When The Earth Shook…I was on the air

This week, a couple of massive earthquakes wreaked havoc on Anchorage Alaska.  My first thought was of the terror that the Earth shaking instills. 

I was “on the air” at KFXD, Boise Idaho on October 23rd, 1983.  at 8:05am, a 2.8 earthquake struck Borah Peak, near Challis Idaho, about 115-miles from where I was standing behind the microphone.  Two children died that morning, when a store front dropped  on them while walking to school.  

The shaking began while Doug McConnaughey was delivering the early morning news.  As the tremors went on, plaster began falling from the cracks, microphones were shaking, tapes and records fell from the shelves.  Dust filled the room.  

All the employees of KFXD were filing out of the building.  Hurrying with panic.  (Justified.)  I turned to head outside too.  But, I heard Doug shift gears and say, “we’re experiencing an earthquake at this moment.  I’m contacting, (he was dialing the phone while talking,) my friend at the University of Washington seismology department for details.” 

I halted in my tracks and went back in the studio because, it was up to me, (the producer,) to get the call on-the-air.  Despite misgivings, I returned and Doug’s friend made it on the air.  When the news ended, we put on a song, and resumed “normal” programming.  Both Doug and I went outside and waited for the building to crumble.  (It didn’t.)  We eventually went back in a carried on.

When the news hit yesterday of the 7.0 earthquake that rocked Alaska, I thought of that day when the earth shook.  I contacted Doug via Facebook.  I asked if he remembered.  He responded:

YES. About 8:05 am. Damn,  that was frightening. You didn’t lose your cool as the microphones were a swinging. I’ll never forget your face. Very violent…8.1 pts.
Live radio Jack Sunday with newsman Doug McConnaughey, 580 KFXD!.
I think we canned the music and did live reports – KBOI continued to be numb and dumb playing music and ads. Lon Dunn and Paul J. Schneider lost a lot of audience that day.
Jack, I found that day you were a genius. It helped that you were a former newser!

I wasn’t the genius.  Doug was.  His levelheadedness made him decide to make a call to an authority, while on-the-air.  I couldn’t leave him to be crushed alone under the debris.  (Which, didn’t happen.)  In truth, it was a tiny earthquake compared to yesterday’s Alaska event. 

Why would we “stay on the air” instead of fleeing is pretty easy.  A radio station is issued a license for “the public airwaves” to serve the public good.   It would have been a desertion of duties to ignore broadcasting vital, perhaps life-saving information just to save our own skins.  That’s the very reason you hear such dramatic, and often life-saving news on KFGO.  Our guys and gals do everything possible to get it out there, to you.  It’s an ages-old story. News people risking it all, in order to fulfill our duties to our community.