IN AFTERMATH OF SHOOTING, A TASTEFUL – LOCAL – PROGRAM ELEMENT
It’s a quandary for programmers and radio station managers in every size market: How do you respond to a calamity and maintain format integrity? Do you? On the day of one of the saddest events following the assassination attempt on Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), a Tucson music station made a difference with a well-thought-out commemoration. It’s a terrific example for stations anywhere.
Six people were killed in the shootings at Gifford’s meet-and-greet event Saturday in a suburban Tucson parking lot. Many more were wounded. One of the fatalities was nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green, born on 9/11/2001, gunned down in a flurry of shots by a madman. Yesterday, hers was the first of the victims’ funerals. I happened to be in Tucson yesterday and was interested in how local radio would mark the event. Would they cover the funeral service? No. Would they break format for other coverage? Not most of them. When the one o’clock start time for the funeral arrived, I heard one tasteful on-air commemoration and it deserves to be noted.
KMXZ-FM IDs itself as “Soft Rock 94-9 Mix FM”. Shortly before one o’clock, its midday jock conversationally promoted “something to mark the occasion” for one o’clock. Needless to say, I stayed tuned.
ANATOMY OF A TASTEFUL LOCAL PROGRAM ELEMENT
At one, just as Christina’s funeral was beginning, Mix 94-9 went into a nicely-produced piece. Here’s how it was built:
· An extended soundbite of President Obama’s remarks at the University of Arizona Wednesday evening, specifically remarking on Christina’s life
· Under those remarks, the almost-obligatory “Amazing Grace” played by a bagpipe band
· As the remarks ended with Obama saying the throat-clutching line “If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is splashing in one now”, the music dissolved into the late Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – his professional name was Iz – singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. If you’ve ever heard Iz, you can imagine how this sounded: perfect. If you haven’t, you owe yourself the pleasure
The effect of this production, which couldn’t have lasted longer than six or seven minutes, was remarkable radio. It probably didn’t take long to put together. The elements were easily-acquired. But how many stations bothered to do it?
Hardly any.
So, kudos to the KMXZ gang in Tucson for caring and making the effort. This mini-production, coming at the exact start time as the funeral for the youngest victim of a senseless slaughter, was meaningful and professional. When it ended, they played some spots and went back to format.
Nice.
It’s worth a few moments to think about how your stations would respond to a disaster like the shootings in Tucson. Not only how you would cover the news itself but how – or if – you would handle the follow-up events. You don’t want to deal with this kind of event on the fly.
At least one station in Tucson yesterday made it work and did it right.
