LA Official Praises Radio for Lifesaving Updates During Wildfires

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As first responders continue to battle the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, public leaders continue to emphasize the importance of radio. The medium has tirelessly kept residents informed throughout the blaze, which has now destroyed 40,000 acres and is projected to cause an estimated $150 billion in damage.

In a call-in to Audacy’s KNX News, Former US Secretary of Labor and LA County District 1 Supervisor Hilda Solis praised radio’s ability to inform when all else failed.

Solis said, “My power went out [Wednesday], starting at 4p until very early [Thursday] morning… I will say this: if I was not able to keep up with the news through your radio station, that was just going to drive me crazy. So I want to personally thank you. We had to find a transistor radio in the garage that we had stored and we listened to the news last night and early this morning.”

“I really want to hand it to you and your crew, but say, more importantly, that those types of old-fashioned radios that we don’t use anymore are very useful when your internet system and everything goes down in your home and you have no electricity, no heating, no anything. Very important for people to know. That’s something that they need to put on their list.”

KNX has joined many other stations in providing round-the-clock coverage to those across the region as power is shut off and cell towers strain.

NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt told Radio Ink, “Local radio stations and their teams have gone above and beyond during the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. These stations are supporting their listeners at moments where they need it most, providing critical updates and evacuation information in the face of overwhelming uncertainty. Many have done so even as their own homes and families have been in harm’s way, demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to serving others. Their unwavering dedication – often under harrowing conditions – reflects the true power of local radio to save lives and bring communities together in times of crisis.”

On the noncommercial end, public broadcasters have united to keep their audiences informed. KCRW, LAist 89.3 (KPCC), PBS SoCal, and CalMatters began sending out joint Wildfire News Update email bulletins, saying, “As wildfires continue to impact our communities, your trusted public media organizations are working together to provide you with daily updates. Starting now, you can count on receiving free, reliable, and essential local news and information to support you during this critical time.”

Corporation for Public Broadcasting President and CEO Patricia Harrison commented, “As the unprecedented wildfires continue to devastate Southern California, our thoughts are with all those affected. Under the most challenging circumstances, local public media stations in the area are providing critical, accurate, and lifesaving alerts and local news and information, on air and online, to more than 18 million people. The stations are also providing real-time guides and go-to resources for those facing the immediate threat of the fires.

“We are committed to supporting our public media stations and the communities they serve as we navigate this crisis together.”

The fires have taken their toll on national broadcast operations, with FOX Sports Radio briefly switching to pre-recorded programming after an evacuation order was given for the network’s studios on Saturday.

The Broadcasters Foundation of America has activated a special hotline to provide Emergency Grants to Southern California broadcasters impacted by the ongoing wildfires. Broadcasters can apply online or call the emergency number at 212-373-8250. The expedited application process aims to deliver financial aid within weeks, similar to efforts during the October flooding caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

2 COMMENTS

  1. This is precisely why the radio industry needs to put pressure on Apple to re-install and activate the FM radio chips so mobile devices can be used to listen to broadcast radio especially in times of emergencies such as these.

    • Apple had FM tuners in iPod Nanos, never in phones. Some androids had them. But in both cases they used headphone cables as antennas, and now most people listen to earbuds over Bluetooth. There is also a limit to how good a radio chip in a phone can be.

      Better for people to get a hand-crank radio such as this one sold by Amazon for under $20. it gets AM, FM and NOAA signals, and has a variety of other options. I don’t know how good it is, but I’m sure it beats whatever you’ll get in a multi-$hundred phone.

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