Nexstar Media Group, Inc. today announced that its television stations have helped to raise nearly $1.4 million to assist the victims of flooding in Central Texas earlier this month.
In addition, the Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation has donated $25,000 to each of two organizations assisting with relief efforts in Tom Green County, Kerr County, and the surrounding areas: The San Angelo Area Foundation and The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.
In addition to live around-the-clock news coverage of the catastrophic flooding provided by Nexstar’s Texas television stations and the company’s national cable news network, NewsNation, several of the company’s television stations across the country initiated fundraising drives to assist with relief efforts. Led by Nexstar television stations in San Angelo, Abilene, and Austin, Texas, those fundraising efforts included a one-hour flood relief telethon that aired simultaneously on KLST-TV in San Angelo and KTAB-TV in Abilene on July 10, and raised nearly $1,400,000.
In Austin, KXAN-TV aired continuous coverage of the flooding and its aftermath and launched a custom-made microsite, KXAN.COM/FloodRelief, where viewers could find more information about a variety of resources and relief organizations aimed at helping those in need. The station also developed and aired 22 different public service announcements spotlighting different relief organizations throughout the area, and directed viewers to ten different charitable entities assisting the residents of Central Texas. Throughout the crisis, KXAN-TV employees have volunteered at local relief organizations, helping to gather and distribute supplies. Finally, dozens of Nexstar TV stations across the country, including those in Chicago, Buffalo, Las Vegas, Denver, and Bakersfield, regularly aired a QR code linking viewers to KXAN-TV’s website and ways to donate to local relief and charitable organizations helping with the recovery in Central Texas.
“This is what being a local broadcasting company is all about—continuous live news coverage of an event affecting tens of thousands of people, assisting in the recovery efforts, bringing people together, and giving back to the communities we serve,” said Perry Sook, Nexstar’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “In addition to the fundraising and volunteer efforts of our television stations, the Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation is honored to be contributing $50,000 to two organizations directly involved in helping the residents of Central Texas to rebuild their lives.”
(This post was taken from a press release)
