CALIFORNIA'S BROADCASTERSSERVING EVERY LOCAL COMMUNITY
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Morning show hosts Mark and Brian from KLOS-FM in Los Angeles, Calif., have been helping homeless animals find permanent addresses for the past decade with their annual pet adoption event. The day of the 2007 "Mark & Brian Pet Adoption," a six-hour remote from the Long Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals allowed KLOS on-air personalities to interview new pet parents and encourage other listeners to come and adopt. In addition, the event provided information on good pet care and raised funds for the KLOS Spay and Neuter Fund through merchandise sales, including pet emergency kits and "Mark & Brian" pet and people bandanas. During the five weeks leading up to adoption day, the station aired more than 450 public service announcements. During the "Mark & Brian Show," pet experts were interviewed, and listeners who had adopted at previous adoption events called in to encourage others to do the same. The station’s public affairs show "Spotlight on the Community" featured a one-hour special with the director of the SPCA Los Angeles. The hard work paid off. The event reached its goal of helping alleviate shelter overcrowding when more than 300 cats, dogs, kittens and puppies went home with new families and $10,000 was raised for the KLOS Spay & Neuter Fund.
Whether it’s a tip on how to wear a bike helmet properly or encouragement to stand up and tell the truth, KUSI-TV in San Diego, Calif., has dedicated a regular public service announcement (PSA) series to its youngest audience. The station’s "Tips for Kids" campaign provides advice on an array of topics and airs each Saturday during the station’s children’s programming. In addition to tips featuring KUSI news anchors and reporters, this year the station gave kids the opportunity to share tips with their fellow youngsters by inviting all first- through sixth-grade teachers in the county to write PSAs with their classes. Morning meteorologist Renee Kohn, accompanied by a camera person, visited each school to record the announcements. During these classroom visits, the children also appeared live on "Good Morning San Diego," where they were able to pass along their tips to the many adults tuned in throughout the viewing area.
KTSF-TV in San Francisco, Calif., produced public service announcements (PSAs) in five languages to inform new immigrant job seekers about Upwardly Global, a non-profit organization that helps immigrants find professional jobs. The PSAs, which are airing in Arabic, Tagalog, English, Cantonese and Mandarin, are broadcast nine times each week to the 1.4 million Asian-Americans throughout 10 Bay Area counties KTSF serves. Upwardly Global has seen a direct correlation between the number of applicants for its services and the station’s on-air support. "The challenge is getting word out to this group that we are here to help," said Outreach Coordinator of Upwardly Global Francie Genz. "The airing of the announcements during different ethnic programming has dramatically helped." The station has committed to a year-long campaign in support of Upwardly Global’s effort to help immigrant professionals rebuild their careers.
Spreading holiday cheer, KGO-AM in San Francisco, Calif., asked listeners to participate in its “Believe” campaign by sending in letters and emails to the “KGO Radio Santa” about themselves or someone they knew who was struggling to buy something they needed and couldn’t afford. Throughout the month of December, the station’s KGO Radio Santa responded to these letters by giving gifts of up to $1,000, which included keeping the power on for a single mom and her five children by paying their electric bill, helping a mother to visit her son in the military before he was deployed and providing a woman with a co-payment for her cancer treatment. "These folks would have gone without this season because the resources are just not there for them," said KGO Programming Director and Santa Jack Swanson. "KGO Radio feels unbelievably fortunate to be able to give back in this way."
When wildfires in the southern part of the state devastated more than a thousand homes and burned hundreds of thousands of acres, KABC-AM in Los Angeles, Calif., immediately responded to the crisis, partnering with sister station KLOS-FM and KABC-TV to organize the first media relief fundraiser. The "drive-by" event was held at three separate locations on one day. On-air personalities greeted and interviewed donors at their cars during the 14-hour live broadcast. The KABC Web site linked to all area Red Cross chapters and the National American Red Cross set up a special link on the KABC Web site so listeners could donate any time of day or night. Station staff gave 288 hours to the effort, which raised $4.5 million from individual and corporate sponsors for the victims of the fire. "As the first of our media partners to recognize the immediate need to help affected families, KABC served as the catalyst to jumpstart a series of collaborative fund drives," said Paul Schulz , chief executive officer of the Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles, in a letter to the station. "In addition to collecting funds, KABC played an integral role in helping us tell the Red Cross story, communicating to victims and the public." KABC was a National Association of Broadcasters’ Crystal Award Finalist in 2008.
More than 6,000 students were "Rowdy About Reading" last year thanks to KUZZ-FM of Bakersfield, California. The community-wide, three-month program promotes literacy and teamwork for area elementary school children. The station was able to help recruit 250 teachers, athletes from Cal State University of Bakersfield (CSUB) and its own on-air personalities to visit classrooms to discuss the important benefits of literacy and reading. In the program, students competed for prizes from the CSUB Spirit Store, and the classroom that read the most books had the opportunity to join KUZZ in the station’s suite at Rabobank Arena for a CSUB basketball game. The program, which grew 15 percent from the year before, received heavy on-air promotional support and hours of staff work. KUZZ was awarded the National Association of Broadcasters Crystal Radio Award in 2008.
Twenty-five school music programs were the focus of the week-long "Save School Music Week" produced and sponsored by classical music station KDFC-FM in San Francisco, Calif. The annual effort includes a series of classical commuter concerts where youth ensembles perform a variety of works in high-traffic areas. The concerts help kick off a week of on-air encouragement for listeners to support school music programs throughout the Bay Area. The station dedicates 60-second promotional announcements, live mentions, live testimonials and a page on the station Web site to the campaign. For its 2008 effort, KDFC also hosted a listener contest where twice each day for five days the 12th caller won the opportunity to designate a school music program as the recipient of a $1,500 donation from KDFC. In total, the station gave $15,000 to 10 school programs. "Save School Music Week" is just one of several KDFC programs that support local music and arts programs. The station’s efforts also have helped support the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art as well as programs featuring the nation’s top young classical musicians.
At the third annual "Pat’s Run," KBAY-FM in San Jose, Calif., and a crowd of 6,000 celebrated the life of Pat Tillman, an NFL player who left the game to serve our country and was killed in Afghanistan. Each year, the event pays tribute to the Army Ranger, while raising money for the Pat Tillman Foundation, a nonprofit started by Tillman’s family and friends to inspire people to make positive changes in themselves and the world. The station starts promotions for the race six weeks beforehand, and each year, participation has grown. This year, the station also aired a live remote from the Almanden Valley prior to event day, where listeners were able to register for the race. The general manager and several on-air personalities ran the course, and the "Sam and Lissa Morning Show" helped kick off the festivities. By the time the final participates crossed the 42-yardline of Pat Tillman Stadium at Leland High School, where a young Tillman took the field, $200,000 had been raised for San Jose students accepted into the foundation’s Leadership Through Action program, which aims to help exceptional scholars develop leadership skills.
To give in-depth coverage to green issues in the bay area, KGO-AM in San Francisco, Calif., launched "Tune In To Your Planet." The ongoing reports have covered the California water crisis, "environmental cops" tasked with enforcing pollution laws in the area, local firms offering bonuses to employees who purchase hybrid cars, a new ocean research center in Monterey and San Francisco’s plan to put more green taxis on the streets. As part of the initiative, the station also brought the color of the holiday season in focus with its second "Green Christmas" series, which explored earth-friendly ways to celebrate. Energy efficient lighting, green gifts and tree recycling were among the highlights of the series. Taking its efforts beyond reporting, KGO plans to become the first major broadcast media outlet in the state to harness the power of the sun. Solar panels are being installed by its broadcast tower. Listeners have been invited to celebrate the progress through a "solar blog" on the station’s Web site, where podcasts of "Tune In To Your Planet" are also available. KGO was a National Association of Broadcasters’ Crystal Award Finalist in 2008.
Southern California beaches received a pre-summertime "Big Beach Clean-up" thanks to KBIG-FM in Burbank, Calif. The station organized a three-beach cleaning effort to pick up trash littering the coastline. Inspired by a desire to take responsibility for the environment and make local beaches a safe place for children to play, the station ran 15-second announcements starting two weeks prior to the event and gave live mentions during its morning show. KBIG committed more than 30 hours to the project, highlighted it on the station’s Web site, dedicated a Web page for volunteers to sign up, and sent information about the clean-up in the station’s weekly newsletter, which reaches more than 33,000 listeners. The station focused efforts on the well-known Huntington State Beach, Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve and Alamitos Beach, where in addition to picking up garbage, volunteers collected bottles and cans for recycling. KBIG was a National Association of Broadcasters’ Crystal Award Finalist in 2008.
For the third year, KYXY-FM in San Diego, Calif., broadcast live from the local American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Walk” in Balboa Park. More than 18,000 people gathered that Sunday morning, raising $1.5 million in funds for the treatment, prevention, early detection and research of breast cancer. The event was promoted during the previous 30 days with 200 recorded and live promotional announcements; four inclusions in KYXY’s e-newsletter, which reaches a subscription base of 30,000 readers; and two live interviews with organizers and team captains the week before the walk. The two-hour live on-site broadcast aired during the station’s public affairs program “Concerning San Diego.” KYXY was honored by the American Cancer Society with a Media Circle of Hope award in 2007.
During National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, XEWW-AM in Burbank, Calif., launched a campaign to raise awareness within the Hispanic community. On the air, the Spanish-language talk radio station aired several interviews with cancer survivors and health experts, including Esther McDowell, spokesperson for the Office of Women’s Health. XEWW also dedicated significant time to answer questions from its community about breast cancer during “Cita con el Doctor,” a regular health topic show hosted by Elmer Huerta, M.D., the first ever Latino president of the American Cancer Association. In addition to its on-air support, the station had a presence at events in the community, such as the el Consulado Mexicano Health Fair, where women received free mammograms and the station distributed prizes to attendees.
For two decades, KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif. has inspired children to help those in need with its "KCRA 3 Kids Can" food drive. From mid-October to mid-November each year, students from 400 elementary, junior high and senior high schools engage in a friendly competition to see who can collect the most non-perishable food items. The food donated serves more than 40 food banks and community service agencies in 13 counties. The station begins its support with announcements inviting schools to participate, which is followed by reminders to the community to donate. An all-day kick-off event is hosted by KCRA anchors, reporters and meteorologists, and includes a one-hour live broadcast. Throughout the month-long campaign, news coverage spotlights kids who have gone above and beyond. Each year, the kid-powered effort stocks the shelves of area food banks for as long as six months. In 2007, the "KCRA 3 Kids Can" drive provided 810,000 meals.
When Annie Leinen, a local firefighter’s wife, was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 cancer while pregnant with her third child, KOLA-FM and KCAL-FM in Redlands, Calif., worked to support her family in any way possible. Together with the Redlands Professional Firefighters Association, the stations hosted a 13-hour on-air fundraiser to help pay for treatment, much of which was not covered by insurance. At the event, which raised nearly $60,000, station personalities and firefighters handed out T-shirts, ribbons and buttons in exchange for donations. In the months following the event, baby Colton was born 12 weeks premature, and tragically, Leinen passed away two months later. Throughout the heartbreak, the stations continued to ask listeners to band together and support the family. Through a dedicated page on the stations’ Web sites, the community is able to donate funds and leave messages of support, which has led to an unbelievable outpouring that is still underway.
Bringing together its community in the true holiday spirit, KSBW-TV in Salinas, Calif., partnered with The Salvation Army for its 23rd annual “Share Your Holiday” telethon. The seven-hour live-broadcast fundraiser is a celebration; local musicians perform, school children are interviewed on the air, and neighbors drop off food, toys, clothing and blankets for those less fortunate. This year, cash donations surpassed $100,000 for the fifth year in a row, and more than 18,000 pounds of food and 7,000 new toys were collected at six drop-off locations throughout the area. “The need for ‘Share Your Holiday’ this year was greater than ever, and our Central Coast viewers came through once again. To me, this exemplifies the best of what local television can do: We can only present the message and ask for support; it is our loyal viewers who hear of the need and rally to respond to help the Salvation Army aid local families in need,” said General Manager Joseph Heston, who agreed to shave off his mustache during the telethon in exchange for an anonymous $10,000 donation to The Salvation Army.
KFRG-FM in San Bernardino, Calif., helped provide local fourth graders in need with 1,100 brand new bikes. Teachers from San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo and Mono counties nominated students in need who were considered outstanding classroom role models. The bike donations were part of the seventh annual Slater Bros. Charities and KFRG-FM radiothon, held every year to elicit donations from radio listeners to benefit the local children’s hospital. With every $200 donation that a radio listener made, a new bike was donated to a deserving fourth grade student. The students received the bikes at an event held at the city’s baseball stadium where friends and family watched as the fourth graders ran onto the field to get their new bikes.
To make sure those in need had a meal on Thanksgiving Day, KDUV-FM in Visalia, Calif., hosted its annual “T-Shirts for Turkeys” drive. To get listeners involved, the station gave away a KDUV T-shirt for each frozen turkey donated. By the end of the campaign, more than 300 birds had been collected and distributed to missions throughout the San Joaquin Valley for their community Thanksgiving meals. In addition to a heavy schedule of recorded and live announcements about the effort, KDUV teamed up with recording artists, such as Kutless, Natalie Grant and Jeremy Camp, to set up donation sites in tandem with live concerts. The station got word out through e-mail blasts, Facebook and Twitter, and station personalities broadcast live from the events. In addition to the frozen turkey donations made by listeners, KDUV made a cash donation to The Salvation Army to help provide additional meals on Thanksgiving Day. As part of its commitment to the community, KDUV donates 10 percent of its earnings annually to charity.
When Annie Leinen, a local firefighter’s wife, was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 cancer while pregnant with her third child, KOLA-FM and KCAL-FM in Redlands, Calif., worked to support her family in any way possible. Together with the Redlands Professional Firefighters Association, the stations hosted a 13-hour on-air fundraiser to help pay for treatment, much of which was not covered by insurance. At the event, which raised nearly $60,000, station personalities and firefighters handed out T-shirts, ribbons and buttons in exchange for donations. In the months following the event, baby Colton was born 12 weeks premature, and tragically, Leinen passed away two months later. Throughout the heartbreak, the stations continued to ask listeners to band together and support the family. Through a dedicated page on the stations’ Web sites, the community is able to donate funds and leave messages of support, which has led to an unbelievable outpouring that is still underway.
Bringing together its community in the true holiday spirit, KSBW-TV in Salinas, Calif., partnered with The Salvation Army for its 23rd annual “Share Your Holiday” telethon. The seven-hour live-broadcast fundraiser is a celebration; local musicians perform, school children are interviewed on the air, and neighbors drop off food, toys, clothing and blankets for those less fortunate. This year, cash donations surpassed $100,000 for the fifth year in a row, and more than 18,000 pounds of food and 7,000 new toys were collected at six drop-off locations throughout the area. “The need for ‘Share Your Holiday’ this year was greater than ever, and our Central Coast viewers came through once again. To me, this exemplifies the best of what local television can do: We can only present the message and ask for support; it is our loyal viewers who hear of the need and rally to respond to help the Salvation Army aid local families in need,” said General Manager Joseph Heston, who agreed to shave off his mustache during the telethon in exchange for an anonymous $10,000 donation to The Salvation Army.
Keeping Southern California families fed, KFI-AM in Los Angeles, Calif., conducted its annual Operation Feed our Families Radiothon to benefit the Salvation Army. The 17-hour event raised more than 46,000 pounds of food and $122,000 in cash donations. The collected items were distributed to families down on their luck throughout the 2008 holiday season. The station’s on-air personalities took shifts hosting the radiothon and the station continued to accept donations once the radio drive ended in hopes to collect even more donations.
In a year that proved difficult for the coastal search and rescue teams, which were called out for water rescues more times than in any previous year, KOZT-FM in Fort Bragg, Calif., did its part to improve safety by airing a series of advisories on fishing, diving and beach activity dangers. The mini-programs were produced in partnership with the Ocean Safety Coalition and aired four times a day during tourist, abalone and sport fishing seasons. KOZT provided the segments to other radio stations at no charge. In a related safety-awareness effort, the station was a sponsor of a community "Disaster Preparedness Day," where station staff, first responders and personnel from county emergency services invited listeners to learn how to prepare and cope with natural disasters. In addition to promoting the event with public service announcements, the station aired remote broadcast segments and updates from the event throughout the day. More than 500 people took home newly developed emergency plans and skills to keep their families safe in the case of an emergency. KOZT was a National Association of Broadcasters’ Crystal Award Finalist in 2008.
For more examples of how California’s local radio and TV broadcasters are serving every local community, please contact the California Broadcasters Association.