Sun Sentinel
TV stations gearing up for Frances coverage
TV stations gearing up for Frances coverage
By Jack Zink
cultural affairs Writer
Posted September 2 2004
Although many of South Florida’s television stations have not yet gone to continuous on-air storm coverage, most have already reached full-time staffing to deal with Hurricane Frances.
The first to go to “wall to wall” broadcast coverage is Miami’s WSVN-Ch. 7, which planned to do so at 3 a.m. today, spokesperson Lily Pardo said late Wednesday.
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Other stations from Miami through the Palm Beaches plan to hold off on that decision until after the posting of a hurricane watch or warning.
Miami’s WFOR-Ch. 4 was already in “extended coverage” mode Wednesday but kept the prime-time window open for the Latin Grammys.
News director Shannon High-Bassalik said that decisions will remain fluid, and that tonight’s prime-time programming will depend upon the proximity and direction of the storm.
News directors at most stations said that President George W. Bush’s acceptance speech at tonight’s Republican Convention windup could be dumped.
“The storm is more important to our viewers and their livelihoods,” said WTVJ-Ch. 6 President and General Manager Ardyth Diercks, echoing station officials in the Palm Beaches as well as Miami.
The region, including Martin County and the Treasure Coast, is expected to be dealing with the storm’s aftermath by Sunday. But Frances has already forced the cancellation of South Florida’s participation in the annual Jerry Lewis fundraising telethon.
Muscular Dystrophy Association officials contacted the Palm Beach and Miami-Dade stations early Wednesday and told them not to bother trying to staff their local segments of the telethon. WPEC-Ch. 12 in West Palm Beach was already considering bowing out.
“The crews that have to construct the telethon set are the same people that have to be here for our hurricane coverage,” said WPEC station manager Donn Colee.
With Wednesday guesses putting landfall around Vero Beach, stations in the surrounding area were already stockpiling food, buying mattresses for their staff and sandbagging their doors for an expected windy siege. WPTV-Ch. 5 was setting up a second-floor conference room at its West Palm Beach headquarters as a barracks for up to 80 staffers.
Miami’s WPLG-Ch. 10 and WFOR-Ch. 4, meanwhile, each sent a team to Marsh Harbour on the Bahamas outer island of Abaco earlier this week, which could take the brunt of the storm some time today. WFOR also sent a news crew to Nassau, the Bahamian capital.
This report is supplemented by material from the Stuart News. Jack Zink can be reached at jzink@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4706.
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