WBZ Helps Pan-Mass Challenge Raise $45M

CBS owned-and-operated WBZ-TV Boston partnered with the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) to raise $45 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute August 1-2. The PMC is the largest athletic fundraising event in the country, drawing 5,500 cyclists from 36 states and eight countries. The main course spans 192 miles and 46 towns, but riders can chose from 11 other routes of varying distances. In 35 years, the PMC has raised more than $450 million. WBZ invited riders to share their stories on the air to raise awareness. "Their stories are heartbreaking, inspiring and a reminder of the power of the human spirit," Peter Masucci, WBZ creative services director, told TVNewsCheck. "This is what local news can still provide better than any other outlet: a platform for the community, a local connection that brings people closer."

WRCO Raises $33,000 to Eliminate Cancer

Fruit Broadcasting's WRCO-FM Richland Center, Wis., raised a record $33,185 during its radio auction for Greater Richland Area Cancer Elimination (GRACE), held July 27-30. Local businesses donated practical items that would interest listeners, including two loads of hay and a dozen eggs every other week for a year. WRCO's staff dedicated about 120 hours to the auction before the four-day auction went live on air. In 11 years, the auction has brought in $203,000. Every dollar generated goes to GRACE, with 40 percent allocated to area residents for direct financial support related to cancer treatment and 40 percent to research at UW-Carbone Cancer Center and Gundersen Health Systems. The rest goes to local hospitals, community education and prevention.

KCMO Raises $10,000 for Single Mom With Six Children

Cumulus Media's KCMO-AM Kansas City raised $10,000 in a two-hour donation drive on July 11 to support a family in need. Sarah Robinson, a single mother with six children, shoplifted diapers and wipes for her twin girls. Police officer Mark Engravalle paid for the shoplifted goods with his own money and bought shoes for her kids, instead of arresting her. He also attended the donation drive. Residents donated cash, diapers, baby wipes, clothing, blankets, food and toiletries. Thanks to community support, Robinson's family is no longer living on the streets and she has received a job offer at a local law firm. "This remarkable story grows legs every minute," KCMO Program Director Steve Sutton said. "One guy pulled into the lot and handed over a $1,000 check."

Eagle Communication's KKJO-FM St. Joseph's, Mo., collected almost 14,000 pounds of food during its 12th annual "Canned Film Festival." This will provide more than 11,400 meals to local residents through the Northwest Missouri Food Pantry and Second Harvest Community Food Bank. The station partnered with a local movie theater, which offered free admission to a kids' movie on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings in June and July with a non-perishable food donation.

Manship Station's ABC affiliate WBRZ-TV Baton Rouge, La., stuffed a total of four school buses with more than $40,000 worth of school supplies during the 8th annual Stuff the Bus Campaign on July 15. WBRZ doubled its goal of filling two school buses with donated items. The drive will help dozens of students in the East Baton Rouge and West Baton Rouge Parishes start the 2015-2016 school year with the tools they need for educational success.

Hearst Television's ABC affiliate WCVB-TV Boston won a National Murrow award for its coverage of the first tornado on record in the Boston metro area. In July 2014, an F-2 tornado with 120 mph winds tore a path two miles long and 3/8th of a mile wide through the suburbs of Revere and Chelsea.

"This National Murrow award is a testament to the extraordinary talent and hard work of our NewsCenter 5 team," said News Director Andrew Vrees. "It is the highest form of praise to be recognized in such a way by our peers and I am very proud of our entire team."

Click here to see clips from WCVB's tornado coverage.

KFOR Named Emmy Finalist

Tribune Broadcasting's NBC affiliate KFOR-TV Oklahoma City has been named a finalist for the National News and Documentary Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for its coverage of the EF5 tornado that hit Moore, Okla., on May 20, 2013. The tornado had peak winds of 210 mph and killed 24 people, including nine children. KFOR also received a Heartland Regional Emmy Award for a weather image promo related to its coverage of the tornado. Click here to watch the video that the station submitted for consideration.

Minn. Residents Tune In During Storms

Paradis Broadcasting's KXRA-AM/FM Alexandria, Minn., provided listeners with vital information as storms hit West Central Minnesota on July 12. With tornado warnings in effect for several hours, the storm created wind gusts of up to 80 mph and 3.45 inches of rain. It left 1,500 residents without power and destroyed several buildings. Reporter Joe Korkowski's coverage includes an interview with a resident who pulled off the interstate following advice he heard on the radio.

Tegna Media's NBC affiliate KUSA-TV Denver persevered after lightning struck its tower on July 10, knocking the control room and other equipment offline. The station aired its regular newscast without its normal graphics, full screen video or multiple cameras. Anchors Adele Arakawa and Kyle Clark were on air from the station's newsroom using a single camera format and holding up a tablet to show images during the improvised newscast.

Click here to watch clips of the improvised newscast, during which KUSA used the hashtag "#9NEWSunplugged."

Cherry Creek Radio's KUBC-AM Montrose, Colo., raised $67,000 for Operation Sweet Tooth, a local nonprofit that sends supplies to U.S. troops overseas. KUBC discovered Operation Sweet Tooth in 2003, when host Jim Kerschner interviewed founders Landy and Marta Taylor. In 2004, KUBC's first radiothon raised $25,000. Kerschner told Radio Ink that the 74-year-old Marta, who spearheads the effort since Landy's death in 2007, has shipped more than 300 tons of supplies and spends $30,000 annually on postage. KUBC has raised $550,000 since 2004. "People say AM radio is dead. I think that's a good testament that it's not," Kerschner said.

Premiere Co-Sponsors Military Concerts

iHeartMedia's Premiere Networks is co-sponsoring the "Super 8 Military Appreciation Tour," a series of free, private concerts for members of the military and their family members. The concerts will feature some of country music's biggest stars.

Duo Montgomery Gentry performed during the first concert, held July 28 in Oak Grove, Ky., near the Fort Campbell U.S. Army Base. Cody Alan of Premiere Network's "CMT All Access with Cody Alan" hosted the event. Additional concerts in the series will be announced this fall.

WMAR Baltimore's "In Focus" Impacts Local Military

Scripps' Television Group's ABC affiliate WMAR-TV Baltimore's investigative report on Stolen Valor has led to new legislation to protect Maryland's military. Stolen Valor refers to false claims about military service or embellishments of existing service records. Even though a federal law enacted in 2013 made it illegal to lie about a service record while receiving gifts or money, it is not always enforced locally. WMAR aired this story on flaws in the system as part of "In Focus," the prime time newscast focused on in-depth, original reporting. The "In Focus" report generated new attention that could make Stolen Valor illegal in Maryland too. The story inspired State Senator Bryan Simonaire expects to introduce a bill this fall to raise public awareness.

WHXT Covers Confederate Flag Removal

Alpha Media's WHXT-FM Orangeburg, S.C., broadcast live as the Confederate flag was removed from the South Carolina Statehouse on July 10. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley used nine pens to sign a law requiring that the flag be removed. Each pen went to the families of the nine victims of the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.

"When a moment and a movement like this just captures our nation's attention, I'm always so proud of the radio medium for being out in the community right smack in the middle of it all," said SVP and Market Manager Mike Hartel.

Full Measure With Sharyl Attkisson to Launch

Sinclair Broadcasting Group will launch "Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson" on Oct 4. The 30-minute investigative news program will target accountability in the public and private sectors.

"We will report on untouchable topics in a fearless way with a team of award-winning journalists," Attkisson said. "We will follow the trail no matter where it leads."

In Attkisson's 30-year career as a correspondent and anchor for CBS News and other stations, she received five Emmy Awards, seven Emmy nominations and an Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative journalism.

Raycom Media’s ABC affiliate KLTV-TV Tyler, Texas, aired more than 20 original investigative stories in the first half of 2015. The stories have resulted in new legislation and updated procedures at government agencies. In June, NAB featured KLTV’s role on Kari’s Law, which requires businesses to allow direct dialing to 911 after a local mother who was killed in a hotel room. Her daughter tried repeatedly to dial 911, not knowing to dial nine for an outside line. Other investigations include:

Rape Kit Backlog
KLTV discovered a backlog in testing of rape kits in East Texas counties and that there is no firm deadline for agencies to process sexual assault kits performed at local hospitals. If kits are tested, it could take months, or even years for results to be returned, which can result in a delay of justice.

Inmates Released
KLTV followed up on an investigation from 2014 that found that dangerous suspects are released to the public, as a result of a delay in cases being handed from the sheriff’s office to the district attorney’s office. After the story aired, the sheriff’s office put strict deadlines on their investigators, but KLTV recently found that investigators failed to turn over certain cases. The sheriff’s office has revised their policies again.

Univision recently hosted 16 workshops and 13 phone banks on citizenship during its annual "¡Hazte Ciudadano!" (Become a Citizen!) campaign, part of its Univision Contigo platform. Phone banks fielded more than 12,000 calls with questions on eligibility, financial assistance and the application process. Univision referred more than 1,600 callers to a toll-free hotline provided by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Education Fund. More than 5,500 people attended events featuring free attorney consultations and a variety of resources. In addition to "¡Hazte Ciudadano!," 150 people attended Univision Bakersfield, Calif.'s Town Hall on Immigration on June 27. It covered relevant legislation, issues and voter registration. Guests included civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, Mexican Consul Santiago Cortes and Attorney General Kamala D. Harris.

Radio and TV Stations Air GOP Voters Forum

Hearst stations in 27 cities; Tegna Media's CBS affiliate WLTX-TV Columbia, S.C.; Cedar Rapids Television Co.'s ABC affiliate KCRG-TV Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and iHeartMedia's WGIR-AM Manchester, N.H., broadcast a "Voters First Forum" for Republican presidential candidates on Aug. 3. All candidates were invited to participate. WGIR-AM morning show host Jack Heath moderated the panel.

"This is an opportunity for us to provide our viewers a chance to see and hear from the large majority of the GOP candidates in advance of the first national debate," said Hearst Television Vice President, Programming Emerson Coleman. "There are more than two million households in the cities we serve that may not otherwise have the ability to view this important event on television."

WFXT Broadcasts Boston Olympics Debate

Cox Media Group's Fox affiliate WFXT-TV Boston co-sponsored, aired and streamed "The Boston Olympics Debate" on July 2 to examine the issues surrounding Boston's potential bid for the 2024 Olympics. The chairman of the pro-Olympics group Boston 2024 and the co-chair of No Boston Olympics answered questions from WFXT and The Boston Globe moderators and from the public, who submitted questions on The Boston Globe and WFXT Facebook pages and via the Twitter hashtag #OlympicsDebate. Prior to the event, WFXT Vice President and General Manager Tom Raponi said, "We hope this open, public dialogue will give viewers a clear picture about the financial viability of the Boston Olympics host city plan and its potential impact on them." Post-debate analysis streamed live online and on WFXT's app.

Ryman Hospitality Properties' WSM-AM Nashville broadcast live interviews with candidates for mayor on Aug. 4 in advance of the Aug. 6 election. Candidates were invited to visit a local deli, where morning show hosts Bill and Charlie aired the live show "Coffee, Country & Cody with the Candidates!"