While outside the normal scope of RF Report stories, I thought readers would be interested in a letter NAB sent to FCC Chairman Michael Powell describing broadcasters efforts before and after Hurricane Charley plowed across Florida last week. Most people who work in broadcasting take pride in being able to serve their communities in times of crisis and the stories described in the NAB letter show Florida broadcasters, radio and TV, were up to the challenge. Of particular interest is the credit given TV weather forecasters for their continuous coverage of the storm and for alerting the public to the intensification and sudden turn of Hurricane Charley to the east well ahead of National Hurricane Center warnings, which are usually issued every three to six hours.
The letter quotes one viewer: "Many thanks to the meteorology team who dared to veer from the National Hurricane Center's predictions -- I am certain that you are responsible for saving many lives. You gave many area residents like ourselves a golden hour, or half-hour in some cases, to prepare for the completely unexpected! I am certain you made the difference between life or death in many, many cases."
