Feedback

promos and promote your news department on various media (billboards, TV, newspaper,station website, etc.).Use regional weather servicesIf your campus station is located in an area of severe weather patterns, it is essentialto report weather conditions on a regular basis. Subscribe to a regional weather serviceand use it. Identify your station as a consistent source of weather information at definedtimes of the day. If your signal covers a boating area, make your station the source forweather information for anyone going out on the water. Importantly, floods, tornados,etc. need to be covered firsthand, along with civil defense information.Establish an emergency hotlineA hotline for campus and community listeners to find out emergency informationshould be established and promoted by your station. Important information concerningpolice and fire department activities, missing children, local weather information, etc.helps listeners identify with your station. Encourage station engineers to be ham radiooperators so they can run information and communication “nets” during emergenciesthat could be very useful to your station.Define procedures to handle emergenciesYour news and programming staff needs to understand and follow defined proceduresfor emergency situations. Key community leaders should be contacted to establishhow your station can work with them during crisis situations. Regular public affairsprograms dealing with emergency situations should be aired on a regular basis.Broadcast public school informationOne of the best ways to become involved with your community is to air publicschool issues and activities. Parents are always interested in what affects their children.Programs that highlight school-related activities will help build a close bond with yourcommunity.Volunteer for community serviceVolunteer your time to local community groups. When you give your time to alocal service group you are establishing that you care about the community. Each ofyour student officers should be involved and represent your station in communitygroups. The people you work with in these groups may be the same people you requestprogramming grants from at a later date. Simply put, community service makes goodbusiness sense.Have a focused plan to support community activitiesDesignate a staff member to coordinate station support of community activities. Abudget should be established to fund donations and local non-profit group functions.The station program should be broad enough to include all major charities and communitygroups. Also, your station could sponsor high school internships in broadcastingand special grants to the arts. Whatever you decide to support, it should be a part of acoordinated effort tying your campus station to all facets of your local community.14Feedback March 2005 (Vol. 46, No. 4)