CMG Media Teams' Preparedness and Collaboration Kept Communities Informed Round-the-Clock During Unprecedented Hurricanes in Texas and Florida

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Sep 13, 2017, 11:27 ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When Hurricanes Harvey and Irma carved their destructive paths across Texas and Florida within a week of each other, Cox Media Group's (CMG) award-winning media professionals' keen focus on preparedness and collaboration across markets and media platforms ensured that our audiences continued to count on CMG for the critical news and information they needed during the disasters. CMG had round-the-clock, emergency coverage in eight Texas and Florida markets — providing a vital link to communities during the critical window before, during and after these hurricanes.

"After ensuring that our teams and their families were all safe, our mission was to serve our communities by relaying vital, lifesaving information to our viewers, listeners and readers," said CMG President Kim Guthrie. "The preparedness of our engineers and operations leaders paid off — with generator power, fuel, personnel and even MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) for our small but mighty teams who went without sleep, worked onsite and in the field to continue to report the news and weather. We are so incredibly proud of all of our dedicated employees, as well as the extended Digital, National Content Desk, and the Washington News Bureau teams and other CMG markets who supported them throughout this ordeal!"

Guthrie added that CMG commits a great deal of time throughout the year with its security team conducting tabletop exercises so that its media brands can be prepared for disasters like this and to never lose the ability to broadcast or publish the news.

An unprecedented number of CMG properties were in the path of these two monster storms, as well as in Georgia when Irma became a tropical storm:

Houston: The New 93Q, Country Legends 97.1FM, and The Eagle 106.9 & 107.5
San Antonio: 99.5 KISS, KONO 101.1, The Eagle 106.7, Country Legends KKYX 680 AM 104,9 FM, and Y100
Austin: Austin American Statesman
Miami: 99JAMZ, Easy93.1, Hits97.3, and HOT105
Orlando: News 96.5, K92.3, 98.9 WMMO, Star 94.5, Power 95.3, 107.3 Solo Exitos, WFTV Ch. 9 and Central Florida's 27 WRDQ
Tampa: HOT 101.5, 97X, 102.5 The Bone, Magic 94.9, 107.3 The Eagle and 105.5 The Dove
Jacksonville: News 104.5, The Eagle 96.9, Easy 106.5, HOT99.5, 95.1WAPE, X102.9, Power 106.1 and Action News Jax FOX30 and CBS47 TV
West Palm Beach: The Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News
Atlanta: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, MundoHispanico, News 95.5 FM AM 750 WSB, 97.1 The River, B98.5, Your Country Georgia 106.1/107.1, KISS 104.1 FM, and WSB TV Ch. 2 Action News
Athens: 960 The Ref, WGAU 98.7 FM & AM1340, Magic 102.1 FM, 103.7 Chuck FM, Power 100.1 and Your Country Georgia 106.1/107.1

"I am especially proud of our two converged markets in Orlando and Jacksonville, where we have TV and Radio properties," said CMG Executive VP Bill Hendrich who recently was named to oversee all of CMG's Florida broadcast markets. "In both markets, the TV and Radio stations worked together before, during and after the storm to provide unmatched news coverage to millions of viewers and listeners."

All CMG employees could get their families to safety, and CMG's media teams kicked into high gear, safely guiding the communities through some of the worst hurricanes in history.

"There will be many more weeks of clean up as the full extent of damage reveals itself across these markets, and CMG will continue to step up for our communities, our audiences, advertisers and our employees," added Guthrie. "Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with everyone impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma."

About Cox Media Group
Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company. The company's operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, more than 60 radio stations, seven daily newspapers and 11 non-daily publications; and more than 100 digital sites and services, like Rare.us, Clark.com, Dawg Nation, SEC Country, Hookem.com, Mundo Hispanico, Southern Kitchen and All22. Additionally, CMG operates the National Advertising Platform businesses of CoxReps - the country's biggest television rep firm - Gamut, and Videa. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 31 million TV viewers, more than 3.5 million newspaper readers, and nearly 15 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.