WTSP Evaluates Red Tide Situation in Aftermath of Hurricane Elsa
Date Posted: 7/27/2021
TEGNA’S CBS affiliate WTSP St. Petersburg, Fla., reported on July 10 about the effect of Hurricane Elsa on the lingering red tide situation in the Tampa Bay area, a harmful algal bloom that produces toxins that can kill fish and cause respiratory problems in humans. "It certainly doesn’t seem like, as we had all had our fingers crossed, that Tropical Storm Elsa helped the red tide situation, it certainly didn’t flush it out of Tampa Bay," said Dr. Lisa Krimsky, a regional water resources extension agent with the University of Florida IFAS Extension. WTSP also reported on July 15 about the symptoms people may experience from swimming in red tide waters, breathing nearby air and eating contaminated shellfish. Irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, shortness of breath and tingling of the fingers and toes can occur, and symptoms can be more critical for those with respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
Telemundo-owned KXTX Dallas produced a 30-minute, Spanish Language documentary, “Climate Change / Cambio Climatico” that aired across Telemundo stations on April 22 (Earth Day). Shot in Anchorage, Santa Monica, Miami, New York City, Houston, and Ontario, Canada, the documentary delivers a scientific presentation about the effects of climate change in communities. The documentary also features Telemundo stations’ first-ever use of augmented reality technology for a TV documentary. Telemundo owned stations KXTX, KVEA Los Angeles, WSCV Miami, WNJU New York and KTMD Houston contributed. Click 
Gray Television’s ABC/NBC/CW affiliate KAIT-TV’s Jonesboro, Ark., live coverage of a March 28 tornado touch down is 
Redrock Broadcasting’s KURR-FM, KRQX-FM, KUTQ-FM and KZYN-FM St. George, UT, collected $20,000 in its 4th annual all-day radiothon on December 16. Donated proceeds support Root for Kids to aid children with delayed development. Listeners also contributed mountains of diapers and children’s supplies.
Cox Media Group (CMG) Tulsa, Okla., including Fox affiliate KOKI-TV, myNetworkTV affiliate KMYT, KRAV-FM, KWEN-FM and KRMG-AM, continued their award-winning environmental sustainability initiative by collecting more than 2,000 pounds of trash from the banks of the Arkansas River on October 12.
Graham Media-owned WJXT Jacksonville, Fla., aired on September 24 “
Hubbard Radio’s WTOP-FM Washington, D.C., provided critical coverage of crippling floods on July 8. Traffic reporter Dave Dildine covered the storm amid perilous flooding that would leave Canal Rd NW - a thoroughfare - closed for days. Dildine, who arrived on scene before fire and EMS units, ran from car to car, encouraging drivers to turn around until it was too dangerous for him to wade through rising waters.
Cox Communications’ FOX affiliate WFXT-TV Boston helped answer "Who’s helping clean up state’s trash problem?" Investigative reporter Kerry Kavanaugh learned the state rarely goes after individuals who litter. Through a public records request, Kavanaugh learned Massachusetts State Police have issued fewer than 100 citations since 2013. In 2012, they issued 37. The next year they handed out 33, followed by 22 in 2015. As of May of 2016, state troopers had issued just one.
CMG Orlando Radio and Cox Events held “Keep Winter Park Beautiful’s Earth Day in the Park” on April 10. The event included yoga, sustainability projects, tree giveaways and seedling plantings.
Cox Media Group Orlando hosted the 2016 team Cox Orlando River Cleanup with American Rivers and Keep Seminole Beautiful on March 12. The cleanup was held at Wekiva island in Longwood, Fla. Cox employees picked up nearly 1,000 pounds of trash.
Tegna Media’s NBC affiliate WBIR-TV Knoxville, Tenn., and Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s ABC affiliate WLOS-TV Asheville, N.C., raised $202,000 on Aug. 20 to support the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In 21 years, the event has raised more than $3 million. The money will support the rehabilitation of Alum Cave Trail, suppression of invasive species and black bear and elk management.
President Barack Obama recently invited eight weather broadcasters to the White House to help raise awareness of the National Climate Assessment, a new report that explains how the warming climate is causing dramatic changes across the United States. The 
Media General’s NBC affiliate WSAV-TV Savannah, Ga., recently held an "Identity Safe Recycling Day" to assist viewers in destroying their old documents and electronics in a safe, environmentally-friendly way. WSAV-TV set up three locations around Savannah and more than 54,500 pounds of documents and 823 computers were collected, a record amount for the station which has held 18 such events. Since the event launched in 2005, 266 tons of documents have been collected, shredded and recycled, and more than 5,000 computers have been wiped clean and redistributed.
Gannett-owned WBIR-TV Knoxville, Tenn., and Sinclair’s WLOS-TV Asheville, N.C., broadcast the 19th annual "Friends Across the Mountains Telethon" to benefit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which houses a half-million acres of wilderness between the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The telethon raised more than $201,000 for the park. Since 1995, the event has raised $2.9 million.
Entercom recently announced it has committed $1 million worth of public service announcements (PSAs) and public affairs programming to The Wilderness Society. The PSAs will be tailored to specific markets. For example, San Francisco stations may run spots focusing on the Sierra Nevada region. “The Wilderness Society is an outstanding organization that has played a vital, leading role in protecting our nation’s public lands. We are very pleased to be connecting the listeners of our 111 stations across the country with this important organization that works on behalf of all Americans,” said CEO David Field. The PSA campaign is part of The Wilderness Society’s Wild Days of Summer and features celebrities like Dave Matthews, Betty White and Wendie Malick
WSUN-FM in St. Petersburg, Fla., uses its "Green Room" to record live performances of major and local artists. These in-studio performances are released in an annual 97X Green Room CD, with all net proceeds going to an environmentally minded charity, most recently the Nature Conservancy, which has protected 1.2 million acres of natural lands in Florida and heads up the Florida Reef Resilience Program. The "Green Room CD Project" raises critical awareness of the benefiting organizations. Promotions for the most recently released volume as well as CD inserts include information on the Nature Conservancy and steer listeners on how to get involved. More than 15,000 copies have been sold to date, and 97X Green Room volumes have consistently been the number one selling rock disc in Tampa during the first week of sales. In a related effort, WSUN is working with the Ocean Conservancy to recruit volunteers for the organization’s annual coastal clean up. A Memorial Day benefit concert organized by WSUN raised $6,000 for the Ocean Conservancy, doubling its budget for this year’s clean up; recyclables that were placed in bins set up at the concert are being converted into material that will be used to make sweaters for children. "I’m a native Floridian. The environment is what we live for," said WSUN on-air personality Shark. "As a radio station, we can get people involved with conservancy and raise awareness about organizations doing good in the area."
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.
KNYE-FM Pahrump Valley, Nev., announced the station has developed 80 acres of land to create a community garden. Local residents and green thumbs are invited to secure a plot of land on the grounds to grow flowers, vegetables and other foliage. KNYE-FM General Manager Karen Jackson says she was inspired to launch the community garden to help local residents learn to grow produce and ensure they will always have food to eat. 
Cox Media’s KIRO-TV Seattle announced the winner of the station’s 2012 Cox Conserves Hero on July 26. Since its inception in 2007, The Cox Conserves Heroes program, through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of KIRO-TV, has honored everyday conservationists. This year, Laura James, an eco-friendly scuba diver who volunteers her time to removing batteries and other pollutants from the Puget Sound, received Western Washington’s 2012 award. The program also runs in Arizona, Atlanta, Orange County (Calif.), San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Virginia. More than $200,000 has been donated to local nonprofits through the Cox Conserves Heroes program.
