Vermont's Unsung Hurricane Hero (local radio)

[cali]

<snip>

As darkness descended Sunday, Vermonters, many of whom live in towns that remain cut off on all sides by the torrents, turned to one another, and to a familiar voice. WDEV, an 80-year-old family-owned independent radio station that serves the northern half of the state with local news, music, and Red Sox games, opened its phone lines and hearts to worried residents who told each other in real time what was happening around them.

<snip>.

WDEV staffer Tom Beardsley ventured outside the studio at 10 p.m. to find an elderly woman on Main Street in Waterbury struggling through flood waters to escape her home. “If there are emergency personnel in the area, we could use your help here right now,” he said urgently, finally signing off so that he could offer a hand himself.

All the while, WDEV was coping with its own disasters: flood waters were rising around its Waterbury studio, and the station had lost power and Internet communications. The radio station was kept alive by generators — and listeners. News director Eric Michaels gave out his personal cell phone number and urged listeners to call or text in information about where help was needed and how Vermonters were coping. Michaels, Beardsley, reporter Lee Kittell, station owner Ken Squier and meteorologist Roger Hill pre-empted regular broadcasting and stayed on the air for 24 crucial hours.

<snip>

That, for Squier, is the point of media, and his lifelong mission. He has been an outspoken champion of independent media, and a withering critic of media monopolies. He has resisted numerous offers from media companies to sell his station, long insisting on the vital role that local, independent media plays in the life of communities. This is a media that builds bridges between people and gives everyone a voice, in contrast to the divisive role played by media empires owned by moguls such as Rupert Murdoch.

<snip>

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/blogs/the_angle/2011/08/vermonts_unsung.html

[Pooka Fey]

1. K&R

[Shagbark Hickory]

2. Local radio was what really served the people well after the hurricanes I've been through.

[malaise]

3. That is what happens in the Caribbean

Radio stations open their lines for folks during disasters. It really helps.
Wonderful news!! :applause:

[cali]

4. to it's shame, and lot of anger, Vermont Public Radio which has the most extensive

broadcasting capabilities in the state and is heavily supported by our donations, was frickin' useless.