At 1:28 AM on March 26th, 2024, a shipping boat in the Baltimore Harbor collided with a support pier for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, collapsing the longstanding structure. Despite the late hour, WBAL NewsRadio — led by Program Director Jeff Wade — leaped into action.
Every news/talk station has a plan for breaking news. But not every station is equipped to handle breaking news at any given time, especially in the literal wee hours of the night.
But WBAL NewsRadio had a plan in place that it executed. And after having a year to digest the coverage, Jeff Wade remains happy with that execution.
“First, given the timing of the story, the one piece of our plan that worked as I expected was communication with our talent,” said Wade. “I was dead asleep when the call came in after 2 AM about the collapse, but my staff was quick to respond and recognize the urgency to get me involved—and to get moving. Ultimately, much of the planning in breaking news situations happens beforehand — by assembling the right group of talent and instilling a breaking news mentality throughout the organization. You have a team you trust to get the story out, not just quickly, but correctly.”
The story made national headlines for days as the viral video of the ship heading directly for the structural pier of the bridge was released. But the first news brand to file a live report from the scene of the incident was WBAL NewsRadio, which is a great source of pride for Wade.
“I was proud that our morning reporter that day was the first broadcast reporter in Baltimore to file a live update from the scene at 4 AM, which speaks to the breaking news mentality I mentioned before,” said Wade. “It was also a day I was proud to be part of the Hearst team. Our colleagues at WBAL-TV are great collaborators during breaking news situations. Both our teams shared information with each other to help develop the story, and Skyteam 11 — who provided aerial camera shots throughout the crisis — called our newsroom for custom reports during the day.
“It’s also a huge advantage to have access to their live camera feeds so we could air multiple press conferences throughout the day,” added Wade. “I often tell people who ask about Hearst that they’re not a radio company, they’re a news company. And the treatment we get as one of only two radio stations in the portfolio allows us to be as successful as we are.”
When asked what advice he would give to a program or news director who was put in a situation similar to this, Jeff Wade said being the captain of the ship — pun intended — goes a long way in helping manage the coverage.
“Beyond the execution, it’s an important time for you as a leader,” he shared. “Your team is under a lot of stress and they need your support. I think I learned from the experience that good communication and maintaining supportive relationships with your staff go a long way, especially in a hectic situation like those first few hours.
“I don’t think we would have been as successful had the staff not felt they were working together as a team towards a common goal, and that comes through your own engagement, leadership, and example,” concluded Wade.
The WBAL NewsRadio Director of Programming and News added that the day was, obviously, a productive one for the station. It was the biggest streaming day of the year, with a huge spike in digital metrics between social media platforms and digital video efforts from the brand.
“That’s the way it should be, but it’s because of our commitment to news content that still makes us a destination that holds its own with our print and TV counterparts,” Wade said.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
