“We must be doing something right” is the standard response from Clear Channel, the mega-broadcasting company that owns hundreds of radio stations across the nation, including several in Hawaii. Clear Channel’s ratings winner is KSSK, and they're mighty proud of it, although the late Cec Heftel was more responsible for the station’s current success than anything the mainland owner has done. Heftel’s KGMB-AM, later marketed as K59, surged to number one with Aku at the microphone, and the station has never dipped to number two since. It isn’t KSSK’s performance during emergencies that explains why so many people tune in. It’s from habit – a habit that could use breaking when we’re in a crisis. We’ve made this point repeatedly since the 2006 Big Island earthquakes and resulting major power outage on Oahu. KSSK’s celebrity team of Perry and Price performs differently than any broadcasters we’ve ever heard during an emergency, and we’ve heard more than a few. That’s Entertainm
CHORE was launched in 2006 after officials responding to an earthquake emergency obviously didn't measure up; see CHORE's earliest posts. Their performance left an opening for average citizens to weigh in with experience-based suggestions to improve crisis communications. The many deaths recorded after California's wildfires also revealed gaps in officials' ability to communicate effectively. Visitors are invited to comment with their own ideas.