Wildfires in California have done more than $1 billion in damage, with half a million people having been evacuated from their homes.
Many stations went wall-to-wall with coverage.
Commenting on broadcasters’ work, NAB President/CEO David Rehr said, “It is unfortunate that it sometimes takes a disaster of the magnitude of the Southern California fires to remind people of local broadcasting’s day-in and day-out commitment to serving the public interest.”
San Diego’s public KPBS(FM) lost its main transmitter to fire but it was able to move its operation from 89.5 MHz to 94.9 MHz, using a frequency courtesy of Lincoln Financial Media Co.
On its Web site, KPBS uses streaming and Google maps to update residents on the fires, and it created a Google map showing the status of the fire and related information.
Reporter Larry Himmel of San Diego’s KFMB(AM-TV) lost his home to fire and narrated the story himself as he watched it burn, as station video shows on its Web site.
Tell RW about how your station reacted to the fires; write to [email protected].
