2020 Celebration of Service to America Award Winners

Every day, broadcasters reinforce their commitment to serving local communities by providing news, entertainment and vital information to keep viewers informed, inspired and safe. Through their passion and perseverance, broadcasters educate, advocate and investigate national and local issues to ensure every local community thrives.

Today, the importance of broadcasters providing trusted content and information can be heard and seen on local radio and television stations throughout the country. The NAB Leadership Foundation’s Celebration of Service to America Awards honor these local radio and television stations for going above and beyond their everyday duties, playing an integral part in informing, supporting and strengthening communities across our country. This year, the professionally produced program aired in 210 markets on 617 television and radio stations, including the top 10 markets, reaching 7.5 million people.

Zimmer Radio of Mid-Missouri Raises over $300,000 for Children’s Hospital

Zimmer Radio & Marketing Group’s KCLR, KTXY, KATI and KSSZ came together in 2019 for the 13th annual “Miracles for Kids Radiothon,” raising awareness and money for the University of Missouri’s Children’s Hospital. The event raised $309,000, bringing the local hospital's total amount to $2.81 million.

Gray Television Airs “Measure of Hate” Campaign

Throughout 2019, Gray Television aired several “Measure of Hate” stories in newscasts on all 93 Gray Television stations, as well as a 30-minute “Measure of Hate” documentary. The campaign exposed significant flaws and omissions in the FBI’s annual hate crime report, ultimately leading the FBI to overhaul policy and ending the agency’s decades-long illegal practice. Due to this investigation the FBI, public officials and law enforcers were required to change their reporting procedures and reevaluate the information and data available to measure hate crimes across this country accurately.

KIRO Aims to Prevent Domestic Violence with Coaching Boys Into Men

Bonneville International’s KIRO-AM Seattle, Wash., partnered with Coaching Boys Into Men in a campaign aimed at preventing domestic violence by teaching high school coaches and athletes how to be community leaders, focusing on youth leadership skills, domestic violence prevention and healthy relationships. The station hosted a training program for winter sports coaches, offering incentives for those who completed the program. Through this partnership, KIRO has reached more than 33,000 students with a 42 percent implementation rate throughout the Seattle area, and the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners have joined as official sponsors.

WKMG Tackles Florida’s Texting and Driving Law

Graham Media Group’s WKMG-TV, Orlando, Fla., initiated a multi-faceted, multi-year campaign, “Driving Change: Florida’s Texting and Driving Law," to strengthen Florida's texting and driving law after their news anchor Matt Austin was hit and seriously injured by a texting driver. WKMG gathered stories from viewers, created partnerships with law enforcement and legislators and confronted those lawmakers who created roadblocks to a piece of legislation designed to save lives on Florida's roadways. After three years of work, on July 1, 2019, those efforts resulted in a new law, making texting and driving a primary offense.

WSGW Hosts Radiothons for the Community

To help curb the increasing homelessness in the area, Alpha Media’s WSGW Saginaw, Mich., hosted the 14th annual “Sharing Hope Radiothon” to raise money for the Rescue Ministries of Mid-Michigan and its local shelters. With cross promotion from sister station 94.5 The Moose WCEN, this 12-hour campaign exceeded its fundraising goal and raised more than $47,000 while also educating the community. To show continued support for their sister station, WSGW partnered once again and helped raise awareness and donations for the two-day “St. Jude Kids Radiothon” to raise another $83,250.

WNDU Raises School Bus Safety Awareness

After the tragic deaths and critical injuries of four children crossing the highway to get on the school bus, Gray Television’s WNDU-TV South Bend, Ind., aired a series of reports, “Never Again: Preventing Bus Stop Tragedies,” which advocated for stronger school bus safety and awareness. In the series, WNDU spoke with grieving parents, residents, lawmakers and school bus drivers, and encouraged the Indiana General Assembly to pass the MAXSTRONG School Bus Safety bill into law. The Indiana governor signed the bill in May 2019, and WNDU also launched a “Stop Means Stop” back-to-school safety awareness campaign.

WKXW Highlights Judge Misconduct

In July 2019, Townsquare Media’s WKXW-FM Trenton, N.J., launched a series of reports highlighting misconduct within the New Jersey Family Court regarding rape and sexual assault cases. These investigative reports included the shocking details of local judges blocking prosecutors’ requests to try juveniles as adults as well as a pattern of victim blaming and encouraged the community and local lawmakers to respond to these injustices. As a result, the state Supreme Court accepted the judge’s resignation, removed another from the bench and implemented mandatory sex crime training for all judges.

WJHG Advocates for Federal Aid after Hurricane Michael

More than six months after Hurricane Michael hit an area of the Florida Panhandle nicknamed “The Forgotten Coast” on October 10, 2018, no federal aid had arrived to help the devastated community. Gray Television’s WJHG-TV Panama City, Fla., got to work educating the community at large about how long it had been waiting for federal relief in the series “Remembering the Forgotten.” Through social media, daily coverage of local suffering and national media outreach, this report ensured lawmakers heard the outcry for support. Finally, 236 days following Hurricane Michael, a federal disaster relief package passed and this area was one step closer to not feeling so forgotten.

Your local broadcasters are on the front lines providing critical, lifesaving support to their communities, even as they struggle from a steep decline in advertising revenue. Read more stories about broadcasters’ public service at WeAreBroadcasters.com/PublicService.

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