The morbidly funny video from the 1960’s classic “Cool Hand Luke” became a popular meme well before there was an Internet. You see it pop up when organizations or people on the same team (or in a relationship) suffer a serious breakdown in communication. Suffice it to say, this is a common condition.
When we look at what happened in Maui, we have a human tragedy that is off the charts. By the time this is all set and done, we will likely be looking at hundreds of people dead, upwards of $6 billion in funds to restore the damage, and incalculable pain and suffering. When weather disasters happen, widescale damage is often unavoidable. And the wildfires that swept through Lahaina fit that definition. But could the damage in human, financial, and property costs have been mitigated or decreased?
Maui is a place where many of us have been on vacation. Looking at the photos, it is unimaginable just how extensive the damage is. And in the aftermath, there are questions – lots of them – about what went wrong. 
We may never have all the answers about where and how the fires started. Or the other breakdowns that included the failure to use the emergency sirens or negligible communications with the locals (which is still a problem days later). There will be epic investigations, lengthy hearings, loud accusations, and a lot of money spent trying to get to the bottom of what went wrong with Maui.
Already in the past few days, there has been a key resignation. Maui’s emergency management chief – the guy who defended not using the sirens – is out. Expect more departures in the coming days and weeks as more facts emerge.
But what about radio? For most of this year, we’ve read about the critically important role radio plays in these types of community catastrophes. I expected these tragic wildfires that ripped through our country’s 50th state would be no different. And I had read stories about the radio stations on the island mostly staying on the air, even during the worst of conditions.
So who better to talk to than Chris Leonard (pictured), president of the Hawaii Association of Broadcasters, and President/GM of New West Broadcasting in Hawaii. Chris is a life-long resident of Hawaii, and a passionate radio broadcaster who is very knowledgeable about emergency operations on the islands.
He has also been very active in the legislative issue to save AM radio, and has been present and active in the key meetings that have taken place at the NAB in Las Vegas, and later in Washington, D.C.
Paul and I set up a Zoom interview last week with Chris, hoping to hear inspirational stories of how radio saved lives, supported emergency workers, and connected with residents and visitors during perhaps the worst disaster Hawai’i has ever faced.
Instead, we got an earful from a truly frustrated Chris Leonard who witnessed communications breakdowns between emergency officials in Maui and the radio stations broadcasting there.
Don’t mistake this interview for an investigative report on the wildfires. Paul and I are not Woodward and Bernstein. That heavy-duty reporting is best left for the media and journalists who regularly cover these complex stories, as well as the Congressional hearings that will no doubt occur during the months and even years ahead:
Fred Jacobs: Chris, how did radio perform during this disaster?
Chris Leonard: I made a comment when we were in that conference room in Vegas about the fact we think we’ve told our local emergency managers enough (about radio’s value during disasters.) I was very clear, I said we can’t stop telling them.
We need to continue to tell them because they forget. And, you know, everybody’s in love with (gadgets) that beep and buzz in the palm of their hand. And while a lot of those tools provide robust information and there’s a place for them in the emergency alerting ecosystem…but first and foremost, the primary emergency alerting cannot be and should not be an opt-in first decision.
Paul Jacobs: So what actually happened to communications when the wildfires hit?
CL: All of the (cellular) infrastructure was gone the night of the fires. I’m sitting in my house in Hilo yelling at my television at 11 at night as I’m watching a communications staffer from Maui County talk about the fact that all the the Internet is down, cell service is down, phone service is down, cable is down.
Not once does she mention radio. And the television anchor asks, “Well, how can people get more information? ” And she goes, “Well, they can go to our website or they can download our app or they can go to Instagram or our Facebook page.”
But the next day, they were still trying to direct people to websites and other things. And I thought, “Who’s talking to the people in the area that are impacted?”
I called almost all of the major radio groups on Maui the following morning. I called the two primary big (radio) groups and said, “Hey, are you guys all on? How late did you stay on last night? Are you aware of anybody else on the island that’s off?”
And they said, “No, we were on we were on live until late in the evening.” And the only thing I could find that was down was a translator that was out at Kaanapali, which is a few miles down the road from Lahaina on the roof of a hotel.
Paul Jacobs: How do you explain the disconnect?
CL: In the subsequent days, really, the problem was there wasn’t much information that was getting out. The infrastructure was there, our broadcasters were there, and they were doing what broadcasters do, trying to collect information from whatever verifiable sources that were available.
This is not unique to Hawaii, as you guys know. It happens all over the place. They were doing what they do. They’re trying to piece together what they can from the community. The (radio) technology is there, but once again, our officials didn’t really realize the assets that were available to them.
FJ: Is part of the onus on radio not effectively communicating its capabilities to emergency officials during quiet times when there is no emergency?
CL: So whatever we’re doing, we think it should work. We think (emergency officials) are foolish for not getting it, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re not getting it. (Many of them think) ‘Let’s get to social media.’ What about the fact (broadcast radio infrastructure) stays up, they’re robust, and they’re resilient?
PJ: Chris, is this isolated to Hawaii or does this disconnect exist elsewhere?
CL: There problems have existed all over the country and will continue to exist unless changes are made. There are similarities to the Paradise Fires in Northern California. They were heavily reliant upon opt-in, text servicing and less so on radio. Paradise is a retirement community. Retirees don’t opt in on tech services at a high level.
And by the way, when your cell tower is on fire, you’re not getting a text message anyway. You know who doesn’t download local county based apps? Visitors. You know we have a lot of Hawaii visitors.
And (officials and politicians say) ‘Go to our Instagram page.’ ‘Here’s the latest update.’ And that update is going out on his Instagram before it goes out to us or we get it the same time the public does.
And what does that do? It trains people to go to (Instagram). But guess what? It’s not going to be up when when it gets really bad. The 26 year-old staffer is telling their boss, ‘You need to have a bigger social media footprint. And here’s how you’re going to do that. And you’ve got to show that you’re in the mix.’
Hey, I don’t mind them posting it, but make sure that we train people to go to the places that are going to be there when they most need it.
PJ: What is your message to state broadcaster associations about better communications with emergency officials in their regions?
CL: I don’t think we can ever stop telling them or explaining to them about the robust and resilient nature of what we provide time and time and time again. The last man standing, so to speak.
Katrina. Paradise, Puerto Rico. Sandy, take your pick. And we we still don’t learn. We need to be able to use the examples from other places to illustrate in our own jurisdictions the importance of that. I think one of the things that makes a difference for me is relationships with our emergency managers, and it doesn’t work in every market, but maybe it does, maybe it’s scalable. I have a phenomenal relationship with my county emergency managers. Broadcasters and emergency managers need to work on this around the country.
First, we train together. Some of that’s about the technical aspects of the equipment. But I think as much of it is about getting our guys out of the office and getting broadcasters and their emergency managers together. And they understand that we’re on the same team and that together we provide a valuable tool that’s available to them. Having a relationship helps.
It’s about connecting, communicating, and practice.
FJ: In general, radio’s performance in these circumstances has been impressive ,right? But this time around, there were lots of moving parts.
CL: It’s difficult to address an issue in the middle of an incident, especially one of this magnitude. Radio performed very well under the circumstances, but I think radio could have and was willing to do more if given the opportunity to. We are uniquely situated to do that. We have the the facilities, we have the redundant, robust equipment to do that.
We stayed on the air, and for the most part, we’re as good as the information we’re given. But what we saw here is what we’ve seen all over the country. We’re not getting as much good information as we’d like from official sources. And our stations are doing the best they can from piecing it together from their relationships in the community.
PJ: Chris, do you see emergency coverage as part of radio’s mission?
CL: I had an employee a number of years back that asked me, ‘Boss, why do we do this?’ And my answer was quite simple: ‘Because we can and we should.’ But really, first and foremost, because we can. We’re uniquely situated to do this. We have the tools. We have the people that put us in a unique situation to be there for our community in a way no other industry can.
As a result, I feel that I have a responsibility for that. We have standing orders even in my building. If the ground shakes really hard or something big happens, you check your house, and make sure your family is safe. And if they’re good, we go to work. That’s what we do. And and that’s not unique. Many of Maui’s radio broadcasters are there in their community, working around the clock trying to help their community.
As you know, this is something we see time and time again around the country from broadcasters. I’m heartbroken for our friends and family and the residents of Maui. Natural disasters are unavoidable and will continue to happen, but our leaders and public-safety officials can and must do better. We as broadcasters must continue to be there for our communities. We must also continue to be fierce advocates for public safety, the free flow of life-saving information and for our role in the emergency alerting ecosystem.
FJ: Thanks for the time, Chris, and best of luck to your family, friends, and staff.
Suffice it to say, this is not how we imagined this interview going. But lots of things happen in an emergency that don’t go according to plan.
I’m hoping you read this interview with Chris Leonard and think about how it applies to your station’s/cluster’s/company’s situation. During this interview, Chris admitted leaner staffs and less live programming have created more pressure to both connect with local officials and communicate key information when disaster strikes.
But as he also mentioned, emergency management teams and local officials share responsibility here, too. Radio may not be what it used to be, but when a city, a town, a neighborhood, or an island are impacted by a disaster, the chances are good radio will be operational when other communication infrastructure goes down. Getting that word across to the movers and shakers in communities is more of an issue that we thought it was. These wildfires on Maui present a painful learning experience all broadcasters need to take seriously.
The “Save AM” movement served an important purpose, but as this tragedy shows, there’s nothing theoretical about an entire community going up in flames in just a matter of minutes. This is a radio issue.
The NAB and the many state broadcaster associations have a role to play. In 2023, we are witnessing one weather and/or infrastructure disaster after another: hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, extreme heat, train derailments, bridge and highway collapses. Even a hurricane and concurrent earthquake in Southern California. It’s not a matter of if it will impact your community. It’s when.
But don’t take it from me. You might want to get in touch with Chris Leonard. You can email him here.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Excellent information which shows the importance of having an EAS system and educating local emergency centers knowing how to utilize it. Too often radio stations have no one there to answer calls at night and on weekends.
We have had a local monthly meeting with media and public safety leaders for over 20 years and it has helped us to better understand each other’s role and concerns and share contact information for times like this. Thank you for sharing this blogpost.
The regularity and frequency of these meetings is so important, Dave. Appreciate the comment.
A well timed article as Southern California was hit with a Hurricane and an earthquake … all in the same day. This is a great reminder that we cannot assume that local leaders know that radio is there for them. Thank you Fred and Paul.
Also it’s worth noting that a natural disaster isn’t needed for the internet’s inherently fragile infrastructure to fail. How many banal broadband outages do we all put up with every month? Each time is an opportunity for radio to shine. Is there anyone better situated to blow their own horn?
Nope.
Not a matter of “if,” but of “when.” Always appreciate your comments, Mike.
RADIO REMAINS ESSENTIAL for INFORMATION, LOCAL CONNECTION and Lord Forbid, TIMES OF EMERGENCY.
Thanks, Clark.
This will be a controversial tangent, but one that I think needs to be addressed at some level: I don’t want to imply that Mr. Leonard himself is in favor of this, but the NAB is indeed promoting efforts to create what critics (including myself) consider to be taxes on links–especially since Canada recently followed Australia’s lead on the issue, and California has made some initial attempts to also do so.
This is especially germane now because Meta and Google have been fighting back in Canada, perhaps more so than they did in Australia–which means that, yes, it’s now difficult to share news online (including from station websites) about Canada’s wildfires.
I do agree with Mike Masnick’s takes on this–most recently, https://www.techdirt.com/2023/08/18/after-canada-starts-taxing-news-links-canadians-are-upset-that-they-cant-follow-news-of-wildfires-on-facebook. Of note is that the University of Toronto’s CIUT has been pulled into this.
Thanks for the tangent, Eric. Always smart to cover all the bases.
The key word describing Mr. Leonard is “passionate”. The head of a private equity firm’s passion is quite different from someone whose livelihood depends on providing content useful to a community. The head of a CEO whose sole purpose is to provide a profit to shareholders is also different. As Randy Michaels recently said “a station you can’t rely on 24 hours a day is a station you can’t rely on”.
Just this weekend in SoCal we had good ol’ Hurricane Hillary pass through-and an earthquake to match. Only TWO signals out of hundreds could be relied on for coverage. One of them (KFI) planned for storm coverage by cancelling its paid programming for live, local coverage. Imagine how reliable it would have been if that live, local programming were available 24/7.
The cell-dependent mobile internet is now and probably forever will be delicate. When the 2003 wild fires roared through, some broadcast facilities were affected but not all. In Maui’s wild fires the entire internet was down. Radio’s technical infrastructure is still very strong and should remain that way.
Radio’s biggest mistake now is not lobbying officials as to its existence and benefits to the community. Trying to keep AM radio in electric vehicles is only a small part of the problem. What in the world are we waiting for ? We’re facing more and more disasters-and more and more opportunities for broadcasters to shine.
As soon as we realize that our future relies on MAIN Street rather than WALL Street, we can quit wasting words on what’s wrong…and get it right.
This is so spot-on, Dave. Thanks for the smart context and additions to the post.
Dave,
You are correct. This is bigger than AM Radio. It’s about public safety, it’s about understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the communication assets that are available to emergency managers. We (radio) are uniquely situated to be there under some of the most adverse circumstances yet often times we are overlooked to the detriment of the public that we all serve. There is a place in the alerting ecosystem for web, text and apps, but primary emergency communication SHOULD NOT be an opt-in first service.
We can’t be complacent. We MUST make that we learn from the mistakes that have been made. Quite simply, lives depend on it.
Very sobering information and honest assessment. But I would add that radio is sadly no longer staffed appropriately to take on these increasingly important services to local communities. I tuned in to the few I could stream and I heard back to back music with liners, etc. Why weren’t they all simulcasting and sharing staff, contacts, coverage, etc. I hope other markets are considering this concept. Not just co-owned signals either. Just my two cents.
Phil, no question that consolidation, managers with multi-market responsibility, and budgets cuts have conspired to create more barriers to serving communities during these disasters. Appreciate the comment.
Ditto to all of Chris’ comments (and thanks to you and Paul for covering). On one side, radio has damaged its credibility with little or no staffing and emergency prep. On the other hand, education about cellular, internet, et al vulnerabilities is virtually non-existent.
As the chair of the Local Emergency Coordinating Committee, I have hours of stories that emphasize everything Chris said. We (The Coast) have established a good reputation for emergency coverage and a good rapport with local officials , but, when it hits the fan, it’s like a scavenger hunt. Agencies are on Facebook or Twitter or whatever – not all at once and not the same place – and, of course, cellular crashes , so it’s info whack-a-mole – maddening… coordination and education are essential.
Again, kudos to Chris and all – the other shoe hasn’t dropped..
Thanks
This is a great comment, Tom. I know you and the Coast have truly distinguished yourselves with emergency coverage in your region. As both you and Chris point out, it takes a commitment to serving your community, something that is not always as present as we’d like.
Radio should not only play a major role in a disaster like in Hawaii, but also for areas that cannot be reached by other means. Here in Europe we have the Ukraine war, and information is hard to get to Ukraine, but certainly into Russia.
To get independent and unbiased news to this part of the world radio it is essential, since other media and infrastructures are Putin controlled.
AM radio, and we have far reaching Long Wave in this part of the world, can do the trick.
Great perspective, Ruud, on a win for radio we just don’t see in the US. Thanks for letting us know.
I’m constantly talking to my local EMA directors about emergency communications and how they can activate alerts on my station from their EOCs using the EAS system. And every time I do, I get the deer in the headlights look from them.
As much as I try to explain it, they just don’t get it and I don’t understand where the disconnect is.
Scott, this is distressing, of course, especially in context with the recent Maui disaster AND the next one around the corner. You echo Chris Leonard’s comments which describes the disconnect well.
With radio broadcasting very automated and emergency managers “forgetting” radio’s purpose in the community,you are going to continue to have these situations occur where the radio community will be passed over.
Many radio stations are running automated programs (satellite,streaming) where there are no live hosts or board operators to look up and see an developing emergency. When I was a kid in the late 1960s,all the stations I listened to had live hosts who were local and could inform listeners on developing stories,no matter what it was.The 1971 Sylmar earthquake and local events (plane crashes,local protests) were reported and discussed on many stations.
Radio broadcast consolidation made radio owners lazy as syndicated programs took over the airwaves.Instead of hearing a local host talking about local stuff,you have a distant host who don’t care about a local issue.He might get people excited over some national issue,but the local topics will not be covered.
Emergency managers heard this kind of stuff,so they figure they can ignore the local radio broadcaster as they heard no local voices on their local station.I say radio broadcasters need to reemphasize local coverage if they are to be taken seriously.
Did radio bring this on itself by a lack of presence and dependability? Maybe to some degree, yes. But as Chris Leonard points out, regular communications should remedy that. (Of course, it requires staff to communicate, so yes, maybe it IS a self-fulfilling prophecy.) Thanks for the comment.
Years ago when I worked in cable TV we had a mic hanging in the head-end that would interrupt every channel being carried at the same time. Its purpose was to communicate immediately in an emergency. If SOME stations have abrogated their responsibility to the local community by being un-staffed and un-reachable then maybe this would be an alternative. I wouldn’t put it in the hands of the government but in the hands of several primary stations which are staffed and ready to operate in emergencies. And Maui demonstrates another reason to NOT use the internet as the only path to your transmitter!
Thank you for this, Terry. Good observations all.
I used to work for the national broadcaster in the UK which is the BBC.
We had very good coverage on the ground of the wild fires in Hawaii and I was surprised that there were so many cases of neighbours telling others to get out of their houses and flee. But clearly many people did not understand the seriousness of the situation.
Since the Ukraine war, the BBC has established a new short wave service into Ukraine and Russia. Shortwave broadcasting was terminated about 12 years ago when the BBC decided that internet broadcasting was adequate ( and much cheaper to achieve. ) I think this is well received in the area as an impartial news and information service.
Part of the problem is to educate those in emergency services about the need to have them communicating information via broadcasters as many of them seem to focuss on their own particular role like fire fighting, emergency medicine etc.
In an ideal world there would be emergency exercises including everyone and particularly broadcasters as they have a very important part to play and are often the last part of the communictions to still be available when everything else has failed. Often just as a result of solely a lack of power supplies.
Thanks for the perspective from “across the pond,” Tony. Here in America, the last several weather disasters underscore the need for better communications between radio broadcasters and emergency personnel.