Hurricane Milton, though weakened to a Category 3 storm, hit Florida on Wednesday night, causing significant damage. Throughout it all, radio has been there – both on the Gulf Coast and across the country – to provide support and information for those in the storm.
The storm made landfall near Sarasota just after 8:30p ET, bringing deadly storm surges to major cities like Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Fort Myers just days after Hurricane Helene affected the area. More than 3 million on the west-cental coast are without power. Authorities warn outages could last for weeks, with state and federal resources already deployed for recovery efforts.
In an official statement, FEMA remarked, “Floridians must listen to local authorities as Hurricane Milton makes landfall.” As a part of that plan, they said, “People in Florida should follow the forecast carefully and instructions of state and local officials by monitoring local radio or television stations for updated emergency information.”
Beasley Media Group responded swiftly, ensuring that their stations in the region serve as vital lifelines for communities in need. The broadcaster’s stations switched to wall-to-wall coverage on Wednesday morning. In the Tampa Bay area, 92.5 Maxima (WYUU) teamed up with Telemundo for continuous live coverage in Spanish. Other stations in the cluster carried full-time coverage from WFTS-TV’s Denis Phillips.
In Fort Myers, Beasley stations simulcasted live coverage from WBBH-TV and WZVN-TV.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting touted the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, a collaboration of 13 stations delivering emergency content statewide. Their free app, Florida Storms, provided geotargeted forecasts, evacuation routes, shelter info, and live streams of local public radio broadcasts as Milton hit.
TM Studios offered an alert sounder to help stations deliver essential updates quickly. TM Studios CEO Greg Clancy noted, “TM has created sounds for various alert systems like the Amber Alert and EBS sounder, so providing something for radio during this time of urgency is the least we can do.” These sounders are available to all Florida radio stations, regardless of whether they are TM clients.
On the relief front, John Catsimatidis, owner of Red Apple Media and New York City’s WABC Radio, is matching $25,000 in donations to the Broadcasters Foundation of America to support Emergency Grants for broadcasters affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. WABC is also airing PSAs to encourage donations and has made a customizable version available for other stations.
Catsimitidis stated, “My family, Red Apple Media, and WABC Radio have supported numerous causes and organizations. At this time of great need for colleagues catastrophically impacted by these storms, I will match the next $25,000 in donations to help them get back on their feet. I applaud all those who have already donated any amount because every dollar helps.”
Broadcasters Foundation President Tim McCarthy said, “We are grateful to John and Red Apple Media for their generous patronage of our charitable mission. It is with the support of industry leaders like John that the Foundation can provide assistance to those in our industry who need it most, including in times of emergency. I ask every broadcaster to consider giving an individual or corporation donation so that we can continue our charitable mission for broadcasters in need.”
