Radio and television broadcasters constantly serve local communities. Stations air lifeline emergency information; support our military; raise millions for hospitals and cancer research; collect food, clothes and toys; devote free air time to election coverage; and promote education.

Submit your station's public service to Suzie Raven.

Hurricane Matthew swept through the Southeast region of the United States October 6-8 with winds topping 100 mph, affecting more than 20 million Americans and causing billions of dollars in damage. Two million residents of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina lost power, and thousands were trapped in homes and cars. Local broadcast television and radio stations provided lifeline coverage during and after the storm, tracking Matthew’s path and providing information on outages, closures and shelters. "The nonstop live coverage highlights the enduring importance of local media," said Brian Stelter of CNN.

Graham Media Group’s WJXT Jacksonville, Fla., and dozens of other stations prepared viewers and listeners, issuing warnings for residents in evacuation zones. “We are committed to providing our viewers with information to keep them safe,” said WJXT’s Tracy Gaffney.

Broadcasters received praise from listeners and viewers for their coverage. Hearst’s NBC affiliate WESH-TV Orlando received e-mails commending stations for their rapid response and critical information. “Thanks to the work of first responders in partnership with 'first informers' -- local television and radio broadcasters -- millions were safely evacuated,” said Jordan Wertlieb, President, Hearst Television.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal publicly thanked Raycom’s CBS affiliate WTOC-TV Savannah for their "extremely helpful" and timely updates. Florida Governor Rick Scott also commended local stations for their "great coverage" of the storm.

View more great examples of broadcasters’ lifeline coverage of Hurricane Matthew.

WTVD Food Drive Collects a Million Meals

ABC-owned WTVD Durham, N.C., collected 15 large trucks of food and more than $135,000 for Hurricane Matthew relief on October 18. The drive will provide more than a million meals through the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina and the Second Harvest Food Bank in Fayetteville. ABC-owned stations in New York, L.A., Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston and Fresno, Calif. asked their viewers to donate to WTVD’s phone bank. Local iHeartMedia, RadioOne and Beasley Radio stations also promoted the event. WTVD will host its 30th annual “ABC11 Together Food Drive” later this month.

WRAL-TV Delivers for Families After Hurricane Matthew

Capitol Broadcasting’s NBC affiliate WRAL-TV Raleigh partnered with GoTriangle, the United Way and RDU International buses to deliver three buses and two vans filled with food and supplies on October 27 to families impacted by Hurricane Matthew in Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson and Johnston Counties.

In addition, WRAL-TV hosted a telethon that raised more than $200,000 for Hurricane Matthew flood relief efforts by the American Red Cross Triangle Area Chapter, Salvation Army North and South Carolina and NC Baptists on Mission.

Eastern N.C. Radio Hosts Hurricane Relief Telethon

Alpha Media’s WRNS, WERO-FM and KMYY-FM Washington, N.C., hosted a hurricane relief telethon on October 20. Gray Television’s NBC affiliate WITN also aired the event. Donations supported the Salvation Army’s recovery efforts in eastern North Carolina, which included 21 mobile feeding kitchens.

WECT Collects $50,000 for Flood Relief

Raycom’s NBC affiliate WECT Wilmington, N.C., raised $50,000 on October 17 to support the local United Way chapter’s flood relief efforts. In addition, WECT aired 42 consecutive hours of Hurricane Matthew coverage.

WYFF Telethon Nets $300,000

Hearst’s NBC affiliate WYFF-TV Greenville, S.C., raised $300,000 for the American Red Cross in a 12-hour telethon on October 14. WYFF also aired extensive weather tracking and breaking news coverage.

WGHP Raises $26,000 in Hurricane Matthew Telethon

Tribune’s Fox affiliate WGHP Greensboro, N.C., raised $26,000 in a 13-hour telethon for the Salvation Army following Hurricane Matthew. “We felt it was our responsibility to do what we could to help,” said General Manager Jim Himes.

WSFA Meteorologist Shares Personal Story

Raycom’s NBC affiliate WSFA Montgomery, Ala., Chief Meteorologist Josh Johnson shared his powerful personal story on losing his brother to prescription drug abuse in an effort to raise awareness of the opioid addiction crisis. Johnson’s brother, Chris, suffered a sports injury in high school that led to a prescription addiction. Johnson died of a heroin overdose in 2015, leaving behind a wife and a young son.

WBTN Launches 'Grip of Addiction' Series

Shires Media Partnership’s WBTN-AM in Bennington, Vt., launched on October 24 a four-part series called “Grip of Addiction” to address Bennington’s growing problem with heroin overdose-related deaths and lack of treatment facilities. The series will “draw attention to the importance of community radio to keep locals abreast of what’s going on in their town, and what’s being done or not being done,” said WBTN General Manager Ted Hollow. Listen to a preview.

WDIV Addresses Opioid Crisis

Graham Media Group’s NBC affiliate WDIV-TV Detroit is committed to addressing opioid abuse. “All of us at WDIV are keenly aware of the impact we can have when tackling important local problems, and the opioid addiction epidemic is of great concern to us,” said Director of Local Programming Laurie Oberman. In 2016, WDIV has aired documentaries, town halls, and 325 PSAs from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. WDIV also featured a local family’s struggle with abuse and provided information on treating addiction in young adults.

KION and KIII Participate in National Drug Take Back Day

TEGNA’s ABC affiliate KIII Corpus Christi, Texas, hosted a Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 22 at its studios. That same day, News-Press & Gazette’s CBS affiliate KION Monterey, Calif. promoted the local police department’s participation in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The initiative fights prescription drug abuse by removing expired or unused prescription drugs from circulation.

KSL-TV Hosts Town Hall on Opioid Addiction

Bonneville’s NBC affiliate KSL-TV Salt Lake City devoted a full day of coverage to the opioid abuse epidemic on October 20. In addition, KSL hosted an hour-long town hall on September 16 that aired live during prime time and streamed on Facebook. Educators, medical professionals and law enforcement officials urged parents to look for symptoms and warning signs that can indicate drug use, including unusual changes in a teenager's attitude, behavior or performance in school. KSL's timely event occured during a week that two local 13-year-olds died of drug-related overdoses.

KALC-FM Takes a Stand Against Medicine Abuse

Entercom’s KALC-FM Denver posted Macklemore's powerful "Drug Dealer" video to bring attention to the station’s prescription drug abuse resources. KALC-FM, along with local stations across the country, have joined the NAB and the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids’ campaign to address America’s opioid and prescription drug abuse epidemic. The station’s social media and on-air messaging share these tips for listeners to prevent abuse in their households. As of October 28, Entercom’s digital campaigns had garnered almost 600,000 impressions.

Broadcasters Educate Communities on Rx Drug and Heroin Abuse

Nearly 78 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. To address the epidemic, NAB has teamed with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids (Partnership) on a multi-faceted campaign that runs through the end of 2017. NAB has developed a digital toolkit with resources such as PSAs, digital messaging and programming ideas for broadcasters to educate their communities.

WSOY Decatur Collects 1.5 Million Pounds of Food

Neuhoff Communications' WSOY-AM/FM Decatur, Ill., raised 1.4 million pounds of food in the station’s 15th annual food drive, held October 11. The food benefits 10 local pantries. The station topped last year’s collection of 1.2 million pounds. In 15 years, over 7.5 million pounds of food has been collected. “For WSOY to be able to do what they do in a community the size of Decatur showcases the power of radio’s connection, the essence of human compassion and the spirit of a place that cares for its own,” said Neuhoff Communications CEO Beth Neuhoff.

Alpha Media Raises $131,000 for Thanksgiving Dinner

Alpha Media San Antonio raised a record $131,000 in the ninth annual “Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner Radiothon,” held October 21. The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner is named for a late local restaurateur who began serving meals to hundreds of people in need 36 years ago. His daughter, Patricia Jimenez, continues the event, which currently serves Thanksgiving Day meals to 25,000 people. "We're appreciative of Alpha Media for hosting the radiothon for a ninth straight year and the generosity of the San Antonio community never ceases to amaze us,” Jimenez said.

TEGNA Stations Deliver for ‘Make a Difference Day’

TEGNA stations across the country participated in the company’s 25th annual 'Make a Difference Day,' one of the largest annual single days of service nationwide, held October 22. Here are a few examples:

• ABC affiliate KVUE-TV Austin helped flood-proof the Katherine Anne Porter School, which educates underserved kids from seven counties. The school has flooded four times in two years.
• ABC affiliate WFAA-TV Dallas worked with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), with the aim of providing a volunteer to each abused and neglected child in foster care.
• ABC affiliate WZZM-TV Grand Rapids volunteers packed healthy snacks in kid-friendly decorated bags for Kids’ Food Basket. The nonprofit organization feeds 7,500 children.
• NBC affiliate WKYC-TV Cleveland organized volunteers who helped spruce up a farm that works with children with learning needs.
• CBS affiliate KHOU-TV Houston gathered at The Sheltering Arms Adult Day Center for adults who have Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Volunteers striped the parking lot, painted interiors, made holiday cards, prepared emergency kits, refinished specialty-made chairs and did gardening.
• NBC affiliate KUSA-TV Denver volunteers boxed food for more than 100 food banks in Colorado.
• ABC affiliate KBMT Beaumont, Tx. helped raise money to build a new adoption center to replace one that was destroyed in a fire.
• CBS affiliate WUSA Washington, D.C. filled its studio with volunteers to assemble bikes and toys for a local Boy & Girls Club.
• ABC affiliate KXTV Sacramento participated in the "Run for a Safe Haven 5K" to raise funds for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.
• NBC affiliate KGW-TV Portland, Ore. collected new, unwrapped toys that more than 130 nonprofits in Oregon and Southwest Washington will distribute during the holiday season.

WHO-AM Helps Veterans One Puppy at a Time

iHeartMedia’s WHO-AM Des Moines afternoon drive talk host Simon Conway raised a record $22,000 on October 7 for The Puppy Jake Foundation, far surpassing last year’s total of $6,000. The Puppy Jake Foundation acquires, raises and trains service dogs for physically and mentally wounded veterans. Since the beginning of 2016, they have given 11 service dogs to wounded veterans, with nine more “graduates” scheduled to receive their diplomas in March 2017. “I was speechless … for about two seconds,” joked Conway. “People drove long distances, handed over huge sums of money and donated enough to acquire, train and ultimately hand over a service dog to a wounded veteran for free!”

KXAS-TV Uncovers School Bus Scandal

NBC-owned KXAS Dallas conducted an investigation into Dallas County Schools bus drivers that led to 13 drivers being fired and 229 suspended. Records obtained by KXAS found more than 480 traffic citations have been issued to school bus drivers since Jan. 1, 2014 for violations such as running red lights. In some cases, bus drivers were caught on camera running past other buses that had their stop arms extended for loading or unloading students. Dallas County Schools had never punished the drivers involved. Instead, the district spent $80,000 of taxpayers' money to pay the fines.

Univision Houston Educates Families on Financial Aid

Univision Houston partnered with Project GRAD and the Houston Public Library to promote workshops every Saturday during October on FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. If families could not attend, they were encouraged to call Univision Houston’s FAFSA phone bank on October 5 to get answers about deadlines, requirements, qualifications and how to apply. The initiative is part of Univision Network’s annual campaign, ¡Estudia, Hay Dinero! (There’s Money to Study!), which provides information regarding financial aid for higher education.

WKMG Anchor Issues Texting and Driving Call to Action

Graham Media Group’s CBS affiliate WKMG-TV Orlando anchor Matt Austin suffered a concussion and required 10 staples in his head after his car was totaled by a driver who was texting. On the 11 p.m. newscast on October 17, Austin issued a call to action about texting and driving to call attention to laws that he considers to be lenient.