diff -r 2fdc9cc89502 -r bb6990c0dd1a org/sonews/config/BackendConfig.java
--- a/org/sonews/config/BackendConfig.java	Wed Jul 22 14:04:05 2009 +0200
+++ b/org/sonews/config/BackendConfig.java	Thu Aug 20 14:31:19 2009 +0200
@@ -62,6 +62,12 @@
       String configValue = values.get(key);
       if(configValue == null)
       {
+        if(StorageManager.current() == null)
+        {
+          Log.msg("Warning: BackendConfig not available, using default.", false);
+          return defaultValue;
+        }
+
         configValue = StorageManager.current().getConfigValue(key);
         if(configValue == null)
         {