CBS Local Media Stations Join Forces With American Red Cross For 'Operation' Brotherly Love: Helping Moore' Phone Bank To Solicit Donations For Oklahoma Disaster Victims
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The CBS Local Media stations in Philadelphia – CBS 3, The CW Philly, KYW Newsradio 1060, 98.1 WOGL, SportsRadio 94WIP, SportsRadio 610WIP, Talk Radio 1210 WPHT and CBSPhilly.com – are teaming up once again under the "Operation Brotherly Love" banner to use their combined voices for a good cause – to raise funds for the American Red Cross relief effort in the wake of the horrific and deadly tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.
Volunteers and on-air personalities from the stations, the American Red Cross and Brotherly Love campaign partner Wawa will staff a phone bank Thursday, May 23rd from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the top of every hour and in news segments on CBS 3 and The CW Philly to take pledges for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. To contribute, viewers can call 1-877-KYW3-ASK (1-877-599-3275) or donate $10 to the cause by texting REDCROSS to 90999. Details on how to donate can also be accessed on-line at www.cbsphilly.com.
Leading the effort will be Eyewitness News Anchors Chris May, Pat Ciarrocchi, Ukee Washington, Erika von Tiehl and Natasha Brown from CBS 3 and The CW Philly. CBS RADIO personalities will appear throughout the day as well including Ross Brittain, Valerie Knight and Frank Lewis of 98.1 WOGL's Breakfast Club, Dom Giordano from Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, Al Morganti of SportsRadio 94WIP and KYW Newsradio 1060's Cherri Gregg and Michelle Durham. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter is also scheduled to make an appeal on behalf of the Red Cross.
"The best way we know to overcome the tragedy of an immense disaster like this one is by pulling together and doing all we can to help those in great need," says CBS 3/The CW Philly President and General Manager Jon Hitchcock. "The people of Oklahoma are not alone; CBS and our viewers are on their side, eager to lend a helping hand so they can begin rebuilding their lives."
"It makes me proud that TV and radio can not only keep the public informed in such disasters," says Marc Rayfield, Senior Vice President and Market Manager for CBS RADIO, "but we can be a catalyst to help the community rebuild."
"Whenever there's a major disaster here at home, across the country, or around the world, CBS Philly and Wawa are always quick to step up and help," says Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes, CEO of the Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of the American Red Cross. "They are terrific partners."
CBS 3 and its sister stations created Operation Brotherly Love in 2001 as a way to mobilize the Delaware Valley's response to the 9/11 disaster. Under that same banner, the stations later raised $300,000 for Tsunami victims and more than a $1 million for Katrina victims in 2005 and just shy of $1 million for Haitian Earthquake victims in 2010. Additionally, last November, Operation Brotherly Love raised $628,107 for Hurricane Sandy and the relief efforts surrounding that disaster.
CBS 3 (KYW-TV) and The CW Philly (WPSG-TV) are part of CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corporation. KYW Newsradio 1060, 98.1 WOGL, SportsRadio 94WIP, SportsRadio 610WIP and Talk Radio 1210 WPHT are CBS RADIO stations. The stations can be heard live on-air, online at www.cbsphilly.com and via the Radio.com App for a variety of mobile devices.
