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WMOA, Committed to Local Service
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 Paul McLane is editor in chief.
Last week I passed along a great photo of the “thank you ” sheet hung out
by listeners to AM station WMOA in Marietta, Ohio, after the recent nasty
derecho storm; it was sent to me by Dennis Wharton at NAB.
Looking further at the station’s
website I saw that WMOA takes pride in its coverage of such events. I emailed
John A. Wharff III, the station president, to ask about its
relationship with listeners and how WMOA handled the storm and its aftermath.
“Having a news staff made our
coverage more effective,” he wrote. “Our two part-time reporters became more
than full-time for several days. One is a semi-retired former news director with
experience as a government public information officer who maintains good
contacts with local first responders. He’s also a long-time National Weather
Service spotter who previously arranged weather training classes for our staff
and the community. Our second reporter, who has been on the job for a year,
really stepped up and covered the second half of the days during our storm
coverage.
“We conducted an after-action analysis of our emergency plan and are taking
steps to improve our response,” Wharff continued.
“For
example, one of the community’s largest employers could not contact the station
by telephone while, at the same time, we could not receive e-mail messages for
24 hours, so we are making arrangements to ensure those communications during
utility outages. Keep in mind we also had two of our three stations off the
air, so we felt the pain of helplessness in those communities that we couldn’t
reach with information. The flip side of that is that without any electric,
limited cellular [and] no other radio signals, our signal at AM 1490 operating
at 500 watts was transmitting a clear signal at easily double its normal reach
(500 watts is half power).
“It was dumb luck that we had
just ordered a few hundred battery operated radios with our logo on them. I was
passing them out when I saw the sheet hanging from the roof. Most people were
sitting outside their houses so they were happy to see me popping my trunk and
passing out these radios. The news wasn’t always good, as the early projections
from the electric company were 5–7 days for power restoration. The radio
station got power back at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning (about 60 hours on
generator), but for most others it wasn’t until Wednesday and even later, so
the projections ended up being spot on.”
Wharff also shared
with me a compilation of reader comments he’d received
via email, Facebook or phone. It is
recommended reading. Need a reminder of how important local radio continues to
be for many listeners in times of distress? Check these out:
“It was real comforting to have WMOA on the air during the storm
aftermath. Loved receiving the hourly updates and knowing what was going on.”
“Hey I just wanted to tell you man, thank God for
WMOA, it’s been something to listen to that’s real information and at the very
least for us, something to keep us company when all hell is breaking loose,
thanks, keep up the good work, bye.”
“To
the WMOA staff, I just want to offer my sincerest
thanks to all who worked so hard to keep our wonderful city of Marietta
informed as much as possible during the recent severe storm. I’m not normally
one to listen to the radio because I enjoy gospel hymns on tapes and CDs. It
was wonderful to be able to count on WMOA when we really needed them. Thanks so
much and I hope this community can always work well together as they have these
past very trying days. Keep up the great work!”
“I want to
thank you and everyone at WMOA for the excellent job you have been doing in keeping
citizens informed during the current widespread and long-lasting power outage
in our area. Yours is the only locally owned and controlled radio station
in this area (as far as I know). By utilizing your generator WMOA has stayed on
the air continuously during this emergency. By using battery powered radios my
family and thousands of others can feel better knowing we can hear the latest
news and announcements. Your radio station has and is providing a valuable
service to this area and should be supported by our emergency services system. Thanks
again to you and all your staff!”
“My wife and I agree with everything our son sent
you in an e-mail as I am on oxygen and need to know what is going on. Thanks
thanks thanks so much.”
“As a
resident of Marietta, I would like to thank you for your great coverage on the
power outages in the area. I know they continue as I heard your reporter an
hour ago say that many are still without ‘light.’ As a former station owner, I
compliment you for being there for us. You were the only outlet that had the
farsightedness to make sure you had back-up for events like this. Our stations
were in areas smaller and larger in Texas and Arkansas. We did what you did:
follow the mandate of the FCC and serve our community. I cannot find enough
adjectives to describe how well you did what you did. I would also like to
compliment someone named Ralph. He was great! Who said small-town radio is
dead. You are keeping it alive and well.”
“Just wanted to let each and everyone at WMOA that
the coverage that you folks gave during this time of need after the storm was
just extraordinary. From management on down through your staff, you kept us
abreast of all updates as well as any breaking events that would have an impact
on listeners. I feel fortunate to reside in an area that has a staff that is as
devoted and committed to the listeners. Giving up days off to working long
hours, the news and entertainment were a great morale booster to all tuned in.
Again, many, many thanks to each and every one of you at WMOA.”
“Great
coverage under trying circumstance this weekend. My hat is off to you.”
“John, with the severe storms it was
such a relief to dial up 1490 and get the storm update and Reds game on the old
transistor radio. You guys are the best. You should do a promotion giving
battery powered small radios away for severe weather. Not that many folks have
them anymore. A friend said he was using his granddad’s.”
“Still
without power in Reno and you guys have been an invaluable resource for us!
Keep on keeping on.”
“WMOA was AWESOME during the
outage! Just shows how much we have lost as radio stations are gobbled up by
communications giants. At 7 p.m. Friday night, I was NOT in the mood to listen
to a solid hour of music. I wanted to know how much damage the storm did.
Thanks WMOA — hope you are on the air forever!”
“You have offered us calm during this
time. I still don’t have power … but have battery powered radio and you all as
company.”
“We would like
to express our sincere appreciation during and after the power outage. A voice
relaying vital information was comforting during the darkness.”
“Without you
we would have no clue what was going on.”
And then there was the one shown below that appeared on his re-stocked,
freshly cleaned fish tank in the studio from the local pet store. “Last week,” it states, “you all saved a lot of people just by being there.”
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