Hell In All Its Fury

Australia experienced its worst day in history this weekend.

Over 100 persons have died in wildfires near the city of Melbourne in Victoria.

Ninety percent of the town of Marysville is gone.

3AW is the local news talk station.   They are doing an incredible job covering the devastation.

This might be the most emotional programming I’ve ever heard on radio.

One woman just called to find out about a specific fire area.   She described how her parents found many of their farm animals burned and near death.

A well known news television news anchor is among the dead.

Australia is subject to fires much like Los Angeles.  Extremely hot conditions and high winds have fanned the flames.

We experienced something similiar in Sydney over the Christmas holiday in 2002.  The fires came into city neighborhoods and closed many streets.

Australian radio stations still have real staffs and news departments.

They are streaming on line.

Try 3AW Melbourne, 2GB or 2UE Sydney and of course The Australian Broadcasting Company or ABC.

Cellphones are not working.  Regular phone lines  are burned.

Radio is the only means of communication across much of the area.

These fires are another example of what radio means to a community during times of emergency.

Their phone lines are filled with callers even during the middle of the night.

Imagine live radio at 3am.

Fidel’s Favorite Station

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training next week.

Hardcore baseball fans watched  as Venezuela won the Caribbean World Series on the MLB Network last night.

Yet for most of us, baseball season can’t come fast enough.

There is baseball on radio if you are willing to search it out.

Radio Rebelde in Cuba has a steady flow of games most nights during the winter.

Rebelde is the station founded by Fidel Castro during the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s.   It played a major role in his climb to power.

These days Rebelde is a mix of music, talk, personalities and baseball.

So if you’re hungry for baseball, you can find a game most nights on Rebelde at 670AM and other spots on the dial.

They also stream on WIFI.

Just one little problem.  It’s all in Spanish.