Ridge Praises Broadcasters For Public Service Efforts

Radio and TV are all right in Governor Tom Ridge’s book. The director of the Office of Homeland Security told broadcasters assembled for NAB’s “Service to America Summit” that “After 9/11, you didn’t just report the news. You calmed fears.” Ridge credited broadcasters with giving up ad revenues in the wake of the attacks, at a time when such revenue was scarce.
Of the OHS, which President Bush has urged Congress to raise to a Cabinet-level position, Ridge said, while “We can never eliminate the threat of terrorism completely, we can significantly reduce the (nation’s) vulnerability to terrorism over time.”
Commercial radio and TV contributed nearly $10 billion in public service in 2001, including $1 billion in Sept. 11 relief efforts, according to NAB. The figure is derived from donated airtime, and funds for charity and disaster aid.