EXCLUSIVE... 911 Calls in North Dakota Town Reveal Dangers of Media Consolidation

[babylonsister]

This is truly frightening, to hear the panic in the voices of the callers, and no one to give them any direction.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/25/153207

EXCLUSIVE... 911 Calls in North Dakota Town Reveal Dangers of Media Consolidation

Five years ago this week a train derailed in Minot, North Dakota leaking thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into the air. One person died and hundreds were hospitalized. The city’s six non-religious commercial radio stations – all owned by Clear Channel – never aired warnings for local residents. In a broadcast exclusive, we air the 911 tapes for the first time, and speak to Eric Klinenberg, author of “Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media.” Five years ago this week, a one-hundred-twelve car train derailed just outside Minot, North Dakota - the state’s fourth largest city. The accident occurred shortly before two in the morning on January 18, 2002. Minutes later, the train’s conductor called the local emergency dispatch.

* Minot, North Dakota 911 Dispatch Call.

Two hundred forty thousand gallons of anhydrous ammonia leaked out of the train producing a vapor plume that floated over the town. Limited exposure burns the eyes, the skin, and the lungs. Larger doses can shut down the human respiratory system. The chemical leak in Minot, North Dakota ended up killing one person and hospitalizing hundreds. But questions remain to this day over how the crisis was handled and the role played by media consolidation.

The radio giant Clear Channel owned all six commercial stations in Minot, North Dakota. None of them broke into regular programming to provide emergency information to the city’s residents. After the town’s Emergency Alert System failed, local officials tried to call the stations - but no one answered. The stations continued to play music piped in from out of state.

The sociologist Eric Klinenberg examines this tragedy in the opening of his new book “Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media.” He traveled to Minot, North Dakota and obtained the 911 tapes from that night. In a moment Eric Klinenberg will join us here live, but first - let's hear some of the phone calls. These recordings have never been aired before.

* Minot, North Dakota 911 Dispatch Calls.

On that night five years ago in Minot, North Dakota, callers flooded the emergency dispatch seeking information on the chemical spill. The operators urged panicked residents to tune into KCJB nine-ten AM. This Clear Channel-owned station was the town’s designated local emergency broadcaster. When residents of Minot, North Dakota tuned into KCJB -- there was no emergency information about the chemical spill.

* Eric Klinenberg. Associate professor of sociology at New York University and author of the new book “Fighting for Air: The Battle To Control America’s Media.” He is also the author of “Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago.”

[shadowknows69]

1. The FCC USED to pull licences for shit like this

CC must pay some pretty good grease money.

[tom_paine]

7. Yeh, and the unemployment rate USED to measure the number unemployed

Lot of shit USED to be in Old America, a democratic-republic.

But THIS place, which barely even qualifies as a Free Nation (by virtue that the Dems were even allowed to win in 2006, though I imagine the ACTUAL vote count was closer to 62-38%, not the 57-41% reported). I wouldn't expect too much of the USA until and if we can restore some freedom and honesty to our nation.

[treestar]

2. Remember that freeper email about how ND always takes care

of its own problems, without expecting federal "hand-outs?"

Looks like they do a great job.:sarcasm:

[havocmom]

3. OUR airways used by large corporations who don't serve public

as they agree in their licensing agreements. FCC needs to be challenged to get back on the public's side and do their friggin job.

Doesn't consolidated radio tend to get rid of a lot of the local REAL PEOPLE who do the actual broadcasts in favor of centralized programming which just gets fed down to the local stations? Could that have been a problem in this case? No body actually live at the stations to take the calls and get on the air with the warnings? Cost saving measures for corporations should not be allowed to put We The People at risk, especially when those corporations are using OUR resources, in this case, the public ariways.

It's OUR air! Make sure your Congress Critters know YOU care about it's proper use. Media consolidation has served giant corporations, NOT AMERICA. Insist the rules be changed to limit huge ownerships and demand the FCC pay attention/enforce rules. Make noise about the issue so Congress will set it as a priority. So much damage has been allowed to happen since the rules governing media ownership were relaxed to allow for vast monopolies.

[Parche]

4. MINOT

I remember 23years ago I was there in the AirForce at Minot AFB
I would think with an AirForce base so close by, they would have
a better emergency system

[Bunny]

6. I wonder if you may have known my brother? He spent 20 years in

Minot, I think he retired in 1996.

[babylonsister]

5. kick!

[Quantess]

8. Monopolies are so totally awesome.

:grr:

[bonito]

9. Kick!!!

[uppityperson]

10. Remove my question about sirens after getting responses and rereading article.

Question had been why not set off sirens, I see in article they tried to set off emergency system, failed, off to put on radio, failed. Just read the rest of article in OP. Damn damn damn.

[dflprincess]

11. The sirens wouldn't have told people what was wrong or what to do

they would only have resulted in more 911 calls.

[babylonsister]

12. Because that wouldn't have explained the smell, and the

sick symptoms people were getting. But to not be able to turn on the radio to get an update is beyond insane.

[uppityperson]

13. got it, thanks, misread the first time.

I thought it was saying there was no warning, but now see that there was nothing on the radio. Sirens mean "turn on radio NOW" but if there is nothing on the radio or tv, then you can only call 911.

[Liberty Belle]

14. During CA's worst wildfire ever in '03, some stations did not run emergency info.

Failing to air evacuation warnings cost lives here, too.