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Hurricane Michael: Coverage/Operations


GoldenShine9

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Confirmed: All stations in Panama City - radio and TV - are off the air.

It gets worse: the iHeart cluster is not only off the air, their staff is trapped and unable to escape due to flooding. This is their chief engineer’s Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10212767408247109

 

Jesus. Have any other cities experience something like this before.

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Confirmed: All stations in Panama City - radio and TV - are off the air.

It gets worse: the iHeart cluster is not only off the air, their staff is trapped and unable to escape due to flooding. This is their chief engineer’s Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10212767408247109

 

That sounds like poor emergency planning. If that was a danger, why didn't they evacuate?

 

The area is likely 100% without power, but can radio stations from elsewhere reach them? The lack of communication is the worst.

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I expect places like Panama City and Tallahassee to be decently fortified for stuff like this

 

They're not. Building codes in this area require the structures to be built to withstand (iirc) category 3 winds. The storm hit as a strong category 4.

 

Jesus. Have any other cities experience something like this before.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_Hurricane_Katrina_in_New_Orleans

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Jesus. Have any other cities experience something like this before.

But at least some TV and radio stations remained on the air in NOLA, along with WWL 870, which multiple competing radio station clusters teamed up with, and pooled resources towards.

 

Everything is offline in Panama City. Everything.

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But at least some TV and radio stations remained on the air in NOLA, along with WWL 870, which multiple competing radio station clusters teamed up with, and pooled resources towards.

 

Everything is offline in Panama City. Everything.

 

You got me -- *one* station remained on the air in NOLA. I regret the error.

 

https://www.nola.com/katrina/index.ssf/2005/09/local_tv_stations_scramble_to_keep_signals_up.html

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You got me -- *one* station remained on the air in NOLA. I regret the error.

 

https://www.nola.com/katrina/index.ssf/2005/09/local_tv_stations_scramble_to_keep_signals_up.html

of course..the article also messed up..they said WBRZ was owned by Tribune when of course..WBRZ is owned by the Manship family..in fact I think them and WVUE (who was in a midst of a sale) had the toughest time after Katrina

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of course..the article also messed up..they said WBRZ was owned by Tribune when of course..WBRZ is owned by the Manship family..in fact I think them and WVUE (who was in a midst of a sale) had the toughest time after Katrina

 

WVUE would have it much easier now, as they could just work with WAFB, but they weren't sister stations in 2005.

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of course..the article also messed up..they said WBRZ was owned by Tribune when of course..WBRZ is owned by the Manship family..in fact I think them and WVUE (who was in a midst of a sale) had the toughest time after Katrina

Yeah, Emmis was going to sell WVUE over to LIN Broadcasting along with the rest of the TV holdings, but Katrina forced them to take the station off the market entirely. WVUE’s studios were badly damaged (as was WYES, IIRC), and Emmis basically released all employees from their contracts if they wanted to pursue work elsewhere.

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Charleston during Hurricane Hugo was like that. They had one AM station (690 from Jacksonville) stay on the air. 680 from Raleigh also stayed on, along with WBT Charlotte on 1110. At the height of the storm, every local station (and there were probably 15 or so at the time) was off the air.

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It appears WMBB is using a makeshift stream on their website produced out of Tampa hosted by JB Biunno (who used to work at WKRG)

It seems like reporters are filing their reports there, but who knows how it's getting there, due to the complete lack of ability to communicate....

 

I highly doubt there's a complete 100% failure of all communications systems anywhere in the area affected. Cellular backpacks kept working through Harvey, not many reasons they wouldn't keep working here.

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I highly doubt there's a complete 100% failure of all communications systems anywhere in the area affected. Cellular backpacks kept working through Harvey, not many reasons they wouldn't keep working here.

 

Yes, it's a lot easier for cellular as there are more towers and building rooftops. They're usually connected via fiber line or satellite backup and have generators on standby.

 

Also if a station has a satellite truck they could feed the packages that way.

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WMBB took on some major damage. It wouldn't surprise me to see them relocate further inland.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2018/10/11/hurricane-micheal-knocks-nexstar-station-off-the-air

 

WJHG is still off the air but has reactivated their generator.

 

I believe two of the iHeart stations are on the air again (98.5 & 92.5) and the Gulf Coast State College Station 90.7 is going to be returning to the air as well with emergency information.

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I assume WPGX got knocked off the air as well... because if WMBB, WECP and WJHG were knocked offline due to power failures and transmitter tower collapses, WPGX's transmitter probably got thrashed, too. There were also other radio stations in Panama City whose operational statuses weren't mentioned in the Radio Insight article.

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I'm watching WECP (CBS 18) on WJHG (NBC 7) Panama City/eastern panhandle. I had watched this station a few months ago while researching Highway 30A, a big tourist area in that DMA. New graphics for both 7 and 18. New staff, too? Anybody live in the eastern panhandle? It's actually pretty good to watch.

https://www.wjhg.com/livestream3

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WJHG is now streaming live from their studio on Facebook.

 

WMBB and WDHN are still off the air and WMBB may be unable to use their facility on Harrison Avenue

 

I don't know the status of the stations' transmitters, but the widespread power outages and crippled facilities may have made getting a signal to the transmitter impossible. At least with WPGX, they have limited technical facilities in Panama City now (they used to be across from WMBB, but now only has a sales office on 23rd Street). it would make sense to relay WTXL or or even WSFA is to provide any broadcasting for the Panhandle residents.

 

As for WECP, it's basically carved out of WJHG and all their resources. They do a noon and 5:30 show, and leave the rest to WJHG on their main channel.

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I would think WMBB will work out of WKRG until things are settled? I'm not sure if WDHN has a big enough studio to manage two stations, and finding a temporary place in Panama City will be nearly impossible.

 

It does seem WJHG's damage is not catastrophic and their studio is workable, even if they don't have a transmitter. I think WTVY is back on though (they were only off for a couple hours I believe?). I'm sure Gray is sending more people to help them though.

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WMBB seems to be working outside their station, with the help of WFLA, WKRG and WDHN.

 

They were able to put together a makeshift newscast outside their building. The backdrop was metal roofing that was torn off from the First Baptist Church complex that completely surrounds their station.

https://www.mypanhandle.com/news/florida/news-13-hosts-newscast-online-after-losing-power-sustaining-damage-during-hurricane-michael/1517939437

 

Meanwhile, over at WJHG, crews from their station were able to make it across the bridge into Panama City (since they're based in PCB). You have to feel for them since they (station employees) have literally been cut off from the outside world and even their colleagues trying to cover this disaster. Needless to say, the crew was overcome seeing the damage in the city itself firsthand.

https://www.wjhg.com/content/news/WJHG-tours-damage-in-Panama-City-496975951.html

 

Even Megan Gannon, formerly of WMBB (and now with WPMI in Mobile) recalled her upbringing in Port St. Joe and was able to see the damage in her hometown through the coverage.

https://mynbc15.com/news/local/nbc-15s-megan-gannon-reacts-to-hometown-storm-devastation

 

Aside from the eastern part of the beach, (mainly the Thomas Drive area), PCB's damage is minimal as you head westward. The Pier Park area is as if nothing happened. It was Panama City itself, Lynn Haven, going eastward to Mexico Beach & Port St. Joe that got decimated.

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