Hams on TV: Red Flag Patrol

[WA6MHZ]

http://www.10news.com/video/16786233/index.html

Channel 10 News covered the Amateur Radio CLub of El Cajon and other valiant Hams who spent their 4th of July driving the dry back country looking for any fires that might be sprouting up or other fire dangers (Such as fireworks being shot off in dry brush). Shown are Paul our club prez KC6QLS, Rich N6NKJ who is the Cal Fire Liason, and Mike AE6CQ . Excellent Ham Radio PR!!!!

[K4GUN]

Good stuff man. Its nice to see such favorable mention in the media. You guys should be proud.

[N2RJ]

Good stuff, but I hope you have your flame suit on before the QRZ whacker patrol starts criticizing your efforts.

[K4GUN]

Along this same topic, my mom just sent me this article about the Oroville ARC in Northern CA that is assisting in the fire efforts. Chico Enterprise Record (http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_9791479?source=email)

[KB1KIX]

Good stuff, but I hope you have your flame suit on before the QRZ whacker patrol starts criticizing your efforts.

RJ beat me to it.

If you read the threads here by many.... amateur radio doesn't contribute in any meaningful way when it comes to public service.

Good PR,

Jonathan

[wa3vjb]

When people from outside the hobby see this report the chances are good it will leave them wanting more. That's the perfect approach !

In this instance, the reporter tells just enough about some sort of radio hookup to show viewers there's a volunteer group out there helping THEIR neighborhood stay safe from the wildfires which are the "lead" of the story.

It's not all about the radios, nor about the hobby of "ham radio." It's about the people providing a community resource, and they deserve appreciation as this report is likely generate.

When we find ourselves being covered by local television news, it is sometimes difficult to avoid bragging about the hobby, especially since many of us seem so desperate for that kind of attention. When it comes to making a favorable public impression, that sort of self-aggrandizement is less effective than letting "ham radio" be more in the background, as an element in the situation for which we are providing support.

[WA6MHZ]

Along this same topic, my mom just sent me this article about the Oroville ARC in Northern CA that is assisting in the fire efforts. Chico Enterprise Record (http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_9791479?source=email)

That is also Excellent PR!!!! But I wonder about this statement that might raise a few eyebrows here;
"Most society members belong to the American Radio Relay League, which was established by the federal government a "long, long time ago," Thompson said."

[K4GUN]

That is also Excellent PR!!!! But I wonder about this statement that might raise a few eyebrows here;
"Most society members belong to the American Radio Relay League, which was established by the federal government a "long, long time ago," Thompson said."


Yeah, I noticed that. I guess the fact checker at the Chico ER was drunk that day. LOL.

[wa3vjb]

The term "amateur" was coined by the ARRL to describe unpaid people working in "hobby radio" who want to sign up for broadcasting shifts.

Boy, I think I'm in trouble somewhere, with somebody, since I've done broadcasting shifts and have worked in "hobby radio," while not being a subscriber to the ARRL.

[k9zmd]

I've no intent to diminish the great efforts & success of the OARS volunteers, and maybe seeing anything in the news about amateur radio is better than seeing nothing at all. I am disappointed, however, that the article fell short of doing justice to the OARS and to amateur radio in general.

While the OARS article is a excellent example of something, I'm not convinced it is excellent PR for the amateur radio service - at least not for the amateur radio service that I've learned a bit about over the past half century. I think it's an excellent example of why clubs need a public information officer who can gently & knowledgeably help reporters avoid a work of fiction. If the society president was accurately quoted, then he definitely isn't the man for the PIO job.

So, what's the consensus of those who troubled to read the article? Was this a typical media hack job, or was the reporter accurately conveying the thoughts & words of the society president? Either way, it's a shame, but maybe not a total washout. I did find 4, arguably 5, lackluster paragraphs that seemed free of factual error or comical distortion of reality.

Or, should we just conclude that amateur radio is so publicity hungry that the ol' celebrity cliché is applicable? You know the one that says, "I don't care what they say about me, so long as they spell my name correctly."

[KG4RUL]

In the words of the immortal Rod Serling, "submitted for your approval".

Let me tell a tale of journalism gone terribly awry!

While working for the company that built the subway cars for the Washington DC METRO system, I was instructing a class of electricians in the operation and maintenance of a motor-generator system on the cars. The system converted 700VDC from the third rail to various voltages need to operate the on-board systems.

There was a local print reporter there to observe the classroom session.

We got the subject of the over-voltage protection system (unfortunately called a 'fail-safe' system in the technical manuals) of the motor-generator. One of the students posed the question, 'what would happen if the 'fail-safe' failed?'.

That led to a wide ranging discussion of what could be done to improve the system. We came to the conclusion that if you put enough 'fail-safe' systems in you probably would get to the point where cars would not work at all.

The headline of the article which came out a few days later read:
METRO SYSTEM UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED

I rest my case.

Dennis R Zabawa KG4RUL
ARRL SC Section Public Information Coordinator
Berkeley County South Carolina ARES/RACES Public Information Officer

[K4GUN]

I've no intent to diminish the great efforts & success of the OARS volunteers, and maybe seeing anything in the news about amateur radio is better than seeing nothing at all. I am disappointed, however, that the article fell short of doing justice to the OARS and to amateur radio in general.

While the OARS article is a excellent example of something, I'm not convinced it is excellent PR for the amateur radio service - at least not for the amateur radio service that I've learned a bit about over the past half century. I think it's an excellent example of why clubs need a public information officer who can gently & knowledgeably help reporters avoid a work of fiction. If the society president was accurately quoted, then he definitely isn't the man for the PIO job.

So, what's the consensus of those who troubled to read the article? Was this a typical media hack job, or was the reporter accurately conveying the thoughts & words of the society president? Either way, it's a shame, but maybe not a total washout. I did find 4, arguably 5, lackluster paragraphs that seemed free of factual error or comical distortion of reality.

Or, should we just conclude that amateur radio is so publicity hungry that the ol' celebrity cliché is applicable? You know the one that says, "I don't care what they say about me, so long as they spell my name correctly."

I think its interesting to read this article and juxtapose that with the TV story in the beginning of this thread. It shows that the reporter makes all the difference. The article is not only filled with errors, its also disjointed. while it does show amateur radio in a positive light, it would be confusing to a non-amateur. The TV story OTOH, at least made sense from start to finish.

What this illustrates to me isn't anything good or bad about the clubs in question but with the quality of the media.

[KI4NGN]

Accurate or not, at least it is a positive portrayal of one aspect of our hobby. If it increases interest, then more accuracy can be presented.

Mike

[WA6MHZ]

Here is an even better TV spot on the same Red Flag Patrol, also featuring Mike KG6TDP as well as the rest of the group. They were filming from Crest, just a few blocks from my house.

http://www.fox6.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=c26aa629-1895-4400-acce-24e95cc3fc88

This was Channel 6!
Great to get 2 TV stations PR!!!

[VO1GXG]

our Field day was shown on the local tv station. This TV station also broadcasts across Canada to newfoundlanders living on the mainland. I am the star of said segment.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PWnIzpFhjLk