December 19, 2024
This holiday season, NAB connected with Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, to discuss how local TV and radio stations are playing a vital role in supporting St. Jude’s lifesaving mission. Broadcasters have been unwavering in their support, dedicating airtime and heartfelt storytelling to connect communities with St. Jude’s message of hope. From raising over $1 billion through the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids program to amplifying campaigns like This Shirt Saves Lives, local stations are inspiring generosity and rallying audiences around a shared mission to save children’s lives. Their efforts ensure families can focus on what matters most – helping their children live – while St. Jude continues its groundbreaking work to treat and cure childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Local TV and radio stations have been unwavering in their support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, helping share our message of hope with audiences far and wide. Through dedicated airtime and heartfelt storytelling, these broadcasters bring our lifesaving mission into the homes and hearts of countless listeners and viewers, inspiring them to join our cause.
Local broadcasters are a key part of the larger Country Cares for St. Jude Kids program, which today unites 200 stations in markets across the nation to make an impact for St. Jude families. Over the years, this collaboration has raised more than $1 billion since 1989 for research and treatment by St. Jude, making it possible for St. Jude to cover the financial cost of care for thousands of patients. This support has also enabled St. Jude to continue developing treatments that have helped increase childhood cancer survival rates in the U.S. from 20% in the 1960s to more than 80% today. This remarkable achievement underscores the immense effect local broadcasters can have when they rally their communities around a shared mission.
Television and radio are instrumental in spreading awareness about our "This Shirt Saves Lives" movement and the impact of a monthly donation to St. Jude. Broadcasters lend their voices to share patient stories and highlight the progress being achieved by St. Jude thanks to the generosity of audiences. This exposure not only builds awareness of the lifesaving mission of St. Jude with the public, but inspires them to become part of the mission, turning a simple T-shirt into a powerful symbol of support donned by musicians, celebrities and supporters alike.
Partnerships with local broadcasters are important because discoveries and treatments from St. Jude touch the lives of families in communities across all 50 states. Our local broadcast partners are trusted voices within their communities, helping to share the important work of St. Jude with people from all walks of life. These partnerships help St. Jude inspire a collective effort to research and treat childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases and keep its foundational promise that no family receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live.
First and foremost, I hope broadcasters feel the deep gratitude St. Jude kids and families feel for the generosity your broadcasts inspire. And I want broadcasters to know that their contributions make a profound difference for St. Jude patients and their families and are helping St. Jude save lives. The commitment to sharing the St. Jude mission and engaging with audiences has a lasting impact, bringing us closer to a world where no child – anywhere – dies in the dawn of life.
More than 2.47 million American jobs depend on broadcasting, and the local broadcast radio and television industry - and the businesses that depend on it - generate $1.17 trillion annually for the nation's economy.
This site is brought to you by the National Association of Broadcasters. We advocate for the nation's radio and television broadcasters.
