Anniston Star
September 24, 2003

Speaker’s Stand... On the Depot

By our readers
09-24-2003

I am Don Kindred, the former Program Director of what was Alabama 100. Several years ago this FM giant covered the six county area, and I was personally involved with talks concerning the burning of chemicals here in Anniston. It amazes me that NOW, all of the sudden, this has become an issue to the people of Calhoun and surrounding counties.

It should have been an issue years ago!

I would say that the citizens have finally awakened from their sleep to find out that they are totally unprepared for any emergency event that may happen at the Depot. And I don’t think I need to remind anyone that a "small event" will kill hundreds if not thousands, and now you want a judge to "stop the madness." Well you should have spoken up years ago in the planning stages.

Alabama 100 was what was called an LP1 provider charged with the safety and security of a six county area. If a tornado hit, we sent out the signals, flash floods, we sent out the signal and now WHO is sending out the signal in the event that a situation goes bad? (In tests that we ran at the station we sent out signals in less than 30 seconds . . . time and time again during drills that took place years ago!)

Alabama 100 is long gone and most likely forgotten . . . but it seems as though the residents of Calhoun and the surrounding counties are just now seeing the immense responsibility that it, Alabama 100, played in the safety of this region.

Politics and big dollars allowed the station to be moved and in the original FCC document that allowed the move a replacement station was to have been in place and ready to go when WHMA-FM shut off its signal local politicians, regional politicians, state politicians, local and state EMA agencies and FEMA looked the other way, all knowing that this day would come and this area would be unprepared.

I fought vigorously to stop the move of Alabama 100 to Atlanta, wrote FCC commissioners, wrote senators, congressmen, you name it. I wrote them and did so knowing that if my employer at that time knew I was attempting to block this move. Well, I would have been fired. I was the last employee of Alabama 100 to leave the building. It was a sick feeling as I took the elevator down eight stories. I had eight stories to reflect on the day that is now upon the residents of Northeast Central Alabama.

Now, I see Anniston on CNN, Headline News and more all due to the fact that the leadership of Anniston and Calhoun County failed miserably in making the proper plans to protect their own people.

I think it is a sad day, but a day that everyone knew was going to come. I am now living and working in radio in Fayetteville, Ark., a place much like Anniston, rolling hills, lakes, streams, rivers and more but the one thing we don’t have is an incinerator in our back yard.

So the question is this: do I feel sorry for Anniston? In one way yes and in another way no. Yes in the fact that I truly loved it there. I lost a marriage due to my desire to continue in radio. And no in the fact that the leaders of Anniston knew this day would come, knew of the terrible possibilities, knew of the best case and worse case scenarios, and they still carried on with their plan. I personally feel the worst is yet to come for Anniston.

My prayers are with the innocent. I also have feelings for those that allowed the area to become so unprepared. I hope that each of you in that long list realize that any and all sickness, loss of life, any wrong doing, IT IS ALL ON YOUR HANDS.

Don Kindred
Fayetteville, Ariz.