Stormwatch Season

WOBM is many things to many people and while the world of radio has changed greatly since we first went on the air in 1968 one thing that remains is Ocean County will likely turn to us first during bad weather for storm-related information, including closings and cancellations. As we approach the winter season I am as a public service spending a moment this morning to alert you to changes in our Stormwatch program. This is especially important for those who are enrolled in the program as well as those wanting to find out how to get the word out during inclement weather.

If you have listened to this station during winter mornings with bad weather you know what it’s like…well you know somewhat what it’s like. Shawn and Sue will often spend a good portion of their time telling you what’s closed, cancelled and delayed. In the old days this was done after we fielded hundreds of phone calls and as Ocean County grew this was no longer a practical way for us and you the listener. We have now gone to a web-based program which had glitches in the past but has been updated to what’s now a great 24/7 service to all.

Let me break this down for three distinct groups. First if you are already a participant in our Stormwatch program you should have recently received an email with instructions on how to verify your account on our new page. This requires your organization to change your log-in information in order to access your account. Obviously this is important because if you fail to update the information you will not be able to get on and report your status when we get out first winter storm. Second for those organizations that are not part of our program then all you need to do is visit wobm.com. On our home page about half way down you will see Ocean County Stormwatch and go to where it says “click here for full information.”

As for listeners seeking information there of course will be two ways for you to know whether schools and others are closed or delayed. You can visit our web site www.wobm.com 24/7 as once cancellations are reported they are posted. Or of course you can tune in to Shawn & Sue starting at 5am with the information updated throughout the day. I will tell you that not every detail of every cancellation will make it to the air but on line you can give a bit more information. Either way we’ll be there for you this winter like we have for more than 40 years.