Radio goes the extra mile for the snow storm
Radio stations and staff across Ireland are pulling out all the stops to keep listeners informed of the severe weather conditions.
Cork’s 96FM CEO Kieran McGeary tweeted praise to the industry, saying: “Every local radio station is providing a valuable public service of information, news and companionship. Many stories of staff going above and beyond the call of duty.”
Cork’s 96FM put a number of presenters and members of the news team in a hotel near to their Broadcasting House HQ in Cork City. Breakfast presenters KC and Ross; afternoon presenter Ken Tobin and Head of News Barry O’Mahony who all live in areas badly affected by the weather have been among those who spent the last two nights in a hotel to ensure they can safely get to work and maintain the on-air service.
C103 presenters, Colum McGrath; Nick Richards; Mark Malone and current affairs producer JP McNamara all stayed close to the station’s studios in Mallow in North Cork.
Kieran McGeary told RadioToday: “All these presenters have gone above and beyond by spending time away from their families. We take the safety of staff very seriously and we needed to balance that with the requirement from our listeners for a comprehensive information service. This is when local radio comes into its own and I’m very proud that Cork’s 96FM and C103 have once again risen to the challenge.”
Many of the presenters above are facing a third night in a hotel as the weather conditions mean it’s impossible for them to get home. All other staff at Cork’s 96FM and C103 were encouraged to stay at home and work remotely during the unprecedented weather.
Chris Murray tweeted a photo of a blow-up bed he spent the night on at LMFM so he could stay at the station
Spin 1038’s Fully Charged team tweeted their dedication, saying “There’s no snow in the world that’ll stop us getting in for the show”
Mike Hodan from Classic Hits 4FM worked from home – broadcasting from his home setup.
And it looks like Ken Tobin spent the night in a hotel to make it into work this morning.
Here’s how others are going the extra mile to keep radio alive today:
Well, that was an interesting morning! The #BeastoftheEast meant working from home. Delighted my little one got her first shot at presenting on @ClassicHits4FM! #StormEmma pic.twitter.com/e5tlvU3XQb
— Mike Hogan (@mikehoganmedia) March 2, 2018
@conorirwin and @ElaineStenson35 in our North Wall studios and @MartyMtweets in his. All of them LIVE on your radio right now ? ? Tune in for live updates on the weather, road conditions and seriously addictive music all morning #StormEmma #BeastFromTheEast #SNOVA @IBIreland pic.twitter.com/YFvMRRM7Dn
— NOVA (@radionova100) March 2, 2018
Fair play to the radio stalwarts who’ve battled the elements to bring radio coverage of StormEmma today @JimMcCabe4FM @mikehoganmedia @josephharringto @GarethOCal @niallboylan4fm @radiodeclan @clareibear @Sunshine1068fm @ClassicHits4FM @eastcoastfm #chooseradio
— seanashmore (@seanashmore) March 2, 2018
Good morning #Cork from @Corks96FM hotel headquarters #BeastFromTheEast #StormEmma
? pic.twitter.com/YUBuMo1h6j— KEN TOBIN (@KENNYTCORK) March 2, 2018
It takes more than a little bit of snow to stop us radio people! Live on air all morning with @Live95fmNews and from 9am on @LimerickToday – shoutout to all journos braving the conditions! #ChooseRadio pic.twitter.com/7iFB9rgii6
— Josh Prenderville (@JoshPrender7) March 2, 2018
Respect to all @CorksRedFM making it in to work to keep Cork updated @RedFMNews @NeilRedFM No snow days for local radio! #dedicated #redfemma
— Fiona Darcy (@FionaDarcy) March 2, 2018
Hands down “the” most surreal (work) trip to Tipp I’ve ever taken…and I was only going from @ClonmelPark to @TippFM #Snowmageddon #BeastFromTheEast pic.twitter.com/DkPLlzhRMA
— Trudy Waters (@trutipp) March 2, 2018
Meanwhile, every local radio station is providing a valuable public service of information, news and companionship. Many stories of staff going above and beyond the call of duty.
— Kieran McGeary (@kieranmcgeary) March 1, 2018
There's no snow in the world that'll stop @Graham_OToole & @Nathan_TallMan getting in for #FullyCharged! The show is on and we'll keep you up to date with everything that's going on, PLUS Gotta Get It Wrong and Birthday Bingo! pic.twitter.com/acozkAIF2f
— SPIN 1038 (@spin1038) March 2, 2018
And we are here. The Michael Reade show team arriving at @LMFMRADIO this morning. We’ll be live from 9-11am bringing you the latest updates on how the weather is impacting on your area. pic.twitter.com/3fh0Gk3oAd
— Marie Kierans (@mariekierans) March 2, 2018