The work of broadcasters creates a viable lifeline to emergency information for Americans
By Robert C. Kenny | June 10, 2015
If you have taken a look at the national news over the past few weeks, you likely saw some disturbing images from Texas and Oklahoma, where record rainfall created extreme flooding that resulted in loss of life and devastation to communities large and small.
But if you looked closer at the images you saw on national news networks, you noticed that the footage being shown on CNN and elsewhere came mostly from local news stations in Texas and Oklahoma. While residents in the storm-impacted communities rightfully tried to protect themselves and safeguard their homes and businesses, local broadcasters took to the flooded roads and stormy skies to provide the most up-to-the-minute, relevant information for residents searching for news, road closure information and future forecasts.
It’s times like these, when entire communities count on the reliable and trusted storm coverage of local broadcasters. The work of broadcasters creates a viable lifeline to emergency information and is critically important to the lifesaving actions of another set of hometown heroes: first responders.
First responders – such as firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical service professionals – often rely on local broadcasters as “first informers,” who are truly the eyes on the ground and in the air for local communities. No one is better equipped than local news stations to provide this vital information to emergency personnel in times of crisis.
For example, KHOU in Houston deployed its helicopter for a birds-eye view of the flooding, which in turn allowed emergency response personnel to more clearly locate trapped residents and identify the best ways to rescue them.
Local TV stations also serve an important role by providing government and public safety officials with a public megaphone to share real-time updates in emergencies, share guidance and safety precautions and help the public cope with the circumstances as they unfold.
This type of around-the-clock devotion to a community helps save lives, with the commitment of local TV stations to keep viewers informed going well beyond news coverage. For example, KPRC in Houston not only aired continuous coverage of the floods, but created a phone bank staffed by station personnel. They answered calls from storm survivors and provided them with invaluable information about Houston’s emergency response activities and available services.
“We had a Red Cross phone bank here at the station,” Mike Guerrieri, the creative services director of the station said. “So my staff has been involved in that, answering phones, giving out information, talking to the community, that kind of thing.”
During these types of events, Guerrieri says, “It’s not about being the best station or the first station, it’s about letting people know they can count on us to receive the information they need on all platforms.”
It’s this level of community leadership and commitment that makes local broadcasters indispensable when tragedy strikes and it’s the dedicated news coverage of local TV stations that all Americans have come to trust and rely on in the most difficult times.
Kenny is director of public affairs for TVfreedom.org, a coalition of local broadcasters, community advocates, network TV affiliate associations and others advocating for preserving the retransmission consent regime. He is a former press secretary at the FCC.
