RADIO WEATHERS THE BLIZZARD OF 2015

A Nor'easter is charging though the Northeast with the possibility of two feet or more of snow. How are radio stations in New England, NY, and DC handling the storm and how is it affecting their programming? Radio Ink checks in and hears from market managers on their programing, staff, and sales plans.

Greater Media/Boston VP and Market Manager Rob Williams tells Radio Ink that the cluster's sales, programing, and engineering staff had been preparing for the storm all weekend. Williams says that on the technical side engineers have been readying and testing the generators. The Greater Media cluster has also set up hotels rooms for all essential people who might get stranded and they've stocked the cluster with essentials for the staff.

Although Greater Media/Boston shut down early Monday, the sales staff was staying close to clients to make sure ad buyers get what they need. Williams says that for the Greater Media salesforce, his staff is considering what types of business might need to get on the air, especially businesses dealing with storm recovery. Plans are to stay with their regular programing, but with more hands on deck and more awareness of what’s going on in Boston, especially with traffic and schools.

In New York, a quick check of the dial on WLTW Monday morning, the morning show was doing what good morning shows do, relating their show to the timely events of the coming storm. WCBS-FM morning jock Scott Shannon noted on-air that they will be staying in the city overnight and will have round-the-clock coverage of the blizzard.

1010 WINS was devoting the majority of their programing to the storm. Ben Mevorach, director of news and programing at WINS tells Radio Ink that their preparations could be summed up in two words: "calm urgency." Mavorach notes, "For staffing, we immediately go to our 12-on, 12-off rule for work hours, we book hotel rooms for staff members who need them, and we send out a reminder to everyone that we need them to be safe. In order to serve the listeners, we have to be on the air. Trying to be a hero by being on the road in a blizzard or taking other unnecessary risks doesn't serve anyone's interests." Mevorach says that it's important to highlight the people keeping the city running and keep listeners informed of their progress. Mevorach says 1010 WINS will "travel with sanitation crews, the folks who restore electric power, and others to help give listeners a very real sense of the work being done to get things back to normal."

Over at WCBS, Tim Scheld director of news and programming tells Radio Ink, "Staffing is always the biggest challenge in a storm like this. We spent [Sunday] booking hotel rooms, retooling schedules, and working on prepositioning reporters to make sure we’re covered around the clock and to make sure we are in the places we need to be without putting reporters in harm’s way." Scheld also notes, "Lastly, in a storm like this one, listeners are a great resource. Using our talkback line, and our social media assets, we get terrific 'on the ground'  information in communities across the area."

Deon Levingston, Emmis senior vice president and market manager, New York, says that he's been working with his staff all morning and that, "Unfortunately, we’ve become pretty old-hand at this." Levingston says that the cluster has the "drill down pretty good," and spent last night scooping up hotel rooms for the staff. For Levingston and his management, it's about figuring out what essential staff is needed and making sure everyone is safe. Levingston notes, "We’ve got passionate people, we are the first line of information for millions of people....it really is about information, even though we are music stations." Even on voice-tracked stations, Levingston says that there will always be a live newsperson on hand to keep the updates live.

In DC, WTOP was leading its coverage with storm-related news and has shifted its news intros and production elements, highlighting the weather and storm, with an emphasis on traffic and airline updates this morning. Steve Swenson, SVP and market manager for CBS/Washington tells Radio Ink, "Weather in the DC area is a mixed bag with rain and snow combined. No accumulation right now. Staff all arrived on time. We will watch roads throughout the day and decide later today whether we need to have an early closing if the snow picks up. Right now, all good in Washington, DC."

Daniel A. Finn-Senior vice president/Regional general manager of Greater Media NJ checks in to tell Radio Ink that they will be live and local around the clock. Finn says, "Food, water, blankets, sleeping bags, and other related items have all been secured 48 hours before the first snow flake fell. All remaining on-air personnel have rooms secured at local hotels. In the event certain staff members can't make it to the radio station, on-air shifts may be lengthened." Finn goes on to say, "On-air programming breaks will be updated constantly with any storm or pertinent community information. Social media (Facebook and Twitter) will also be updated regularly."

From Philly, Chuck Damico, program director - 95.7 BEN FM says they "plan ahead as much as possible. We reserve hotel rooms close to the stations and schedule music into a few days ahead. We ask essential personal to go above and beyond... sleeping in the conference room and taking up residence in the office if necessary. We act as a conduit for up-to-date weather information as much as possible through news partners etc. We try to keep listeners informed and entertained at the same time. We also open up the communication lines, phone, text, social etc for listeners to share their experiences dealing and coping with the weather."

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