Hurricane Recovery

Lund -consulted stations have faced local disasters or national tragedies similar to the hurricanes that have devastated Texas and the south. Of course, rebuilding and getting back on the air are Job One. It's essential that the station be intimately involved with the community after a disaster strikes.

Some promotional strategies can be sold to clients, but be tactful. You and your sales people can determine which clients to approach with the appropriate package. These promotions create good will for the stations, which is important at this time. We created the following tactics for a client group in Texas:

Stage a charity event for a day, a week, or longer to raise funds for an established organization like the Red Cross. Be sure all money raised stays within the community. Other media may participate and invite civic leaders and clients to participate.

Assemble several hours of audio coverage, comments from citizens, police and firemen, etc., and serialize a "clean-up" report every Sunday as a public affairs segment. Ask for callers to comment and add these people to the content already assembled.

Record listeners' appreciation "thank you" messages to all those who assisted, and couple each with a client commercial (creating a sold 30 or 60-second message). Consider a 15-25-second listener clip and 15-30-secomns commercial.

Create the world's biggest "Thank You card" -- a billboard on a well-traveled street or highway. Get the billboard company to contribute the board and the many sheets it will take to cover it. They can create the graphics and include station logos. Take individual sheets to client remotes (sold as "thank you, firemen" parties) where locals come to the remote and sign their name and greeting using a marking pen. This remote package could be sold to retailers like a shopping or strip mall, a hospital, etc. Each remote client also gets their logo on the billboard. Once the sheets are pasted up on the board, it will be difficult to see individual signatures, but it's the thought that counts.

Design a colorful T-shirt and cap with the inscription, "I survived Ike in 2008" with station logos. This could be a big seller! Give money to charity and give a shirt to every client who buys a "thank you" package.

Sell "we salute you" remotes to clients, where you record these "thank you" messages while airing them on-air.

Do a video with these salutes with footage of the infamous hurricane and damage it did, and sell the video for charity.

Have a "thank you picnic" sold to retail clients for all those who helped in the recovery, and have your listeners thank them in person. This is another good time to record personal experiences.

Tape comments from those who helped during and after the hurricane (civil servants, etc.) talking about how tough it was to assist, and package these comments with client spots.

Sell an hourly "moment of thanks" 30-second spot to clients featuring comments from police, fire and rescue workers.

Ask notables as well as local retailers (clients) to record 10-second "appreciation" messages locked into the station name. Include government and civic leaders, and strive to get all the top people on the air.

Receiving information now is very important to listeners. Coverage of rebuilding homes and businesses, roads, power and phone service updates, etc., will be lead stories in many newscasts in the months to come. Specific clients may want to buy "Ike '08" updates and thus be associated with the station's ongoing news updates.

Local people will want to be apprised of special services (emergency funds, low cost government loans, reopened roads, etc.) that may affect them and the community. Providing timely news should be a part of your coverage.

Develop a hurricane safety brochure for "the next time," or use one from the local government. Dress it up with your station logo and give it away to listeners and clients.

Along with recovery, the next step is to plan now for the next big crisis that hits your area.