Station Operations During Stay at Home

On March 23, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a Stay-At-Home order for our state due to the coronavirus emergency.  The Stay-At-Home order does not affect those deemed “critical infrastructure workers,” who may continue working – and that includes “communications and information technology” – under which is listed news media.

Many stations having non-essential employees work from home where possible as specified by your corporate owner. Employees involved in the on-air, news, production and technical positions of your operation who need to perform their tasks at your facilities to keep the public informed should be able to continue to work.

Your employees who travel from their home in the line of their duties should carry documentation that clearly shows their status. We recommend the DHS letters we supplied to your station in the past week as well as additional documentation such as station ID card, business card, or a letter of authorization on letterhead signed by the station General Manager which clearly states the employees name and position and that the employee is a critical service provider in the communications and information technology industry, which includes news media per the order of Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

At this point, we’re not anticipating any difficulties, as the general public is still permitted to visit grocery stores, purchase gasoline and do other activities. However, your employees should be prepared in the event of questioning by law enforcement or emergency management personnel.

Please let us know of any difficulties you and your staff may encounter. We will help where we can.

Sincerely,

Karole L. White
President/CEO
Michigan Association of Broadcasters
karolewhite@michmab.com

Dan Kelley
Director of Technical Services
Michigan Association of Broadcasters
dkelley@michmab.com