When disasters or catastrophes happen, manmade or natural, local TV news operations serve their markets the best. Rivalries are forgotten, profits become secondary, department lines are erased. Like sailors in a storm, it’s all hands on deck. Years ago, over the July 4 weekend, a massive, out-of-control wildfire caused the evacuation of an entire county […]
When disasters or catastrophes happen, manmade or natural, local TV news operations serve their markets the best.
Rivalries are forgotten, profits become secondary, department lines are erased. Like sailors in a storm, it’s all hands on deck.
Years ago, over the July 4 weekend, a massive, out-of-control wildfire caused the evacuation of an entire county in the Orlando, Fla., area.
WESH, the NBC affiliate there, like all of the local stations, went into continuous coverage.
Every person employed in the news department was on hand. Reporters were stacked up like planes over LaGuardia waiting for their live shots.
Sales people came in to man the phone. Marketing people helped the newsroom with cameras and editing.
It’s emergencies like that when working in television is at its most pure and satisfying.
I caught up with Mike Guerrieri, the creative services director for KPRC, Graham Media’s NBC affiliate in Houston, to see how his station was handling the flooding there.
First off, his family and home are safe.
“Major populated and the heavy business parts of the city got flooded,” says Guerrieri.
Over the past few days, according to Guerrieri, KPRC has been in either continuous or extended coverage.
“We had a Red Cross phone bank here at the station,” he says, “so my staff has been involved in that, answering phones, giving out information, talking to the community, that kind of thing.”
At times like this, says Guerrieri, “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.”
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