Rant: TV/Radio “School” Closing Lists

It’s that time of year again… I work in the news media and when the weather’s really bad, our phones are flooded with schools callling in delays, cancellations and early dismissals.  That’s all fine and dandy, but every year, I really get fed up with many of the “non-school organizations” that want their closings on the air.
First, to clarify, I have no problem with announcing a closing for something major… like an airport, an entire shopping mall, or a large company that’s telling hundreds of workers they can stay home.

What irks me is when we get calls from places like “Madame Froo-Froo’s School of Dance” or any of her 39 competitors in town.  Same for the karate studios, the doctor’s offices, and gymnastics classes, just to name a few.  

How many dance students can there be?  How many patients can a doctor possibly see in a day?  These closings only affect a few dozen people, if that.  They know they could call these customers in 30 minutes or an hour.  Instead, they call all the TV and radio stations (which is probably just as many calls) just so they can get free publicity when their name is announced on the air, shown on TV screens and shown on websites all over town.

What irks me even more is when some of these places wait until the day of a snowstorm to request a closings “password” so they can get on the list and call in their closings.  Nevermind the fact it starts snowing in October around here, yes, some people will wait until the first “big” snow to ask how they can get on the list… most likely because they see all their competitors getting free air-time, and they want in on it too.

Why am I so opposed to letting everyone on the list?  Well, whether you’re announcing them on the radio or scrolling through the list on TV… obviously, the longer the list becomes, the more time it takes to run through everything.  And, most of the announcements are irrelevant to a majority of the audience, so people get sick of hearing a 10-minute-long list and they tune out.  With TV, you have graphics scrolling the closings on the screen… and as more petty crap floods the list, it takes longer and longer to get through the list.  If you missed the one item you were waiting for, you’ll be waiting several minutes before it comes back.

There are more efficient ways for these smaller places to issue closings:

• Phone Calls/Phone Tree – Contact your customers directly.  Depending on the nature of the organization, maybe you can have a phone tree where the lead person calls 3-4 other people, and they each call 3-4 more people, until everyone’s notified.
• Link to a School District - Tell your customers, “if the ______ School District cancels classes, we will also be closed.”  That way, there’s no question about your status, and there’s no need to pester the media when they’d appreciate keeping the phones clear for more important things.
• Have THEM Call YOU – Instead of calling all your customers, tell them they should make a point of calling YOU if the weather is questionable.  If you have a lot of people calling, set up a recording to announce the status and you won’t have to answer the phones.