The NAB put together a special edition of its “Licensed to Serve” newsletter in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
The issue features the efforts and comments of radio and TV broadcasters along with some state broadcaster associations. Naturally, the focus is on coastal Middle Atlantic and the Northeast, notably the areas in and around New York and New Jersey, Baltimore and Washington, and Philadelphia.
The broadcast association sought to highlight “just some of the many examples of broadcasters’ round-clock-storm coverage and support of the relief efforts. Before Sandy made landfall, radio and television stations were preparing for wall-to-wall coverage, moving reporters into place, stocking studios with food and water and preparing generators, just in case.”
A sample anecdote: Clear Channel Media and Entertainment’s WALK(AM/FM) operated from the Suffolk County Emergency Management Center after being forced to evacuate. AM stations affected by floods shifted news to FM stations or partnered with local TV stations, including CBS owned WINS(AM), New York Public Radio’s WNYC(AM) and Radio Disney Group’s WEPN(AM/FM). Buckley Radio’s WOR(AM) stayed on-air and partnered with WNBC(TV).
The NAB also quoted New Jersey Broadcasters Association President Paul Rotella talking about recovery: “It’s gonna be tough, it’s gonna take time, and it’s gonna push us all. But hey, we can do it. After all, we’re New Jersey!”
