Challenges include lack of diesel fuel, studio flooding, and broken STL connections
By Paul McLane
Published: 23 September 2022 Updated 26 September 2022
Radio stations in Puerto Rico were facing numerous obstacles to returning to normal service five days after Hurricane Fiona swept the U.S. territory.
Roughly half of the archipelago’s 125 stations were either operating with emergency generators or were off the air as of Sept. 22, according to Felix Bonnet, executive director of the Puerto Rico Broadcasters Association.
He told Radio World that numerous factors have hampered stations returning to service. These include lack of power; difficulty accessing transmitter sites due to flooding or forest debris; flooding of studios; damage to towers and antenna tuning units; lack of internet or microwave links; and the absence of personnel who are dealing with storm damage themselves.
“Apart from those issues, there is now a diesel shortage due to demand and distribution logistics,” he said.
“Radio by law in Puerto Rico qualifies as ‘first responders for emergency supplies, but even that privilege is useless because of logistics or scarcity.”
Additional story at Radio World