Australia imparts knowledge on disaster coverage to gov’t media

THE Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), a state-run media network here, shares knowledge and best practices to select members of the government media in terms of disaster and emergency broadcasting and help save lives.

Media members and management staff from the Philippine Information Agency, Philippine Broadcasting Service, Radio Television Malacañang, People’s Television Network, Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, the Philippine News Agency and National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council are on a study visit to Australia from November 12-19.

To start the training, participants were toured inside the ABC headquarters in Sydney where its radio stations and TV news studio and desk are situated.

Steve Ahern of ABC Radio Sydney said its emergency broadcasting was developed over time having built relationships with government emergency agencies and information providers.

“If we get this right, we save lives and we know we save lives because we have the evidence to prove it. So here at the ABC, our approach to emergency broadcasting is to tell people what they need to know right now,” Ahern said.

Having been designated as Australia’s emergency broadcaster, ABC gets primary access to vital and urgent information and has direct access to concerned government agencies.

Richard Glover, ABC Radio Sydney ‘Drive’ presenter, emphasized the importance of having a strong bond with their audience and gaining their trust.

“During Victorian bushfires in 2009, local radio took approximately 1,000 calls per hour from audience members seeking information and support. In the background, emergency warnings are being broadcast for Victorian flood warnings,” he said.

Tim Ayliffe of ABC News Channel shared their experiences on 24/7 rolling coverage in times of emergencies and the importance of airing the information through various platforms to reach as many people as possible.

During the discussion, training moderators Rob Batten and Andrew Fisher hoped that the Philippine media would learn from the visit and bring back to each of the participating agencies the knowledge imparted and develop a system to improve the country’s emergency broadcasting service. (Marita Moaje)