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Media outlets take precautions, just in case From staff and wire reports NEW YORK -- One newspaper will supply reporters with two-way radios in case Y2K kills phone service. Others have backup generators ready, while a TV station has arranged to broadcast directly on cable. News organizations covering Y2K and the arrival of the new year vow to keep publishing or broadcasting, even if power outages or other troubles strike. The Mail Tribune will start its press early Friday night to make sure the paper -- with news of Y2K happenings around the world -- will be printed before midnight. After midnight, assuming no disruption in power has occurred, the Mail Tribune will print a special section to wrap around the regular paper to tell readers what happened -- or didn't happen -- at midnight locally. That is not to say editors or news directors actually expect havoc on Jan. 1, when some computers might misread the year 2000 as 1900. The backup plans serve as insurance. "Most papers have a contingency plan in place whatever the event might be," said Richard Wesnick, editor of The Billings Gazette in Montana. "You are committed to publishing a newspaper every day, and you go about doing that by any means." The Muskegon Chronicle in Michigan rented a 500-kilowatt generator that can power the newsroom and printing press. Crews will warm up the generator at 11 p.m. on Dec. 31. The Oregonian in Portland ordered a set of two-way portable radios in case regular and cell phones fail. And The Daily Times in Salisbury, Md., will have "doomsday pages" ready through Jan. 5 -- 12 pages a day of timeless features and columns for use if editors can't get a fresh edition out. Erick Sahler, the assistant managing editor, said the paper has been saving wire copy since summer. Broadcasters will rely on plans already in place for hurricanes and other natural disasters. Most have backup generators and alternative ways of transmitting, and frequencies set aside for internal communications. KFDM-TV in Beaumont, Texas, already has a link with the local cable company to feed directly into the cable system if transmitters fail and the station cannot use the airwaves. The station can reach more than 70 percent of its regular audience that way. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA