Topic: Disaster Relief and Recovery
As hundreds of thousands of residents lost power due to a destructive ice storm, WTAG-AM in Paxton, Mass., became a lifeline for local residents. Despite losing power themselves, the station dropped its regularly scheduled programming and broadcast live throughout the entire disaster providing updates on the progress of utility companies, shelter information and useful contact numbers as some listeners were left without power for a week, suffering cold days and severe snow storms. In addition to providing lifesaving information, the station served as an outlet for listeners who wanted to call in to share the details of their personal ordeals or ask questions about the storm and recovery efforts. All the personalities involved George Brown, Jim Polito, Sherman Whitman, Jordan Levy, to name a few maintained a level of respect, politeness and modesty through days of people calling in to ask for pertinent information, said listener and local business owner Judith Tonelli-Brown. In short, they provided a service like none I have ever heard of or imagined from a radio station.
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