Broadcasters Raise $45 Million for Hurricane Relief

Topic: Disaster Relief and Recovery
Posted on 9/29/2017

Television broadcasters have raised $45 million through on-air campaigns and direct donations for relief efforts supporting victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. This amount is based on publicly available fundraising totals, social media and information provided to NAB. In addition to fundraisers, broadcasters have collected food, bottles of water, clothing, hygiene products and other supplies. The estimate does not include fundraising totals for Hurricane Maria relief efforts, as many efforts are on-going.

The estimate includes $6 million from CBS owned-and-operated stations; $5.5 million from NBC; $4.4 million raised by Nexstar; $4.1 million from Hearst stations; $3.6 million from TEGNA, $2 million from Tribune. Millions more were raised by local radio stations, including $2.2 million from Cox-owned stations and $1 million from ICA radio.

"Local broadcasters served as ’first informers’ and saved countless lives as Harvey and Irma tore through Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and the Southeast," said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. "Now, our attention turns to the long recovery ahead. I’m so proud of the generosity and compassion shown by broadcasters who are helping rebuild and restore hurricane-ravaged communities."

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