In our continuing series of interviews with radio stations in the line of fire of Hurricane Florence, today we hear from Fayetteville Market Manager Erika Erika Beasley and Operations Manager Randy Bliss who say they are prepared for battle. “This is the time we as local broadcasters do what we do best, serve our local communities that we live and work in.”
Here’s what Beasley and Bliss shared with Radio Ink about their team’s preparations for the storm that is now battering the east coast:
“We have a very robust plan in place for our six radio stations. Of course, this region is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Mathew, less than two years ago. We have developed a time line for going into full, wall to wall coverage, and have TV partners in the Raleigh market, that we will be using for additional information. For the past couple of days our street teams have been out on the streets looking for water and other necessities so we could let listeners know where they could still get supplies.
We have fully “prepped” on all of our stations, with the content, on the air and on social media dedicated to the storm. Essential personnel staff will be coming in Friday morning and staying for some time. We have made arrangements for water and food, and are planning one really big sleep-over.
The stations all have newly updated Mobile Apps and we are actively pushing downloads of the apps, which will allow folks to stay tuned in even after they lose power. We will broadcast via streaming should any or all of our stations face off-air situations. We also have a contingency plan to combine some our brands into a simulcast at some point so we can consolidate staff and pool our efforts together.
Both Foxy 99 and WKML have long relationships with local officials, Police Departments, Charities, City and county Govt., and of course Ft. Bragg. We are tapped into all relevant information on all of those fronts and share all the information on the air and on our digital assets.
We’re here, before, during and after, doing what we do…. Beasley Best!”
