system was created using Oddcast VHost™ technology, which non-programmers use to create and embed virtual animated characters within web pages, e-mails, ad banners and Flash movies. Benefits to television stations include increased revenue through sponsorship opportunities and increased site traffic and session length.