Saturday, September 03, 2005

New Orleans stations struggle to broadcast

After Hurricane Katrina hit this week, many local broadcasters were caught in the unusual situation of reporting from outside their market to an uncertain audience, if they could go on at all, while dealing with the effects of the storm on their own homes and families.

While station owners tried to account for all of their employees in what quickly became "the affected area," the employees themselves battled technical and physical challenges to provide important information to the small percentage of the population still remaining in the city.

In Part 1 of this Special Edition: how stations are covering what may be the biggest story in the history of the state of Louisiana.




Owners scramble to find employees; pitch in staff, aid
As New Orleans television stations struggled through Katrina's aftermath, their owners were trying to account for everyone on their rolls. All four major stations had posted online messages by Friday asking that their employees call in or e-mail to report that they are safe. Owners asked workers to keep in touch but told employees not working now to stay home.

"Our stations in downtown New Orleans remain evacuated. Do not attempt to report for work," read a message to employees of ABC affiliate WGNO-26 and newsless sister WNOL-38 (WB). Executives from owner Tribune were in Baton Rouge on Friday to distribute supplies and meet with displaced employees, according to the letter.

WWL-4 owner Belo Corp. paid out $1,000 in emergency funds to each of its employees, according to the station. "This amount is completely tax-free and should be used to take care of the immediate needs of you and your family," the Ch. 4 website read. The company is also calling in news staff from its other stations to take turns relieving Ch. 4 staff, the Virginian-Pilot reported.

Tribune and WDSU-6 owner Hearst-Argyle are also setting up relief funds, according to Poynter Online. Employees of Fox affiliate WVUE-8, for which owner Emmis has been seeking a buyer, received supplies and a visit from company executives in their temporary Alabama headquarters on Wednesday.

"Please know that you and your families are in our thoughts and prayers," read part of a message from Hearst-Argyle CEO David Barrett to Ch. 6 employees asking them to contact the station owner. Ch. 4 listed the names of nine employees who were unaccounted for on its website Friday.




Area TV leader relies on college to stay on air
Local powerhouse WWL-4 remained on the air after evacuating staff to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, some 75 miles to the west, as the storm approached on Sunday. By Friday, the station remained in the city, broadcasting from the studios of PBS affiliate WLPB-27. The future of the station's building on N. Rampart St. in New Orleans, which had already been set to be vacated in 2007 for a planned downtown complex with new equipment, is currently unclear.

"Specific plans for the operations of WWL-TV beyond the immediate crisis situation are not yet known," read a message from station owner Belo on the Ch. 4 website Friday. "It is still too early to fully assess the status of the station and its facilities in New Orleans." Flooding reached the Rampart studios on Tuesday, and a corporate team in Dallas is working on a plan for the station's future, according an unconfirmed internal memo posted on a message board on www.medialine.com.

Ch. 4's Gretna, La., transmitter is on high ground and was still dry, a spokesman told the Hollywood Reporter early in the week. The move to LSU came after a back-up plan put in place last year, according to Poynter Online.

During Ch. 4's time at the college, students and staff pitched in as staffers from CNN and the Times-Picayune also converged on the school. Copies of the newspaper provided a floor covering in the hallways near the CBS affiliate's impromptu setup, where CNN anchor Miles O'Brien captured this shot (above left) of what he said was a Ch. 4 employee's dog.




Sister stations help out city's NBC affiliate
Rising flood waters at the WDSU-6 transmitter site in Chalmette, La., forced the station off the air during the week. On Sunday, the station had evacuated a contingent of news employees to co-owned WAPT-16 (ABC) in Jackson, Miss. A few employees were later dispatched to WESH-2 (NBC) in Orlando, which has also been cooperating to keep the Ch. 6's coverage going.

By Wednesday, the station singal was scheduled to return to satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network, according to the Hollywood Reporter. On Friday, the station was broadcasting over the air on Paxson station WPXL-49, according to a posting on the Ch. 6 website. In the midst of signal problems, the station had continued streaming online.

As the situation grew worse, Ch. 6's weatherman said he was among the surprised. "I have spent 28 years warning viewers about the dangers of monster hurricanes," Dan Milham wrote for the Hearst-owned Houston Chronicle. "Nevertheless, I drove from New Orleans to Jackson on a sunny Sunday thinking about returning to my city in several days. ...Then it sank in."

The employees in Mississippi were expected to be there at least through Tuesday, according to the Clarion-Ledger. Anchor Paul Moses from Hearst-Argyle's Louisville station was among those helping relieve that crew from the Florida location.




Market's Fox, ABC stations stay in static
The two New Orleans stations that normally have the most trouble with news ratings have been mostly out of commission since Hurricane Katrina hit. ABC affiliate WGNO-26 has been off the air for the balance of the week, with some news staffers contributing to the broadcasts at WBRZ-2 in Baton Rouge.

Ch. 26 made an agreement to cede its spot on cable systems to Ch. 2 until Sunday at 7 p.m., according to the Ch. 2 website.

Meanwhile, Fox affiliate WVUE-8 evacuated staffers to co-owned WALA-10 (Fox) in Mobile, Ala., but was also knocked off the air early on this week. The station has volunteered its anchors to help out with radio coverage on Clear Channel stations, according to a report in MediaWeek.

Posted by ECTVN on 9/03/2005 -  3 comments

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