ALABAMA'S BROADCASTERSSERVING EVERY LOCAL COMMUNITY
| Total Generated: | $193,842,961 |
WQSB-FM in Albertville, Ala., got behind the microphone to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. During its annual 13-hour radiothon, the station shared the airwaves with its community. Local children receiving treatment told their stories, and community leaders shared their support on the air; the station interviewed volunteers and local high school children who worked to collect donations. Stories of hope continued throughout the marathon broadcast as people stopped by the studio or called in. In related fundraising efforts, WQSB staff took to the streets for a "Baby Bucket" campaign, accepting drive-by donations from multiple locations during the radiothon, and the station recruited hundreds of area students to participate in its "Tie One On for the Kids at St. Jude’s" project, where each student wore a wristband featuring the name of an actual patient for a week. When the combined efforts were totaled, the "WQSB St. Jude Children’s Hospital Radiothon and Fundraiser" had raised more than $112,000 to further research and help the many local children who travel to St. Jude for treatment. Most of the staff at WQSB has toured the St. Jude facility, 100 miles away in Memphis, Tenn., to gain firsthand knowledge of its important work.
The holidays were brighter for those in need thanks to the annual "12’s Day of Giving," organized by WSFA-TV in Montgomery, Ala. Each year, the station fulfills its mission to help local families make the holidays special when they cannot afford to otherwise by hosting a one-day event that benefits three local charities at once: Toys For Tots, Christmas Clearing House and the Montgomery Area Food Bank. A "12’s Day of Giving" record was set this past holiday season with the collection of more than 5,000 pounds of food, 3,000 toys and $21,000, almost double the donations from the previous year. Promotional spots began running several weeks before the event. On the day of the event, WSFA tents staffed with on-air personalities were set up in a community location for 14 hours. Viewers were encouraged to donate during live broadcasts and hourly updates throughout the day. Each year, more than $10,000 in airtime is donated. The board of the Montgomery Area Food Bank recognized WSFA at the end of 2007, stating, "Your extended coverage of our operation and your overall commitment to helping our food bank has been a very big help to the community that we both serve."
When a deadly tornado hit a high school and elementary school in Enterprise in March 2007, WTVY-TV in Dothan, Ala. diverted its news crews and reached the scene within 10 minutes of the twister touchdown. As a first informer, their live coverage was critical in keeping the community informed. In addition to providing information to parents on where to pick up their children when schools began closing earlier in the day, WTVY provided wall-to-wall coverage throughout the afternoon as the severe weather grew. Key information broadcast to viewers throughout the affected area included power outage notification and instructions on where to get water, how to volunteer and where to give blood. In the days following, the station provided extended coverage, including live broadcasts of visits from Gov. Bob Riley and President George W. Bush to the damaged area. In the aftermath, the station remained a main source of news about disaster relief efforts.
With the help of WAFF-TV in Huntsville, Ala., homes throughout the northern part of the state are now equipped with weather radios. In the wake of tornados that touched down in the middle of the night in February 2008, the station made an initial donation of 200 programmed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association weather radios to families that were affected. The station had been promoting the importance of weather radios for almost two years and knew there was still a great need, especially in rural communities. To address the issue further, WAFF recruited the University of Alabama Huntsville Meteorology Club and the National Weather Service to help set up 19 weather radio programming events throughout its viewing area. The first radio programming events were in counties hit by the tornadoes. As the WAFF 48 Storm Team arrived, people were lined up with their radios waiting. In response to these events, companies began to purchase weather radios for employees and communities began stepping up to get weather radios into the hands of all residents. WAFF’s initial weather radio donation sparked an outpouring from individuals and businesses throughout the Heart of the Valley. In response, the station created the "WAFF 48 Storm Team Weather Radio Project." To date, it has provided 483 weather radios to families in need.
Taking an innovative approach to celebrating Black History Month, WIAT-TV in Birmingham, Ala., headed into the classroom for the second year. Using the children as the talent, WIAT helps local schools develop news segments about different figures in black history, which are then broadcast in every newscast throughout the day for the month of February. The Archives Division of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Birmingham Public Library provide historical graphics, pictures and video for the stories, which the children record at the studio. In one 2008 segment, Keita Scott, a fifth-grader from Restoration Academy, spoke about Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American elected to the U.S. Congress. In another segment, Angelica Jaimes from Homewood Middle School narrated the accomplishments of Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr. Station staff contributes an estimated 50 hours to the project each year. In 2008, 29 individual segments were recorded. The station produced DVDs of the entire series for each participating school to use in the classroom.
The last Saturday of each month, on-air personality B. Money from WBHJ-FM in Birmingham, Ala., and his listeners head into the community with supplies to clean, paint and restore the beauty of local establishments. The JAMZCorp clean-up crew has donated their time and energy to neighborhoods, parks, schools, churches and community centers. Promotional mentions are
run for the two weeks leading up to each of the scheduled clean-up days to recruit and remind the community of WBHJ’s effort. "The program has meant a whole lot to the entire city of Birmingham," said Pastor Steve Green from the More Than Conquerors Faith Church, who has volunteered with members of his church in the JAMZCorp effort. "It is one of the best things I’ve seen happen as a community project in the 25 years I’ve been a pastor." To date, JAMZCorp has reached four neighborhoods and has no plans of slowing down.
When a heat wave hit in the summer of 2007, threatening the health of the young and the elderly, WBMA-LP , WJSU-TV and WCFT-TV in Birmingham, Ala., broadcast safety information on how to avoid heatstroke and started an air conditioner campaign to help those who couldn’t afford one. Viewers were encouraged to donate window units or monetary contributions for the purchase of new units. Nearly $20,000 worth of airtime was donated in public service announcements and on-air support of the drive. In total, 235 families in 31 ZIP codes across central Alabama received air conditioners, providing them protection throughout the several weeks of triple digit temperatures when the combination of humidity and sun sent the daily heat index soaring.
As part of the "LIN TV’s Day of Caring," a work day when staff from 30 television stations in 18 markets dedicate their time to people experiencing hardship, 60 employees from WALA-TV and WBPG-TV in Mobile, Ala. rolled up their sleeves and helped in the rebuilding of a an elderly couple’s home, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Charlie and Patsy Wagner, like many other residents of Dauphin Island, Ala., were in the process of recovering from Hurricane Ivan when Katrina hit. Their home suffered catastrophic damages and they lacked sufficient insurance. Together with the Southeast chapter of Volunteers of America, the stations’ staff worked with contractors to frame a new home, clear away trash and debris and landscape the yard. "It was an enormous undertaking but a very rewarding day," said WALA’s Kyle Claude. The stations donated $5,000 toward the reconstruction effort and provided a total of 420 volunteer hours.
When Dallas County District Judge Robert Armstrong approached BroadSouth Communications with concern about juvenile crime, WHBB-AM and WDXX-FM in Selma, Ala., committed to making the issue their top public service campaign for the 2006-07 school year. They created the "Safe School Challenge," a competition between schools in Dallas County to see which could
achieve the greatest reduction of juvenile incidents per capita. The campaign was based on the idea that creating awareness
could deter juvenile crime. The stations provided no less than 2,000 minutes of airtime in the form of 10-, 30- and 60-second announcements and talk show interview time. They also solicited funding to provide schools with banners and T-shirts and paid for printed materials. Court officials attended school assemblies to explain the Challenge, which involved a student pledge to avoid criminal activity and unruly behavior, and the development of a Safe School Challenge Counsel comprised of student leaders. The winning school was awarded a party, trophy and prizes. In September 2007, after evaluating the juvenile incidents involving Dallas County District Court appearances, it was determined that overall juvenile charges decreased by 27 percent and juvenile assault charges decreased by 40 percent. Station staff can sum up their feelings on the program’s impact in one word, "Wow!"
For more examples of how Alabama’s local radio and TV broadcasters are serving every local community, please contact the Alabama Broadcasters Association .