WKMG-TV in Orlando has been awarded the Service to Community Award for Television in the Large Market category during the 2020 Celebration of Service to America Awards program, which aired Saturday night on stations nationwide.
Hosted by the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation, the Service to America Awards recognize outstanding community service by local broadcasters.
“Over the past year, America’s local radio and television stations have demonstrated unparalleled devotion to helping families and communities in need,” NAB Leadership Foundation President Michelle Duke said. “We are pleased to honor these exceptional stations and to celebrate this year’s winners with viewers and listeners during the first-ever broadcast of the Service to America Awards.”
WKMG-TV’s award-winning community service effort, “Driving Change: Florida's Texting and Driving Law,” served as the force behind the win.
After WKMG news anchor Matt Austin was hit and seriously injured by a texting driver, the station initiated a relentless multi-faceted, multi-year campaign led by Austin to strengthen Florida’s texting and driving law.
WKMG gathered stories from viewers, created partnerships with law enforcement and legislators and confronted those lawmakers who were creating roadblocks to a piece of legislation designed to save lives on Florida's roadways.
After three years of work, on July 1, 2019, those efforts resulted in a new law, making texting and driving a primary offense. In the end, many legislators, including those who were originally against a more robust law, credit WKMG with being a major factor behind its passage: Passage of Florida Statute Section 316.305 and 316.306.
About Celebration of Service to America Awards
The 2020 Celebration of Service to America Awards, hosted by the NAB Leadership Foundation, highlight and honor exceptional community service exhibited by local radio and television stations across the U.S.
The 2020 event premiered Aug. 22 as a one-hour televised program featuring high-profile guests and award presentations in eight categories.
About NAB Leadership Foundation
The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the future of broadcasting through leadership, diversity and community service.