Editor,

I read with interest your April 20 editorial titled “Too Little Information.” You referenced your frustration that the local National Public Radio station did not provide news updates during the Patriot’s Day Storm, adding “There should have been some radio station out there with continuous coverage of the storm to keep us informed.”

I wanted to make you aware that there was such a radio station available to you providing comprehensive storm coverage. Newsradio 560 WGAN-560 AM on your radio dial-provided much of the information you were seeking that day.

Weather reports, provided by our information partners at NewsCenter 6, were aired continuously throughout the storm, giving rainfall totals and projecting the path of the storm. Interviews were conducted during the WGAN Morning News program (hosted by Ken Altshuler and Mike Violette) with local Emergency Management officials advising residents on emergency procedures.

Our traffic department expanded its coverage and aired reports throughout the day providing listeners with updates on road closures and flooded areas, including live reports from the road. Our news department provided an alphabetical list of closings and cancellations throughout the day as well as information on area shelters, and our reporter Brian Pelletier was in the field reporting from some of the hardest hit areas up and down the coast. The shelters and road closings were also listed on our Web site, www.560wgan.com.

WGAN has a long track record of serving the community during times of crisis, having been on the air providing news, weather, traffic and analysis to southern Maine residents for more than eight decades. It was recognized by the Associated Press for its coverage of the 1998 ice storm, and just last year was awarded first place for breaking news coverage of the Mother’s Day floods by the Maine Association of Broadcasters.

I can understand your frustration over a lack of information. When storms like the one on Patriot’s Day hit, nothing is more important than the information you need to keep you and your family safe. I encourage you to turn to WGAN next time to find the information you are looking for.

Respectfully,

Jeffrey R. Wade

Program Director, WGAN-AM