Pure West Radio the local community based radio station in Haverfordwest activated its Disaster Recovery Plan on Tuesday 17th March.
It saw the community hub for Pembrokeshire implement the procedure with the COVID-19 Emergency Programming Schedule which saw 95% of the team working from home using pop up studios from various locations across the County, the new emergency schedule gave listeners the latest breaking news as it occurred.
From school to restaurant closures, the team broadcasted the information live thanks to its network of resources including the local authority, emergency services and listeners reporting the latest information to create a truly local network of shared content.
Broadcasting live from 8am to 11pm. All specialist shows were postponed to allow the presenters to break any new developments. Only facts were reported, no opinions or discussion during this period. But our presenters still delivered great music, including tunes from local artists to keep the spirit alive.
The ‘COVID-19 Emergency Programming Schedule’ was set-up to support and deliver for the County during this time of need. We truly stood by our stations motto, ‘For Pembrokeshire, From Pembrokeshire'.
With smart speakers becoming increasingly popular, app downloads increasing daily and digital listening now at a record high in the UK at 58.5%* of total listening share in radio market. This added with access to internet in Pembrokeshire homes at a 95.93%** and with the UK Government introducing the ‘Stay at Home’ measures due to the pandemic, this equated to record listening figures for Pure West Radio, with its weekly listens up from 21,000 to 37,000*** which is a staggering 76.1% increase. The local community radio station also had a big up serge in social media activity with Facebook posts reaching record numbers of people, and interaction.
Pure West Radio reverted to non-emergency ‘COVID-19 programming schedule’ on Wednesday 1st April with updates now aired every 20 minutes on the current situation and providing entertainment throughout its 24/7 service with presenters broadcasting from 6am – 11pm every day. Normal programmes and specialist shows have resumed. The full schedule is available at www.purewestradio.com
Toby Ellis, Station Manager said
‘I am so unbelievably proud of our team of over 60 volunteers of what we have managed to achieve in these times. It’s unparalleled to anything, which I’ve seen in my 18 years in broadcasting. That said, it’s what community local radio is all about. Connect, unite and be a hub for community information. It’s with the developments of technology, the ever changing landscape of radio and how its consumed which has enabled us to deliver the very latest content real-time to our audience across multiple platforms. We have seen a huge jump in our figures because we are more accessible than ever with people being told to stay at home but also we have unrivalled local content thanks to our listeners, followers and fans for providing us with the most uplifting stories. There is no denying this situation is terrible and the lasting effects will be felt for years to come but when feel good stories lift the community spirit it makes us feel proud to make that difference during this unprecedented time. It shows how connected our community is in Pembrokeshire and how we really do help each other in times of great need.
Pure West Radio recently turned 2yrs on Saturday 4th April and is available online, app and smart speaker, simply say ‘Alexa, ask My Tuner radio to play Pure West Radio’.
