Congratulations to the 2023 Bonner McLane Public Service Award Winners

posted on 5.24.2023

-    Awards to be Presented at the Leadership Breakfast, Aug. 3 in Austin

\Texas Broadcasters will celebrate the outstanding contributions of five Radio and Television stations during the Leadership Breakfast (Aug. 3 at 7:30 AM), part of the TAB Show at the JW Marriott Downtown Austin.

TAB presents the Bonner McLane Public Service awards to stations for their exceptional contributions and service to their local communities.

Bonner McLane was TAB’s first Executive Director. He passed away in 1987.

“Texas’ Radio and Television broadcasters are dedicated to serving their local communities by  helping grow and strengthen the cultural and economic fabric of the Lone Star State," said TAB President Oscar Rodriguez.

“The five stations being honored for their civic leadership at the 2023 TAB Show made significant and meaningful differences among the lives of the most vulnerable in their communities, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements in Austin Aug. 2-3."

Large Market Television: KXAN-TV Austin

Submission: Friendsgiving

The Friendsgiving Challenge is a friendly competition between two KXAN-TV Meteorologists to see who can raise more money for the Central Texas Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief charity in Central Texas.

For three weeks in November, Kristen Currie went head-to-head with David Yeomans – on-air, online and on social media – to encourage viewers to donate to the organization which serves a 21-county region that includes the state’s capital.

The station had a real-time bar graph on their website that let the audience see who was ahead at any given time.

In the end, the Central Texas community was the true winner. The station raised more than $80,000 for them!

Medium Market Television: KBTX-TV Bryan College Station

Submission: Brazos Valley Food Bank/ Summer Hunger

When schools let out for the summer, many children around the Brazos Valley don't know where their next meal is coming from.

With rising electric bills, gas prices and inflation it's hard for many families to make ends meet.

KBTX-TV teamed up with the Brazos Valley Food Bank every Thursday in June for a food drive that was aired live in the afternoon shows.

The Gray-owned station dedicated $20,000 in promotional value toward the Summer Hunger campaign and donated an additional $26,000 in news coverage and airtime over five weeks.

Throughout three shows every Thursday, reporters highlighted unique issues the Brazos Valley Food Bank was experiencing, including a downtick in volunteers, increased food prices diminishing spending power and a 20% increase in demand for food.

The campaign raised the equivalent of nearly 100,000 pounds of food for the Brazos Valley Food Bank, which serves six counties.

The campaign also brought needed awareness to the community. Food insecurity is not a distant neighbor. The complex issue is intertwined with every aspect of daily life. As inflation soared, and the heat became oppressive, families had to make hard decisions as to what bills to pay.

The Summer Hunger campaign helped alleviate some stress and keep the shelves stocked, but more importantly the campaign illuminated a local crisis that is easy to ignore.

Small Market Television: KTAB/KRBC-TV Abilene

Submission: Houses for Healing

As a part of Nexstar Media’s 2022 Founder’s Day of Caring (June 17, 2022), employees of KTAB, KRBC, Telemundo Abilene and The Big Country Homepage volunteered at Houses for Healing.

The non-profit provides free housing for patients and their families after surgery at area hospitals.

Station staff helped build and finish many of the 20 tiny houses where the patients stay.

They poured concrete, prepared large areas of landscaping, painted, ran electrical wire, set trusses atop walls, decked roofs, laid shingles, moved dirt, collected construction trash, and organized construction material.

The station also broadcast live from the Houses for Healing campus, attracting many additional volunteers.

Large Market Radio: Cox Media Group Houston

Submission: Houston SPCA/Humane Society

Cox Media Group Houston partnered with the Houston SPCA and Humane Society to showcase different pets up for adoption every week on social platforms with the “Furever Home” feature.

CMG provided a platform to these organizations to showcase the pets that were looking for loving homes and to spread awareness about the homeless pet population in the city.

On-Air talents Katelyn Maida from KKBQ and Kelly Ryan from KGLK regularly featured interviews with representatives from the Houston SPCA and Humane Society to discuss the importance of pet adoption and to provide information on the adoption process.

Listeners were encouraged to visit the Houston SPCA and Humane Society to meet the featured pets in “pawson” and to consider adoption.

They also shared stories of successful adoptions for pets that had found their “furever” home featured on the Radio stations.

The program also helped raise awareness about the importance of pet adoption over buying pets and the many benefits of having a pet in one's life.

Small Market Radio: KWED Seguin

Submission: Food & Toy Drive

Held the first Friday in December, the KWED Holiday Food & Toy Drive benefits the Seguin Christian Cupboard Community Pantry and the Police Department’s Blue Santa Program.

KWED staff started the drive 14 years ago and the program includes dozens of volunteers. They take to the streets to collect non-perishable food items and unwrapped toys – resulting in hundreds of pounds of food, truckloads of toys and thousands in donations.

The one-day campaign has become a community event with volunteers from local elected officials’ offices, students from local high schools and universities and more.

Collectively, the KWED staff donates more than 50 hours’ time planning this project, including preparations for the event, the event itself and personally delivering the food and toy donations collected to the appropriate organizations.

The event truly demonstrates what local Radio does best -- keep the community connected during the best and worst of times.

Congratulations to all these outstanding Texas stations!

Questions?

Contact TAB’s Beth Bobbitt.

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