storm coverage

A new TVB analysis finds that people sought emergency weather information from local TV stations’ digital platforms in record numbers during recent East Coast and Midwest blizzards.

Gathering around the television or radio during storms to consume continuous news reports has been a longstanding tradition for some Tampa Bay area residents. But some of today’s media consumers also use social media to track severe weather, seeing updates from official sources quicker and staying connected to news sources even when power fails in their homes.

TV stations across the South covered last week’s deadly tornados using a combination of broadcast, website and social media to reach viewers on the Internet and on portable, battery-powered smartphones. And the stations also used those same tools to gather news and to direct coverage. What emerged is that the information delivery model is changing and in emergency situations particularly, you need to use all conduits available.