Will Frankenstorm challenge the Radio Business Model

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Someone just posted in the Northern New England forum a comment/question about how voice-tracking and Frankenstorm will play out.

I thought it would be revealing to approach the topic with a wider scope, and in a forum that is not focused on just one small geography.

It is true that giving the audience up-to-day info may be a bit inhibited where voice-tracking has been recorded earlier in the day... or even a day or two ahead of time. I would hope that broadcasters who have looked ahead will have tailored their automation so that having someone doing a live report or one that was recorded five minutes ago will be able to drop the report right into the programming gracefully.

From an overall business point of view... here is what may be a bigger question. In the old days, if there were six stations in a market, there would likely be six facilities located in different parts of town, on different electrical circuits, different phone exchanges, etc.

Today a regional market with 12 to 15 stations could find all of the financially-viable and staff-viable stations clustered in two buildings, two facilities. And those two competitors could be geographically located rather close together.

The other side of this observation is that owners who cluster 3 to 6 stations in one address may have had the foresite and the funds to "harden" those facilities so that they survive the storm in good enough shape to provide up-to-date info the listeners need.

It would be easy to say: "What we did back in the day would have worked better." Does no good to have 23 stand alone stations and all 23 are washed away, blown away.

I'm less interested in starting a big argument in advance of the storm as to may possibly could happen, but would rather see this thread play out over the next two weeks with observations about what really did happen, both good and bad.

 

[bmcglynn]

I'm less interested in starting a big argument in advance of the storm as to may possibly could happen, but would rather see this thread play out over the next two weeks with observations about what really did happen, both good and bad.

Some stations have taken a permanent lead in their market based on disaster coverage. I can think of how WHAM in Rochester, NY fared quite well in the Ice Storm of '91.

 

[TomT]

During the "Derecho" the end of June, of the 22 stations in our market, only two were able to stay on the air--one of my FM's and an AM news-talk. My metro FM was off because we rent tower space--that site has a geni that was never hooked up. (We've bought the land next door & are trying to build another tower so we can run from a site we control.)
We were on with a kilowatt from my suburban station, where we have a 20 kw geni that runs studio and the small transmitter (but not our normal 3 phase 10 kw). More to the point--later that Saturday I got a station back on at another cluster in town (the transmitter was already up at the local TV)--but the part-time weekenders didn't know what to do. They just rolled music.

My weekend people started right in at 7 that morning reading closures, etc. The "hot" information for the next few days was the location of any gas stations open & pumping gas. What we also learned, after the fact, was that many local emergency people did not have any info on where to call to get news to the public. For example--a rumor started that the water system in one town was about to be shut down--not true, but the city officials didn't have any idea how to reach us.

 

[NHRadio]

We've been hammering the fact we have live and local hurricane info all weekend long. Our NH CHR is the only local station that is live outside of AM drive.

 

[TheBigA]

In the old days, if there were six stations in a market, there would likely be six facilities located in different parts of town, on different electrical circuits, different phone exchanges, etc.

Maybe....the other side of the coin is that when you have multiple stations in one facility, it's more likely that you have easy access to a generator, and you're in a steel & brick office building rather than a former mobile home in a field. The reality however is that regardless of where they are, the authorized emergency officials don't recognize radio personnel as exempt from their evacuation plans. That was one of the lessons learned from Katrina.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Maybe....the other side of the coin is that when you have multiple stations in one facility, it's more likely that you have easy access to a generator, and you're in a steel & brick office building rather than a former mobile home in a field.

Yes, I skipped over the fact that some multiple-station facilities have included planning for emergencies. There is another "conversation place" for broadcasters that is run by Barry Mishkind and many of the participants there are broadcast engineers. After reading a lot of messages posted by someone, you get to the point you know them, and you know who to trust. In that forum some of the people that I have come to trust have indicated that they work for Clear Channel and they tell of some of the "hardened" installations that company has. They have also posted about large emergency generators in trailers that can be dispatched even to small markets where they didn't feel they had the revenue base to support a permanent generator that might NEVER be used.

*** after reading a lot of messages posted by someone....: I had to chuckle after I wrote that bit of hyperbole. I sometimes wonder how big of a trust deficit hole I have dug for myself. ;D

The reality however is that regardless of where they are, the authorized emergency officials don't recognize radio personnel as exempt from their evacuation plans. That was one of the lessons learned from Katrina.

Assuming we agree that broadcasters do have some problems to deal with, some of those problems don't belong to the broadcast industry. In smaller markets a police officer could go an entire career and never be involved in a crime or disaster where he/she comes face to face with deadline-driven news people, thus they have no gut feel for when to open up and when to hold their cards... face down.. when the reporters are there.

I wonder how many broadcasters know who in their community would be in charge when a big disaster hits and do they have that person on their speed dial. If they learned during a disaster who the person in charge was, would the P-I-C recognize that is was a broadcaster on the line when an underling said to the P-I-C: "Ralph Pinkston is on the phone and wants to talk with you."

There were a number of interesting stories that came out of New Orleans during and after the Katrina event. Even Parish Sheriffs found Feds disconnecting their two-way radio antennas so the Feds could use THEIR two-way radios... so it is reported.

 

[TheBigA]

I wonder how many broadcasters know who in their community would be in charge when a big disaster hits and do they have that person on their speed dial.

It's been my experience that the primary EAS station GMs know who is in charge, and have likely had meetings to discuss procedures. But then again, I've spent my entire career in major markets. It's possible that some don't.

You mention engineers, and it's also been my experience that the engineers are among the best connected radio people in town.

These kinds of weather disasters are easy to staff for, because we know they're coming, and it's happening on a weekday. I expect all hands will be on deck when this hits NYC.

 

[firepoint525]

When the big flood hit Nashville in May, 2010, the only source of information that I had while it was still raining was WAKM, a little AM station in Franklin, TN. The electricity was off, so television coverage was out of the question for me at the time. The WAKM coverage, while it didn't always directly pertain to me at the time, was still beneficial to me, because Franklin is upstream on the Harpeth River from me, so I knew that if the Harpeth was flooding there, that it would likely be flooding in my own neighborhood, too. I was not at home at the time, so I had no idea what was going on here. I was stranded out of my own neighborhood that weekend, and was not able to get back in here to check on things here until Tuesday of that week!

 

[secondchoice]

I wonder how many broadcasters know who in their community would be in charge when a big disaster hits and do they have that person on their speed dial.

It's been my experience that the primary EAS station GMs know who is in charge, and have likely had meetings to discuss procedures. But then again, I've spent my entire career in major markets. It's possible that some don't.

You mention engineers, and it's also been my experience that the engineers are among the best connected radio people in town.

These kinds of weather disasters are easy to staff for, because we know they're coming, and it's happening on a weekday. I expect all hands will be on deck when this hits NYC.

If you are in a smaller market, you should have a "real" local news operation. The news person should be calling the PIO (or what ever your local law enforcement agencies calls their media spokesperson) daily. I know police in GA have used the EAS for missing children and elderly people in the past. Usually the local Emergency management officials are very accessible. After a major "event' and your station has cooperated, some have been even nice enough to write a thank you note which always looks good in the public file. Sometimes Local Emergency management agencies can help with local broadcasters with the "loan" of surplus generators.

 

[MRFLASHPORT]

I wonder how many broadcasters know who in their community would be in charge when a big disaster hits and do they have that person on their speed dial. If they learned during a disaster who the person in charge was, would the P-I-C recognize that is was a broadcaster on the line when an underling said to the P-I-C: "Ralph Pinkston is on the phone and wants to talk with you."

There were a number of interesting stories that came out of New Orleans during and after the Katrina event. Even Parish Sheriffs found Feds disconnecting their two-way radio antennas so the Feds could use THEIR two-way radios... so it is reported.

This didn't happen, the Feds didn't "disconnect any antennas", the state of LA's Motorola Smartzone Omnilink trunking system had some sites offline due to flooding, including a zone controller, a network switch that manages resources on the radio system. "The Feds" don't even know where half of the prime sites are. It was a cat 5 hurricane. No conspiracy here. NOLA's MA/Com EDACS system (now replaced) was knocked offline due to a generator flooding at the prime site, the system went into what is called Global where trunking logic fails and repeaters operate conventionally. Representatives from MA/Com (now Harris) could not get access to the site for 3 days because they lacked credentials that FEMA would accept.

Here's a lesson for you broadcasters about emergency management: NIMS. National Incident Management System, consider having your station GM's or CE's get NIMS certified. It's free and the courses can be done online by FEMA. Anyone who considers themselves or their organization active in disaster response should at least have IS-100.

http://training.fema.gov/is/nims.asp

Reach out to your local EMA's and offer tours of your facilities to emergency managers. Advise what your capabilities are and what your facility can support (backup power, etc). It's also great to let them know where you facilities/sites are so police/sheriff's can keep an eye on them. Lists of employees who are authorized/needed should be kept on file with EMA/EOC's and properly credentialed in case roads are closed or alternate facility access is needed. If you station doesn't have an emergency operations plan, it should. It should also follow the NIMS model.

This all of course is under the assumption that as a broadcaster, you have an interest in serving the community you are licensed for.

 

[secondchoice]

This all of course is under the assumption that as a broadcaster, you have an interest in serving the community you are licensed for.

That could be a problem.

 

[TheBigA]

This all of course is under the assumption that as a broadcaster, you have an interest in serving the community you are licensed for.

I've noticed that the radio companies that have the best relations with local emergency officials are the ones you'd expect to not have an interest in their local communities.

 

[SirRoxalot]

I've noticed that the radio companies that have the best relations with local emergency officials are the ones who have an actual news department. Emergency officials are apt to work with people who they deal with consistently, and who they have an ongoing relationship with. Emergency officials rarely think about contacting local media. Local media who don't know who to contact in emergency situations won't have much reliable information.

MRFLASHPORT has offered some excellent advice for radio stations in markets from large to small. Even if you don't have a news department in your cluster, making someone responsible for setting up and maintaining an emergency response system would ensure your ability to, as he said, "serve the community you are licensed for". Monthly contact with the local Emergency Management Agencies would ensure that your contacts are still valid, and that the EMAs are aware of your presence and expertise. Someone with some expertise in coordinating information for on-air should prevent "jocks rolling music" during emergencies. If a jock can't read, he shouldn't be there, period.

 

[TheBigA]

I've noticed that the radio companies that have the best relations with local emergency officials are the ones who have an actual news department.

Maybe if you're looking for a sound bite or reaction, but for major things and long terms planning, it's what the GM does. The GM represents the station at community meetings, to city officials, and usually sits on community boards, does regular outreach to emergency leaders, and sets up the structure for how a station reacts and responds to an EAS alert.

What I meant by my earlier comment is that there are a lot of assumptions made about big radio companies, but from what I've seen, the bigger the company, the more likely they are to be involved in their community, participate in community activities, do a lot of outreach, and make their presence known among community leaders.

 

[SirRoxalot]

In most stations these days, the GM is concerned about SALES, and reporting to corporate. All the rest of that is delegated.

 

[TheBigA]

In most stations these days, the GM is concerned about SALES, and reporting to corporate. All the rest of that is delegated.

Maybe in Buffalo. But everyplace else, GMs know that if they want local sales, they need to be actively involved in their community. They can't delegate it to some newsman. To get sales, you need to do outreach, and it starts with the GM, who gets to know owners of local businesses and community leaders, and attend community meetings and activities.

 

[SirRoxalot]

So, the GM is going to be directly responsible and on the front lines during emergency situations - manning the phones to local EMA officials, and coordinating coverage?

Good GMs have been involved in the community in the past. They've also been involved in oversight and coordination of all the departments in a radio station, and monitored all aspects of the FCC licensing process and procedures, as well as reporting to corporate. That's the way it still is at some companies, but increasingly the responsiblities that formerly belonged to a GM have been doled out to "Market Managers" and "Business Managers" and "Format Captains" and added to the ever-growing list of things that the shrinking Engineering department is responsible for.

Sales managers are the "face of the station" in the public, and they're under such pressure for growth in the on-air, NTR, and digital revenue streams that they have virtually NO time for "community leaders, community meetings and activities." If it doesn't bring money through the door, it simply has no meaningful place on the priority list.

 

[TheBigA]

First you said it's the news department. Now you're saying it's the sales department. But the fact is that during Sandy, the person who co-ordinated the coverage in New Jersey, and the person quoted in all the trade articles about that coverage, was the GM. But as I said, perhaps things are different in Buffalo.

 

[SirRoxalot]

No, I said that the news department is the logical contact for emergency information interface. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer groups have a news department these days, and if they do it's a skeleton crew compared to what it was a decade or less ago. The fact is that at too many clusters, NOBODY is interfacing with Emergency Management Agencies, which is why neither side knows who to talk to in case of emergency.

"The person quoted in all the trade articles about coverage, was the GM." Of course it was. Read an employee handbook lately? The ONLY person allowed to be quoted by outside media is the GM - or market manager. And ONE person co-ordinated ALL the coverage in New Jersey? Really?

 

[TheBigA]

NOBODY is interfacing with Emergency Management Agencies, which is why neither side knows who to talk to in case of emergency.

That may have been the case when the new rules were set up ten years ago, but those rules were revised, and they outlined new procedures about all of that.

And ONE person co-ordinated ALL the coverage in New Jersey? Really?

Not what I meant. The person who made the decisions at each station was the GM.