CC Media Holdings, parent company of Clear Channel Communications, has formalized the community engagement efforts of its radio, outdoor and digital properties with the launch of Clear Channel Communities. The company says the new department will add an additional layer of resources and focus to fuel even greater community impact.
Clear Channel Communities is designed to increase the impact of Clear Channel’s already extensive ongoing local philanthropic efforts. The program will be headed by local market managers with support from a national executive team, including Clear Channel Media and Entertainment CEO John Hogan and a new community engagement department led by Jessica King, the company’s Director of Community Engagement, that will provide counsel and share best company-wide practices for effective cause marketing programs. Local Advisory Boards [LABS], which consist of local community, government and educational leaders and are in place in Clear Channel’s local markets, will continue to actively guide Clear Channel’s support to the most relevant local issues facing individual communities.
“Our Local Advisory Boards have always been a guiding light in helping to effectively serve our communities and to truly understand the issues that need to be addressed,” said Joe Puglise, President and Market Manager, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, New York. “The addition of Clear Channel Communities is testament to Clear Channel’s ongoing commitment to making a difference in each of the markets we serve, and I welcome the counsel and additional resources it will provide in supporting the needs of the New York area.”
The mission of Clear Channel Communities is to galvanize local radio and outdoor resources to educate and inspire residents to make a difference within their own communities. Clear Channel Communities, which has its own centralized website, will also aim to roll up the company’s local efforts into national campaigns on occasions where scale can help create additional impact.
“Clear Channel has always had a heightened level of commitment to local communities with an approach unmatched by any other company,” said Hogan. “Clear Channel Communities and our new community engagement organization will now add another level of support that will balance our local access and strong community ties with the ability to band together millions of people across the country. We believe addressing the issues – big or small – that affect people’s daily lives is an important foundation for effecting greater change.”
Throughout the year, Clear Channel Communities will work with stations across the country to spotlight thousands of local and national non-profit organizations that are working to address critical issues and causes, primarily in four core areas: family and social impact; health and wellness; education and literacy; and music and arts.
Local markets will support many large and small groups by: providing media inventory in the form of radio and digital PSAs or billboard inventory; championing the missions of various non-profit groups; supporting local events like walk-a-thons, fundraising events, and supply drives; taking action in communities facing disasters; advocating for various national and local issues; engaging local officials and decision makers through LABs; and taking on countless initiatives throughout the year that affect cities across the country.
The introduction of Clear Channel Communities will also affect the way non-profit organizations can work with the media company. Non-profits have historically built strong alliances with their local Clear Channel radio stations and Clear Channel Outdoor representatives, enabling them to further their missions at the local level. These strong relationships will now be amplified with added support from Clear Channel Communities.
Organizations will now also be able to participate in a streamlined application process that will provide an opportunity to compete for multi-market support. Each quarter, Clear Channel will award one leading non-profit a three-month national campaign across 150 markets that will consist of an average of 300,000+ radio spots; include unique online user experiences; local engagement; and the opportunity to utilize the company’s outdoor properties to further drive the message. These national, three-month campaigns have the capability to reach the vast population of the US.
