With Spring Tornado season nearing and our first tornado event under our belt, I thought it might be helpful to review some of the different distribution platforms for severe weather information.
– 5NEWS (5) Depending on the time of day or the severity of the storm we’ll be LIVE on 5. When this happens we’re usually simulcasting the same feed on both 5/34. With the addition of Dual-Polarization radar we can see debris and know when a tornado is actually occurring. When this happens we’ll be simulcasting BOTH channels. Crawls & cut-ins will happen on 5 advising when we’re nonstop on KXNW with weather information.
– KXNW (34) It’s a must-carry on cable, satellite, and available over-the-air. Everyone has access it it. Our plan is to use this channel for a LOT for extended coverage without taking commercial breaks.
– 5NEWS App: The LIVE Feed for either KXNW or 5NEWS is activated on the “Watch Live” button accessed by clicking the top left of the app. This works well if you lose power.
– 5NEWS Weather App. The weather app uses your GPS location to push specific alerts to where you live. We are currently working to redesign the app to put a “Watch Live” button on the weather app.
– 5NEWSonline.com On your desktop, click “On-Air” then “Live Stream” in most cases our web staff will add a special button at the top of the web page for easier access.
– Facebook: We won’t stream all of our LIVE events but in cases were we think a tornado could be occurring we will add the live stream to FB. It’s tricky since Facebook decides what you do or don’t see in your feed. On our FB pages we’ll do live updates as we’re able to get the word out.
On ‘Weather Alert Days’ – when we think violent tornadoes are possible – we will saturate every platform; including Facebook.
With advancements in technology there are multiple different ways to communicate and not all weather events are created equal.
It’s best to have at least TWO sources for severe weather information. I have two apps that push warnings, we don’t have cable-satellite so our family watches 5NEWS or KXNW over-the-air. Never rely solely on sirens.
No plan is perfect, and Lord knows I’m not perfect haha but think about what works best for you and your family and if you have any questions or suggestions… feel free to drop me a line in the comments or send me an email garrett.lewis@kfsm.com
