Reporting on Local Television News Since 1981
Station Fights To Save Region   The world of
the Outer Banks had been largely clear and clean.But in 1988, the great barrier islands, bays,
and salt marshes of North Carolina were threatened. A four-lane hard
road rushed the crowd out to the coast. The Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds
were changing. There was too much industrial effluent, too much sewage,
too much chemical and fertilizer runoff from inland farms, and possibly,
too much humanity.Recent seasons had seen a toxic
brown tide destroy an oyster and scallop harvest. An unusual fungal
disease had eroded holes in crabs' shells. Fish disease appeared worst
near the world's largest open-pit phosphate mine. At times, "dead
water" with reduced oxygen had led to fish kills. The catalog of
problems went on. Deteriorating Paradise: Carolina's Bays Station Fights To Save Region In hopes of stimulating a clean-up and a preservation of North Carolina's coastal environment, WRAL-TV executives started a multi-faceted project.
This was an educational effort designed to sensitize the whole community --- to move this issue to the top of the public agenda. "We hope to create the kind of awareness that will motivate individuals, families, businesses, and government to change some of their habits and procedures for the benefit of our rivers, estuaries, and sounds," said General Manager John Greene. Disease in the sounds --- and syringes and medical waste on the ocean side --- began to have an impact with the public. "We had eels, hogsuckers, and crabs jumping out of the water and crawling up the bank ... They couldn't breathe in the water," said environmental scientist Doug Rader. "It probably didn't catch the environmentalists by surprise, but it caught everybody else by surprise. It is a lot farther along than we would've thought," said Kevin Duffus, Executive Producer. The plan The Save Our Sounds project had several different facets, all designed to blend together and make a lasting impact in the region. Elements included:  Benchmark Documentary.
The starting point. "Troubled Waters" aired on a Tuesday night
at 8 o'clock. This set up the project and explained the problem. It was
followed by a Town Hall discussion. Public Service Announcements.
Reaching out to viewers on a continuing basis. For this campaign to inform
and change habits, it had to take a substantial, ongoing time commitment.Infommercials. Educational
messages supported by blue-chip North Carolina companies interested in
improving the quality of life in the state.Resource Book. Detailed
suggestions of what individual citizens can do each day to make a difference. School posters.
Informing children throughout the region.Symposium. A serious,
prestigious event. A keynote speaker would be a heavy-hitter with a national
reputation. Workshops would concentrate on solutions and actions the average
person could take to help change the trend. The public was invited for
this day-long event.The Documentary The destruction of the marine environment and its direct connection to human actions were explained in the opening program. "The documentary is geared at making people aware of how bad the problem is --- and how bad it can get," said producer Shirley Enebrad. Enebrad concentrated on the fishermen and the average people affected, as opposed to emphasizing environmentalists and state officials. Her goal was to connect with the broadly based audience. "We try to bring it all home. If you're washing your car in Raleigh or Durham, it all goes into the water. Do you want a future with no seafood or no beaches?" she asked. Included was the point that the economic aspects of ruining the bays were substantial, as would be the clean up costs. PSAs and Infommercials Initially, WRAL aired two generic spots which took a hard-line approach. "I hope we are going to be shocking people," said Executive Producer Duffus. One spot developed a scenario of a future when all of the beaches and coastal areas of North Carolina were closed to the public. This was very believable --- after all, it had just happened that summer along Long Island and North Jersey. The second spot showed symbolically what might be ahead. "A steam roller will go over a pretty conch shell, sand dollar, plastic boat and things like that. Ultimately, the steam roller will go up to a live sea turtle and freeze just before it crunches that. The copy line will say 'Save Our Coast,"' said Duffus. Those two SOTs began the campaign. They were followed by sponsored messages. In the majority of announcements, the message was helpful hints and tips for viewers. This explained what they could do at home. Resource Book The environmental facts of life were written down where they could be referred to. This booklet was designed to reinforce the on-air information and appeals. "It contains facts and practical tips about what North Carolinians can do to avoid adding to the problem," said producer Enebrad. Typical tips included: Being careful when fertilizing the yard. Being careful when buying products to wash the car. "Phosphates. Dishwashing detergent. These are products people use without even thinking about it. Pesticides and fertilizers. They get washed right down the storm drain and it goes into the nearest creek," said the show producer. All of it ended up in the Pamlico and the Albemarle Sounds. People could make a difference by changing their consuming habits. One example was to stop using toilet tissue with dyes in it. "The dye turns to a sludge. It doesn't dissolve and ends up a layer on the bottom of the ocean or the sound. It's toxic," said Enebrad. The Environmentalists Many people answered "yes" when asked whether they saw themselves as environmentalists. Exit polling in North Carolina in the 1984 presidential election showed as many voters saying they were an environmentalist (12%) as people describing themselves as: over 60 (12%), black (13%), farmer (03%), Irish heritage (07%), or union member (10%). This "environmentalist" was an imprecise description and might include anyone from the environmental activist, to a hunter, to a person who had invested in a vacation home. A good rule of thumb was that those interested enough to change a vote --- or change a channel --- because of this issue was about one out of ten. (The ratio was somewhat higher in California or Massachusetts, somewhat lower in Mississippi, but 1 in 10 tended to hold.) During the 1980's, poll after poll came through with the same conclusion: Americans were very concerned about their deteriorating environment. "The returns point nearly unanimously in one direction: deep worry and concern about the ecological state of the country," said pollster Lou Harris. Typically: he had found people saying by a 93% to 6% margin that pollution of lakes and rivers by toxic substances from factories was a serious problem. Drinking water quality. Nuclear waste disposal. Acid rain. Toxic waste cleanup. Air pollution. All these issues were items which people regarded seriously. |
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