Media Hypes Hurricanes Too Much Now

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LSU

Media Hypes Hurricanes Too Much Now

#1 Postby LSU » Fri Aug 13, 2004 6:32 am

Now, don't get me wrong -- I think Charley is a deadly storm and will cause tremendous amounts of damage. However, the media jumps on these weather stories like flies on dung. I believe the media really does want to start a frenzy in order to keep everyone tuned to the tube. For instance, every TV station from New Orleans to Tampa had specials on Bonnie, a weak tropical storm. Essentially, it was a cluster of thunderstorms, nothing more. Listening to the media you'd think otherwise.

I just heard one guy on TV predicting this bad boy to strength to 150 mph. What kind of foolishness is this anyway? All for ratings, right?

If you're in FL now in a safe locale, I'd sit back and relax; enjoy the day off you get from the storm.
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Sirocco

#2 Postby Sirocco » Fri Aug 13, 2004 6:34 am

Turn off the TV then and solve your problem :roll:
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Anonymous

#3 Postby Anonymous » Fri Aug 13, 2004 8:07 am

Sirocco wrote:Turn off the TV then and solve your problem :roll:



Amen to that ! I'd turn off the TV set and enjoy the action 8-)
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Anonymous

#4 Postby Anonymous » Fri Aug 13, 2004 8:07 am

LSU has a valid point, & Sirocco your comment was silly.
Hysteria & panic adds nothing but chaos to a difficult problem that should be handled without crying wolf when only a meager little puppy.

For instance yesterday the media was constantly saying how long the lines were for getting gasoline here in the Tampa bay area. The media was stating how many gas stations were out of gas - this started at noon.

Well most were not of gas at that point - supplies were good to hold up at a good steady pace until new transports could arrive later in the day, as I work directly in the industry here in Tampa with petro distribution. We already had plans to shut down our operations here at Hookers Point in Tampa and change them to deliveries coming from storage facilites on the east Coast, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades for later in the day.
After the media hyped up how gas was running out and the lines were incredible the surge of thousands of motorist flooded the gas stations causing long lines and rapidly many ran out of gas.

if the media would have played it cool, there would have been no panic, no chaos, no long lines until later in the day when new deliveries would have filled the tanks at gas stations.

I was filling my own vehicles tank at the very time the media was reporting this and I can tell you that there was a even flow of traffic purchasing gas, no lines, not hard to find a pump. Calling into my office I found this to be the case throughout most of the greater Tampa Bay area, with higher sales noted to the south which we expected as the cane was a bit closer.
It wouldn't last.

This is one example of hype and media BS.that should have been calmed down, once the lines and the sell outs occured it is nearly impossible to get supplies back to a even flow, because people are telling friends, family that they had to wait for a hour and then the station only had a little high grade or no gas.

~ Mike
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