I have been on a few road trips in the last couple of months and I was caught up in some severe weather. If there is a tornado or severe thunderstorm warning, remember, you are broadcasting to people who may just be traveling through your area. These people do not know the names of the local towns. They do not know the names of the counties. So, let’s walk through a few of the things news/talk radio stations need to consider during severe weather coverage.
If you are on a major interstate like I-80, I-65, I-35, I-95, or I-5, there are thousands of cars, vans, and tractor-trailers on the road. Weather coverage is an inexact science. This coverage is fluid and may actually impact many of your listeners’ homes and property. I like to consider weather coverage in different categories.
If the storm is during a daytime weekday, your radio station is even more imperative for safety. I call these radio events. Your radio station is a lifeline for people in their vehicles and offices. Radio is the key medium for weather information. These daytime weekday events not only support the real dangers to your area, but also those who are traveling through your listening area. These radio events create the opportunity to display the service your station offers to your community. You can create goodwill in your community and an important position for your radio station.
If these severe weather events occur during the evening, I call them TV Events. As much as I would like to think that people are turning off the phone, internet, and TV for your amazing audio-only production, let’s live in reality, your station’s listeners don’t shut everything off to hear what is on your brand.
I once worked for a radio executive who earnestly believed that people would hear thunder and immediately turn on the radio station. If you believe this thinking, you are living in a dream world. Radio’s utilitarian use is by people without access to any other medium during the time of the storm. Individuals with no access to other information are using radio. As much as I wish this were a fact in 2025, most people do not own battery-operated radios. Their phone is their radio. This is why we must promote our radio station’s app.
As much as the National Weather Service or the local Emergency Management office urges your listeners to have access to a battery-operated radio, your listeners likely don’t have one. Do you own a battery-operated radio? When was the last time you used your battery-operated radio? Do you know where it is? If the power were out tonight at 11, could you find it? Does the radio have fresh batteries? I do own a radio that takes D batteries. My radio is plugged into the wall. I do not have batteries for my radio.
Now that we have established that severe weather coverage really impacts people driving through your area. It is time to get to Realville and figure out how people are using us during these weather emergencies.
These events create fear for those who are in their vehicle. It is night, and people are driving on a road that they have little to no familiarity with. I was on the road traveling, and the weather was getting pretty nasty. I was scanning the dial for information.
When I found a station that was providing great coverage, sadly, they did not provide any information that would allow me to know if I was safe. It was in the early evening on a Sunday. I heard the radio host list towns in the area. As a traveler down the major interstate, I have zero idea of where these small towns are located. I was on a major interstate and received little information on how far from the city the storm was. I didn’t know if I should keep driving or pull over.
I was driving through a storm last year and the radio station that I was listening to was announcing the severe thunderstorm warning and did something really smart. The anchor was announcing the mile markers on that major interstate. The storm was behind me, but moving quickly. I knew when it was time to get off the road and pulled into a restaurant to enjoy a succulent Chinese meal. Within 10 minutes of sitting down, strong winds — torrential winds — and hail hit. The radio station did its job perfectly.
We are currently in the midst of the severe weather season for people in large parts of the United States. Radio can be a lifeline. The information that we provide is essential at these moments. Depending on your geographic location, severe weather coverage could be executed several times a week or a few times a year. The coverage must serve anyone listening to the radio station. Always consider that a significant number of listeners may be travelers who have limited geographical knowledge of your community.
Obviously, include any city or county in the warning zone, but also be mindful that travelers may not know exactly where they are. Give specific information on the road. If you don’t have mile markers, say things like “10 miles south of Nashville on I-65.”
Weather coverage perhaps has the most impact on the safety of anything that we do.
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Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He currently serves as News/Talk Format Captain for Zimmer Communications. Prior to joining Zimmer, Peter held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Des Moines, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
