John Catsimatidis, owner of Red Apple Media and radio station WABC (AM) New York, said he will match $25,000 of any donation made to the Broadcasters Foundation of America to fund emergency grants for individual broadcasters affected by the destruction wrought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
In addition to the donation commitment, WABC is also running public service announcements asking the news-talk station’s listeners to give. WABC has produced a taggable version of the PSA for use by other radio stations who can insert their own call letters.
For more information on the charity effort, click here.
“My family, Red Apple Media and WABC Radio have supported numerous causes and organizations,” Catsimatidis said in a statement. “At this time of great need for colleagues catastrophically impacted by these storms, I will match the next $25,000 in donations to help them get back on their feet. I applaud all those who have already donated any amount because every dollar helps.”
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Hurricane Milton barreled across Florida from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Ocean overnight Wednesday (Oct. 9) and early Thursday, knocking out power to more than 3 million homes and prompting 150 tornado warnings, according to the Associated Press. It followed the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene, which came ashore on Sept. 26 and cut a wide path of destruction as it moved north through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. As of Oct. 5, the death toll from Helene stood at 227, according to the AP, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina struck the New Orleans area in 2005.
“We are grateful to John and Red Apple Media for their generous patronage of our charitable mission,” Broadcasters Foundation President Tim McCarthy said of Catsimatidis’ donation. “It is with the support of industry leaders like John that the foundation can provide assistance to those in our industry who need it most, including in times of emergency. I ask every broadcaster to consider giving an individual or corporation donation so that we can continue our charitable mission for broadcasters in need.”
The Broadcasters Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity whose mission is to assist television and radio broadcast professionals who find themselves in acute financial need due to health problems, disasters or other life-changing circumstances. It engages in nationwide efforts to identify broadcasters in need and provide them with an anonymous safety net.
