WASHINGTON—A coalition of local radio and TV broadcasters has vowed to air awareness campaigns on the rising issue of opioid addiction, according to the National Association of Broadcasters.
The broadcasters will be aided by the NAB and the national nonprofit, the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, to air public service announcements and long-form documentary news stories on the opioid use crisis as well as producing online toolkits for other broadcasters to use across the country for their own programming and outreach efforts.
“As first informers in times of crisis, broadcasters understand the power of the public airwaves to educate Americans about dangers affecting their lives,” said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith in a press release. “Today, we are pledging those airwaves and other resources to combating an epidemic that has touched the lives of millions of our citizens.”
In the same press release, NAB noted efforts taken this past year by CBS TV network, ABC-owned TV stations and iHeartMedia as contributing a combined $15 million in Partnership for Drug-Free Kids PSA messaging to their own airways. Similar efforts by NBC, FOX, Univision, Telemundo and hundreds of other local TV and radio stations are also underway.
The multifaceted campaign will begin immediately and run through the end of 2017.
This story originally appeared on TVT's sister publication Radio World.
