From Radio Ink: Urgent Call to Action for Radio Regarding New Orleans

Urgent Call to Action for Radio Regarding New Orleans:
PLEASE READ THIS CRITICAL ACTION PLAN INVOLVING ALL RADIO STATIONS IN THE U.S. TO IMMEDIATELY HELP A DESPERATE SITUATION IN NEW ORLEANS.

Memo from Eric Rhoads, Publisher of Radio Ink Magazine

The situation in New Orleans is not only a disaster; thousands of lives are at risk if proper action is not taken immediately, TODAY. Radio broadcasters across America can have an immediate impact on saving these lives TODAY if you take action. Please read through my plan and forward it to every broadcaster, every radio owner, every group head, every television broadcaster, and every national and local talk host immediately.

Dear Fellow Radio Broadcasters:

Americans are dying today on the streets of New Orleans. This afternoon ago FEMA stopped rescue efforts because it is "too dangerous." WE CANNOT LET PEOPLE DIE IN THE STREETS, AND RADIO CAN DO SOMETHING NOW. The situation in New Orleans will result in thousands more deaths, which can be prevented. As I observe the news reports it is clear that the government is not taking enough action quickly enough and our fellow citizens are receiving a death sentence because of the lack of action.

Radio broadcasters will be able to take action and make a change. DO NOT ASSUME that you cannot make a difference just because you are not in New Orleans.
It is clear that the government cannot do enough fast enough. Radio must initiate a citizen-driven action to save lives and simultaneously create pressure to get more action from the government.

1) All radio stations in New Orleans need to be reached. If you hear from them, read this to them. Email them if you can; just try to get word to them. These radio stations must take matters into their own hands and go beyond the government (local, state and national) plans, which are failing and will result in thousands more dead.

2) All radio stations in the U.S. need to follow a plan, which I will discuss below.

NEW ORLEANS
The problems in New Orleans that RADIO can solve locally:

a) Communication: People are not being told what to do, where to go. Communication systems are down. RADIO is the ONLY communication available and some, perhaps MANY people there, have radios. It is critical that we get word to these people with radios and instruct them to get word to those who wandering the streets that there IS a plan in addition to government and city plans, which are not being communicated or implemented.

b) Lives Need to Be Saved:a. ROOFTOPS: Thousands of people are still stranded on rooftops. There is not enough time for the government plans to get people out of the rooftops. We need a citizen-driven collation, which is organized by local radio, to urge every citizen with a boat, a ladder, and a chain saw to patrol the streets looking for people in need of help. Everyone with even a rowboat needs to be out looking and saving people. The government plan is not working fast enough and these people will be dead if we do not get to them, get them food and water and protection from the heat.b. ATTICS: Thousands of undiscovered people are stranded in attics. There is no way to know if they are stranded in attics. They cannot get out of the attic because of water below them and they have nothing to cut their way out. The Citizen Collation needs to go house-to-house with ladders and chains saws to check for stranded attic survivors. Heat inside an attic is worse than being outside, and without food or water these people will die. If we do not do this thousands will be discovered dead in their attics. Radio stations can call for people to do neighborhood attic searches, gathering of chainsaws, etc.c. REFUGEES: This is not a third world country. These people are U.S. We are all Americans, and we need to rescue these people NOW. The current government plans to get people out of New Orleans will take 10 days, and there is a chance thousands will die before they are taken out. Local radio must coordinate bus caravans to other cities, and coordinate airlifts to other cities. Radio is the friend of the people and can get the word out; it can create pressure locally and nationally. These people cannot be stuck on the streets for 10 days or we will see illness, death, and rioting.d. LOOTING: Though there are criminal elements involved, much looting is from frightened people who are hungry and scared. The mayor has taken forces off of finding survivors and focused them to stop the looting. Though it disgusts me, I think local radio should apply pressure on to make the focus of police on saving lives. Looting is not as big a problem as life-saving. Radio should also appeal to audiences to stop the looting, though this will probably be a fruitless effort with some people. Most important is saving lives.

If action is not taken we will see total anarchy. Desperate, hungry people will start taking things into their own hands and we could see rioting, with citizens killing other citizens, the police, and the military. Local Radio is the only group of people who can make a difference.

We have tried unsuccessfully to reach New Orleans radio people; however, if you hear from friends, colleagues, people in your company you should take the responsibility to read to them. If at all possible all New Orleans radio managers must meet to coordinate this effort today. Try to get the word to them.

WHAT RADIO CAN DO NATIONALLY AND IN OTHER CITIES:

The obvious thing is to raise money, direct people to Red Cross and other organizations, but there is a much bigger mission we can take on.

Close to a million people or more from the region are going to be without homes, or at least delayed from reaching their homes for months or longer. Thousands have lost everything. The economy of New Orleans has come to a stop. There is not tourism, no port-hurricane activity. IF WE, RADIO, do not take this on as our responsibility, we will see a severe impact on the economy not just in New Orleans but nationwide. Look at gas prices today already. Businesses across America will be severely affected from the loss of the port, which means they won't have product to sell (or advertise). We cannot make this a government problem.

At present the governments wants to put OUR CITIZENS in refugee camps. This is unacceptable. These are Americans and they do not deserve this. Maybe a short stay is acceptable, but we need to understand that this could have been any of us and any of our communities.

Radio across America needs to mobilize with the following actions:

1. Assistance: All radio stations in each market should call a meeting of all radio managers locally. This is a time to put down promotional efforts and competitive issues and work together to save citizens. In the meeting a coordinated effort should be created to do the following.a) Call all civic groups together in a meeting. Get Kiwanis, Rotary, churches, and synagogues together and ask them to find housing. If families would be willing to invite one person, one family into their home ANYWHERE in the U.S., we will be able to get people to living conditions better than refugee camps. These groups can coordinate busses to refugee camps to gather people and bring them to your community.b) Help refugees get established. Radio stations should call on the community to create jobs. These people should be introduced into these jobs thru local businesses via the radio stations.c) Housing. Radio can coordinate the local groups to help these people find housing. FEMA will pay for apartments and living expenses for a year to get them re-established. The communities surrounding the Gulf cannot accommodate this many refugees and jobs but if we spread it across all cities in the US with a few thousand to each city, we can solve this problem.d) Send busses to get refugees. Radio has the clout to do this in local markets and ask for volunteers with busses, airplanes. e) Have groups coordinated to meet these refugees, be their local friend. Be there for them, help get them introduced to the community, housing, etc.2. Pressure: Radio needs to put pressure via their press activities for swifter action in the impacted communities. Put pressure thru your airwaves on local politicians, congress, etc. to get more action TODAY in New Orleans to find survivors in attics and to pick them up and get them out of New Orleans quickly. Put pressure on the President to get to New Orleans, get stronger swifter action taken. We cannot put these thousands of people thru this for even one more day.

Expose Fraud:Expose companies price gouging, and expose politicians who are posturing. This is not a time for political differences we must see full cooperation on both sides of the isle. This is not a time to have politicians making this about one party or another failing to respond, we just need to get everyone to respond. If they are posturing, make people aware you are on to them and that it is unacceptable behavior.

Apply Corporate Pressure: Every city has companies. This is the time for all of us, small and large businesses to step up. Creating one job or more will help. Also some corporations can make sacrifices on their balance sheets to offer help. Hotel chains, cruise ships, can house refugees, Food companies, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target can send hundreds of trucks and donate food, water and other items. Put pressure on companies on the air. If you know CEOs, phone them. Your call could make them take action. I could not sleep last night because I felt even I could offer something. Realizing my company had contact with Radio and Radio could influence America and help locally, I felt the need to take this action to our readers.

Oil: We're in an oil crisis due to reduced refinery capacity. Encourage people to reduce oil use. Ask them to take it seriously.

In Summary:

This is a huge disaster and action is slower than it needs to be. FEMA just closed down all boat rescues because it is too dangerous. WE MUST USE RADIO TO PUT ACTION IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION. WE CANNOT RELY ON OUR GOVERNMENT OR THEIR LACK OF SPEED ON THIS MATTER. Though we need to be supportive of their efforts we cannot rely on their efforts alone.

Radio it seems has gotten away from editorializing. Its time to bring it back TODAY. Radio can put pressure on all of these areas and can make a difference. We have a RESPONSIBILITY to our fellow American citizens to save their lives.

I want to see leadership. Radio needs to take this leadership. Local radio managers need to show local leadership. Radio groups need to exhibit leadership by getting all stations behind this. RADIO may be the only thing that will make a difference in saving lives. Children have died after being rescued because of exposure and lack of food and water. A newborn baby died in the streets yesterday. An. old woman died of a heart attack because there was no one to help, no place to take her, no one to take her to the hospital. When cars were flagged down they would not stop because they feared their car would be hijacked. This is out of control. Radio needs to take leadership. Mobilize your listeners, mobilize action in the community to create homes, jobs, and assistance and mobilize people locally to be willing to risk their own lives to save other lives. FEMA has backed out. New Orleans police are worrying about looting instead of lives.
I beg my brothers in broadcasting to not ignore this plea. One person in control of a radio station can make a giant difference today to save lives and offer these people a chance of survival. We would not want to be in refugee camps, we ourselves would be ready to loot for water or food if without for three days. These people are dying on the streets of New Orleans as we speak. RADIO MUST MOBILIZE. Please take ANY action you personally can take and please if you have any way to contact New Orleans radio people get this document in their hands.

Please forward this to every radio and TV broadcaster you know.

Eric RhoadsPublisherRADIO INK