NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Gray Television
was recognized today with the Ad Council's 2017 Crystal Bell award
at Forward 2017, the Television Bureau of Advertising's (TVB)
annual leadership conference in New York
City. Each year, the Ad Council presents this award to a
broadcast television partner for its extraordinary support of the
Ad Council's public service campaigns.
The Ad Council, a national non-profit organization, is the
largest U.S. producer of public service campaigns. Through
partnerships with non-profit organizations and federal government
agencies, along with leading advertising and media companies, the
Ad Council works to drive change on public issues through
innovative communications programs. All Ad Council campaigns run in
donated media time and space, and the broadcast TV industry ranks
among the Ad Council's top supporters, providing more than
$247 million in donated airings in
2016.
This year's Crystal Bell Award
was presented to Gray Television, which owns or operates more than
100 stations across the U.S. Last year, Gray Television's
stations provided tremendous support for a wide range of Ad
Council campaigns including Shelter Pet Adoption, Recycling, Hunger
Prevention, Autism Awareness and Type 2 Diabetes Prevention.
Gray Television also contributed to the record-breaking
success of the 2016 Project Roadblock, a six-day local
broadcast TV station roadblock aimed at reducing drunk driving
fatalities during the holiday season. Project Roadblock is a
partnership with the Ad Council's longstanding Buzzed Driving
Prevention campaign, sponsored by the U.S. Department of
Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA). Gray was among the top five supporters of the campaign
during this highly relevant time period and helped the Ad Council
and NHTSA extend the reach of the PSA's message, educating more
people nationwide about the consequences of impaired driving.
"We're incredibly grateful for the generous support that the
local broadcast television industry provides our campaigns every
year," said Lisa Sherman, President
and CEO of the Ad Council. "Gray Television's support of our buzzed
driving prevention efforts not only helps to keep our communities
safer but also demonstrates their immense commitment to using the
local airwaves as a powerful vehicle for social change. We're so
pleased to recognize them for this partnership."
"We are honored to be recognized by the Ad Council with the
prestigious Crystal Bell award for
our stations' support of Project Roadblock and other
important social issues," said Hilton H.
Howell, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Gray Television. "Serving
the local communities in which we operate is an integral part of
Gray Television's commitment, and we are grateful for the
opportunity to share important messages that help better the lives
of our viewers."
According to the latest NHTSA data, impaired driving between
Christmas and New Year's accounts for
nearly one-third of all motor vehicle crash fatalities. Over the
last thirteen years, TVB, the Ad Council and NHTSA have partnered
with local broadcast television stations on Project
Roadblock. Each year, between December
26 and 31, local broadcast stations voluntarily participate
by airing Buzzed Driving Prevention PSAs during the concentrated
six-day period, with a special push at 10
p.m. local time on New Year's
Eve. This partnership helps raise awareness of the dangers
of impaired driving and has helped save lives.
"The most effective way to stop drunk driving is to prevent it
from happening in the first place," said Susan Gorcowski, NHTSA Associate Administrator
of Communications and Consumer Information. "Through Project
Roadblock and the support of local TV stations across the
country, NHTSA and the Ad Council have been able to use the power
of media to raise awareness and to save lives. We're recognizing
Gray Television and its stations today for their support in
spreading this important safety message."
This year Gray Television's stations supported Project
Roadblock, and many of its stations went above and beyond in
their support by participating in the 10
p.m. New Year's Eve
activation. 2016 was the most successful year to-date for
Project Roadblock; the initiative received widespread
support from local broadcast affiliates, including nearly 69,000
placements of donated on-air, digital sub-channel, online and
mobile time and space by over 1000 TV stations reaching all 50
states, and resulting in $9.4 million
of airtime over the six-day period. Since its inception in 2004,
local broadcast TV stations across the nation have donated more
than $58.7 million in support of
Project Roadblock.
"In 2016 over 1,000 TV stations committed to promote safety in
their communities through Project Roadblock. This is a
critical initiative for TVB and we are honored to work in
partnership with the Ad Council and NHTSA on this life-saving PSA
campaign," said Steve Lanzano,
President and CEO of TVB. "We commend Gray Television's recognition
by the Ad Council for their exemplary efforts in making public
service campaigns across the United
States a priority."
About Gray Television
Gray owns and/or operates over 100 television stations across 57
television markets that collectively broadcast over 200 program
streams including 104 channels affiliated with the CBS Network, the
NBC Network, the ABC Network and the FOX Network. Our portfolio
includes the number-one and/or number-two ranked television station
operations in essentially all of our markets, which collectively
cover approximately 10.6 percent of total United States television households.
About NHTSA
For more than four decades, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has served as the key
federal agency charged with improving safety on our nation's
roadways. As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA
is working to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries by
promoting the use of safety belts and child safety seats; helping
states and local communities address the threat of drunk drivers;
regulating safety standards and investigating safety defects in
motor vehicles; establishing and enforcing fuel economy standards;
conducting research on driver behavior and traffic safety; and
providing consumer information on issues ranging from child
passenger safety to impaired driving. For more information, visit
http://www.nhtsa.gov.
About TVB
TVB is the not-for-profit trade association
of America's local broadcast television industry. Its members
include television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps,
syndicators, international broadcasters, associate members and over
800 individual television stations. TVB actively promotes local
media marketing solutions to the advertising community, and in so
doing works to develop advertising dollars for the medium's
multiple platforms, including on-air, online and mobile. TVB
provides a diverse variety of tools and resources,
including www.tvb.org, to support its members and to help
advertisers make the best use of local ad dollars.
About the Ad Council
The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich
history of marshaling volunteer talent from the advertising and
media industries to deliver critical messages to the American
public. Having produced literally thousands of public service
campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day,
the Ad Council has affected, and continues to affect, tremendous
positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving
lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns
visit adcouncil.org, like us on Facebook, follow us
on Twitter or view our PSAs on YouTube.
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SOURCE Gray Television