[EAS] FCC News Releases - DiRS

[Rich Parker]

Just a reminder that the apparently little known DIRS program is also available. We participate and filed a report yesterday when one of our stations went off the air - commercial power failed and the generator at the site had no water so it didn't run (not our generator....).

We got a call from someone at the FCC asking about the status of the station - which I thought was pretty impressive all things considered. (it is back on now). I called DIRS and they said that they and the FCC Media Bureau have been reaching out to DIRS registered stations in the affected areas.

As I said, this is apparently a very underutilized program but essentially it allows stations to input their resources, and also request assistance (should any be available locally). 

In our case, we had another station go off the air last night (again, loss of commercial power, but that site has no generator) and the person I spoke with strongly encouraged me to file a report requesting assistance. There is no guarantee we could get a backup generator under these circumstances, but they thought it was important to 'use the system' and make the report.

All in all, this is a very good program and a great idea - it could facilitate stations in a region assisting each other, or getting assistance when available - and it helps folks at FCC and FEMA know the status of carriers in disaster affected areas (the DIRS program covers all manner of carriers, not just broadcasters).

The main DIRS site is at:

http://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/services/cip/dirs/dirs.html

Rich Parker
Director of Engineering
Vermont Public Radio

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Adler" <EAdler at wskg.org>

A bit interesting... See the News Releases from today's Daily Digest.  

Eric

Daily Digest 

Vol. 30 No. 167                                                  August
29, 2011

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE DATED AND RELEASED TODAY:

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 					 NEWS RELEASES

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 STATEMENT OF FCC CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI ON RESPONSE AND RECOVERY EFFORTS POST-HURRICANE IRENE.  STMT. News Media Contact: Neil Grace at
(202) 418-0506, email: Neil.Grace at fcc.gov  OCHJG http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-309318A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-309318A1.pdf
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-309318A1.txt

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