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When natural disasters the magnitude of this past month happen, people invariably flock to a TV. It is their need to see the event or its results to believe it. It happened when the Space Shuttle exploded. The same with the London Underground Bombing and September 11in New York. Those around at the time will remember how we watched the Gulf War, the first made for TV war, as it unfolded and ended right before our eyes.
More recently, as soon as news of the Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba floods broke with messages from my friends on my Facebook coming in at a rate of knots, I quickly punched around the radio dial to see who else was covering this event. Many radio stations were just breaking into their regular programming. Several did not. When I returned to the radio station on which I originally heard the news, they had already switched to full on coverage, dropping in and out with their own local information on possible casualties, questions on where our Prime Minister was, concerns for the safety of family members and praise for the way in which Queensland Premier Anna Bligh was handling the situation with a resolute, but comforting leadership style.
As the day progressed, I kept punching around the dial to see how other stations were handling this tragedy. I just had to switch on the television. As a Foxtel subscriber at my fingertips BBC World, SKY News, FOX News and CNN were there with coverage, horrific as it was. Strangely enough, several radio stations continued to play music and run promos that told about contests and other things that their breakfast shows would be up to that day.
In discussions over recent years with station managers and owners, I consistently raised the question of what they would do if a major news story broke at times when their station was voice tracked or committed to a major promotion. How will they handle this? How would their company handle emergency or important situations when there was no live jock at the station? One owner indicated that they would attempt to find a disc jockey and get him/her to the studio. My response was “well how will you know when they are needed if no one is monitoring what is happening?”
Apparently this station and many other “voice tracked” radio stations around the country did not see the need to bring someone into the studio or have the sense or capability to switch to a network news service. Not only did many radio stations not have pictures; they had no information at all. Most likely, they had no listeners either at a time of need.
Against this, those who had a total commitment to localism in their region went all talk and information and dumped the music for updates and putting callers to air.
This is a difficult time for music-based radio stations. During the times of the Brisbane floods, the North Queensland and Victorian floods and the West Australian bushfires, most “live stations” became full information stations, relying on one of the networks serving them, their own news rooms or a combination of sources. Later in the morning most did hourly or twice hourly updates and broke into their programming when new information came through. Stations that once deemed news unimportant after 9am quickly revised that policy. Was it pragmatism or pro activity? Was it too late?
Clearly, this is an incredible time for news radio stations. Both the ABC and the majority of commercial operators are doing a great job. Their ability to disseminate information quickly combined with their mobility makes them indispensable. Forward thinking radio stations quickly put Facebook to its best use as a true “social media”. Facebook enabled them to get information out to listeners who had lost electrical power, while keeping people updated on cyclone movements, local road closures and council disaster evacuation centres.
How many people do you know that cannot turn away from the TV? You are probably one of them. I know when I turn on the TV, it is hard to turn away, even though I have seen many of the flood images what seems like a million times. This is where TV believes it has a leg up on radio.
As this story continues to unfold, radio may turn the tables on TV. When TV reporters cannot get a camera on the subject, they are no more than radio reporters. When it’s dark at night, for TV reporters all we see is a face and a blurry image behind the reporter. Their words don’t seem as powerful without the pictures to support them.
Great radio news people have always had to rely on their word power to make a story visual. That has resulted in some of the most gripping and compelling media to which we have ever been exposed. If you’ve ever heard the last minute coverage of the Hindenburg disaster, or John Raelder’s immortal words “stand up Australia…” as he described the final race seconds of Australia II crossing the line to win the America’s Cup, you’ll know what I mean.
Radio still has the power of words. While one picture may be worth a thousand words, even half that amount of words is essential in the absence of pictures. You just have to know which words to use. Importantly you have to understand that natural disasters don’t keep bank hours. It’s likely that news will break when we least expect it. Knowing Murphy’s Law, the response required will most likely come when those music stations that are “voice tracked” have no on air jock to call on.
If you don’t know how or what to do, then you need to have alternate plans that can be enacted in a moment’s notice.
Speed, agility, and words are radio’s strength in what has become a visual world. Use them wisely.
David Rogerson
February 2011
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