| Publisher: Information Station Specialists |
| Next 'Sandy' a Month Away? |
| Emergency Managers Add Information Radio in Preparation |
 NORTH
PLAINFIELD,
NJ: If
New
Jersey
residents
needed
an
object
lesson
about
how a
major
storm
affects
communications,
“Superstorm
Sandy”
certainly
supplied
it in
October.
The
cascade
of power
outages
that
triggered
communication
outages
left
millions
in the
dark –
literally,
as well
as in
terms of
connectivity.One fact that has surfaced repeatedly: communities with Information Radio Stations had a means of maintaining a link to citizens when conventional communication methods were offline; those that did not, did not. Stories abound about Information Stations that operated on batteries recharged by generators and with their antennas standing in 3 feet of storm surge. Communities with hurricane wind rated poles called Vertical Profile Antenna Support and Grounding Systems had the best success keeping their antennas erect. As a result, numerous emergency managers in Northern New Jersey are adding or upgrading Information Radio Services this spring in anticipation of the next hurricane season, now less than a month away. North Plainfield, NJ, has taken an active role in promoting the technology to its neighbors. Borough Clerk Rich Phoenix attended the FCC’s hearing in Hoboken, NJ, in February and button-holed FCC Chairman Genachowski between sessions to advise him regarding the usefulness of Information Radio during the disaster. It was not lost on those attending that despite the plethora of new media, the FCC reserved for conventional radio broadcasting special kudos for its lifesaving role during and after the storm. North Plainfield’s mayor Michael Giordano co-authored an article with Phoenix in New Jersey Municipalities Magazine the same month, laying out a compelling case for an increased emergency role for the service. States Phoenix in the article titled “Radio Comes to the Rescue in North Plainfield”: "Although the internet and new technologies seem to be everyone’s darlings, they remain highly vulnerable. The simple AM radio proved most effective during this emergency." There are areas in New Jersey where radio frequencies for new Information Radio Stations will soon become scarce. If your community is considering adding the service, it is recommended that you first determine if a frequency is available. Contact Information Station Specialists to learn how to initiate a frequency search. |
| Recent Disasters May Influence New TIS Rules |
| New Draft Reportedly on the Move |
 WASHINGTON,
DC:
Encouraging
news has
begun to
trickle
from the
FCC
regarding
the
pending
rewrite
of the
Information
Station
(TIS)
rules.
AAIRO
Counsel
Frank
Jazzo of
Fletcher,
Hildreth,
Heald
says
that his
sources
within
the FCC
indicate
that the
Report &
Order
draft
“has
been
revised
to take
into
account
recent
ex
parte
filings
by AAIRO
members
regarding
the use
of TIS
stations
during
SuperStorm
Sandy
and the
Newtown
shootings,
as well
as the
FCC’s
own
research
on TIS
use
during
such
events.”
Jazzo goes on to advise that the draft is still at the Bureau level but that “the draft is supposed to be forwarded to the Chairman’s office by the end of April.” Efforts to encourage the Commission to move it to the FCC Commissioners for a vote have been time-consuming and costly. Meanwhile, AAIRO, the nonprofit association for Information Radio Operators that has spearheaded the effort, has issued a pitched appeal for support. "We’ve maxed the limit of what we can do on this effort and we are appealing to the Public Safety Community and interested parties to help,” states AAIRO president Bill Baker in a communiqué sent to members this month. “So, we hope readers will join in the ‘$90.24 movement’ now so we can reach the finish line.” The donation effort is named for the FCC Rule Section (90.242) that governs the radio service. Additional travel costs and meetings with FCC staffers likely will be required before the campaign is complete. We encourage everyone who is involved with Information Radio to donate $90.24 to the effort, so we can finish what we all started,” adds Baker. “This is a historic opportunity to make tangible, definable changes in a unique service that will result in its becoming an even more useful tool for public safety.” Click here to email your pledge to AAIRO, today. |
| Is Your Info Station Ready for Prime Time? |
| New Format Narrows "Quality Gap" |
| ZEELAND,
MI: Hit
“scan”
and
listen
to what
your
Information
Station
is up
against
on the
radio
dial –
in terms
of sheer
professional
broadcast
quality
and
presentation.
Especially
if you
are near
a major
metropolitan
area,
broadcast
stations
will
spend
the cost
of your
entire
station
just on
audio
processing
gear.
Add to
that
what
they pay
their
talent.
It’s
impossible
to
compete
with the
resulting
quality,
dollar
for
dollar,
but why
not
narrow
the
gap?
A new service offered by Information Station Specialists helps operators get a “leg up” on the disparity with a first-of-its-kind format produced especially for Info Station broadcasts. The creatively written production by professional announcers is titled merely “InfoRadio.” The customized format features multiple major market announcers delivering information about your community in a professional fashion that compares favorably to what listeners hear on conventional broadcast stations. Once InfoRadio format broadcasts are established, updates are free to operators who join AAIRO – the nonprofit American Association of Information Radio Operators. The format is designed to either run all by itself on a daily basis as a “placeholder” or alongside current messages inserted by station operators. It features a station ID, mission statement and customized community information intended for citizens and visitors. It includes a clear reminder to motorists that the station’s frequency is the place to tune to in a community emergency. Fort Lee, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from the New York City, was the first in the nation to roll out the format in March. |
PO Box 51, Zeeland, Michigan, USA, 49464-0051, Phone 616.772.2300, Fax 616.772.2966, Email
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