Oregon Station Raises $25,000 for Veterans
Date Posted: 7/14/2022
Liz and Mike, morning show co-hosts at, Audacy-owned 105.1 The Buzz in Portland, Ore., raised more than $25,000 for their second annual “Service Pet for a Vet” initiative to collect funds to adopt and train a service dog for a local veteran battling PTSD. “Seeing the community come together for such a great cause made us ugly cry,” Liz and Mike said. “With times so tough it was moving to see so many people give what they could.”
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California Oregon Broadcasting’s NBC affiliate KOBI-TV Medford, Ore. provided lifeline information after a tragic shooting at Umpqua Community College on Oct. 1 left nine dead and nine injured. KOBI’s 
Sinclair Broadcasting’s CBS affiliate KVAL-TV Eugene, Ore. raised a record 34,441 meals in the 7th annual "KVAL CanDo! Food Drive" on April 15. The two-week event culminated in a day-long telethon. "Not only does the KVAL CanDo! Food Drive consistently bring in donations during a time when reserves are low, it garners an enormous amount of attention for the very real need in our community," said Dawn Marie Woodward, media coordinator of Food for Lane County.
The National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF) announced the winners for the 2015 Celebration of Service to America Awards, recognizing outstanding community service by local broadcasters. Winners will be honored at the Celebration of Service to America dinner held Tuesday, June 16 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
“Broadcasters have an unwavering commitment to serving the public, and the Service to America Awards are an opportunity for us to celebrate those radio and TV stations that epitomize what it means to be a broadcaster,” said NABEF President Marcellus Alexander. “This year’s winners have gone above and beyond to create a positive and worthwhile impact on the communities they serve.”
This year’s Service to America Awards will honor the following broadcaster:
Alpha Media’s KUPL-FM Portland, Ore., held a two-day radiothon on Jan. 29-30. The event raised $178,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Click 
Sinclair Broadcasting’s CBS affiliate KTVL-TV Medford, Ore. collected 72,000 pounds of food (7,200 bags full) in their annual “Fill the Truck” food drive in partnership with Ray’s Food Place. This record-breaking food drive succeeded in filling a semi-truck trailer with non-perishable food items for local food banks.
Gannett Broadcasting’s NBC affiliate KGW-TV Portland, Ore. organized its 30th annual KGW Great Toy Drive. KGW enlisted more than 300 businesses in the area as drop-off points for toys. The toys are distributed to less fortunate families in Oregon and southwest Washington. Volunteers from more than 130 nonprofit organizations distribute the toys. Over 30 years, the KGW Great Toy Drive has provided hundreds of thousands of toys. This year, the drive served more children than ever before. The KGW Great Toy Drive is “truly a community event, and we’re thrilled to once again be expanding the opportunities for giving this year,” said D.J. Wilson, KGW-TV president and general manager.
Sinclair’s CBS affiliate KTLV Medford, Ore. collected thousands of toys during their 7th annual toy drive this December. The toys were distributed by Community Works, a nonprofit that helps citizens overcome a severe life crisis or trauma. A Community Works spokesperson said that this campaign has an unimaginable impact on their clients.
California Oregon Broadcasting’s NBC affiliates KOBI-TV Medford, Ore. and KOTI-TV Klamath Falls, Ore. aired two debates: on Oct. 14, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley faced challenger Monica Wehby; and on Oct. 20, incumbent Gov. John Kitzhaber faced Republican challenger Dennis Richardson. KOBI-TV also featured the debates prominently on its website. “These debates will give viewers a great opportunity to learn about the candidates, where they stand on issues and what they intend to do if elected,” 
CBS Radio’s KMPS-FM hosted an Oso Mudslide Relief Concert on April 1 to raise money for the relief efforts. The fundraiser offered several opportunities for listeners to donate to the relief effort. All funds raised will be paid directly to Casacade Valley Hospital Foundation for Oso Mudslide Victims. The benefit concert featured The Cadillac Three and local artist Jesse Taylor, and raised more than $3,000 for the Oso Strong campaign. Click 
SR Broadcasting’s KRKO-AM and KKXA-AM Everett, Wash., partnered with Coastal Community Bank to host the Oso Relief Simulcast, a live, commercial-free radiothon to raise money for those affected by the mudslides. During the four-hour broadcast from the Darrington Branch of Coastal Community Bank on March 31, more than $34,000 was raised, excluding the gift cards for gas and local grocery stores. More than $119,000 was collected at the branch that day. The broadcast also provided information about the long-term steps for recovery including dealing with bankruptcy and paying on-going mortgages.
Tribune Broadcasting’s FOX affiliate KCPQ-TV Seattle has partnered with Umpqua Bank to support those affected by the mudslide disaster. Viewers can stop by any Washington Umpqua Bank location and make donations to the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation – Oso Landslide Relief Fund. One-hundred percent of all donations will go to the Oso fund.
Gannett Broadcasting’s NBC affiliate KING-TV Seattle has partnered with the American Red Cross and US Bank to collect donations for Northwest Response, a Red Cross fund that will help people affected by the Oso Mudslide. Contributions to the fund allow the Red Cross to provide food, water, medical supplies and shelter following the disaster and assist with the recovery efforts in the future.
Sinclair Broadcasting’s ABC affiliates KOMO-TV Seattle and KATU-TV Portland, Ore., partnered with the United Way of Snohomish County to host a telethon to raise money for landslide recovery efforts on March 27. All proceeds went to the United Way’s Recovery Fund for Mudslide Relief. The one-day event raised more than $225,000. Click 
Cox Media’s CBS affiliate KIRO-TV Seattle’s community service program, KIRO 7 Cares, has teamed up with the Snohomish County Red Cross to help people impacted by the tragic mudslide in Washington. KIRO-TV is encouraging viewers to make a monetary donation to the local Red Cross chapter, where workers are providing food and shelter to residents of Oso and surrounding communities, their families and first responders.
Entercom’s KFXX-AM Portland held its third annual radiothon to support Special Olympics Oregon. The 28-hour event was led by KFXX-AM’s hosts Isaac Ropp and Jason Scukanec, and raised more than $120,000 from listeners. "We can’t thank our listeners enough. They stepped up again and beat last year’s record by more than $45,000," said Scukanec.
California Oregon Broadcaster’s NBC affiliate KOBI-TV Medford, Ore., aired a special on October 23 called "Night of Healing: Life after Breast Cancer." Throughout KOBI-TV’s 6 p.m. newscast, a panel of caregivers, specializing in various aspects of breast cancer related to mind and body, took viewers’ calls and answered questions for one hour.
Sinclair Broadcasting’s CBS affiliate KVAL-TV Eugene, Ore., served as the media sponsor for the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Relay for Life of Eugene, Springfield and the surrounding Oregon counties. KVAL-TV donated more than $47,000 in airtime to ACS’s PSAs. Additionally, the station aired numerous stories and programming packages about the Relay. On race day more than 30 employees and their families participated in the walk which raised more than $695,000 for ACS.
California Oregon Broadcasting’s KOBI-TV and KOTI-TV in Medford, Ore., launched YES (Youth Education Success) to support local school programs affected by budget cuts in Southern Oregon and Northern California. Thus far, YES has awarded thousands of dollars in grants to schools for programs such as swimming lessons for special needs children, chin rests for students’ violins and new school laptops and software.
Fisher Broadcasting’s KVAL-TV Eugene, OR served as the official media sponsor for the Eugene/Springfield area’s Relay For Life. KVAL-TV supported Relay with eight public service announcements that ran from February through August for a total value of over $44,000 in airtime and production services. KVAL-TV’s news team aired 15 stories, 10 packages and accomplished 13 live shots at the event. In total, the record-breaking event with 171 teams, including the KVAL-TV team of 30 employees, raised $719,785 for the American Cancer Society. Brenda Webber, district executive director, Great West Chapter of the American Cancer Society said, "KVAL-TV has always been wonderful about producing unique, local public service announcements encouraging participation and support for Relay For Life. We couldn’t be more grateful to have them as a partner in the fight against cancer!"
Fisher Broadcasting’s KVAL-TV Eugene, Ore. recently held its fourth annual CanDo! Food Drive on April 18. The event included a live remote with 62 cut-ins from two locations, starting at 5 a.m. and ending at 6:30 p.m. Twenty-eight KVAL staffers manned the locations for a total of 180 hours. Dawn Marie Woodward, media coordinator at Food for Lane County, said, "KVAL CanDo! Food Drive is a well-timed drive because the non-perishable food collected during the holiday drives is gone, and it is crucial to making sure we have canned goods going into the spring months. KVAL is a great partner in not only helping stock our shelves, but sharing our mission as well." Thanks to generous viewers, food for over 13,500 meals was donated.
Premiere Radio Networks personality Delilah has set a goal this year to help 50,000 children and their families across the nation by providing food and essentials in partnership with hunger relief organization Feed the Children. Delilah asks listeners across more than 200 affiliate stations to donate to Feed the Children’s Americans Feeding Americans Caravan, which has served more than 325,000 American families in the past two years. "If you have spent a single night with me in the studio, you would hear the calls I receive from mothers who struggle to make ends meet and have to make a decision between paying rent or buying food for their family," Delilah said. "The organization will be the arms and legs to help reach families who need our help."
Fisher Communications’ KVAL-TV in Eugene, Ore., recently held its third annual "Miles For Smiles" telethon, to benefit The Make-A-Wish® Foundation of Oregon. Viewers were invited to call with their donations via live broadcasts or donate through the KVAL website before and after the telethon. Seventy-five percent of Oregon wishes are travel-related. KVAL and partner businesses teamed up with The Make-A-Wish® Foundation of Oregon to help bring hope, strength and joy into the lives of children and their families during a time when the families need it most. Thanks to generous viewers, the event raised over 1.7 million frequent flier miles.
California Oregon Broadcasting Inc.’s KOBI-TV Medford and KOTI-TV
Klamath, Ore., sponsor a year-round initiative, The Southern Oregon
Meth Project, which educates local kids about the dangers of methamphetamines
and their devastating impact on individuals, families and the
community. Based on recent reports, 75 percent of local foster
children are being cared for due to parental absence as a result
of meth abuse. Eight out of 10 area arrests are also related to
the substance. The Southern Oregon Meth Project combats meth through
reality-based television 
California Oregon Broadcasting Inc.’s KOBI-TV Medford, Ore., hosts an ongoing initiative entitled "Don’t Turn Away," which builds awareness of child abuse and its effects to the broader Southern Oregon community. In partnership with the Mail Tribune and the Jackson Country Child Abuse Network, "Don’t Turn Away" provides news coverage of local instances of child abuse, a list of the warning signs in a child of possible abuse, experts’ tips for ending this mistreatment in the community, as well as local resources for seeking help.
Fisher Communications’ KVAL-TV in Eugene, Ore., and its sister stations, KCBY-TV Coos Bay and KPIC-TV Roseburg, part of the Fisher Broadcasting’s family of stations, recently held their third annual CanDo! Food Drive across Oregon. KVAL’s campaign culminated in a live remote broadcast on March 30, with 49 cut-ins from three locations starting at 5 a.m. and ending at 6:30 p.m. Food for Lane County’s Media Coordinator Dawn Marie Woodward, noted, "The drive not only brings in much needed food, but equally as valuable is the public awareness it brings to the issue of hunger in our community." KCBY-TV and KPIC-TV held similar CanDo! Food Drives resulting in another 18,500 pounds of food for their respective communities. Thanks to generous viewers, the food donated provided more than 14,500 meals for area residents.
Freedom Communications’ KTVL-TV Medford, Ore., and Medford’s Kennedy Elementary School celebrated the 25th Anniversary of their School-Business partnership at Medford’s Pear Blossom Festival. Teachers and students from Kennedy joined KTVL staff to create and man a float commemorating this milestone. Over the past quarter of a century, Kennedy and KTVL have been working together for the betterment of the students and staffs, both at the school and the station. Over the years there have been numerous partnership events and activities, including several "TV station vs. Teachers" fundraising basketball games, celebrity guest readers at the school "Read Across America" days, behind-the-scenes TV station tours as a reward for outstanding achievement by students, educational PSAs created by students and broadcasted on KTVL.
Revitalization Partners’ KLAD-FM Klamath Falls, Ore., assisted the
Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank in raising more than 100 tons of food
during a one-day "Supermarket Saturday" food drive. To
promote the event, KLAD-FM’s General Manager Rob Siems spent six
hours hoisted in the air. He descended one foot throughout the day
for every two tons of food that was donated. For 10 years, KLAD-FM’s
event has been a major fundraiser, raising more than 800 tons of food.
The Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank serves two counties in Oregon,
providing food to nearly 5,600 households and distributing 26,000
pounds of food weekly.
Fisher Communications Inc., in partnership with the Red Cross, launched a fundraising campaign to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan via Fisher’s television, radio and online media properties across six markets and all of the company’s online and mobile platforms. To date, the company has collected more than $550,000 in funds that will support the Red Cross’ relief work and other disaster management experts to continue to deliver food, shelter and emotional support to those in need in Japan. Randy Hutson, CEO of Seattle Red Cross said, "The fundraising effort launched between the Red Cross and Fisher Communications is one of the most successful I’ve seen during my time with the Red Cross. The idea was created and launched within days of the disaster and the amazing work of both Fisher’s staff and Red Cross volunteers made it happen! The multi-faceted nature of the campaign enabled us to reach people not only through television, but radio and the Internet, providing a lot of flexibility for the general public."
Freedom Broadcasting-owned KTVL-TV Medford, Ore., joined Grange Co-Op and Wendy’s Restaurants for the 3rd annual Community Toy Drive, which collected more than 3,000 new toys valued at more than $30,000. KTVL-TV’s event helped to insure that every child in Medford would receive at least one gift during the Christmas holiday. "It is so heart-warming to see such tremendous generosity in these difficult times," said KTVL-TV’s General Manager Kingsley Kelley. "We can all be very proud to live in communities where people are so willing to give when there is a need, without expecting anything in return."
Belo’s NBC Affiliate KGW-TV Portland collected nearly 45,000 toys for children during the 2010 holiday season as part of the station’s annual "KGW Great Toy Drive." KGW-TV and its partners distributed the presents to more than 100 local nonprofit agencies that serve tens of thousands of children in the Portland area. DJ Wilson, KGW NewsChannel 8 president and general manager noted, "The generosity of our community in this time of need and the incredible resources our partners brought to the toy drive [was] truly exceptional."
