19-09-2023, 04:38 PM
Today is an important day for Mexico, as it is the anniversary of two deadly earthquakes which happened in 1985 and 2017 and rocked most of the central part of the country, including Mexico City. As a result, today the country is having country-wide national emergency dry runs in order to make citizens prepared for any earthquake or natural disaster that might risk their communities.
Here’s how the national media covered the 1985 earthquake. That earthquake had serious ramifications for the national broadcasters, specially television channels: Televisa’s downtown Chapultepec HQ was heavily destroying, leaving the broadcaster’s four national channels dark for most of the morning and afternoon, before eventually resuming programming after installing makeshift galleries and a newsroom at their San Ángel Inn (Coyoacán) studios; in contrast, then-state-owned Canal 13/Imevisión, located at the much more earthquake-prone zone of the Ajusco mountains, suffered only from a power cut and was able to quickly resume broadcasting thanks to an emergency power outlet, and began informing for hours on the situation.
On the radio side, Radio Fórmula was the most affected, as the broadcaster had its building destroyed, and leaving most of its stations silent for days; only the FM stations (located out of the Torre Latinoamericana, in the downtown zone) remained on air simulcasting rival Radio Centro in a temporary basis; other radio conglomerates (including Radio Centro) resumed broadcasting after the power cut, dropping their normal programming in favour of continuous coverage.
Radio Red (then owned by Monterrey media mogul Clemente Serna Martínez) was a notable case, as it was the only station which remained on-air during the quake and was the first to report on the seriousness of the situation, even if News Director José Gutiérrez Vivó was away in Japan, preparing for a special series of programmes analyzing the situation of the country. The station had continuous coverage of the situation for nearly a week, leading to increased ratings and credibility, plus a boom on talkback radio formats which still continues to date in Mexico City.
www.youtube.com
www.youtube.com
In 2017, the quake was felt much harsher in Mexico City, but, given the increased level of security and civil defence plans, the death toll was much less serious; however, saying the level of damage was minor is an understatement. On the TV side, Televisa and TV Azteca courted strong controversy over the level of coverage, by moments rousing the tabloid and hyperbolic; this was quickly showcased (the day after the quake) by the supposed case of a disappeared girl; over time, TV Azteca was forced to tone down the level of the coverage, but Televisa continued exploiting the case for longer, with reporter Danielle Dithurbide on the scene of a school destroyed by the quake, where the victim was (supposedly) lingering.
However, two days later, TV Azteca was the first to break the news that the victim was inexistent and was not a casualty of the destruction; it was soon followed by investigations from independent news outlets Proceso and Aristegui Noticias over inconsistencies on the supposed identity of the non-existent victim. By the afternoon, the National Army confirmed the inexistence of the disappeared girl; the aftermath of this led to Televisa’s ratings dramatically sinking, on the benefit of TV Azteca, whose ratings skyrocketed (at times, its news channel ADN40 was even beating all the classic national FTA networks); newcomer Imagen and the public media also received a strong boost in viewer figures from the debacle of the situation.
Unlike the 1985 quake, TV was the dominant medium this time: all TV networks remained on the air during the situation, and eventually canceled their normal programming for at least five days to cover the ongoing situation, whilst only the talkback radio stations set aside its daily programming for rolling coverage (with music and entertainment stations sticking to normal scheduling). However, most stations interrupted its regular schedule (at least in Mexico City) to trigger their emergency alert system, which much more basic than the ones existing (for example) in Japan and Taiwan, consisting only of a sound alert.
www.youtube.com
Last year, and for the third time round, another earthquake struck the central part of the country, just only minutes after the national dry run. That quake was much less violent than the other, as its epicentre was located in the state of Colima (with the harshest aftermath limited to the immediate zone of the aftershock). The quake caused the national networks’ afternoon news bulletins to begin earlier than planned.
www.youtube.com
Here’s how the national media covered the 1985 earthquake. That earthquake had serious ramifications for the national broadcasters, specially television channels: Televisa’s downtown Chapultepec HQ was heavily destroying, leaving the broadcaster’s four national channels dark for most of the morning and afternoon, before eventually resuming programming after installing makeshift galleries and a newsroom at their San Ángel Inn (Coyoacán) studios; in contrast, then-state-owned Canal 13/Imevisión, located at the much more earthquake-prone zone of the Ajusco mountains, suffered only from a power cut and was able to quickly resume broadcasting thanks to an emergency power outlet, and began informing for hours on the situation.
On the radio side, Radio Fórmula was the most affected, as the broadcaster had its building destroyed, and leaving most of its stations silent for days; only the FM stations (located out of the Torre Latinoamericana, in the downtown zone) remained on air simulcasting rival Radio Centro in a temporary basis; other radio conglomerates (including Radio Centro) resumed broadcasting after the power cut, dropping their normal programming in favour of continuous coverage.
Radio Red (then owned by Monterrey media mogul Clemente Serna Martínez) was a notable case, as it was the only station which remained on-air during the quake and was the first to report on the seriousness of the situation, even if News Director José Gutiérrez Vivó was away in Japan, preparing for a special series of programmes analyzing the situation of the country. The station had continuous coverage of the situation for nearly a week, leading to increased ratings and credibility, plus a boom on talkback radio formats which still continues to date in Mexico City.
www.youtube.com
www.youtube.com
In 2017, the quake was felt much harsher in Mexico City, but, given the increased level of security and civil defence plans, the death toll was much less serious; however, saying the level of damage was minor is an understatement. On the TV side, Televisa and TV Azteca courted strong controversy over the level of coverage, by moments rousing the tabloid and hyperbolic; this was quickly showcased (the day after the quake) by the supposed case of a disappeared girl; over time, TV Azteca was forced to tone down the level of the coverage, but Televisa continued exploiting the case for longer, with reporter Danielle Dithurbide on the scene of a school destroyed by the quake, where the victim was (supposedly) lingering.
However, two days later, TV Azteca was the first to break the news that the victim was inexistent and was not a casualty of the destruction; it was soon followed by investigations from independent news outlets Proceso and Aristegui Noticias over inconsistencies on the supposed identity of the non-existent victim. By the afternoon, the National Army confirmed the inexistence of the disappeared girl; the aftermath of this led to Televisa’s ratings dramatically sinking, on the benefit of TV Azteca, whose ratings skyrocketed (at times, its news channel ADN40 was even beating all the classic national FTA networks); newcomer Imagen and the public media also received a strong boost in viewer figures from the debacle of the situation.
Unlike the 1985 quake, TV was the dominant medium this time: all TV networks remained on the air during the situation, and eventually canceled their normal programming for at least five days to cover the ongoing situation, whilst only the talkback radio stations set aside its daily programming for rolling coverage (with music and entertainment stations sticking to normal scheduling). However, most stations interrupted its regular schedule (at least in Mexico City) to trigger their emergency alert system, which much more basic than the ones existing (for example) in Japan and Taiwan, consisting only of a sound alert.
www.youtube.com
Last year, and for the third time round, another earthquake struck the central part of the country, just only minutes after the national dry run. That quake was much less violent than the other, as its epicentre was located in the state of Colima (with the harshest aftermath limited to the immediate zone of the aftershock). The quake caused the national networks’ afternoon news bulletins to begin earlier than planned.
www.youtube.com
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