| Licensed to Serve – December 2013 |
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NAB's Licensed to Serve newsletter provides a sample of noteworthy stories that illustrate the many public service activities broadcasters organize on any given day across the country. From arranging record-breaking toy and food drives to providing free air time for political campaign coverage, broadcasters' continual commitment to their communities is showcased in Licensed to Serve. |
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| Stations Collect Food, Money and Other Items for Local Families in Need | |
WMGK-FM Philadelphia's Turkey Drop Collects 9,462 Turkeys  Greater Media's WMGK-FM Philadelphia's morning host John DeBella held the 12th annual John DeBella Turkey Drop. WMGK-FM staff collected donations for turkeys in 10 locations across the city. The one-day drive raised enough funds to purchase 9,462 turkeys. All proceeds were donated to Cityteam Philadelphia, an organization that provides holiday meals and other services to less fortunate individuals and families in the area. |
Scripps's WXYZ-TV collects 13,200 Pounds of Food  Scripps Media's ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV Detroit held the Together We Can food drive to help fight hunger in Detroit during the holiday season. Throughout the month of November, viewers were encouraged to drop off non-perishable items at locations across the Detroit metro area. In total, the campaign collected more than 13,200 pounds of food, which was distributed to local soup kitchens, shelters and pantries. |
Gannett's KUSA-TV Collects 586,000 Meals for Denver Residents  Gannett's NBC affiliate KUSA-TV Denver held the 31st annual 9Cares Colorado Shares Food Drive. Viewers were invited to donate food and money at one of 35 locations on November 16. The drive collected enough food and cash donations to purchase 586,000 meals for Denver residents in need. The food was distributed to 100 food banks across Colorado. Click here to watch video from the drive. |
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Entercom Buffalo Collects 1,700 Turkeys During One-Day Drive  Entercom's Buffalo radio stations teamed up with the Buffalo Sabres to hold a Thanksgiving turkey drive on November 21 to benefit local food pantries. For every turkey dropped off for the drive at the Entercom Buffalo offices, the Sabres gave away two tickets to an upcoming game to the donor. In total, 1,700 turkeys were donated, and 4,000 tickets were distributed. |
Saga Stations Collect Record 577,000 Meals in Chesapeake  Saga Communications' WNOR-FM and WAFX-FM Chesapeake, Va., hosted the 17th annual Mayflower Marathon Food Drive. The three-day event collected a record 577,678 meals for those in need in the Chesapeake area. All food and monetary donations went to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula. |
New Hampshire Radio Raises $82,000 for Locals in Need  Clear Channel's WGIR-FM Manchester and WHEB-FM Portsmouth, N.H., along with Saga Communication's WKNE-FM Keene, NH and a few other local radio stations broadcast the 23rd annual Lend a Helping Can Radiothon hosted by New Hampshire's morning show, "Greg & The Morning Buzz." The two-day event raised more than $82,000, and the proceeds were given to 11 local agencies that feed New Hampshire's needy and homeless. |
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WCMT-AM/FM Collects $20,000 for Special Needs Adults  Thunderbolt Broadcasting's WCMT-AM/FM Martin, Tenn., hosts Chris Brinkley and Paul Tinkle of the "Good Times in the Morning" program held a four-hour radiothon for the local St. John's Community Development Services Center. The event raised $17,000 for St. John's CDS, which serves approximately 100 special needs adults and provides opportunities for them to perform skills that allow them to remain productive in society. An additional $3,200 was mailed or delivered to the radio station. The total campaign raised more than $20,000. |
WBAL-TV Gives Away 840 Coats to Baltimore Kids in Need  Hearst's NBC affiliate WBAL-TV Baltimore held a Coats for Kids event to provide new coats to needy children. Twenty Baltimore nonprofits submitted the names of children in the region who needed coats to the station. As part of the broader WBAL Kid Campaign, WBAL-TV raised money from viewers and then negotiated with the local Burlington Coat Factory store to purchase the 840 coats. WBAL-TV's staff filled their orders, and then hosted an event to give away the new coats to the children. |
WHUR-FM Raises $101,000 and a Truck Full of Food for DC Residents  The Howard University Radio Network's WHUR-FM Washington broadcast the 36th annual Food2Feed radiothon to help feed families in the Washington, DC area. WHUR-FM broadcast live from the Old Post Office Pavilion for 12 hours, encouraging listeners to make monetary donations or drop off non-perishable items. The radiothon raised more than $101,000 and a tractor-trailer filled with canned food and other items. The Capital Area Food Bank and Shabach Ministries Inc. distributed the baskets of food to families in need. |
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WWTN-FM's Radiothon Raises S111,000 for Those in Need in Nashville  Cumulus Media's WWTN-FM Nashville hosted the Hunger to Hope Radiothon to support the Nashville Rescue Mission which provides food, clothing and shelter to Nashville's poor and homeless. WWTN-FM broadcast commercial-free for 14 hours outside the Rescue Mission, challenging listeners to donate to those in need. In total, the radiothon raised more than $111,000. |
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| Broadcasters Provide Relief After Midwestern Tornadoes | |
WGN-AM and WGN-TV Collect $503,000+ for Tornado Victims  Tribune Broadcasting's WGN-AM and WGN-TV Chicago partnered with the McCormick Foundation to host the Illinois Tornado Relief Day of Giving, a campaign to support nonprofit agencies that are providing disaster relief and recovery efforts to the Midwestern communities hit by the November tornado. While the initiative will continue through the end of the year, thus far the stations have collected more than $503,000. Click here to watch coverage of the campaign. |
WSCR-AM Helps Tornado Victims During Holiday Season  CBS Radio's WSCR-AM Chicago is hosting the fifth annual "Sporting the Spirit" holiday charity drive, this year shifting the focus to providing relief to those in the Midwest who were impacted by recent tornadoes. WSCR-AM set up drop-off sites across Chicago in late November for listeners to donate items that would help with the relief efforts. Beginning the first week of December, listeners will be encouraged to donate holiday gifts and children's toys. The Sporting the Spirit drive will conclude at the end of December, when station staff will personally deliver the gifts to those in the impacted areas. |
| Broadcasters Support America's Troops | |
WLEN-FM's "Thank a Vet" Raises $18,500 for Local Veterans  On November 8, WLEN-FM Adrian, Mich., hosted the 8th annual "Thank a Vet" day to assist local veterans with their rent, mortgage payments to avoid foreclosure, utility bills, rental facilities and transportation stipends. The 12-hour radiothon raised more than $18,500, and all the proceeds were giving to the Housing Help of Lenawee County, to be distributed to local veterans. To date, the event has raised more than $60,000 for veterans in Lenawee County.
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The Bert Show Sends 250,000 Letters to the Troops  Syndicated radio program "The Bert Show" held the Big Thank You campaign to collect cards for military men and women serving in the armed forces, to ensure they received a thank you note from an American this Thanksgiving. This year the initiative collected 250,000 letters. Over the past four years, the syndicated radio show has collected and distributed more than 1.1 million letters. |
WUSA-TV Washington Collects $100,000 to Buy Thanksgiving Dinners for Military Families  Gannett's CBS affiliate WUSA-TV Washington teamed up with the USO of Metropolitan Washington to host the fourth annual Turkey for Troops campaign to raise money to thank military families during the holiday season. WUSA-TV held a phone bank during the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. newscasts on Veterans Day. Viewers were invited to call in with donations. In total, more than $100,000 was raised, enough money to buy 2,000 dinners for families of six. |
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| Broadcasters Help Typhoon Victims in the Phillippines | |
WBBM-AM Chicago Raises $2.1 Million For Red Cross  CBS-owned WBBM-AM Chicago raised more than $2.1 million during its Day of Giving campaign on December 3. Proceeds from the event will benefit the American Red Cross efforts to aid those affected by the typhoon in the Philippines and by disasters at home. "We were honored to assist in helping get aid to where it's needed, both locally and around the world," said Marty Wilke, WBBM president and general manager. |
Hawaiian Broadcasters Host Fundraiser for Typhoon Victims  Broadcasters across Hawaii are teaming up to host "Kokua For The Philippines," a radio, television and Internet concert to benefit the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The concert will be held on December 15. Television stations that plan to air the event include KFVE-TV, KGMB-TV, KHNL-TV, KHON-TV, KIKU-TV and KITV-TV. Participating radio stations include KSSK-FM, KSSK-AM and KDNN-FM. The concert can be heard on many station's websites and on the mobile app iHeartRadio. |
CBS Stations in California Raise $700K for Typhoon Victims  CBS Television stations across California responded to the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines by partnering with CBS Radio, CBS Outdoor and the American Red Cross to raise awareness and funds for Typhoon Relief. Through efforts across California, CBS raised more than $700,000 for the Red Cross. CBS stations that participated included KCBS-TV, KCAL-TV and six CBS radio stations in Los Angeles; KPIX-TV, KBCW-TV and the CBS Radio cluster in San Francisco; and KOVR-TV, KMAX-TV and the CBS Radio cluster in Sacramento. |
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KROQ-FM Raises $25,000 for Red Cross Relief in the Philippines  CBS Radio's KROQ-FM Los Angeles teamed with the Red Cross to raise funds for typhoon relief in the Philippines. The station auctioned off ten pairs of Ultimate Experience Packages to its flagship holiday contest extravaganza, the 24th annual Almost Acoustic Christmas at the Shrine Auditorium. The auction raised in excess of $25,000 for the Red Cross. |
NBC Washington Raises $25,000 for Typhoon Relief  NBC-owned WRC-TV Washington held a telethon on November 12 to raise money for typhoon relief in the Philippines. From 11 am to 7 p.m., viewers were encouraged to call in the station's phone bank and pledge a donation to help the millions who need safe water, food and shelter in the Philippines. The telethon raised $25,000. |
| Univision Continues to Aid Hispanic Communities | |
Univision Educación Designates a Day of "Action for Education"  Univision Communications Inc., in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and numerous national and local organizations, announced "Acción por la Educación!," an effort to create awareness of the Common Core State Standards and its impact on the Hispanic student population. Students and parents were encouraged to take a pledge to access information, create awareness with friends, speak with their child's teacher about the new standards and learn how they can provide support at home. This effort is part of the company's comprehensive, multiplatform education initiative, Univision Educación. |
Univision Radio & KXLN-TV Help with Health Care Enrollment On November 16, Univision Radio and Univision's KXLN-TV Houston hosted an Affordable Care Act town hall and an enrollment and health fair. The event featured remarks from U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez, Houston Mayor Annise Parker and a panel discussion with Reps. Gene Green, All Green and Sheila Jackson Lee. KXLN-TV's news anchor Lizzet Lopez and Univision Radio's on-air host Renzo Heredia moderated the discussion. The event had nearly 2,000 people in attendance, approximately 207 people enrolled on-site and 494 attendees scheduled appointments for future enrollment. |