My recommendation of radio over TV was based on a few experiences but yes, a lot depends on your local stations. Radio stations that are exclusively rebroadcasting a signal from a central site can be as oblivious as the worse of the TY stations. Others have some mix of live and taped/slave content. It the owners allow, and the operators are game, such stations can shift after a disaster to serving local needs. Unfortunately there is no easy way of determining which stations can/will adapt to community needs.

There are conditions that seem to increase the odds of a radio station serving local needs. AM stations seem more likely to serve local needs. Low-power, locally owned, stations that have DJs and announcers on site most of the time seem to be more responsive than High-power, corporate owned, robot operated ones.

I've seen a few AM stations really shine. Often operating as wide-area bulletin boards and information clearinghouses. Thousands may be displaced, children and pets lost. It cannot overestimated what it means when rescuers can send out messages about unidentified kids. When people separated by the emergency have a place where they can leave a message that will be heard by thousands.

I've heard that local radio stations have even been used as a resource by emergency managers. Both to get the word out as to where to go and what to do, but also for monitoring. Unable to get emergency crews out to check if a small bridge was out the radio station sent out a request for anyone in the area to check and let them know if at all possible. Ten minutes later, using an oddball mix of land-line telephones where they still worked, CB, and a few people walking between houses, they had an answer.

Knowing the bridge was still there allowed emergency workers to avoid a twenty mile detour.

The sad thing is that a very few huge corporations own the vast majority of radio stations, and most of these are mostly rebroadcasting a feed from a central studio. So the odds of there being a responsive local radio station in your area is increasingly short. It is worth the trouble to find out what radio stations are in your area and how they are run. Find a good one and you've found gold.