Spain-Portugal blackouts: how radio stations have been more essential than ever

The abrupt and widespread blackout that affected the entire Iberian Peninsula on April 28 plunged Spain and Portugal into uncertainty for many hours. Everyone wondered what was happening, but few had access to information, as all communication services were down.

WiFi, mobile networks, social media, news websites or access to the television was not possible. At the same time, radio stations – on national, regional, and local levels – were able to inform the population with special broadcasts lasting several hours, thanks to generators. 

Many people pulled out their old transistor radios or gathered in groups in the street around a radio to learn about the latest events. Many pictures were subsequently published to thank these radio stations for their essential work in times of crisis. However, it wasn’t an easy task, as reporters on the streets couldn't easily access information or transmit live.

TSF Rádio Notícias – a Portuguese radio station owned by Global Media Group – was one of the radios on the front. For long hours, they informed the Portuguese through special broadcasts. As proof that demand was high, their website saw a 1250% increase that day.

The Fix spoke with Nuno Domingues, news and shows director of TSF Rádio Notícias, to see how they managed to work during this historic day. 

I learnt firsthand that power went off. A few minutes later, the Portuguese power grid manager informed us that a non-specified problem was affecting Portugal and other countries. It was the first time for us that something like this happened at this scale.

There was a moment when we were a few seconds without a show. After this, all our vital systems, including studios, news desks and broadcasts, are protected by UPS and power generators, so we switched. 

However, not all of our usual news sources and communications were available, so we also improvised ways of telling listeners all we could. 

We did all live programming, 100% dedicated to the event. We tried to share useful tips to deal with no power, informing people that no ATMs were available, that many stores and fuel sites were closed, and that electric-powered transport was halted. 

We were also sharing a few pieces of official information from power-related institutions, governments, and authorities. We focused on paying attention and responding to what was most urgent: providing information, and above all, useful information, to citizens.

Yes, without mobile lines and the internet, it was impossible. Some of the reporting systems, based on IP, were available until late in the evening, so we kept connected with a few of our reporters thanks to this. 

We only have online metrics because Portuguese radio doesn't have daily listening numbers. Our numbers increased by more than 1000% that day, even if many people were without internet access. 

If we look at the online numbers, comparing Monday 28th with Monday 21st, at 12:00 PM, we went from 24 million to 300 million unique visitors, a 1250% increase. During this day, we had more than one million pageviews and more than four hundred thousand users.

I think radio stations demonstrated their essential role in times of crisis by being the most resilient and user-friendly. Other ways, like smartphones, can do the job but will depend on 4G or 5G operators. This time, some Portuguese operators were out of service a few hours after the blackout. 

Portuguese authorities should also talk through radio operators in emergency situations. The civil emergencies law says it, but no one applies it. 

Source of the cover photo: HéctorSdP, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons