On September 11, 2001, I was working for Entercom in Madison, Wisconsin, preparing for a morning show meeting. Adam Eliott, my newsman, poked his head into my office and said, “Hey, a small plane just hit the World Trade Center in New York. Do you want me to go back on the air with that?”
That was the first of many judgment calls I would make over the next few days, and they were unprecedented and required me to operate without a playbook. In retrospect, we should have probably anticipated that the day would come when “America would lose its innocence.”
Some of the calls made over those days would later prove just a little illegal. Such as calling my local NBC affiliate, with whom I had a news and weather agreement, and asking if I could rebroadcast their audio,
The yes they gave me turned out to be a violation, but in those days, no one was going to call their lawyers. The general feeling was to get through this, and we will sort it out later.
Sorting it out later led to a multi-pronged disaster playbook, but even then, we couldn’t anticipate everything. School and mass shootings were not yet at the forefront.
This summer’s hurricanes and the Los Angeles wildfires are stark reminders that your playbook needs to be a living, breathing document.
A few years back at the Country Radio Seminar, former FEMA Director Michael Brown spoke about having a disaster plan for stations.
My biggest takeaway, which sent chills down my spine, was when he said, “It’s not IF it happens in your market, it’s WHEN it happens in your market.
There’s more to your plan than just getting the songs that might have an insensitive tone off the air.
Do you simulcast the all-news station?
Do you take contesting off the air?
Does your morning show know how to set the proper tone and not make an insensitive joke?
Do they also know when it’s ok to use humor to give listeners a break from what they are dealing with?
Do you have a plan with your GM or sales manager in case you have decided to suspend commercials? And how do you decide when to return to normal?
There are many other variables, and while it is impossible to anticipate every eventuality, now is a good time to review your plan and make adjustments.
On Monday, we’ll go inside one Los Angeles radio cluster to see how it’s operating during the wildfires and how it’s handled some of the challenges outlined above.
Watch this space.
Community Connections:
Southern California’s Meruelo Media has partnered with the American Red Cross to assist those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires. The efforts will mobilize community support for the hardest-hit areas.
Meruelo media operates Power 106 KPWR, KLOS 95.5. CALI 93.9 KLLI and KDAY 93.5.
Industry Happenings:
In response to the Los Angeles wildfires, the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation is extending the deadline for submissions to the 50th Gracie Awards. The deadline has moved from January 30 to February 6.
Registration is opening for the 2025 NAB show in Las Vegas. Register and get more information here.
Jacobs Media is offering a webinar highlighting insights from the 2025 Consumer Electronic Show. Registration for the free webinar is at Jacobs Media here.
Add ons:
United Stations is now representing and distributing “Liveline” with Mason Kelter.
“Sunday Night Slow Jams” hosted by Randy ‘R Dub’ Williams passed the 200-station mark with the addition of nine new affiliates.
Tony Lorino’s “Throwback Nation Radio” has a new syndication deal with Orbyt Media, allowing Canadian Broadcasters access to the Classic Hits formatted show.
Compass Media’s “Anna & Raven” picked up four new affiliated including Q102” WQTU Rome GA, “107.3 The Beat” KWCQ Kennewick WA, “Wowie 97.9” KWOE Maui, and “101.7 The Point” WQLK-HD2 Richmond IN.
Bit Of The Week:
Hit me with your best. The Pulse wants to include your show with the “Bit Of The Week.” If you want to be featured, please send me an mp3 of your best, most recent bit to jeff@barrettmedia.com.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
