Skokie tunes in to its own radio station

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: Skokie tunes in to its own radio station : By Courtney Flynn | Tribune reporter : November 27, 2008 : When the snow starts piling up in the streets or a truck accidentally spills hazardous materials on the roadway, Skokie officials hope the quickest way to reach the most residents, business owners and commuters about local emergencies will be through a newly launched AM radio station. : Designed to broadcast around the clock, 1660 AM Skokie will update residents about everything from power outages to which side of the street they can park on during heavy snow. If all is calm in the village, the station will broadcast emergency preparedness messages. : "We really hope that they put this in their dial and keep tuned in on their AM dial," said Natalie Marquez, Skokie's management analyst who helped coordinate the radio station for the village. "We're really hoping it will add a lot to our communications in the village and be able to reach an audience we hadn't been able to before." : The village's electronic newsletter is popular, Marquez said, but you have to subscribe to receive alerts and, of Skokie's roughly 70,000 residents, there are only about 1,500 subscribers. The village also has a reverse 911 telephone system, but it only contacts home phone numbers in an emergency so if a resident is working, they might not receive important information, she said. : The benefit of a radio station is that even without power, residents could receive information through their car radios or battery-powered radios, Marquez said. In addition, information on the radio can be updated immediately by village staff by telephone, she said. : The station went live late last month, and Skokie has an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast as an emergency advisory station for 10 years with the option of a renewal, Marquez said. : The total cost of the station was about $35,000, Marquez said. That included the FCC license, radio equipment and local advertising, such as signs at Skokie gateways notifying commuters about the station, Marquez said. : Other communities in the Chicago area that have their own radio stations for emergency purposes include Aurora, Bensenville and Naperville. : Countless municipalities have their own e-mail alert systems to communicate with residents on their cell phones or hand-held electronic devices. : (Chicago Tribune)

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