[Hidden-tech] How to get news in a power outage - REPLY FROM WFCR/NEPR

[Marcia Yudkin]

Hi everyone,

A portion of our exchange on this topic was forwarded to someone at New England Public Radio (which I take it is the official name for WFCR and WNNZ), and I have received permission from Helen Barrington, a representative of the stations, to pass the following message along to you all.

Complaining does make a difference, sometimes.

Marcia Yudkin
Goshen

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We, at New England Public Radio, sadly, have learned much from this storm and are actively updating and revising our approach to be ready for the next event. This was the "perfect storm," and has challenged every service from the media to utility companies.

Sunday, we lost power at the studios on the UMass campus. WFCR's transmitter is on Mt. Lincoln in Pelham. When the power fails (which it did), it's often because Route 202 is impassable (with trees down), as is the road to the transmitter site itself. We have not been able to purchase a generator due to concerns about fuel storage at the site and access to that remote area where the transmitter is, in bad weather. But, we're working on those problems...quickly and actively.

Now that we own WNNZ, we hope to purchase a generator for it (which is also thousands of dollars, a major capital expense), to become our primary broadcast source when WFCR is off. It, too, was the victim until this Wednesday afternoon, of a commercial power failure in Westfield. We're again trying to see if we can get some grants or do some quick fundraising to get generators for both stations (though, once obtained, the weather may impede installing them until spring, but we'll see).

And on top of that, due to the constraints of our budget, we have a small staff trying to cover this immense region. If we could have gone live all day Sunday, we would have, and we will find a way to do this in the future. We will be prepared to go live locally for as long as is necessary, to get critical information out. We will provide better service in the next storm(s), as we know there will be one or many this fall/winter.

We were trying to reach everyone we could with the web and phone info, realizing that some people may not have been able to access either (I live in Belchertown and only had cell service restored Tuesday night, as well as no landline; I still have no power). The size of the region makes this piece very complex, figuring out the best way to get info to people. But we now know - more than ever before - that the radio is the thing just about everyone can access in such situations.

All of the above led to a great many frustrations and impeded our ability to adequately serve the public. We are working on solutions.

Thanks so much for your comment and for listening.

Helen Barrington
Executive Director for Programming and Content
New England Public Radio/nepr.net
Phone: 413-577-0541
Please note my new email address: hbarrington at nepr.net