Ham Radio - News Coverage

[wa3vjb]

Every time I see the "Storm Chasers" show on the Weather Channel I am reminded of how poorly ham radio documents our emergency activities as they happen.

Old-fashion newspapers and magazines are not the best way to reach potential newcomers anymore. Younger people want to see streaming video, or at least some compelling audio to attract them to the hobby and prompt them to learn more.

Emergency activities are admittedly a tough time to think about diverting any manpower to running a camcorder or audio recorder. Yet, some advance planning might boost the chances you'll get just the kind of record a local television station could use to tell YOUR story.

All it takes is a snippet of the action. #TV production is such that an editor can piece together that audio or videotape with additional still photos, or additional videotape their crews can get themselves. Let them do the production; the goal is not to try to do that in the field. Just get the raw material.

If you're part of a club, some advance callouts to local stations can help you find out the after-hours "newsroom" number when a disaster and your communications response often take place.

This is not to say forget the local newspapers or a ham radio magazine #But their coverage takes place days or weeks afterward, and there's nothing like the immediacy of YOUR emergency work to drive a story onto the airwaves.

With the most recent hurricanes hitting the southeastern states, it's been a letdown not to see some of you guys at the radios, being covered by the TV's....

[kb9ibw]

Very nice post. You are so correct that we need to keep up with the times, and do things that draw people to interest in the hobby. We did that in our city and received two invitations to do live skywarn, and hurricane information over the local media.
With the radio's on, and the operator sitting there at the mic, it makes things a lot more interesting to the public.
Also, it is important to invite the media to our Special Event Stations. They are interested in events that amateurs are involved in. We were able to get ABC,NBC, and CBS to cover our Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day Event. The camera's stayed with us duing the entire event, and all three did very good news coverage all weekend about the event. We also were able to spark a lot of new interest in Ham Radio as a result, and have gotten seveal offers to add Special Event Station's to local and national events as a result.
Let's do things in Ham Radio to make it exciting, and news worthy. We can boost our hobby if we use the means that are available to us.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention!

For more information on ARMAD see www.freewebs.com/kb9ibw. Get your local club involved along with military support groups, and the press will cover it.


KB9IBW / Emery

[wa3vjb]

Emery, I went to both your websites and am impressed at the outreach you made to local officials as well as the coverage in local media you've told us about.

For your military appreciation activity tied to ham radio, I recommend getting in touch with Dale, KW1I, the president of AM International in New Hampshire. He and Norm, N3RZU both are very active in military radio and vehicle collectors groups and will know people in your area who could set up a functioning military vehicle display on the shortwave ham bands.

Here, Dale is shown operating at the "Hosstraders" hamfest this past weekend. You probably recognize some of the rigs.

Regards


http://kenw2dtc.home.comcast.net/2004-1002-hosstraders-fall-2004/2004-1002-003.jpg

[ki4buc]

Local media outlets were too concerned about being able to lean forward 60 degrees into the wind. At my station in the EOC, there was one day were there was no TV camera's at all, yet valuable post-storm information was being sent out. Our county was overshadowed by Orange county (Orlando) where all the stations are. If we had someone at the shelter whose roof blew off, maybe that would be sensational enough for the reporters to do an interview.

[k0pmk]

When it comes to weather, the media types flock the the storm chasers because chasers are viewed as sort of dardevils
and a lot of them are willing to get on TV. Television stations also have this thing of getting live or first vidio of tornadoes on the air ( which is why so many Plains media have their own storm trackers or chasers). The majority of Skywarn groups just do not spark the intrest of the media compaired to chasers because we simply sit and watch the weather instead of going all over the country chasing.

[wa3vjb]

The sound of first-hand descriptions of damage, people who have survived, and other dramatic "storm stories" can be at least as compelling as the daredevil video local TV stations also seek.

As for interview opportunities, the storm chasers have figured out how to share their excitement about what they do, by telling it to a TV audience.

Ham radio emergency communicators can do at least as well. In many cases we can do better than a storm chaser, #because we often have a practiced ability to be concise, clear, and factually accurate as we tell a story.

We also can technically convey the monitored radio traffic to the camera's audio channel as we listen to others telling such stories from the thick of things. This enables local reporters to have such "natural sound" in the background (the radio comms) as they stand there, speaking to the camera, and telling what it is we are accomplishing. #

A sound bite of some of the best radio traffic, and there's your story.

One of the best examples of ham radio emergency communications making national news was the U.S. invasion of Grenada.

A student-run ham radio station at a medical school on the island was on the air, with operators describing vividly the gunfire, helicopters coming in and other first-hand eyewitness information.

The Pentagon did not permit any television crews to accompany this invasion, so no video footage was available. The substitute, of the anxious and excited voices on the radio, remains some of the best coverage of the story.

[kb9ibw]

The key to having good news coverage is to EXCITING. WHenever we approach the media we must sound like we are into what we are doing. First hand reports, wx spotting, or special events are only interesting if we put the level of excitement into it that we want the media and public to display also.
Let's promote Ham Radio and do it with GUSTO!
73.........[B]

[n7rvn]

Documenting what is being seen from high atop a hill is not always easy to remember when a storm is bearing down on you. #This is especially true when the whole purpose of being there is to report what you are seeing via the radio. #Dedicating an individual to do nothing but create reports may be the best way to get the "raw" material to the media or other officials.

There are ways to use cameras, laptops and cell phones to send images to an email address of a web site. #Streaming video is more difficult with the speed limitations of the cell phone system. ATV may be an option to consider for more real time. #You mearly need the manpower, equipment, and desire to get this put together in such a fashion that it has footage and audio that will be usable to create a clear and concise report for the media. #

You would be amazed how many minutes of footage is shot for the less than 2 minutes you see on the subject for the six o'clock news, let alone a whole segment.

[K4JF]

Good points, guys. The situation is bad, and we must remember that we depend on regulators who are influenced by the public.
The situation is so bad that even on this website, a ham (an Extra who should know better) was claiming that hams never help, and were not at New York after 9/11, because there was no mention in the news reports.
When you are involved, as many will be, contact the media and make it interesting enough so that they will report the facts. Even though they will get some of it wrong, we do need public goodwill. It might even have an effect on the CC&R problems, if it becomes better known how vital the service is to the well-being and security of the country.

[w1tai]

Well I for one know that hams help all the time. It is suffice to say we really do not need the media hype as they will always find what is wrong with our service and not what is right.

During Charley ham operations was mentioned one time.
During the search for three missing boaters in Naples (Oct 2003) ham operations was sporadic as there really was only one ham there to help (me.) But I did get a chance to be on TV and interviewed as this project was so community involved that the merits of having a ham onboard warranted some free air from the media.

But aside from that, be content with yourself that when you help out in an emergency know that the receipients of your hard work are aware that you have done something kind and gracious and take solace in that.

That my friends is all the press and media coverage I need. To do something I have prepared myself for for over 20 years and looking in the mirror and feeling good about me. A HAM I AM, I AM....

73
W4TAI
Ray