Rush To Spend 4th in Joplin Missouri

July 1, 2011

Today Rush Limbaugh gave away a semi full of his new Iced Tea product to the community of Joplin Missouri. Then he announced he'd be going out to the community to celebrate the 4th of July with them in a local park. Rush was running a promotion to give away the tea and says many of the entrants that came from different communities submitted entries for Joplin. As you know Joplin was devastated by a tornado recently and the community has been trying to rebuild. "This is how America comes together" Rush said. "This is all about us doing just a little bit to bring some smiles to the faces of people who have been through a lot the past few months." Rush will give a brief speech at about 8PM after a couple of country bands play for the community.

(7/2/2011 11:17:01 AM)
OMG Just what our community needs
(7/1/2011 11:54:32 PM)
Nothing like turning a disaster into self-promotion.

Rush, my hat is off to you.

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More Radio People Homeless In Joplin Missouri.

As we've been reporting, the Zimmer Radio Group was hit hard by the Missouri tornado, some losing everything they owned. There is another radio group that serves the Joplin market that has been getting very little attention and they were hit just as hard. American Media Investment Group owns 8 stations in the Joplin and Pittsburgh, Kansas area and has been providing the local community much needed information although getting very little credit.

KKOW Music Director Ben Woolery tells Radio Ink that "our group of 8 stations had the tornado warning on the air quickly as we are the primary EAS stations in the Joplin MO and Pittsburg KS market.  We were tracking the storm for 2 counties before it hit Joplin.  Our stations continued getting the additional weather warnings out.  Part of the time we were wall to wall coverage as well."

4 employees of American Media were also hit hard by the storm. Three employees lost everything they owned and Woolery suffered major damage to his home and belongings. "I was personally in the path of the storm giving details on the air when the station told me to get out of there as the storm was coming to my location. 3 of us are still trying to find a new home.  I am still trying to find a temporary home as well until my home can be repaired.  My wife's car was totaled and her work, St. John's Regional Medical Center was destroyed.

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Clear Channel Helping Joplin Residents

Clear Channel Helping Joplin Residents

Clear Channel's Springfield Missouri Operations Manager Paul Kelley reports that his stations are helping neighbors in nearby Joplin. Springfield is only about 60 miles from Joplin and the Clear Channel cluster in Springfield has already filled six semi-trucks with 35,000 pounds of food and supplies for the Ozarks Food Harvest to take to the Red Cross in Joplin. They have also raised $5,000 in cash donations. Within a 24 hour period they raised $20,000 to support Convoy of Hope, a disaster relief organization based in Springfield that is on the ground in Joplin. And, the stations learned of the need for Type O Negative blood donations and have been encouraging residents to participate in blood drives for the Community Blood Center for the Ozarks.

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More Kudos For The Zimmer Radio Group in Joplin

The latest to congratulate the Zimmer team on a job well done is The Los Angelas Times. In a piece entitled "Joplin Radio Stations Become Lifeline for Tornado-Stricken Residents" the paper highlights how broadcasters are turning into unofficial public information officers as callers ask for information on loved ones or make offers of assistance. And the paper points out that in the age of tweets and likes and blogs and texts, the good old fashioned transmitter, tower and telephone are the glue holding the tiny town of Joplin together. "In a town where Internet and mobile connections have become scarcities after an Old Testament-style disaster crippled new media, Zimmer Radio's untouched towers have made its six stations essential listening."

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Zimmer CEO Says 7 Employees In Joplin Homeless

The tornado that tore through the town of Joplin Missouri has made a very dramatic impact on one of radio's family members. As we've been telling you about since early yesterday the Zimmer radio group has been delivering news and information non-stop to the community since it was clear the killer twister was headed their way. Late last night we reached Zimmer CEO Jim Zimmer who says he cannot put everything into words yet because it's too raw. "Seven people from the staff and their families are homeless. We?re trying secure housing for them and a couple of RV?s at the station to accommodate our on-air personnel and families.  Storms are still brewing coming our way.  Please pray for Joplin."

Zimmer says words cannot describe what his staff has and is doing on and off-air. "It is indescribable for me. When the tornado hit Joplin yesterday I was out of the state with my family. It was the one year anniversary of the death of my oldest son.  Around 4pm I started getting the phone calls from Joplin. The programming staff, always diligent, had seen the storm cell brewing in Kansas just west of Joplin and started crashing the station to go wall-to-wall with severe weather coverage about an hour before it hit Joplin.  They have been on the air ever since.  It is a truly remarkable team from programming to sales to local management.  Too many stories convey right now. Most will probably be forgotten or never heard outside of Joplin.  All I will tell you is that a better team you will never find than the working for Zimmer Radio in Joplin, MO."

(5/24/2011 3:50:11 PM)
its James Zimmer not Jim

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