From Inside Radio Today - 7/23/2010

TAB tells Congress radio was ready for Tennessee floods. The historic flooding that hit Middle Tennessee in May may've demonstrated a lack of communications between some federal agencies. But Tennessee Association Broadcasters president Whit Adamson says radio and television stations were well-prepared for the disaster. Yesterday he told a Senate subcommittee looking into the government's response that broadcasters are "proven, reliable tools" when disaster strikes - and the Tennessee floods were no different. While the Army Corp of Engineers suffered plenty of criticism from lawmakers about how ready it was for the rising floodwaters, there was praise from Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN) who hailed the job radio stations did in his district. "Stations buy an awful lot of expensive equipment to stay on top of things," Adamson testified. But he noted it takes more than just high-tech gadgetry. "Our broadcasters are only as good as the information that comes to us," Adamson noted. Although TAB has been working with the Nashville city government to train people on EAS, Adamson thinks there's an "unacceptable level" of knowledge and training about how to activate EAS. He believes the federal government should fund expanded training of local officials. With the FCC and FEMA working on an overhaul of the alert system, Adamson also urged lawmakers to consider helping cash-strapped stations buy the next generation of EAS equipment. Otherwise, he warned some stations may be forced to "opt-out" of the voluntary system. During the Tennessee floods a number of EAS alerts were broadcast with National Weather Service information. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) noted how good a job radio's done to warn the public of tornadoes, and said floods should be treated the same way. Adamson reminded the Senate panel that cell phone companies could include FM receivers on phones for a small cost and help distribute EAS messages.