VIRGINIA'S BROADCASTERSSERVING EVERY LOCAL COMMUNITY
| Total Generated: | $198,695,120 |
At the end of the 2006 school year, the viewing area of WJLA-TV in Arlington, Va., had lost more than three dozen teens to motor vehicle crashes. The station, local law enforcement and Northern Virginia chapter of Mother’s Against Drunk Driving banded together to design a program about driving safety that could reach young audiences in a individual and lasting way. Now in its third year, "Drive to Stay Alive" has been presented to more than 25,000 young drivers at school assemblies. The 45-minute presentation is hosted by station anchor Leon Harris and medical reporter Kathy Fowler, herself a survivor of a deadly teen crash. Among its many components are a video report produced by the station chronicling teen driving behavior, a presentation by a local police officer about the 40 percent of teen crashes involving alcohol or drugs, Fowler’s personal story of survival, a segment by WJLA reporter Horace Holmes who accompanied the Montgomery Alcohol Enforcement unit for a weekend as it pursued underage drinkers and a video memorializing local teens who lost their lives in crashes. A related one-hour primetime special aired on WJLA during prom season 2008 and was then distributed on DVD to high schools throughout the area. Currently, WJLA is in preliminary talks with the Maryland Highway Administration about plans to take the program statewide.
A friend to animals, WXLK-FM in Roanoke, Va., supports its local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals throughout the year. The Saturday before Halloween, the annual "Walk for the Animals" brings out four-legged participants and their owners to raise funds. Complete with a howl-o-ween theme and pet costume contest, the family event raised a record 22,000 in 2007 with the help of WXLK’s media sponsorship. In 2008, the station organized an inaugural Easter egg hunt for dogs. A hundred participants were expected for the "K92 Great Egg Beg," and 500 showed up at the "Six Wags" dog park. The $2,500 in proceeds from admission charges went directly to the SPCA. In addition to raising funds to keep the shelter open, the station also helps animals find the right home. The station’s "Pet of the Week" segment airs live on the "Danny and Zack" show and features an interview with a representative from the animal shelter and the pet up for adoption. "The staff of WXLK has been instrumental in promoting the mission of the Roanoke Valley SPCA," said Kathy Purdue, director of marketing and special events for the shelter. "They promote the necessity of spaying and neutering, the benefits of microchipping and the value of all animals."
The long-term commitment of WVEC-TV in Norfolk, Va., to The Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters has helped bring 25 years worth of miracles to local kids. Each summer, the hospital, which houses the only pediatric emergency room and surgical facility in the area, receives crucial support from WVEC viewers during the "Children’s Miracle Network Telethon Celebration." Donations from the 2007 telethon reached $3.3 million. During the five-hour live broadcast, which is the region’s single largest fundraiser for a children’s cause, patients and their families shared stories of perseverance and hope. WVEC medical editor Kathryn Barrett reported live from the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and local organizations and businesses that held fundraisers throughout the year had the opportunity to present their donations on the air. In addition to the telethon, the station provides year-round support, including weekly news interviews with medical staff from the hospital, public service announcements for additional fundraising campaigns and the participation of station talent at events. WVEC gives more than $100,000 worth of airtime to the hospital each year.
"On Your Side," the twice-weekly segment during the 6 p.m. newscast from WWBT-TV in Richmond, Va., takes real action on issues that affect area residents. Topics range from bringing resolution to landlord disputes to recruiting volunteers for the National Folk Festival (which the station also sponsored) to helping convert a home to accommodate a wheelchair. Viewer Keith Frank, who had not slept well in more than a year due to medical reasons and an inadequate mattress, was delivered a new bed. "Words can’t come out for the way I feel or for my appreciation for what you all do," said Frank of "On Your Side." In addition to the broadcast segment, the "Call 12" phone bank, staffed by community volunteers, answers questions about designated topics and takes note of people in need every weekday. The value this programming brings to its viewers has earned the station the Douglas Southall Freeman Award for Public Service multiple times.
Many children went back to school ready to learn and stocked with school supplies, thanks to WSLQ-FM in Roanoke, Va., and its annual "Pack the Bus" campaign. For five days in August, Dick and Dave from the station’s morning show did a series of live broadcasts from the parking lot of local area stores, where they invited listeners to donate everything from backpacks to pencils to provide for children who would otherwise be without. The crew "packed" the donated supplies in school buses at the event. Officials from the 21 school systems that benefit from the campaign joined the WSLQ team for the live broadcasts. The 2007 event provided $50,000 worth of school supplies, covering children in schools throughout the entirety of the station’s geographic listening area.
Two times each month, WZRV-FM in Front Royal, Va., broadcasts live from a Red Cross mobile blood drive. The station gives away anything that might bring people out. Danishes, Band-aids, station T-shirts and bumper stickers have all been used to motivate listeners. And the efforts have paid off. According to Andrew Shearer, president and owner of Royal Broadcasting, the Allegheny Region of the American Red Cross sees a higher turnout rate when WZRV shows up. "Our presence is meaningful and provides a demonstrable result," said Shearer, who has personally reached the status of a two-gallon donor. Each week, the station runs more than a dozen public service announcements asking the community to join its on-air personalities at a blood drive. WZRV broadcasts live numerous times each year from blood drives in each county within its listening area.
Thousands of children headed into winter prepared with warm coats thanks to the efforts of WAVY-TV in Portsmouth, Va. For 19 years the station has been committed to its "Coats for Kids" campaign, an annual drive that distributes much needed outerwear on a first come, first serve basis to any family in need. The evening news anchors make regular appeals to viewers, whose generosity resulted in the donation of nearly 12,000 coats in 2007. The station coordinates 13 distribution sites throughout Hampton Roads, northeast North Carolina and the Eastern Shore of Virginia. A distribution day is scheduled each November, December and January. "To see the kids getting their coats melts your heart," said Janet Charity of the YWCA, which has hosted a distribution site for many years. "We have families that look forward to the drive every year."
For more examples of how Virginia’s local radio and TV broadcasters are serving every local community, please contact the Virginia Association of Broadcasters .