NBC News Left Field Report Says Hams “Could Save Our Lives” in a Disaster

A team from NBC News’ nascent digital news unit Left Field was in Hawaii to visit with some radio amateurs to produce a report when the false nuclear missile alert happened on January 13.

Left Field’s report points out how much we rely on cell phones and 21st century technology…and what we would do if these suddenly were no longer available. Amateur Radio operators “are standing at the ready and may save us all,” NBC Left Field said in the tease to its YouTube version of its report. Accessible directly from NBC News, the report, with Left Field’s Jacob Soboroff, runs 7:22.

“Ham radio is one of the ways you’d be able to hear what’s happening,” when conventional telecommunications systems fail, Soboroff told his viewers.

Among those interviewed in the piece are ARRL Section Manager Joe Speroni, AH0A, and Section Emergency Coordinator Kevin Bogan, AH6QQ. NBC News says its Left Field unit “is a new internationally minded video troupe that makes short, creative documentaries and features specially designed for social media and set-top boxes.”