Sure, anybody can raise money for the big causes — muscular dystrophy, breast cancer, heart disease — but radio broadcasters often dig in locally to find causes that are important to their audience.
In Knoxville, Journal Broadcast’s WWST(FM)/Star 102.1 conducted two events to help out the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. “The Marc & Kim Show,” normally a morning show, spent two 12-hour days, March 5–6, at a local mall raising money, collecting over $130,000. On March 12, the station presented “Dancing With the Knoxville Stars,” featuring local radio and TV personalities and athletes. The haul was over $140,000. Total was almost $275,000.
In Detroit, WDZH(FM), a CBS Radio property, is conducting “Gown Town” though mid-April. Gown Town collects used prom, cocktail and bridesmaid dresses for reuse as prom dresses. The dresses are free for the wearer. The aggregated will be professionally drycleaned.
WRVE(FM)/The River, an iHeartMedia Albany, N.Y. station, is working with the area Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region in a similar cause. Its first “Pay Less for the Dress” raised $5,000 to help defray the costs of prom dresses for some girls. The organizers collected dresses, had them cleaned and sold them for $9.95 each. The event was held Feb. 28 – March 1 at the N.Y. Women’s Expo.
