Radio Raises $25 Million for St. Jude

About 350 radio stations from around the country have raised $25 million in the last year for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, according to this letter from Chris Boysen, senior vice president, field development at St. Jude to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The money raised will fund research and enables St. Jude to care for more than 8,000 young cancer patients each year, without ever sending families a bill.

Scripps' WTVF Nashville Wipes Out Medical Debt

E.W. Scripps’ CBS affiliate WTVF Nashville has wiped out $4 million in medical debt for more than 1,000 people across Middle Tennessee through its "Medical Debt Rescue" program. WTVF achieved this using a total of $35,000 in donations, of which $15,000 came from WTVF and another $20,000 from viewers. Recipients include a grandmother who had $4,852 in medical debt paid following her open heart surgery.

Hearst's WCVB Raises $322,000 to Fight Hunger

Hearst’s ABC affiliate WCVB Boston raised $322,000 for The Greater Boston Food Bank during a day-long fundraiser on September 17. Watch stories of local residents of various ages and backgrounds who struggle with food insecurity and those who are working to help them.

Quincy Media Wisconsin Helps Family Farmers

Quincy Media’s Wisconsin stations - ABC affiliates WKOW Madison, WAOW Wausau, WXOW La Crosse, WQOW Eau Claire and NBC/CBS affiliate KBJR Superior - and Farm Aid raised more than $40,000 during an 18-hour telethon on September 21 to provide support and relief for local family farmers. Family farmers in the Upper Midwest are facing intensifying corporate consolidation, a multi-year downturn in the U.S. agricultural economy, rising production costs, and diminished crop yields from extreme weather.

NBC and Telemundo Chicago Address Consumer Complaints

Consumer Investigative Reporters Lisa Parker of NBC-owned WMAQ-TV Chicago and Zully Ramírez of Telemundo Chicago covered consumer issues during the afternoon and evening newscasts from September 9 - 12. They discussed topics such as car defects, appliances, banking, contractors, home warranties, internet scams, parking tickets and wireless service.

The week culminated with a live on air and digital chat on September 13 from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. A panel of local experts answered viewer questions submitted via the stations’ websites and mobile apps. The Better Business Bureau, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Citizens Utility Board, Federal Trade Commission, and Office of the Illinois Attorney General all participated.

iHeart Addresses Opioid Crisis

iHeartMedia, the National Opioid Action Coalition (NOAC), and advertising agency WPP launched the initiative #TalkToMe on September 3 at the beginning of National Recovery Month. The campaign focuses on reducing stigma as a barrier to opioid use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery. #TalkToMe urges people to initiate conversations with a friend or loved one about opioid misuses, encourages people in recovery to share their stories, and educates communities on how to talk about opioid use disorder.

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Cumulus' WPRO Airs Opioid Awareness Day

Cumulus’ WEAN-FM and WPRO-FM Providence dedicated its broadcasts on September 13 to covering the opioid crisis in Rhode Island and southern New England. “Enough: WPRO’s Opioid Awareness Day” started at 6 a.m. during the morning show and continued throughout the evening. Guests included former Boston Celtics player Chris Herren, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and First Gentleman Andy Moffit, former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, recovery advocate John Tassoni and first responders.

Connecticut Stations Fight Opioid Use Disorder

iHeartMedia, Nexstar’s ABC affiliate WTNH and Connecticut Realtors launched on September 23 a multi-month campaign to raise money for and build awareness of Connecticut’s opioid crisis. The campaign includes PSAs featuring local and national celebrities, news stories and radio interviews featuring individuals impacted by Connecticut’s opioid crisis. The campaign will culminate with “A Concert for Recovery,” to be held November 17 and headlined by superstar Keith Urban.

Entercom Addresses Mental Health

Entercom produced and aired a two-hour live, commercial-free broadcast special, “I’m Listening,” on September 8 to raise awareness around mental health at the start of National Suicide Prevention Week. The program aired nationwide on more than 235 stations and via each station’s livestream, led by KISW-FM Seattle personality BJ Shea and Dr. Ursula Whiteside, chief executive officer of NowMattersNow.org. In addition, all shows during National Suicide Prevention Week on Entercom’s LGBTQ+ talk radio network Channel Q, available nationwide on Radio.com, featured segments on mental health and suicide prevention and included personal accounts from celebrities and mental health professionals.

Bonneville Denver Devotes Airtime to Suicide Prevention

Bonneville’s KOSI-FM, KKFN-FM and KYGO-FM Denver aired a special edition of its “Mile High Magazine” on September 14 for suicide prevention month. Hosts Murphy Huston and Melissa Moore discussed suicide among teenagers, veterans and the elderly. “This will not be just a one-time program, but an ongoing effort by our stations to discuss, educate, and increase awareness of mental health issues and the tragedy of suicide,” said Bonneville Denver Vice President Bob Call.

Nexstar Hosts Louisiana Gubernatorial Debate

Nexstar’s NBC affiliate WVLA-TV and Fox affiliate WGMB-TV Baton Rouge hosted a debate, held at Louisiana State University, between the three candidates for Louisiana governor. The event, held September 19, broadcast live on television and radio stations statewide. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and the two Republican challengers, Eddie Rispone and Congressman Ralph Abraham, discussed education, the economy and infrastructure.

Telemundo Answers Citizenship, Voter Registration Questions

Telemundo and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund held phone banks on September 17 and 24, each open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., to answer questions on voter registration and citizenship. The events are part of Telemundo’s “Hazte Contar” (“Be Counted”) campaign encouraging participation in the 2020 census and presidential election.

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Mississippi Governor Candidates Agree to Debate

Television stations across Mississippi will air a live debate on October 10 between Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood. Reeves and Tate are running for Mississippi Governor.

TEGNA'S KHOU Photographer Rescues Kids During Flood

TEGNA’s CBS affiliate KHOU Houston Reporter Tiffany Craig and Photographer Greg Ramirez helped rescue children during flooding. Craig and Ramirez were covering the September 19 floods when they stopped to help an SUV stranded with a mom and two kids inside. Ramirez pulled out a little girl and a baby wearing only a diaper from the car. Another passerby moved the car to dry ground.

Graham Media's WJXT Airs Special on Hurricane Dorian

Graham Media-owned WJXT Jacksonville, Fla., aired an hour-long documentary on Hurricane Dorian, “96 Hours of Anguish," on September 24. Reporter Vic Micolucci and Photojournalist Jesse Hanson captured hours of footage while they spent four days (96 hours) covering Hurricane Dorian after it made landfall on September 1. The resulting documentary highlights Bahamians who struggled to survive and Florida-based volunteer groups bringing supplies.

Broadcast TV: Top Source of Hurricane Dorian News Coverage

TVB, a trade association for local television broadcasters, commissioned a proprietary Hurricane Dorian Media Usage Study. The study, performed by market research firm Dynata, showed that people overwhelmingly chose local broadcast TV stations as their preferred news source. Key insights include:

• News Sources: 84 percent used TV station news for Hurricane Dorian information.
• Time Spent: At 3 hours and 24 minutes, respondents spent more time with local broadcast TV than any other source, more than twice than the time spent with social media.
• Information Source for Hurricane Preparation: 75 percent of respondents chose broadcast TV for information when preparing to face severe weather.
• Trust: 94 percent of respondents said that local TV news was the most trusted, while TV station news websites and apps were second mat 88 percent. Social media was the least trusted at 57 percent.

Radio Aids The Bahamas Following Dorian

Beasley Media Group launched a company-wide relief effort across its 65 radio stations asking listeners to donate money to Hurricane Dorian relief efforts and give blood to the American Red Cross.

Cox Media Group’s WEDR-FM, WFEZ-FM, WFLC-FM and WHQT-FM Miami and local Winn-Dixie stores collected donations during its “Labor of Love Bahamas Relief” event held September 5-6. Donations included non-perishable food, battery-powered radios, batteries, sunscreen, infant formula and diapers.

Entercom Miami’s WPOW-FM, WKIS-FM and WQAM-AM partnered with “Neighbors 4 Neighbors” to raise money for families affected by Hurricane Dorian.

Hubbard’s WRMF-FM West Palm Beach raised $200,000 (double their original goal) during a radiothon held September 11 for relief efforts in The Bahamas. Watch a video here and here.

iHeartMedia South Florida stations held several donation drives in September during its #iHeartBahamas Relief Effort. Donations filled 21 semi-trucks with water, non-perishable food, generators, building materials, hygiene products, tents, pet food and blankets. iHeartMedia staffers planned to travel to The Bahamas with law enforcement agencies and volunteers to deliver donations.

The NAB Congressional PSA Campaign

The NAB Congressional PSAs are now available to radio and television stations via Extreme Reach. Broadcasters can air the PSAs between now and December 31, 2019. This year, 303 members of Congress and their family members participated in the program. The six topics for the :30 spots are support for veterans, support for small businesses, opioid abuse prevention, mental health awareness, cancer prevention, and encouraging blood donations.