Radio on Katrina lessons

from Radio&Records today:

The 411 On 911 Emergencies


That was the title of a timely NAB Radio Show session focused on lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina even as Hurricane Rita was bearing down on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Clear Channel/New Orleans' Dick Lewis recounted numerous harrowing anecdotes of his experiences during Katrina and cited two major lessons that he learned from the experience. "The first thing you need to know is that an emergency teaches you about all of the things you didn't think about in advance. And it also reminds us that in every emergency, what we in radio are all about is saving lives. You must realize the responsibility, the power and the hope that your station can give to people in an emergency situation."

Entercom VP/News-Talk Programming Ken Beck noted that his company learned that even the best of plans will not cover every potential situation during an emergency. "It's virtually impossible to have a fool-proof plan in place in the face of a category four or five hurricane," he said. "Understand that sometimes the best thing you can do is to get your people out of harm's way and beg forgiveness vs. asking permission to do what you need to do to accomplish that."

Panel moderator Jim Farley, PD of WTOP-AM & FM/Washington, reminded stations that don't have full-time newspeople on staff that they need to set up guidelines in advance for non-newspeople who will have to communicate emergency information to listeners. "Be careful that the information you are giving is accurate and well-grounded to ensure that it doesn't cause more problems or miscommunication," he told the room. "Two people calling in to tell you something they heard is not the same as confirming that information with two credible news sources. During any emergency your radio station must be the calm voice of reason in difficult times."
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good advice for us all