CRS In Action: Reacting And Recovering From Tragedy

L-R: Brown, Buchanan, Big D

OCTOBER 1st, 2017 is a day that changed Country music and its fans forever as a gunman opened fire in LAS VEGAS at the ROUTE 91 HARVEST FESTIVAL. The tragedy is classified as the largest mass shooting in AMERICAN history, taking the lives of 58 Country music fans and wounding at least 500. As an industry professional, what is your plan for when tragedy like this  strikes? This question was the base of today's (2/15) “Best Practices: React And Recover" panel as part of COUNTRY RADIO SEMINAR (CRS) at the OMNI HOTEL in NASHVILLE.

FALLS MEDIA GROUP VP DAN HALYBURTON moderated the panel discussion as HOMELAND SECURITY Undersecretary Of Emergency Preparedness And Response MICHAEL BROWN, ENTERCOM COMMUNICATIONS Top 40 KLUC/LAS VEGAS personality CHET BUCHANAN, and iHEARTMEDIA Country KWNR (THE BULL)/LAS VEGAS PD BIG D spoke about their reactions as the VEGAS tragedy unfolded, how they sprang into action for their listeners, and shared advice for media professionals to prepare for tragedies in their area.

“We opened the phone lines. We took all the commercials away. We took all the songs away, and it’s tough because what do you cover? What do you do?” shared BIG D. “Obviously, there were people freaking out because they were at the festival, but then there were also people freaking out because they can't find their family members. So, every call we took our main goal was to be an ear, and someone to keep them calm. They wanted to know somebody out there cared about them, and honestly, we get thanked for that day regularly.”

Added BUCHANAN, “This is the difference between us and SPOTIFY. This is the difference between us and SIRIUSXM, or whatever thing is coming at us. This is all we have left. Anyone else can play the hits -- that’s great -- but, this is what we do, serve the community. This is why we got into radio.”

BROWN challenged panel attendees to contact emergency personnel in their area as soon as possible to form a plan and ensure flawless communication in the event tragedy should strike their market. “Know who your local fire chief and police chief are before the disaster happens," he said. "Build a relationship with them -- they want to know you, too, because they need to know who they can use to help get the information out."

To wrap up, panelists spoke about how they recovered from the trauma and stressed the importance of processing the experience and showing emotion. “When you’re done, go home and hug your kids, show emotion, get mad, cry with your listeners," shared BUCHANAN. "That’s why they remember you. They come to radio to share an experience. The best thing we can give them is hope.” 

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