SOUTH CAROLINA'S BROADCASTERSSERVING EVERY LOCAL COMMUNITY
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Around the holidays, viewers of WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C.,donate toy after toy until six buses are crammed full and ready for Santa’s delivery. Every year, the station’s "Stuff-A-Bus" toy drive makes sure thousands of needy children receive Christmas presents. On two Fridays in December, the station arranges for city transit buses to be stationed at three separate collection sites from which the station airs live cut-ins throughout the day. Last year, the station’s main anchor and sports reporter started a "Bike Challenge." Viewers were asked to donate a bike at the drive location of their favorite on-air talent, which resulted in bragging rights for the main anchor and hundreds of shiny, new two-wheelers for the children. To get word out, the station teams with Clear Channel radio stations in the area. Together, the stations launch an extensive promotional campaign a month before the drive, including public service announcements featuring families that have been helped by the effort in past years. On the days of the drive, a "homepage takeover" occurs on the WLTX Web site, where all banner ads are replaced by promotions for "Stuff-A-Bus."
WRHI-AM/FM in Rock Hill, S.C., has harnessed the true spirit of Christmas with its "Toys for Happiness" campaign. The station started the effort more than 15 years ago to make sure all children in the area have gifts under the tree. The effort has blossomed into a true community effort: needy families can apply to be part of the program through the local United Way and its 30 agencies; schools donate gymnasium space for toy storage; and volunteers sort through toys for distribution. Each year, nearly 30,000 toys make their way to South Carolina children. Regular promotional spots start playing at Thanksgiving. In addition, news stories keep listeners up to date on progress, and live remotes from toy collection areas run at least a half-dozen times during the one-month span. All of this coverage is duplicated on the station’s Web stream. "Virtually every word out of our mouths from Thanksgiving through December is about ‘Toys for Happiness.’ And just like the miracle of Christmas, toys start coming in," said Manning Kimmel, managing partner of WRHI. "The campaign involves literally hundreds, if not thousands, of community members. It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of."
There is no more relevant issue than today’s economy, which is why WYFF-TV in Greenville, S.C., launched its ongoing series, “Project Economy.” The effort is part of a multifaceted campaign organized by WYFF’s parent station group, Hearst-Argyle Television. In addition to national economic news, daily airtime is being dedicated to money-saving tips, feature stories about unemployed locals seeking work, job trends in the area, and area businesses and their struggles during the recession. The Web site component of the project includes guest bloggers, savings calculators and an interactive online community where members can share advice. To help people find work, WYFF partnered with local radio stations WJMZ-FM and WHZT-FM for a job fair, where participants were able to apply for hundreds of openings and receive help with résumé writing. "WYFF has a long history of helping our community through tough times and this year will be no different,” said Justin Antoniotti, WYFF news director. “‘Project Economy’ is our pledge to help viewers through this economic downturn.”
In October 2007, when a beach house fire claimed the lives of seven college students from the state, four of whom were from the immediate area, WYFF-TV in Greenville, S.C., immediately began airing information to help their community cope with the situation. Breaking news coverage started with aerial shots of the crisis and continued for a week with extended news coverage online. The station broadcast the University of South Carolina vigil services live to help viewers share in the grieving process. "The loss rocked the four mid-sized areas that our station covers," said WYFF President and General Manager Michael Hayes. Months after the fire, WYFF continues to provide information to help the community heal, including an exclusive interview with the parents of fire victim Lauren Mahon about their grieving process. WYFF was a National Association of Broadcasters’ Service to America Award winner in 2008.
To raise money for the Future Leader Scholarship Fund, an educational effort of Glory Communications, WFMV-FM in Columbia, S.C., organizes and promotes several events throughout the year. In 2007, local musical groups from Columbia, Lake City, Orangeburg and Sumter took the stage to help the cause. The station used more than 100 minutes of public service announcements and live talk from on-air talent during every shift to get word out about the choir concert series. The station also organized "March Mania," a basketball tournament, where church and community teams were invited to play one another. In addition to promotional spots before the event, live reports and donation updates were given twice an hour during the tournament. To award the students chosen as recipients of the scholarship and thank the community for its support, WFMV organized Family Fest, a large outdoor concert in Columbia’s Finlay Park where six college-bound students were awarded $1,500 checks. In total, station staff put more than 500 hours into events supporting the scholarship fund during the year.
Surveys show the majority of Americans haven’t pick up a book lately, but that is not the case in the viewing area of WCSC-TV in Charleston, S.C., where the station recently partnered with the local library for its first-ever "Big Read." The campaign, which was centered around a community-wide reading of Zora Neale Hurston’s 1937 book "Their Eyes Were Watching God," promoted literacy and celebrated bringing people together through literature. The novel was a perfect pick for the residents of the lowcountry, who have a rich Gullah heritage and a desire to preserve Gullah traditions. In total, more than 58,000 people attended 60 Big Read events at 30 locations across the county, including local colleges, bookstores, rural community centers and outdoor venues. More than 100 public service announcements featuring WCSC anchor Ann McGill aired in support of the project. News coverage was heavy and included more than two dozen community segments, on-set interviews and live broadcasts from events, some of which were hosted by station talent. McGill conducted the program "Zora’s Insight of the Rural South," where she talked about how growing up in rural South Carolina gave her insight into the characters in the book, and anchor Raphael James emceed a final event, "Their Eyes Were Watching God: Expressions of Praise in the Southern Folk Tradition."
When it comes to broadcasting the most important political events in the state, WGCV-AM of Columbia, S.C., covers it all. In the early days of the presidential election cycle, the presidential candidates came to South Carolina and the station provided its listeners with the type of live, comprehensive coverage essential to help voters truly understand the issues. The station broadcast the candidacy announcements of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and its coverage included interviews with local voters, political pundits and campaign representatives. When the Democratic and Republican candidates held their "First in the South" debates, the station carried them live and provided analysis and interviews following the contests. WGCV also broadcast the address of U.S. House of Representatives Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC-6) to a joint session of the South Carolina legislature — the first time an African-American had done so since Reconstruction. WGCV was a National Association of Broadcasters’ Crystal Award Finalist in 2008.
WJMZ-FM in Greenville, S.C., is working hard to make sure listeners are registered to vote and informed on Election Day. The station held a voter registration drive with sister station WHZT-FM at the gates of Fluor Field. The event, complete with a live broadcast, participation by on-air personalities, demonstration voter machines and representatives to answer registration questions, inspired those passing by to be part of the democratic process. In related efforts, the station routinely invites elected public officials and political candidates on the air. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were interviewed on WJMZ leading up to the South Carolina primary. In partnership with the League of Women Voters of Spartanburg County and a local television station, the station is hosting an October political forum for the 16 candidates running in the eight contested local and state November races. In addition, the station’s Web site has an extensive election resource section, including a downloadable registration form and a review of voting machine instructions. "No matter your political party, WJMZ and WHZT feel strongly that every upstate resident needs to have their voice heard," said Stephen Crumbley, operations manager for the stations. "Obviously, our national election is receiving a lot of press, but it is just as important for our listeners to get out and vote on state and local matters."
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in South Carolina, a statistic that prompted WIS-TV in Columbia, S.C., to partner with the National Prostate Coalition and Doctors Care to bring a two-day mobile screening unit to the area. During the event, 807 men received free Prostate Specific Antigen tests, setting a record, according to the National Prostate Coalition. WIS promoted the screenings with live interviews of its partners, as well as news coverage and public service announcements, which began airing two weeks beforehand. The station donated more than $20,000 in airtime to promotion of the event alone. "Through our partnership, men in the local community became better informed regarding annual prostate cancer screenings and the importance of taking ownership of one’s health," said Katie Gorscak from the National Prostate Coalition.
For the fourth year in a row, morning show hosts Mitch Adams and Alix Michaels from WMYB-FM in Myrtle Beach, S.C., braved the cold, ants, lack of sleep and sore throats for the station’s "Camp Out to Stamp Out Hunger" food drive. The duo camped for three days straight, broadcasting live from various locations along the Grand Strand and encouraging listeners to bring non-perishable food items and monetary donations to their camp site. The donations totaled more than six tons of food for the Low Country Food Bank and helped feed thousands of people during the 2007 holiday season. "It’s a new record for the camp out," said Mitch and Alix. "We beat the previous year by two and a half tons!"
It was a Veterans Day to remember for 150 local World War II veterans who spent the day in Washington, D.C., because of the efforts of WPDE-TV in Myrtle Beach, S.C. For many of the men and women, it was their first and only chance to see the National World War II Memorial. To make the trip possible, the station held a day-long telethon, which raised $20,300 – enough to cover the entire cost of the trip. The station ran public service announcements, promotional mentions and news stories about the fundraiser, as well as interviews with veterans about what the anticipated trip meant to them. While in D.C., the WPDE news crew captured the emotion, awe and appreciation of the veterans at the memorial and shared it with viewers through live cut-ins every 30 minutes throughout the day. The station continued with the veterans’ stories through follow-up interviews once they returned to South Carolina. In an area with a high population of veterans, being able to contribute to the event was personal for many, including WPDE’s Billy Huggins who donated in honor and remembrance of his five uncles who served in WWII but did not live long enough to see the memorial finished.
For more examples of how South Carolina’s local radio and TV broadcasters are serving every local community, please contact the South Carolina Broadcasters Association .