NAB: Broadcasters Donate $12M to OK2TALK

The National Association of Broadcasters says local TV and radio stations have donated over $12 million in airtime to its OK2Talk mental health public service campaign.

That amounts to over 100,000 airings. OK2Talk.org, a Tumblr-based platform, has gotten 256,000 page views, 15,387 followers and over 2,000 submissions, according to NAB, which launched the campaign July 23. OK2TALK gives teens and young people a place to "share personal stories of recovery, tragedy, struggle or hope," says NAB.

"Mental health issues are often the common thread in tragedies like the Navy Yard shooting this week," said NAB President Gordon Smith, whose son suffered from mental illness before taking his own life. "We thank our broadcast brothers and sisters for their support for the NAB campaign, and urge them to continue carrying these pro-social messages that encourage a meaningful dialogue on mental health."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.