The NAB Pulse | January 10, 2011

January 10, 2011

Broadcasters' Public Service

WMDT-TV Keeps Salisbury Residents Warm this Winter

Coats collected for WMDT-TV's "Keeping Delmarva Warm" campaign.

Brechner Management Company's WMDT-TV Salisbury, Md., collected more than 750 winter coats during the station's "Keeping Delmarva Warm" coat drive between Thanksgiving 2010 and New Year's Day 2011. WMDT-TV's station Account Executive Teri Monahan said the community's response surpassed all expectations. She noted the non-profit organizations that received the coats, the Salisbury Salvation Army Chapter and the Community Emergency Shelter Project, were thrilled with the quantity and quality of the outerwear. Describing the campaign, Monahan explained, "We used the power of our television medium and our website to spread the word of the coat drive. We ran a 30-second promo using our on-air morning news talent asking viewers to take their gently used coats to the local business drop-off sites. The response has been heart-warming!"

WSET-TV Celebrates Veterans Past and Present

Managing Editor Noreen Turyn, Director of News Bill Foy and Anchor Pattie Martin collecting supplies and donations for the "Heroes From The Heart Of Virginia" project.

Allbritton-owned WSET-TV Lynchburg, Va., launched the "Heroes from the Heart of Virginia" campaign last November and December to recognize the dedication and sacrifices our men and women in the military – both past and present – make each day, particularly during the holiday season when many are separated from family and loved ones. The project encompassed every aspect of the station's operations: on air in the form of special programming, news stories and public service announcements; on the internet with a dedicated section of the station's website and a Facebook page; and in the community with a campaign to raise funds and gather goods for veterans overseas. Additionally, WSET-TV partnered with the Exchange Club of Lynchburg to raise more than $3,000 to send a group of local veterans to Washington, D.C., in the spring of 2011 for a tour of the country's war memorials. While they are in Washington, the veterans will see the World War II National Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Marine Corps Museum, among others.

Share Your Story in NAB's New Public Service Newsletter
NAB's Public Service Initiatives department is launching a newsletter in January 2011 that highlights radio and television broadcasters' outstanding service to their local communities. The newsletter will feature stories including clothing and canned food drives, public health and safety initiatives, blood donation campaigns, telethons to raise money for numerous charities and more. If your station has a great public service campaign that should be recognized, please email Allison Kreutzjans, manager, Public Service Initiatives, or call (202) 429-5448.