Greetings from the apocalypse!
As I write, I am watching several wildfires in Los Angeles on our TV. The wind is blowing and the sky is dark, even though it’s just past noon. I joked about the “wind advisory” warnings yesterday. It seemed so “California” to be worried about wind while the east coast is getting pummeled by a major snow storm.
We are safe here in Sherman Oaks, though there are three fires blazing – to our west, east and north, about 45 minutes in each direction. We have the cat carriers ready to go if need be, as well as a go-bag checklist.
I was curious how morning shows would handle the fire this morning. I know that iHeart and Audacy shows had conversations with their PDs last night. I spot-checked several morning shows in town today to see how people were handling things, for better or for worse.
Here’s what I heard:
Ryan Seacrest interviewed a woman who had to evacuate. The call even had some humor - she had forgotten her husband’s toiletries bag and her daughter’s favorite stuffed animal. It was a human perspective before they got into the “numbers” – acreage, number of structures lost, wind speed, etc. Was it a fake caller? (My guess is yes.) Does it matter?
Valentine on Hot AC My-FM intro’ed his break with a warm handshake. “Thanks for spending time with us this morning. I hope you’re finding comfort listening to us…” Then they did news and he closed the break teasing the 8 a.m. press conference, promoting their sister station KFI for real time news updates. His out was, “Be careful out there, we’ll be here for you.”
K-Earth’s entertainment report was also focused on the fires, staying on brand without being tone-deaf– James Woods’ home destroyed; Steve Guttenberg’s efforts to help neighbors evacuate; Kings’ hockey game canceled, etc. By contrast, My-FM’s tease for Entertainment Headlines was about a new TV series based on the Shia LaBoeuf movie, Holes. Does anyone care about that today?
Valentine’s next break went right into a call with Kimberly, a listener who had been sent home from work because the power was out. She described the scene outside and commented on never seeing anything like it in her whole life in LA. He then promoted his Instagram account for a photo from the station’s balcony and invited listeners who post photos to tag the morning show, so “we can move it out to a larger audience, but be safe!”
A few notes for your emergency plan:
Does your emergency plan include previewing imaging pieces? Ryan ran a few imaging pieces “Ryan Seacrest! I love it!” that felt out of sync with the mood of the city. Imaging doesn’t have to be morose, but can be neutral during serious moments.
Does your emergency plan include looking at upcoming scheduled social posts? Where other stations were posting pictures, school closings and go-bag checklists, Jack-FM ran a snarky prescheduled Instagram post unrelated to the fire. Luckily they pulled it down.
Does your emergency plan include reviewing the liner schedule? Ryan ran a liner for a contest happening tomorrow morning. As apocalyptic as Los Angeles feels today, it sounded odd to be promoting something else without connecting it to the news cycle, like “This is a crazy day… we’ve got some relief for you tomorrow morning at 8 with…”
Could syndicated shows go local only or have more local breaks on days like today? The Woody Show is syndicated out of Los Angeles, so his local breaks were fire-focused, but the meat of the break was about prison pen pals and the lack of diversity in prison gangs.
Does your emergency plan include reviewing the music log? I didn’t hear any misfires in this area, but at times, there are particular songs that are not appropriate for certain news stories. I’m On Fire, Set Fire to the Rain, We Didn’t Start the Fire, Love the Way You Lie. Do you need these songs today?
Two final thoughts:
The biggest challenge for media people is living your life on two levels. The news is shocking and you are worried for your family and home. AND, you’re also thinking about what your audience needs and what they expect from your brand. Remember, whenever they turn on the radio, they’re hiring you to do a job. They come to you for a reason.
Secondly, someone once said “90% of radio is keeping people company, but 10% is keeping people safe.” When news is breaking, be intentional about what you’re offering – how much information your audience needs to be safe, and how you can keep them company.
Whatever you do, don’t do business as usual.
~ Angela