Cable’s Immediate Relief Response to Hurricane Katrina

Fall 2005

Cable’s efforts to help the victims of Katrina are taking many forms, from cash donations to relief agencies, to running Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and fundraising telethons, to sending trucks loaded with emergency supplies to affected regions. Select an organization for more information or download the comprehensive PDF below.

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Examples of Cable Industry Relief Efforts:

Cable has always aimed to serve its customers and their communities, especially in times of great need. In the aftermath of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the cable industry has been initiating and aiding relief efforts to impacted communities.

Cable’s efforts to help the victims of Katrina are taking many forms, from cash donations to relief agencies, to running Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and fundraising telethons, to sending trucks loaded with emergency supplies to the affected regions. Here are some examples of the industry’s commitment.

CABLE PROGRAMMING SERVICES

A&E Television Networks

All A&E networks are running a crawl encouraging donations to the American Red Cross, as well as posting this information on their websites. Additionally, the company is making a significant donation to the Red Cross and/or other relief funds, and matching employee contributions to the Red Cross.

To assist school districts affected by Katrina, A&E Television Networks (AETN) has announced a two-part educational outreach program. Starting in mid-September, and continuing into October, AETN provided educational materials to several Houston schools that have admitted some of the thousands of evacuated students. In addition to financial donations, AETN employees helped package and mail boxes of supplies for these schools. Each school will also receive a TV, a DVD player, a video library of historical and educational programming from The History Channel and A&E Network, as well as study guides for teachers. AETN websites will list other schools that need support and encourage others to follow suit. To address long-term needs, AETN will identify and adopt several schools in the hurricane-devastated area, providing grants of $20,000 in goods, services and financial support. In conjunction with A&E’s Lives That Make a Difference and The History Channel’s Save Our History campaigns, AETN will create PSAs to air on all AETN networks, encouraging others to similarly adopt a school or even a class within a school. A list of these schools in need will also be available on AETN websites.

Additionally, the History Channel and A&E Network are developing programs that will examine the historical context of the hurricane and report on heroic survival stories.

A&E carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

ABC Cable Networks

ABC Family and SOAPnet carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Altitude Sports & Entertainment

Altitude Sports & Entertainment carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

AmericanLife TV Network

American Life TV Network carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Bay News 9

Regional news channel Bay News 9 ( Tampa Bay, FL) is partnering with Bright House Networks, Infinity Broadcasting and the American Red Cross to raise funds for hurricane disaster relief. The network has produced and is airing PSAs and promos informing viewers how to donate to the Red Cross, is also mentioning this information in news updates, and has provided a link on its website.

BET

BET raised more than $10 million for hurricane relief during its “S.O.S.” (Saving Our Selves) telethon on Friday, September 9. The telethon was preceded by a special benefit episode of 106 & Park: BET’s Top 10 Live. Telethon partners included the National Urban League, American Red Cross, Hip Hop Summit Action Network Chairman Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles and the Warner Music Group, and Essence Communications.

Black Family Channel

On September 15th and 16th, the chairman of Black Family Channel, Willie Gary, used his Boeing 737 jet to fly several families staying at the Houston Astrodome to reunite with their relatives in Georgia. Gary was joined by Black Family Channel board members Evander Holyfield and Cecil Fielder. Also as part of the trip, Gary delivered thousands of dollars worth of diapers, water, baby formula and other supplies to evacuees at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center and Thurgood Marshall Shelter.

Black Family Channel carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Comcast SportsNet Chicago carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Court TV

Court TV created a website that lists various resources for those impacted, including organizations providing legal help, and local assistance groups in the affected states.

Court TV is also matching employee donations to organizations for hurricane relief. The network carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

CSTV

CSTV donated all advertising proceeds from Tulane’s first football game this season. The “Big Game for the Big Easy” between Tulane and Mississippi State took place on September 17th at the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA. CSTV will also work with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to rebuild athletic programs in regions impacted by the hurricane.

E! Networks

Beginning September 10th, E! started running its own series of Red Cross PSAs, featuring Mariah Carey, Julie Andrews, Pamela Anderson and George Lopez.

E! and Style Network carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast. E! Networks will also match employee donations to relief organizations.

ESPN

ESPN’s various platforms are encouraging viewers and users to support the American Red Cross: ESPN.com is running a Red Cross banner with a website link for donations; ESPN TV ran the Red Cross website address during game telecasts over the Labor Day weekend; and ESPN Radio is talking about the Red Cross website on air at least 10 times per day.

Under the theme of “Recover & Rebuild,” ESPN partnered with the NFL, its teams, ABC, CBS, Fox and sponsors to use the September 18-19 NFL games in a special way as part of an ongoing initiative to raise funds and bring attention to the needs of the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The weekend’s activities culminated with a fundraising telethon from ABC’s Times Square studio in New York City that was incorporated into the ABC and ESPN telecasts of the NFL’s Monday Night Football doubleheader on September 19. The telethon raised money for the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund ( www.bushclintonkatrinafund.com). Current and Hall

of Fame NFL players took calls and accepted pledges. The telethon continued on both networks until the conclusion of the Washington Redskins-Dallas Cowboys game.

ESPN carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

ESPN’s parent company, The Walt Disney Company, is making a corporate contribution of $2.5 million to the relief and rebuilding efforts – $1 million to the American Red Cross for immediate relief efforts; $1 million for rebuilding efforts targeted at children’s charities; and $500,000 to volunteer centers providing services to the affected communities. Employees also have been notified about a link to the American Red Cross website for making donations.

Fox Cable

News Corporation’s Fox News Channel is devoting significant resources to covering the hurricane and its aftermath. While the initial coverage focused on the storm itself, the network is now concentrating on gathering and disseminating information that will help inform viewers how to help the impacted region, including posting key phone numbers for relief organizations and running Red Cross PSAs. News Corporation is likewise making a $1 million donation to the Salvation Army, and will also match employee donations to accredited charities to a total of $1 million.

Fox Networks Group has contributed another $5 million of commercial airtime across all of its programming services for PSAs supporting the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and USA Freedom Corps, and all 24 of the Fox Cable Networks participated as either carriers or fundraisers in the  Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast , one-hour, commercial-free telethon in partnership with FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, WB and UPN.

Hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, the September 9 special featured musical performances and appearances by celebrities, and was broadcast live from locations in New York and Los Angeles to the Eastern and Central time zones and tape-delayed in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. It was also made available to other broadcast networks, cable networks, radio stations and broadband Internet providers. Fox, FX, FSN (Fox Sports Net), SPEED Channel, Fox Movie Channel, Fox College Sports, FUEL TV and Fox Reality all simulcast the special.

On September 13 and 14, Fox Regional Sports Networks aired a special 90-second fundraising appeal during its coverage of Major League Baseball games to benefit the American Red Cross and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Each of the 13 participating Fox-owned or FSN-affiliated networks donated $1,000 for every homerun hit during their designated game on those two nights as part of a Round Trippers for Relief fundraising effort. A total of 14 different networks participated across a schedule of 13 different games involving 24 Major League Baseball teams. Several participating networks also taped other direct appeals from hometown stars urging fans to contribute to the Red Cross and Salvation Army. Play-by-play announcers made appeals throughout the telecasts.

G4 video game television

G4 video game television carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

G4 also organized an employee fundraising party for September 9. Employees’ cash donations to relief organizations were matched by the network. All refreshments for the party were donated by area vendors.

GolTV

GolTV carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Gospel Music Channel

The Gospel Music Channel is partnering with the Gospel Music Association, Paxson Communications Corporation’s i (formerly PAX TV), and veteran promoter Peter Conlon to air Gospel Angels: A Concert to Restore Hope, a live nationally televised concert featuring stars of gospel/Christian music. Staged on September 22 nd at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park with additional live performances from shelters across the country, the special will be broadcast on the Gospel Music Channel and i. Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Charter will carry the special on VOD. All funds raised through ticket sales and donations by concertgoers and viewers will be given to organizations providing aid to hurricane victims.

GSN

GSN is matching employee donations to relief organizations up to $1,000 per employee.

GSN carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, in addition to airing PSAs for relief efforts.

Hallmark Channel

Hallmark will make a contribution to the American Red Cross on behalf of the employees of Hallmark Cards and all of its subsidiaries. The company is also directing employees who wish to make individual donations to the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.

Hallmark Channel carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Inspiration Networks

Inspirations Networks has a partnership with Convoy of Hope, a disaster relief organization based in Springfield, MO. Convoy of Hope brings trucks loaded with water, ice, food and other supplies to areas affected by disaster. Three trucks arrived in Louisiana and Mississippi on Sunday, August 28, with an additional 22 arriving in the following days. The most immediate need for Convoy of Hope is cash and corporate sponsorship. It costs $6,000 to fill a relief truck. Donations can be made corporately and individually, and are tax-deductible. Credit card donations can be made at www.insptoday.com. Trucks can be directed to specific cable sites/communities. For any company that donates $3,000, INSP will donate the other $3,000 to supply a truck. As of September 12, more than 180 truckloads of ice, water and food had been delivered by INSP and Convoy of Hope, totaling more than 6 million pounds of relief supplies.

Inspiration Networks also aired a Concert of Hope special on all of its networks on September 3 to raise funds for the INSP/Convoy of Hope effort. INSP made Concert of Hope available to cable operators in its entirety as well as in one-hour increments that could be aired locally. The concert raised more than $134,000.

Jewelry TV

Jewelry TV raised $200,000 for hurricane victims by contributing five percent of its net sales over a four-day period to America’s Second Harvest, a food bank organization.

Lifetime Television

Lifetime Television has placed links on the LifetimeTV.com homepage to the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for employees and viewers wishing to make contributions to organizations assisting those affected by Katrina. Additionally, starting on August 31, Lifetime began airing PSAs informing viewers how to donate to the Red Cross’s response and rescue operations targeted to those affected by Katrina.

Lifetime carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

LIME

LIME carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

MTV Networks

MTV, VH1 and CMT simulcast a multi-artist, multi-genre, multi-platform live performance special on Saturday, September 10, entitled ReAct Now: Music and Relief, which sought to raise funds for the American Red Cross and similar relief organizations. MTV2, mtvU, VH1 Classic, and broadband video networks MTV Overdrive and VSpot simulcast the special. Country, pop, rock and hip hop artists performed from New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nashville. All proceeds from audio downloads of the concert are being donated to the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.

All CMT, VH1 and MTV platforms have begun an awareness campaign to inform viewers how to get involved and participate in relief efforts. Viewers are being directed to websites and phone numbers for making donations. Other efforts include: a news special MTV aired on Saturday, September 10, featuring news correspondents from the hardest hit areas; mtvU is partnering with its nearly 7 million college students and collegiate organizations and Urban Outfitters to mobilize clothing drives, donations and volunteer relief efforts; mtvU will air special features from the affected universities and highlight the relief work of students unable to return to their schools.

VH1 Classic launched Pay to Play for Hurricane Katrina Relief on October 15th. For making a financial donation at www.vh1classic.com, viewers can request their favorite music videos to be played on the channel. Viewers can request one video for every $25. For $200 of requests, viewers will also receive a poster by artist Peter Max. A viewer making a $35,000 donation gets to program one hour’s worth of videos, plus have his or her portrait painted by Peter Max. All donations go to Mercy Corps.

Viacom, MTV’s parent company, is donating $1 million in cash to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Effort and is instituting a worldwide employee matching gift program. The total value of all Viacom efforts is estimated to be tens of millions of dollars.

NBC Universal Cable

NBC, MSNBC and CNBC aired A Concert for Hurricane Relief in high-definition on Friday, September 2 nd at 8 p.m. Bravo and Trio repeated the program at 11 a.m. on September 3 rd. Hosted by Matt Lauer from NBC’s studios in New York, the telethon featured artists with ties to the affected region, including Tim McGraw, Harry Connick, Jr., and Wynton Marsalis. Viewers were encouraged to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund through its website and hotline.

Telemundo produced Unidos por Las Victimas del Huracan Katrina, a one-hour fundraising special for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The special aired in the United States on Friday, September 2 nd from 9-10 p.m. (ET/PT) and 10-11 p.m. in Puerto Rico.

USA Network is directing viewers to the American Red Cross website and hotline. In addition, USA worked with the USTA and CBS to produce “Player Bumpers” in which US Open tennis players ask viewers to join them in donating to the American Red Cross.

Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC and TRIO carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Parent company GE has donated $1 million to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, and is matching employee donations. GE is also working with the Red Cross and FEMA to determine what products, services and equipment are needed and could be donated.

Nickelodeon Networks

Nick at Nite and TV Land are airing PSAs supporting the American Red Cross. Additionally, TV Land.com will make a $100,000 donation to the Red Cross through its www.FamilyTable.info Family Day pledge website, and provide a link to the Red Cross. Both networks are reaching out to their classic TV stars to participate in additional PSAs for the Red Cross.

The N is supporting the Red Cross and Second Harvest through website and blog information, as well as in PSAs featuring Degrassi stars. The network also promoted and re-transmitted the September 9 BET telethon and the September 10 MTV Networks concert special.

On Sunday, September 11, Nickelodeon aired a special edition of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Do Something! Caring for the Kids of Katrina, offering a glimpse of the effects of Hurricane Katrina, how it happened, and how kids can help those affected.  The special was also simulcast on Nick GAS and Nicktoons, and also aired on Nickelodeon’s Cable in the Classroom programming. Hosted by Linda Ellerbee from the Houston Astrodome, the special focused on the positive, and featured messages of hope from kids to kids. Nickelodeon is also partnering with Do Something! on the "We've Got Your Back" initiative, which asks kids to fill backpacks with toiletries, school supplies, toys and other items for affected children. Nickelodeon will produce PSAs for the initiative, featuring young stars Romeo and Jamie Lynn Spears. In addition to airing on Nickelodeon, the PSAs will air on Channel One in schools and on monitors in Sam Goody stores nationwide.

The N aired A Walk in Your Shoes: Katrina’s Aftermath on October 18. The half-hour special was filmed over the course of a day 10 days after Katrina, and follows five teenage friends from Grace King High School in Metairie, LA, looking at the aftermath of the storm through their eyes. Following the special, The N aired a call-to-action message, telling viewers how they could help the students of Grace King High School.

The Outdoor Channel

The Outdoor Channel began airing PSAs August 31 on The Outdoor Channel and Outdoor Channel 2 HD and will match employee donations.

Outdoor Life Network

Outdoor Life Network (OLN) is working on a hurricane relief promotion with the National Hockey League (NHL). During the month of October, for each goal scored during a game aired on OLN, the network will make a cash donation to Habitat for Humanity to assist with rebuilding. OLN will promote this effort on air and online, and will ask the OLN sports community to make donations as well.

OLN is donating its inventory of premiums and clothing with older versions of its logo to Star of Hope in Houston, and possibly to other organizations in need of clothing donations.

The network is matching employee donations to the American Red Cross and is running hurricane relief PSAs. OLN is also sharing information with its employees on the relief efforts of its parent company, Comcast.

Ovation

Ovation carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Oxygen Media

Oxygen will donate up to $10,000 through the use of its “viral marketing” tool, Oh! Speak Up! For every person who joins the campaign (via registration at www.oxygen.com), Oxygen will donate $1 to the patients of the New Orleans Children’s hospital, who have been evacuated to Texas Children’s Hospital.

Oxygen carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

QVC

QVC raised more than $3 million by donating a portion of its sales to aid survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Scripps Networks

HGTV, Food Network, DIY, GAC and Fine Living have produced and are airing PSAs encouraging viewers to donate to the American Red Cross. Shop at Home is taping messages to air indefinitely. GAC aired a special production (which was simulcast on DIY and Fine Living) of Grand Opry Live! on September 27 with ticket sales benefiting hurricane relief. GAC and the Opry will also host an online auction of music and Opry artifacts to raise additional funds.

HGTV gave $50,000 through the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Hurricane Katrina Recovery Fund to aid in the preservation of Louisiana’s historic buildings and neighborhoods that were damaged by the storm.

Online, all Scripps websites are adding spots to their main pages for donations to the American Red Cross. Additionally, DIY has moved its “Rebuild and Recover” and “Weathering the Storm” sections to its homepage. “Weathering the Storm” is also being reinserted into the programming lineup.

In Knoxville, TN, where Scripps is located, the Employee Activities Committee is providing toiletries for a half dozen displaced families temporarily living at the Knoxville Red Cross.

The Scripps Howard Foundation is matching contributions from employees, and Shop at Home has made a $10,000 donation in Emeril Lagasse’s name to the American Red Cross.

Starz

Starz has made cash contributions to the relief funds for impacted employees of Cox and Cable One.  In addition, employees are donating toys, non perishable food, clothing and other items to ship to the system in Baton Rouge which is hosting about 150 families from the New Orleans system.  The first shipment departed September 9.

The Tennis Channel

The Tennis Channel carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Turner Broadcasting

Turner Broadcasting made an immediate cash donation of $250,000 to the American Red Cross for its relief efforts in the impacted region, and parent company Time Warner will be matching up to $1 million in employee contributions to the Red Cross. Turner will distribute goods and supplies from an employee drive to Atlanta shelters and hospitals in need. Bottled water donations from another employee drive will be given to Feed the Children to transport to the Gulf Coast. Turner is also meeting with other Atlanta businesses to determine how the business community can help.

CNN has created a “Victims and Relief Desk” to provide a link between the stranded and missing with families and friends searching for them. CNN crews in all of the hurricane-ravaged areas are shooting video of victims, letting them state their names and locations so that families and friends will know their condition. CNN/U.S. is airing video clips and photos. Airing regularly on CNN/U.S., these segments also highlight hurricane relief efforts. The desk has received tens of thousands of emails since it was set up on August 31. Over the weekend of September 17, CNN partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to air photos of children who were still missing or searching for their parents. The photos were displayed on the left side of the screen, along with the names of the missing and information about NCMEC’s “Katrina Missing Persons Hotline” and its website ( www.missingkids.com).

CNN Public Information staffed an office of volunteers (employees, family members and friends) who responded to thousands of phone calls and emails from viewers asking for assistance and how they could help. The operation ran from the evening of September 1 through the evening of September 5.

CNN is encouraging viewers and CNN.com users to send information to hurricanevictims@cnn.com. CNN.com is also posting names of those missing, and the names and locations of those who have survived. CNN is promoting its online Hurricane Victims Help Center ( www.cnn.com/helpcenter), through PSAs featuring the Goo Goo Dolls’ song “Better Days.” The band donated the use of the song to CNN. In addition to providing information about those who are listed as safe or missing, the Help Center also lists resources for victims as they rebuild and recover from Katrina.

Larry King hosted a three-hour “How You Can Help” special on Saturday, September 3 rd. The special served as an information clearinghouse for viewers to understand and join nationwide and global relief efforts. King spoke to survivors and relief workers as well as took phone calls. The program was simulcast on CNN International and CNNRadio, and CNN.com added “How You Can Help” coverage on its front page.

CNN aired a special edition of its weekly program On the Story on September 4, featuring CNN journalists sharing their first-hand experience from covering Hurricane Katrina, in front of a live audience at George Washington University.

CNN aired a one-hour special on security, Is America Prepared? Lessons of Hurricane Katrina, on September 10. The special examined how the Department of Homeland Security handled its first big test since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

CNN has opened a full-time bureau in New Orleans as part of its efforts to cover the aftermath of Katrina.

Cartoon Network re launched its “Kids Help Out” campaign, featuring popular musicians singing “Give a Little Bit.” The campaign encourages kids to support and help others in need. PSAs began airing September 2 nd, directing kids to KidsHelpOut.org. TimeForKids.com has provided content that addresses the hurricane in a kid-friendly way. The Red Cross is an official partner on the project.

Cartoon Network and Turner Network Sales are creating special Kids Help Out kits for kids in the shelters across the south. Partnering with cable affiliates, Cartoon Networks will distribute three types of kits with Cartoon items to kids in need – school supplies, T-shirts, and entertainment packs with DVDs and coloring sheets.

TBS carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

TCM tentatively plans to partner with Film Aid to hold movie screenings at evacuee shelters designated by the American Red Cross.

TNT aired NBA Players’ Hurricane Relief Game on September 11. To participate, players paid their own way to Houston and donated a minimum of $10,000 in cash or goods. UPS provided trucks to deliver the goods to shelters throughout Houston. All ticket sale proceeds were donated.

Turner South aired The Rick and Bubba Show live on September 15 from an evacuee shelter in Hattiesburg, MS, with live remotes from Mobile, AL and Atlanta, GA. The network will also air spots celebrating the resilience of the South, created by Trumpet Advertising, a New Orleans-based creative agency. Additionally, Turner South will air network IDs encouraging viewers to donate to relief organizations of their choice.

The Atlanta Braves donated $1 to the Mississippi Red Cross for every new ticket sold in September – at a minimum, the Braves and the Braves Foundation donated $100,000. The Braves also held an ongoing donation drive asking fans to contribute items at any Braves home game in September. All items will be donated to the Red Cross or other relief agencies.

TVB USA, The Jade Channel

TVB USA, The Jade Channel carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

TV Guide Channel

TV Guide Channel carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast. Additionally, Gemstar-TV Guide is matching employee contributions to relief organizations.

TV One

TV One will participate with the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Reach Media and BlackAmericaWeb.com to raise funds for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund will provide financial support to those who have opened their homes to hurricane victims. TV One will run PSAs featuring Tom Joyner, Marques Houston, Omarion, A.J. Calloway and Smokie Norful encouraging viewers to contribute to the fund. To identify families in need, the fund will partner with churches in states near the impacted regions; families can request assistance through the churches. Assistance request forms are also available on www.blackamericaweb.com/relief.

The network is airing daily commentaries on developments relating to hurricane rescue and recovery efforts by Roland Martin, executive editor of the Chicago Defender.

TV One carried the September 9 telethon, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

The Weather Channel

Beginning August 23 rd, Weather Channel crews were dispatched to areas forecasted to be hit by Katrina, giving advance warnings and keeping people informed of how the storm was likely to behave. In the wake of the storm, the network is assisting relief efforts in a variety of ways.

The Weather Channel is making a $1 million cash contribution to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts, and is asking other companies within its industry to match, or even exceed, its contribution. The network will also match, dollar for dollar, all donations made by its 800 employees.

To assist the American Red Cross, The Weather Channel is developing PSAs to further the cause of the American Red Cross 1-800-HELP NOW emergency efforts. Additionally, Weather.com has added links on its homepage to the American Red Cross and to a collection of regularly updated links and information gathered about areas hard hit by Katrina.

In response to an overwhelming number of posts to the “Desperately Seeking” section of The Weather Channel blog, Weather.com has added a message board for people looking to share and request information on those impacted by the hurricane.

CABLE OPERATORS

Adelphia Communications

Adelphia is encouraging employees to make contributions to the American Red Cross, the Cable Hope Fund, and other relief organizations. The company has also provided staff with a list of relief organizations. Adelphia’s Employee Assistance Program, LifeWorks, has professionally-trained staff available 24 hours/day for any employee needing support.

Bright House Networks

Advance Newhouse Communications, the parent company of Bright House Networks, donated $1 million to the Red Cross via the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation.

Cable One

Cable One established a crisis team to work on getting basic supplies to Cable One employees and their families in the Gulf Coast, and is providing temporary housing and financial assistance. All employees are still being paid and will have jobs to return to when it is safe to do so. President & CEO Tom Might personally distributed an additional $2,500 to each employee. The team is keeping a master list of the status of associates in the affected region.

The company purchased three trailers stocked with basic survival supplies to send to its three impacted Gulf Coast systems. Equipment supplier partner CommScope transported the trailers, in addition to a fourth it is donated. Employees in the impacted systems are receiving special weekly “disaster pay” and early pay-out of the special incentive. If necessary, Cable One may ask systems to sponsor Gulf Coast employees and their families who relocate to their systems to work until they are able to return to their jobs in their own communities. Affected employees have also been given the option of moving to another system. Unaffected divisions will be sending employees to help rebuild the Gulf Coast systems. These divisions are also helping by fully equipping camper trailers that are serving as temporary housing for employees who lost their homes. Cable One has purchased 30 trailers, which will be available at no cost to employees as long as they are needed.

September billing for all 100,000 customers was suspended, regardless of when service is restored. Additionally, customers will not be charged for damaged or unreturned equipment. Gulf Coast customer calls will be handled by other call centers as long as needed.

Cable One will make a major donation to a relief organization to help the entire Gulf Coast community. Parent company The Washington Post Company is establishing a tax-free charitable fund to aid impacted employees. The company will also match all employee contributions. The Cable One Relief Fund made a grant of $2,000 the week of September 26 to each employee whose home was flooded or destroyed.

Cable One is also helping its employees get back to work restoring cable service by hiring crews to clean employees’ yards, and also by hiring babysitters for employees’ children.

Cablevision

Cablevision’s Madison Square Garden hosted From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, New York City’s Live Concert for the Gulf Coast on September 20, an all-star live concert featuring legendary New Orleans and rock musicians. Performers included Elton John, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Buffett, Bette Midler, Fats Domino, The Neville Brothers, Stevie Nicks and Lenny Kravitz. The event was a way for New York to give back to the country, after the generosity it received after September 11. The concert supported long-term relief and rebuilding efforts, and celebrated the musical tradition of New Orleans. It featured the largest gathering of New Orleans jazz musicians to appear together outside of New Orleans. Madison Square Garden is underwriting all costs associated with the concert and has pledged an additional $1 million to begin the fundraising. All major cable operators offered the event as for $19.95 via Pay-Per-View. Cox aired the concert free of charge in the greater New Orleans region. All PPV sales, ticket sales and sponsorship sales will go to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, Habitat for Humanity, MusiCares and the Children’s Health Fund. As of October 12, the event had raised about $9 million. More funds are expected to be raised from later DVD and CD sales.

Charter Communications

Charter Communications will match employee donations to the American Red Cross, dollar for dollar, up to $500 per employee. As of October 14, Charter and 1,400 of its employees had contributed $280,000 to a hurricane relief fund for Gulf State Chapters of the American Red Cross. Additionally, Charter Chairman Paul Allen has made a $1 million pledge through the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to assist both immediate and long-term recovery efforts in the affected regions.

Charter has established an “Adopt a Family” program to further assist the fifty Charter employees and their families who lost everything. These families have been asked to complete forms listing their household and clothing item needs, so that interested Charter employees can help them by purchasing some of these items.

Comcast

Comcast Corporation and the Comcast Foundation have committed to donating $10 million worth of advertising time for PSAs, in addition to a $50,000 cash donation to the American Red Cross. The company is also coordinating an internal campaign to purchase gift cards from Wal-mart, Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s for employees in the affected areas. As of September 13, more than $14,000 worth of gift cards had already been donated. The gift cards are being distributed by the Southern Division’s Human Resources Department to those employees most in need.

Comcast employees across the country have been helping their colleagues affected by Katrina. Many systems have been sending ice, food and water to affected employees and their communities. Some employees are even personally delivering supplies; Terry Kennedy, General Manager for Comcast in Alabama/Mississippi, drove a trailer full of supplies from Tuscaloosa to Meridian for impacted Comcast systems. A team from Tupelo also delivered supplies to Meridian, and prepared lunch for their fellow Comcast employees. In southern Mississippi, Southern Division Vice President of Field Operations and Labor Mike Molinaro spent a weekend helping fellow employees remove trees from their homes and yards. In Tuscaloosa, Comcast workers connected Red Cross emergency shelters with high-speed Internet service and cable TV, as other systems in the Southern Division are doing for shelters in their area. Comcast has also installed cable TV and internet service at the civic center and two churches in Knoxville, TN, that are serving as temporary housing for evacuees. Comcast’s Little Rock, Arkansas, offices provided their TV studios for Senator Mark Pryor to record a hurricane relief PSA. Comcast of South Florida is partnering with the Miami-Dade County Commission and Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval to sponsor a benefit concert for the American Red Cross.

Comcast Atlanta partnered with the American Red Cross for its participation in Comcast Cares Day, the company-wide day of service on October 1. More than 500 Atlanta employees and their family members gathered cleaning supplies and canned goods, which were given to the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Comcast will keep its customers informed by featuring 10 hours of ON DEMAND programming in September, dedicated to airing Red Cross updates, benefit concerts, and information on how to assist relief efforts. Information on how to send donations to the American Red Cross and the latest news updates is available on www.comcast.com and www.comcast.net.

Comcast Founder Ralph Roberts and Executive Vice President of Operations Dave Watson visited Comcast’s impacted southern Mississippi systems on October 11. At an all-employee meeting in Laurel, MS, over 100 southern Mississippi employees learned that all but a few hundred customers who had lost service on August 29 due to the storm, have had their service restored. Laurel Mayor Melvin Walker attended and proclaimed the day “Comcast Appreciation Day.” Roberts spoke to the group, mentioning how Comcast had been founded in Mississippi in 1963, and how the people of the area had always been good to the company. He noted how proud he was to see everyone working together like a family. Watson also spoke, thanking employees for their incredible efforts to restore service so quickly.

Coosa Cable (Pell City, AL)

Coosa Cable in Pell City completed clean-up from light damage on August 31, and will be contributing to relief efforts for New Orleans organized by local churches.

Cox Communications

Cox Communications is providing a number of relief services to organizations in Baton Rouge, LA. Cox has installed video, voice and data services at nine shelters in the city. The company is also providing video, voice and data services to National Guard and police offices in Baton Rouge, including a temporary precinct in the River Center relief shelter, which is the largest shelter, housing approximately 7,000 evacuees.

Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Communications, is contributing $10 million in cash and in-kind donations to Katrina survivors. Cox is matching employee donations dollar for dollar through an employee disaster-relief fund, which has received $425,000 from employees so far, with a goal of $1 million. Supplier partners of Cox have contributed an additional $125,000 to the fund.

Insight Communications

Insight Communications has reopened the Insight New York Relief Fund for donations to assist those affected by Katrina. Employee contributions are tax-deductible, and Insight will match all employee contributions. Employees can contribute by check or payroll deduction, through December 23, 2005. All funds will be donated to the Cable Hope Fund.

Insight’s Lexington, KY, system supplied broadband Internet service to the city’s Disaster Assistance Center at Centenary United Methodist Church, where 19 organizations were working to help displaced hurricane victims.

Mediacom Communications

Mediacom Communications has teamed up with the nation’s largest refrigerated carrier to collect and deliver trailer loads of donations of non-perishable goods and bottled water from  Springfield, MO to be delivered to ravaged areas of Mississippi. Mediacom is also providing free cable and Internet service to shelters of displaced victims in Kentucky and Minnesota, and is providing free wireless Internet access at its Mississippi office for residents and visitors to keep informed of relief developments and stay in touch with family and friends. Mediacom is also considering several other responses to the hurricane, including local fundraising telethons and a matching donation program for employees’ contributions.

Millennium Digital Media (MDM)

MDM will match employee contributions up to a total maximum of $10,000 to the American Red Cross, Cable Hope Fund, Catholic Charities USA and the Salvation Army. Employees can make donations via check or a one-time payroll deduction.

Time Warner Cable

Time Warner will match $1 million in employee contributions made to the American Red Cross. To donate, employees can log on the www.networkforgood/timewarner. Also, a policy has been set to permit deployment of employees with unique emergency medical and water rescue certifications to New Orleans to assist with relief efforts there on paid-leave basis for 30-60 days. To date, requests for such personnel have come from the Red Cross and FEMA. Additionally, management in affected divisions have been empowered to make necessary financial decisions in order to take care of the immediate needs of displaced employees and their families.

Efforts have been and continue to be underway at particular divisions, as well. Employees of the Shreveport, LA division have donated food, water, clothing and bedding, and have transported these items to a local Red Cross collection center. The Shreveport division also extended plant to LSU, where the first evacuees were taken, and is offering free digital phone service at LSU for these evacuees. Free cable service is in place at the Hirsch Coliseum, the second evacuation shelter opened in Shreveport.

The Houston, TX division is conducting a food drive for the Houston Food Bank at all 18 of the division’s retail service center locations. The division is also providing free cable, Internet and phone service to Red Cross shelters and other organizations as requested, including the Army and National Guard command centers and the temporary offices of the New Orleans Housing Authority.

Personal hygiene items, books, magazines and diapers have been donated by employees of the Beaumont, TX division, and a blood drive is being organized. The division is also providing free cable service to six area shelters, and is donating wireless Internet service to the Ford Park evacuation center. Both Houston and Beaumont have added New Orleans broadcast station WWL-TV to their cable TV line-ups.

In San Antonio, TX, the division is working with the mayor’s office to provide volunteers to assist in helping evacuees in facilities opened to house them. The division is also providing cable, Internet and phone service to area evacuation centers.

The Austin, TX division is hosting collection bins at its customer lobbies for residents/customers who want to donate items to the evacuees. To assist evacuees with communications needs, the Austin division has installed digital phone, cable television service and equipment, and Internet service at the Austin Convention Center, and other shelters as needed.

In El Paso, TX, the division is providing cable service in all evacuation centers and producing PSAs for the Mayor’s office to inform people how to aid relief efforts.

Other divisions are also aiding the affected communities. For example, the Syracuse division raised $16,000 in public contributions at the New York State Fair the week of September 5, which the division will match and donate to the Salvation Army. The Memphis division collected $2,000 from employees, which will be donated to impacted employees of the Jackson, MS division. The Jackson and Monroe, LA divisions are coordinating their supply relief efforts with Matthew 25 Ministries for direct donations to displaced division employees, as well as to a distribution center for area shelters. Cable TV and Internet service have been set up in several shelters in both divisions. The Jackson division arranged with the local United Way to earmark funds donated directly for affected employees.

Time Warner is also providing communications network access to FEMA in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

US Cable

US Cable is considering a “Cable Cares” campaign where in lieu of an installation charge for new cable service, the customer makes a donation to the American Red Cross.

SUPPLIERS/ORGANIZATIONS

Cable in the Classroom 

The cable industry’s education foundation, Cable in the Classroom (CIC), is working closely with the education community to reach out to those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita through an initiative entitled vSKOOL.org. CIC is committed to helping children, educators and schools move forward with as little disruption to learning as possible. Learn more about vSKOOL here.

CommScope

CommScope is utilizing its private truck service to provide emergency supplies to Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Trucks are delivering food and water to systems operated by Cable One, Charter, Comcast, and Cox.

CommScope will make a donation to the American Red Cross and also match employee donations to the organization.

Louisiana Cable & Telecommunications Association (LCTA)

LCTA activated the LAtv network to carry news and public service information from WWL-TV, a New Orleans commercial broadcast station now broadcasting out of Louisiana Public TV in Baton Rouge, LA.

Motorola

Motorola is providing equipment and technical support to meet critical communications needs in the affected areas. Three emergency communications trailers have been delivered, in addition to other technical supplies. Motorola has also created a $1 million fund to rebuild schools and educate displaced children.

In addition to providing much-needed supplies, the Motorola Foundation made an immediate cash donation of $250,000 to the American Red Cross’s Disaster Relief Fund. The Foundation will also donate up to an additional $250,000 as part of an employee matching gift program.

NAMIC Board of Directors

At its meeting in September 2005, the Board of the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) immediately pledged its strong support for the Cable Hope Fund and its mission. Individual Board members subsequently made good on that pledge through their generous contributions to help fund Cable Hope Fund activities.

National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)

NCTA, with assistance from executives throughout the industry, has established the Cable Hope Fund, a 501(c)(3) corporation to collect contributions from cable companies, organizations, and individuals. Funds collected will be disbursed to organizations assisting in disaster relief and recovery in the Gulf Coast region, with an emphasis on providing help to cable employees and their families that have been affected by the storm. As of September 14, more than $500,000 in cable industry

donations had been contributed to the Cable Hope Fund. NCTA has made a donation of $100,000 to the Fund. In addition, NCTA employees donated almost $15,000 to the American Red Cross, and the Association is offering links to other organizations taking donations to provide assistance to communities affected by Katrina. NCTA also has distributed to the cable industry via satellite a series of PSAs from the Red Cross and USA Freedom Corps.

To help facilitate transitional housing for cable employees and their families displaced by Hurricane Katrina, NCTA is partnering with KatrinaHousing.org, a

501 (c)(3) foundation created to provide transitional housing to hurricane victims. In collaboration with the Cable and Telecommunications Human Resources Association (CTHRA), displaced cable employees will be directed by their corporate human resources executives to use the KatrinaHousing.org website to identify potential transitional housing opportunities throughout the country.

NCTA received a letter of acknowledgement from President George W. Bush, thanking the industry for its extraordinary efforts to aid recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Scientific-Atlanta

Scientific-Atlanta made a $50,000 donation to the American Red Cross through the company foundation immediately following the impact of Hurricane Katrina. On September 13, trustees voted to approve an additional $50,000 for hurricane relief efforts in the metro Atlanta and Gulf Coast regions. In addition, employees have contributed more than $39,000 so far. Company employees and adult family members are also donating their time as “intake” volunteers assisting with the evacuee resettlement process. Scientific-Atlanta IT staffers are providing assistance with networking and communications systems at one of three American Red Cross Joint Disaster Recovery Centers. Bill McCargo, vice president of Corporate Community Relations, will be serving on Georgia Governor Perdue’s Georgia “Disaster Campaign Cabinet” for the American Red Cross.

Scientific-Atlanta employees and family members continue to donate food, clothing and other basic necessities to the Salvation Army and other non-profit organizations. Donations of volunteer time, tables, chairs and food have also been made for the Salvation Army emergency relief site, where 9,393 victims have been served since opening.

An estimated 20,000 people have relocated to the metro Atlanta area as a result of Hurricane Katrina, and at least 20,000 more are expected. Scientific-Atlanta is continuing to evaluate funding and support activities as intermediate and long-term plans are developed to assist the victims.

Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE)

SCTE has distributed an appeal to its more than 14,000 members encouraging contributions to the Cable Hope Fund. SCTE also has offered to share information about hurricane relief efforts among its members.