< Continued from page 1
The Security Question
On 9/11 I remember discussing with various people – including the management at the time where I work – how vulnerable our radio stations were. How easy would it be for a terrorist – or just one crazy individual – to walk into our operations and either hurt or kill anyone then immediately take control of a radio station or several.
Did we have adequate security measures to protect employees and equipment?
Was there a plan in place to alert the staff if a terrorist event occurred not in New York City but in our own building?
Prior to 9/11 none of us worried much about anyone wanting to obtain control of our operations but September 11th reinforced the idea that somebody might.
So, why would that even be a worry?
Well, if a terrorist was able to take control of one or more popular radio stations he (or his group) could disseminate propaganda or misinformation which could ultimately cause public panic, confusion, or worse.
Our radio stations, which now have even larger reaches because of the Internet, are part of the tools society use to promote and infuse our culture with news, information, and entertainment. It is the responsibility of radio station operators to to protect these tools and technology and to insure that their operations are secure.
I don’t believe many radio stations are as secure as they need to be and I fear this lesson won't truly be learned until an event occurs where a radio station or cluster of stations are compromised and used against us.
The Security Question
On 9/11 I remember discussing with various people – including the management at the time where I work – how vulnerable our radio stations were. How easy would it be for a terrorist – or just one crazy individual – to walk into our operations and either hurt or kill anyone then immediately take control of a radio station or several.
Did we have adequate security measures to protect employees and equipment?
Was there a plan in place to alert the staff if a terrorist event occurred not in New York City but in our own building?
Prior to 9/11 none of us worried much about anyone wanting to obtain control of our operations but September 11th reinforced the idea that somebody might.
So, why would that even be a worry?
Well, if a terrorist was able to take control of one or more popular radio stations he (or his group) could disseminate propaganda or misinformation which could ultimately cause public panic, confusion, or worse.
Our radio stations, which now have even larger reaches because of the Internet, are part of the tools society use to promote and infuse our culture with news, information, and entertainment. It is the responsibility of radio station operators to to protect these tools and technology and to insure that their operations are secure.
I don’t believe many radio stations are as secure as they need to be and I fear this lesson won't truly be learned until an event occurs where a radio station or cluster of stations are compromised and used against us.
Source...