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By Jeanine Uttaro
As the first reports of the deadly tsunami triggered by
a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean started
trickling in, the major news outlets were talking about
casualties in the tens of thousands with victims spread
across several countries. But soon, the news outlets
discovered that this would turn out to be a tragedy
beyond the scope of anything seen in recent memory. As
the death toll ratcheted up to some 160,000 (the total
today stands at over 230,000), radio organizations
realized that they needed to respond not only to their
audience’s need for information, but also to use their
power and ability to raise awareness to help.
In response, radio ownership groups and stations
throughout the world started to provide information
about aid and monetary donations and the need to gather
supplies - all while sharing the stories of destruction
from the region. To influence listener donations to
relief organizations like the Red Cross and UNICEF,
Clear Channel Communications, the nation’s largest radio
ownership group, produced a public service announcement
to be broadcast on each of its 1,200 stations throughout
the nation at least 40 times within the span of one
week.
XM Radio teamed up with NBC to co-broadcast “Tsunami
Aid: A Concert of Hope.” The concert, which aired on
January 15, 2005, featured top performers including
Madonna, Annie Lennox, Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton,
Elton John, and several others. XM broadcast the concert
on its MSNBC and CNBC stations in conjunction with the
NBC TV airing. Along with providing information to
listeners about how to donate to the tsunami relief
effort, XM also encouraged larger donations by offering
a promotional wristband saying “XM Nation: Operation
Helping Hand” to all listeners who gave $50 or more
during the concert.
The Walt Disney Company, owners of the ABC Radio
Network, and over 25 radio stations on their Radio
Disney network, set up a fund with the International Red
Cross with an initial donation of one million dollars.
Even local radio stations throughout the nation got
involved by promoting relief efforts. Two local
Pittsburgh stations (WDVE-FM 102.5 and WBGG-AM 970) set
up camp at Heinz Field, home of the Steelers, on January
14, 2005. These stations worked with the Steelers to
encourage their fans to donate anything to the cause,
even as little as one dollar. All donations made of at
least $1 entitled donors to a team picture.
British radio stations also banded together for a
12-hour fundraising event that was broadcast on multiple
stations throughout England on January 17th. The
fundraiser consisted of live performances by British pop
stars like David Gray, the Scissor Sisters and more, as
well as comedy specials, and an interview with Prime
Minister Tony Blair. Within hours, three million pounds
had been raised by listeners who offered simply one
hour’s pay from their checks and by the stations
donating their advertising profits from that day.
Difficulty telling the story
While the media was able to help raise awareness and
donations for the Tsunami relief, their coverage was
hampered by the fact that the disaster happened during a
notoriously slow news week when many staffers were
vacationing for the holidays. And because of the remote
locations of the disaster, technology and the ability to
get to the most devastated areas was limited.
Radio coverage was able to shine as other broadcast and
print coverage was hindered by the fact that there were
few news organizations with offices close enough to the
affected areas to readily send correspondents – and
therefore many of the initial on-the-scene reports were
delivered via radio and telephone reports from the
region.
Accurate reporting was also made more difficult by the
inaccessibility of some of the hardest hit areas. In
many cases, local government and official buildings were
wiped out, making it difficult to count the deceased and
injured. Long-standing political conflicts within
several countries also hampered the flow of information.
In too many instances, bridges and roads were destroyed
and that left journalists little choice but to find
other sources for first-hand coverage. |
