WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of Broadcasters has announced that a one-hour television and radio special of the 2023 Celebration of Service to America Awards will air nationally on over 700 local television and radio broadcast stations across the country beginning November 27 through December 24, 2023.

Presented by the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation (NABLF), the Celebration of Service to America Awards honors local broadcasters for their essential role in the communities they serve. This year’s special will provide in-depth coverage of the people and the stories behind broadcasters’ public service, the NABLF reported. 

Two-time Emmy Award-winning talk show host, journalist, producer and author Tamron Hall will host the special. Hall, a member of the NABLF Board of Directors, will speak with multi-talented entertainer Wayne Brady about receiving the Service to America Leadership Award.

Broadcast celebrities will introduce each of local station winners. Celebrities on the special include: radio personality and television host Bobby Bones, sportscaster James Brown, broadcast journalist and news anchor Joie Chen, actor and talk show host Mark Consuelos, broadcast journalist and news anchor Craig Melvin, actress and talk show host Kelly Ripa and actress and comedian Sherri Shepherd.

The special was produced in partnership with Trailer Park Group and is being distributed through The Walt Disney Company. Nielsen will provide audience measurement services.

The awards were originally announced and presented to winning broadcast radio and television stations in eight categories at a gala held at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. on June 6. This year’s gala was the 25th anniversary of the event.

JPMorgan Chase received the Corporate Leadership Award, which recognizes a leading business outside of the broadcast industry that exemplifies an extraordinary focus on community service and corporate social responsibility.

A complete schedule of radio and television station airings of the special can be found at https://servicetoamericaawards.org/. 

A Spanish-translated version of the special will air on UniMás, a Spanish-language television network owned by TelevisaUnivision, and Telexitos, a Spanish-language digital multicast network owned by NBCUniversal.

WASHINGTON—The NAB Leadership Foundations’ Celebration of Service to America Awards will be aired on more than 500 TV and radio stations across the U.S. on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. ET, according to NABLF.

The one-hour program, which honors local radio and TV stations for their community service efforts, was distributed to stations through a pro bono partnership with Disney Media Networks. Nielsen, in collaboration with NBALF, will provide TV measurement and analytic services.

The full list of participating stations can be found at ServicetoAmericaAwards.org.

The 2020 Celebration of Service to America Awards, taking place virtually because of COVID-19, is hosted by Tamron Hall and will feature celebrity guests and presenters that include Glenn Close, Sharon Stone, Sterling K. Brown, Sara Evans, Tony Gonzalez and Mario Lopez.

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation has announced that its 2020 Celebration of Service to America Award event that was slated for June 9 will transition to a virtual event later in the summer in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Leadership Foundation says that because of the social distancing guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as broadcasters being focused on other issues related to the pandemic, “it is impossible to host a celebration during this time.”

The virtual event will still serve as a way to recognize station honorees, partners, political leaders and the entire broadcast industry, highlighting community service efforts in 2019 and the recent efforts of broadcasters related to COVID-19.

“As our world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, our thoughts are with those who have been directly affected by the virus,” NAB Leadership Foundation President Michelle Duke wrote to the broadcast community. “Our gratitude is with you as you and your team continue to perform the responsibilities, duties and commitment that come with being a broadcaster.”

Additional information regarding the move to a virtual event will be shared in the coming weeks, NAB Leadership Foundation says. No date for the virtual event has been provided at this time.

More information is available at the Celebration of Service to America Awards website. 

WASHINGTON—FedEx will be rubbing elbows with members of the broadcast industry at the NAB Education Foundation’s 19th annual Celebration of Service to America Awards. FedEx is being recognized with the organization’s Corporate Leadership Award, which is presented to a company outside of the broadcast industry that exemplifies community service and corporate social responsibility.

The NABEF award is in part recognition for the FedEx Cares platform, which the company uses to invest in communities around the world. Through FedEx Cares, the FedEx network, team members and resources connect people globally and are expected to contribute $200 million in more than 200 communities by 2020. The program’s Delivery for Good component is designed to provide urgent aid to communities in times of emergency.

In addition, FedEx has worked with Direct Relief for more than a decade and has partnered with the United Services Organization as its primary shipper for 15 years. FedEx has also donated to communities in areas such as road safety, global entrepreneurship, sustainable transportation and employment pathways.

FedEx employees also donated more than $12 million to charitable organizations and volunteered 90,000+ hours during the 2016 FedEx Cares United Way Campaign.

NABEF will present the Corporate Leadership Award to FedEx during the official Celebration of Service to America Awards event on June 20 in Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON—The winners of the 2017 Celebration of Service to America Awards have been announced by the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF). The honorees, recognized for their community service efforts, will be presented their awards at the Celebration of Service to America dinner.

Here is the full list of winners:

The President’s Special Award honors historic and extraordinary achievement by an individual broadcast station or group. This year’s winner is WXIA-TV in Atlanta for its “Charlie Foxtrot” piece on the Fairness for Veterans Act and a subsequent online petition in support of the act, which was signed into law on Dec. 23, 2016.

Recognizing a TV station for its efforts and commitment to serving its community, the Service to America Television Award will be presented to WDIV-TV from Detroit. Recent efforts included a telethon to raise money for Flint, Mich. Other finalists in the category included WAFB-TV from Baton Rouge, La.; WCVB-TV in Boston; WKMG-TV in Orlando, Fla.; and WSB-TV from Atlanta.

The Service to Children award honors radio and TV stations that conduct programs aimed at children. Winners in the radio category were WEDR-FM in Hollywood, Fla., for its efforts to provide students backpacks and school supplies and its “Fore-Life” program that teaches golf, disciplinary and math skills. KTAR/KMVP of Phoenix was the other finalist. On the TV side, WMUR-TV from Manchester, N.H., was recognized for its “Home at Last” series benefiting foster children. KWTX in Waco, Texas, and WNYT-TV in Albany, N.Y., were also recognized as finalists.

Radio and TV winners were also selected for the Service to Community Award. San Antonio’s KZLV-FM was the radio honoree for its “Share the Love” campaign that promotes local volunteers. WRAL-TV in Raleigh, N.C., was the recognized TV station for its “Black and Blue” documentary on the relationship between police and the African American community. Other finalists included the Illinois Broadcast Association; KGBX-FM in Springfield, Mo.; St. Louis’ KSHE-FM; Las Vegas’ KSOS-FM; WFEZ-FM from Hollywood, Fla.; and WTAM-AM in Cleveland for radio. TV finalists included KGMB of Honolulu; KTUU from Anchorage, Alaska; WAFB-TV; Baltimore’s WBAL; and WXIA.

The Celebration of Service to America dinner will take place on June 20 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington.