Covering The Tornado Tragedy

5-21-13

A killer tornado, at least a half mile wide, gave local residents very little time to seek safe shelter in the suburbs of Oklahoma City yesterday. The press is reporting 51 dead, at least 20 kids, and 120 people were being treated at hospitals. The twister destroyed the community of Moore, which is about 10 miles south of Oklahoma City. Nothing was spared from automobiles to homes to schools. The storm missed Tyler Media's KOKC-AM's tower by about 300 feet. You can listen to the station covering the storm HERE. Clear Channel went wall-to-wall 20 minutes before the first tornado warning was issued. KTOK is live with coverage HERE

Clear Channel stations in Oklahoma City stayed live 30 minutes before the first touchdown was sighted. All Clear Channel stations are now simulcasting News/Talk 1000 KTOK's disaster coverage and are serving as the lifeline for thousands of motorists and residents. Clear Channel is sending 850KOA's Steffan Tubbs to Oklahoma City to provide custom coverage for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment stations including  24/7 News and the 24/7 News wire.   Our 850 stations across the country will air disaster relief PSAs and run digital banners on their website directing donations to the Red Cross.

The same at Cumulus stations in Oklahoma City. Mike McVay tells Radio Ink that It is all hands on deck. All stations are simulcasting the same local news and airing ABC radio news. We are on the air everywhere. Our people seem to be okay, but there are losses of family and property.

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What Does A GM Do When Tragedy Strikes?

4-16-2013

CBS Radio operates five radio stations including Newsradio WBZ-AM  in Boston. It's Mark Hannon's job to manage the stations and all the employees that make them run smoothly. Hannon (pictured) has been with CBS Radio for 24 years, the last five years running the Boston market. It was hours after the explosions before Hannon was able to get confirmation that his team was safe. All the while he's making decisions, along with Director of News & Programming Peter Casey, about how to cover a devastating attack on their city. We spoke to Hannon about what goes on in the GM chair on a day the unexpected happens. LISTEN HERE

Pictured here are WBZ?s PM Drive Co-Anchors Anthony Silva and Diane Stern with WBZ's wall-to-wall coverage of the Marathon Tragedy in Boston. Casey tells Radio Ink that CBS's other four stations started simulcasting WBZ News Radio at 3 p.m. Monday and stayed with it until midnight -- nine hours. "Our PM drive anchor team stayed on from 3 p.m. until midnight. Cell phones and land lines were overwhelmed making it nearly impossible to keep in communication with our reporters on scene. Cell service was even shut off for a period of time around the crime scene for safety reasons. The WBZ staff was amazing. Our people stayed late, came in early, worked long hours, and never questioned it at all.  Many of them just came in once they heard what was happening."

(4/17/2013 6:03:50 AM)
Peter and Mark are two of the best. Blizzards, hurricanes, huge Senate elections, a Presidential candidate from their backyard seemingly every four years, and now bombings, Boston has seen recently. And Peter and Mark have been an incredible source of information for all of it.
(4/17/2013 4:10:24 AM)
"The WBZ staff was amazing. Our people stayed late, came in early, worked long hours, and never questioned it at all. Many of them just came in once they heard what was happening."

What a bunch of suck-ups! You're nothing special!

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(AUDIO) Is Your Team Ready When Tragedy Strikes?

3-20-13

One week ago the upstate New York community of Utica experienced tragedy most people only watch unfold on TV or in a movie. A gunman went on a rampage killing four people, schools and businesses went into lockdown and law enforcement was in a stand-off with the man behind the shooting spree.

It's an event that, without a trained news department, radio would not be able to cover from the many different angles that unfold during a fluid situation. Townsquare's News Talker WIBX 950-AM was ready, providing the community with the type of compelling coverage only local radio can produce. The station, lead by General Manager Karen Carey, had a plan in place for a situation just like this. Here's what happened.
Morning man Bill Keeler (picture right) was driving around town when he heard about the situation unfolding. He made the decision to race to the scene and feed information back to the station. His local connections and knowledge of the town allowed him to get into position where he was getting information about the unfolding event that had local residents huddling around their radios. It was exclusive coverage of a cummunity changing event that the Television stations, still airing soap operas, were unable to match. In this clip you can hear Keeler describe what's going on, including the gunshots from the scene.

With the help of Google Maps, Keeler helped Townsquare Utica?s Digital Sales Manager, Karl Schultz, and Digital Assistant, Phil Creighton find exactly where he was. They began shooting over 150 photographs, and continuously updating WIBX950.com and utilizing social media, including WIBX 950-AM?s Twitter feed and Facebook pages.

OUR INTERVIEW WITH GM KAREN CAREY AND MORNING MAN BILL KEELER

Coverage on WIBX950.com received over 18,500 page views from 12,500 unique visitors and over 13,000 streaming sessions of WIBX 950-AM's online

stream during a 48-hour period, clearly evidencing the community?s appetite for, and engagement with, leading, live, critical and courageous coverage. One Twitter user commented on the coverage: ?WIBX cov of #HerkimerCoShootings is compelling. This is why local radio should never go away. Great coverage.? A summary of live blogging on WIBX950.com can be found HERE.

LISTEN TO A CLIP FROM KEELER REPORTING FROM THE SCENE HERE

On the day of the tragedy, media industry crisis management consultant Howard B. Price sent Townsquare Media Utica an unsolicited email from New York City where he had been following developments. ?I've been listening to WIBX's coverage of the tragic shootings for most of the day ? and you are to be congratulated for your on-air commitment and service to your community. Even your sales force pitched in, deploying to the field in the kind of ?all hands on deck? response one would expect in this kind of an event. I hope you'll document how your station prepared for and responded to this event, and might allow me to share your experience (and your air-checks) so that others in our business might learn."

In this audio from WIBX, Jim Rondenelli calls in to report situation is over and the suspect killed by police. A canine dog was used as a decoy. The dog was shot and killed by the suspect. Police then shot and killed the suspect. The way the dog was used has sparked an additional story in the community which WIBX has also been covering extensively.

What are you doing LIVE and LOCAL to serve your community? Send all the details to Radio Ink Editor Ed Ryan edryantheeditor@gmail.com

(3/20/2013 5:45:04 PM)
A "canine dog?"

Is there another kind?

Moooo.

(3/20/2013 9:20:18 AM)
Great job on the part of this local broadcaster. It's just too sad, though that so many of our stations owned by some of the bigger companies (even those who own news-talk stations) are choosing to greatly curtail, or end entirely, local news operations thinking that they are either unnecessary, too great a cost, or think they can get by with an out of market voice covering the news reading local newspapers and blogs on a computer.

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(AUDIO) What Radio Does When Tragedy Strikes

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7-21-2012

We've all been watching in stunned horror as the state of Colorado deals with yet another unthinkable tragedy. The theater massacre in Aurora highlights yet again how precious every moment of life is as a gunmen took the lives of 12 people, and wounded nearly 60 others, when he entered the movie theater and without warning started shooting. KOA Denver Program Director Greg Foster got the call early in the morning Friday from someone on his 24-hour news team. He knew his team was ready and they were, professionally covering the tragedy for the community that, unfortunately, has gone through this before. We asked Foster about being prepared to serve the community in this situation, how his team did, the KOA coverage and the role social media now plays in pushing out information.

Greg Foster is AM Operations Manager and Program Director for KOA Denver.
He's been with KOA for 2 years and has also worked at WGY in Schenectady.
Foster has been with Clear Channel for 12 years.
LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW HERE
Reach out to Greg and congratulate him and his team HERE
How did you cover the tragedy in Denver? Post details or send them to edryantheeditor@gmail.com
Is your station ready to serve the community when tragedy strikes?

View the original article here

(AUDIO) What Radio Does When Tragedy Strikes

Download this show

7-21-2012

We've all been watching in stunned horror as the state of Colorado deals with yet another unthinkable tragedy. The theater massacre in Aurora highlights yet again how precious every moment of life is as a gunmen took the lives of 12 people, and wounded nearly 60 others, when he entered the movie theater and without warning started shooting. KOA Denver Program Director Greg Foster got the call early in the morning Friday from someone on his 24-hour news team. He knew his team was ready and they were, professionally covering the tragedy for the community that, unfortunately, has gone through this before. We asked Foster about being prepared to serve the community in this situation, how his team did, the KOA coverage and the role social media now plays in pushing out information.

Greg Foster is AM Operations Manager and Program Director for KOA Denver.
He's been with KOA for 2 years and has also worked at WGY in Schenectady.
Foster has been with Clear Channel for 12 years.
LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW HERE

How did you cover the tragedy in Denver? Post details or send them to edryantheeditor@gmail.com
Is your station ready to serve the community when tragedy strikes?

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(PROGRAMMING) Be Prepared For Tragedy?

3-7-2012

The winter onslaught of deadly storms that marched across the South and Midwest were a reminder of the fragile nature of our civilization and there were more than a few stories about incredible loss, preparedness and of course, good luck. I am a volunteer for the Red Cross and Dallas Texas and I have spent a fair amount of effort in sharing the story of how personal preparedness can save lives. (http://www.redcross.org/prepare)

The spring tornado season is still ahead and its time to develop a station/cluster plan or review the plans you have. In hindsight I don?t think our staff developed as comprehensive plan as we should have. I remember thinking we have smart dedicated staffers and they will know what to do. We were tested but not tested the way we saw communities ravaged by this latest round of storms.

Here is a checklist that might help you organize your team.

1) You need a plan and it needs to be in writing. Make sure that ALL staffers have the copy of the plan. Make sure it?s available electronically and on paper. It should be in every staffers phone
2) Review your plan and update it each year
3) Be sure the plan covers the likely and less likely disasters that could impact your coverage area.
4) Rehearse. Twice each year bring the team together and rehearse and review. You don?t do this everyday. Staff changes; be sure new hires get a copy of the plan.
5) Start with your engineering staff, internal or contract. The number one goal is to stay on the air. Look at the technology you have and consider simple tech upgrades that you will need to serve your listeners.
6) Create partnerships. When your community is hit, the partnerships you have with other stations will extend your effectiveness no matter the size of your staff.
7) Meet with key community organizations before you are challenged to understand how you can work together.
8) Shelter in place. If your studios and transmitter survives? Can your team operate for days without outside support? The basics are essential. Power, hygiene, water, food.
9) Phones and voice cell phones will be down or limited. Master the art of text messages.
10)  Anticipate the unexpected; it will be the new normal.

I hope your stations wont face this kind of challenge but with some planning if you are tested, you and your listeners will be rewarded with your efforts.

Dan Halyburton is EVP McVay Cook and Associates and can be reached at 214-707-7237. Follow Dan @danhalyburton. E-mal Dan at dan@halyburton.com

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A Great Ending to A Tornado Tragedy.

A Great Ending to A Tornado Tragedy.

Many of you will remember a story we were closely watching several months ago regarding Cox Birmingham's Chris Coleman. In fact many of you donated money to Chris via a PayPal account we had set up shortly after a tornado ripped Coleman's house to shreds and destroyed everything he owned. We are happy to bring you the good news from Chris that he'll be moving into his new home (pictured) in less than 2 weeks. Coleman told Radio Ink this weekend that his family is doing very well and he's very thankful. "This has changed my life completely. I look a life totally different now...go to csquaredfoundation.org and see what I am doing here."

Coleman, who's house was totally destroyed in the tornado, says he had so much help and support from Cox and so many other people. "My DJ fraternity stepped up in a big way from the NAB to the ABA...MAN!!! I tear up every time I think about it. My Church and churches that I didn't attend showed up and helped out."

Send your thoughts to Chris ccoleman11566@yahoo.com

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