MADISON, Wis.—As the U.S. attempts to get enough of its citizens to get Covid-19 vaccines to reach herd immunity, a point of issue are those who remain hesitant about the vaccines. To help in this effort, Morgan Murphy Media broadcast stations recently committed their resources for an entire day to fight vaccine hesitancy.
Morgan Murphy Media reaches viewers and listeners in 11 states. On its “Vaccine Day,” May 13, it made a company-wide effort to educate and provide resources to the people it serves. This included running a phone bank, digital outreach and hosting a no-appointment, drop-in vaccination clinic at two of its stations.
“We provided a quick and easy way to get questions answered by medical experts and a simple way to get a vaccine without an appointment,” said Brian Burns, Morgan Murphy Media executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Part of the campaign included two digital exclusives. “Dose of Information” were graphics that dispelled myths about the vaccine and could be shared across social media. “Why I Got Vaccinated” had people offering their stories about what motivated them to get the shot.
“Vaccine Day” was also highlighted on the VUit OTT platform, making it available to anyone with a connected TV or mobile phone.
Morgan Murphy Media said that it took more than 1,000 phone calls on “Vaccine Day.”
There has been a push for broadcasters to use their position as trusted sources to promote the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine. Congress and the White House have outlined more than a billion dollars in media campaigns for the vaccine. NAB crafted a Covid-19 Vaccine Education Toolkit, providing a resource for broadcasters to know what viewers are most likely to be hesitant and how best to reach try and convince them.
“We know the single greatest thing we can do to get our communities back to normal is get more people vaccinated,” said Burns. “This is what we do. Devoting a single day to this effort is right in line with our 131-year heritage of community service and part of our broadcaster DNA.”
