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isonliveradio.com said at the other place
Google Groups Beta australia.radio.broadcast.moderated http://groups.google.com/group/ausyt...stingmoderated Hunter broadcasters provided emergency information to the flood stricken populace this weekend in Australia, but the natural disaster exposed major errors in the strategy of local commercial radio being used as a means to help in such situations. With a rapid drop in radio listening over the last decade, people not accustomed to ever turning on the radio spent the weekend glued to it desperately waiting for important announcements concerning their welfare. Unfortunately, the local radio stations also had their usual commercial considerations in mind (after all regardless they have to pay the bills!) and this often times interfered with the clear transfer of important information. Very little change was made to programming to reflect the disaster happening in the region, it was business as usual - the flooding just gave presenters something else to talk about. For example the need to drive listening numbers on Sunday in a lot of ways contributed to the panic, with rumours of a body "floating in the water at Morpeth" repeated hourly across every station, until silenced by confirmation that it was just that - a rumour. Stations advertised the beached ship incessantly, drawing crowds of gawping ghouls into the CDB making the job of the SES and other emergency services considerably more difficult. Talk back callers spread much misinformation, which under normal circumstances makes for fun rabble-rousing radio and good ratings; in a disaster it just spreads fear and alarm. In fact across Newcastle and Hunter radio the very real natural disaster was treated very much as a Media event and the attitude of some presenters was at times so flippant as to be very offensive to many people who had lost everything (indeed the socio-economic gap between radio talent and the demographic they claim to be representative of was very abruptly shown up). Much back-patting was engaged in by presenters congratulating each other on how they had valiantly announced through the crisis in the studio, despite being paid to be there anyway. It is quite clear that Commercial Radio (in Newcastle at least) is a flippant entertainment medium, which under normal circumstances is fine, but of little use in times of natural disaster. Unless the ACMA is prepared to assume control of local radio services, or indeed hand such control over to the SES immediately during such circumstances - a power they already have contained in every type of broadcasting radio license - other options should be considered. In particular the establishment of the recently aborted National emergency radio frequency. Fortunately the flooding in Newcastle has subsided and the loss of life has been limited to a few poor souls. The disaster could have been a lot worse and if it had been the radio services would not have been up to the job of guiding people to safety. Its time for the Howard Government to re-think the idea of the National Emergency Radio Frequency. isonliveradio ends And Darce said also at Google Groups Beta australia.radio.broadcast.moderated http://groups.google.com/group/ausyt...stingmoderated While commercial radio failed in the Hunter it seems that the listeners had a different view about the service provided by ABC local radio. Margaret Simons wrote in Crikey.com yesterday: Those who wonder whether there is still a place for public broadcasting in the era of media plenty should read the http://redirect.cmailer.com.au/LinkRedirector.aspx? clid=77ca1616-3fa8...guest page for the ABC Newcastle Radio station in the wake of the floods and storms. Darce ends keitha says So Darce ( From the Friends of the ABC Lobby group) posting on australia.radio.broadcast.moderated said "commercial radio failed in the Hunter" Thats not true. Radio as a medium shone through 2NC and 2HD Should it be that only 2KO and NX FM and NBN failed in a "duty of care" and why was that? Perhaps Those stations who have local studios being 2HD,2NC,2KO,2NUR and Community Stations and 2NM coild get together for an after event chat. to ask " Could we have done it better" ? Its time for the Howard Government or a Rudd Government to re-think the idea of the National Emergency Radio Frequency. It should have happened after the Canberra Bushfires. Think of situations like Bushfires, cyclones,tsunami,terrorism,flooding,bird flu,earthquake,invasion etc Perhaps run by the Army ? |
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