It’s impossible to overreact when tragedy strikes. One example is the events surrounding the death of Princess Diana.
Breaking the News
It was early in the morning when the first news about Diana was broadcast, followed a little later by confirmation that she had actually died. I was living in Preston at the time and had just taken over at Radio City in Liverpool. I realised immediately that this was the story of the decade and set off for City, arriving there by 06:00.
Responding to the Audience
At times like this, people want to know as much as possible and also want to talk about it. There were special arrangements for coverage of Royal deaths and pre-recorded obituary procedures—but nothing was ready or appropriate for the sudden death of Princess Diana. We had to play it by ear and pull out all the stops.
Getting the Tone Right
The first step was to combine the output of Radio City and Magic 1548, with Billy Butler and Wally Scott taking on presenting duties. They were well-known local personalities who could connect with the audience in Scouse. We introduced 15-minute national and local bulletins and opened the phone lines so that local people could share their reactions to that day’s shocking events. Music was kept to a minimum and only played where appropriate, while ads had to be carefully screened or dropped altogether. We maintained this format until lunchtime and repeated a similar approach at drive-time. I think we got the tone absolutely right and reflected the needs of our local audience.
Reflecting the National Mood
The death of Diana was headline news for months. As a station, we were expected to reflect the national mood—and we did. In moments like this, it’s always better to overreact than risk getting it wrong.