Where would you tune for huge breaking news information? (9/11 or storm type)

[K6JHU]

BTW, as long as the cell phone towers are up and runnnig, SMS is a better way to send out an H&W message. Once it is in the system it will get out to the recipient eventually. And no issue with waiting for a 'dial tone' on voice either.

Then there is always your local Ham Radio operator (shameless plug here).

 

[aerie]

Telling people without power listening on their battery-powered radios to "check online for cancellations" is downright bizarre.

 

[tvreader]

WBZ, anybody who says WATD should crack open a window!

 

[johnster]

Check out AM 1200

 

[reelyreal]

If you're listening on a battery-powered radio, do you really care if Monday night bingo is cancelled?

 

[CTListener]

Telling people without power listening on their battery-powered radios to "check online for cancellations" is downright bizarre.

At least they didn't tell them to tune to WBZ-FM HD3.

 

[CatCall]

Telling people without power listening on their battery-powered radios to "check online for cancellations" is downright bizarre.

That’s is what radio is becoming in emergency situations, a referral service to check online or go elsewhere for info. And it’s even more frustrating when it’s a live jock telling you to check online. Why can’t the live jock just give the emergency info?

 

[aerie]

Well I dutifully tuned in to WBZ on my battery-powered radio this morning to see if I had to go to work (a university), and I was referred to cbsboston.com to find out. Not only that, but after saying that 300,000 people were without power, they suggested that those people could find out when National Grid and NStar would be fixing things by...logging on to their websites. I did hear an interesting story about David Letterman doing his show last night without a live audience though.

 

[raccoonradio]

Scanning the dial yesterday I heard coverage on 920 out of Prov but after a couple minutes it seemed like it was simply a simulcast of NBC 10.

 

[recto101]

In San Francisco its KGO-AM 810 or KCBS 106.9 FM for Storm or Quake Coverage in Norcal.

 

[CTListener]

Telling people without power listening on their battery-powered radios to "check online for cancellations" is downright bizarre.

That’s is what radio is becoming in emergency situations, a referral service to check online or go elsewhere for info. And it’s even more frustrating when it’s a live jock telling you to check online. Why can’t the live jock just give the emergency info?

Because the WBZ website is littered with advertising. Website visitors mean more to the CBS bottom line than people listening over the air. You listen to 'BZ for information and you get information; CBS gets nothing. You go to the website for information and you get information and CBS gets another "unique user" for its website and maybe even click-through for one of its advertisers after you get your information. Ca-ching! "Here's how to save your life as the floodwaters get closer. And when you're safe and dry, why don't you drop by Whole Foods ..."

 

[kc1ih]

New Hampshire Public Radio had great coverage, and never once that I heard did they tell people to go to a website.

 

[thirdendorsed]

With apologies to Eddie Andelman...

Sandy was an expansion storm.

20 years ago we would have laughed and gone to work.

Unfortunately, instead of reporting, news organizations have allowed electric companies to lower expectations during severe storms. What was an unthinkable level of power outages in the mid 70s is now an acceptable norm. Electric companies seem to have established a threshold of outages they can live with and the media blithely follow along.

Ever since the blizzard of 78, storms have been over-hyped to the point where serious public safety emergencies just seem part of a massive never-ending promo

Best newspaper ad ever for a radio station was the full page Blair took to promote the fact that WHDH and Accu-Weather predicted that a 1978 storm (post Blizzard) would miss metro Boston.