Nexstar Media Group, Inc. received the 2020 Catalyst Award for their outstanding support of Ad Council public service campaigns over the past year.
The Catalyst Award recognizes a communications company that creates strategic programs to advance meaningful social change. Nexstar Media Group, Inc. harnessed their 197 stations across the country to provide exceptional donated media support to Ad Council campaigns last year, with particularly standout support of Project Roadblock, an annual local broadcast TV campaign designed to reduce drunk driving fatalities over the course of the holiday season.
The award was given at TVB’s Alt Forward Conference 2020, the Television Bureau of Advertising’s (TVB) annual leadership conference that was held virtually this year due to concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nexstar saw 100% station participation across 114 markets for Project Roadblock. What’s more, Nexstar-owned stations led all participants in donated media value, with over $1 million dollars in value and 8,697 detections.
“Nexstar’s support of the Ad Council’s campaigns, particularly their involvement in Project Roadblock, has been extraordinary and they’re highly deserving of this year’s Catalyst Award,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “Nexstar’s dedication to making sure people stay safe on the road continues to save lives, and we look forward to their support in the years to come.”
“Nexstar is proud to support TVB, the Ad Council, and Project Roadblock, and we are proud and humbled to receive the Catalyst Award,” said Tim Busch, President of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. “This is a unified effort, and as such, we are equally proud to serve alongside each of our fellow broadcasters who have consistently supported Project Roadblock since 2003. This industry takes care of its own, through education, awareness, and the use of our platforms for positive change—in this case, saving lives from impaired driving. Across our station group last year, we were proud to provide dedicated daily schedules with a total of over 8,700 individual PSAs related to Project Roadblock. That is significant, because when it comes to preventing car accidents due to impaired driving, reaching just one viewer who hears Project Roadblock’s message and changes his or her behavior can have a tremendous impact.”
For over a decade and half, Project Roadblock has leveraged local TV stations’ donated media during the holidays to raise awareness of the dangers of impaired driving. PSAs urge viewers to find a safe ride home after holiday festivities. The partnership between TVB, the Ad Council, NHTSA and local broadcast television stations is now entering its 17th year.
Project Roadblock 2019 had over 65,000 placements of donated on-air, digital sub-channel, online and mobile time and space by over 1,000 TV stations reaching all 50 states, resulting in nearly $8 million of airtime over the six-day period.
Since Project Roadblock’s inception, local broadcast TV stations across the nation have donated more than $81 million in support.
“We are honored to have been a part of Project Roadblock since its inception in 2004 and look forward to making the 17th year of Project Roadblock the most successful yet. With such widespread participation by local TV stations across the U.S., broadcasters are truly making a vital difference in keeping their communities safe by raising awareness of impaired driving,” said Steve Lanzano, President and CEO of TVB. “We applaud Nexstar Media Group and all participating TV stations for their exemplary efforts prioritizing this campaign and helping to save lives.”
