T-Mobile has signed up as the first official launch partner for NBCUniversal’s "Because I'm A Veteran" campaign aimed at convincing companies to hire former members of the Armed Services.

NBCU and T-Mobile are running public service announcements showing Coast Guard veteran Andrea Tice and Army veteran Gari Harvey at work at the media company, talking about how their military training makes them excellent employees.

The PSA will air across NBCU properties through Nov. 12. 

The campaign is part of NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships’ Boots to Boardroom initiative.

NBCU is working with the BOLD Vets program to make NBC more of a vet-ready organization. It is also continuing its relationship with The Veterans Network, a resource group.

“Over the past two years, BOLD Vets has helped to transform our corporate culture, empowering us to grow our veteran population,” said Christine Escribano, senior VP, head of One Platform Marketing at NBCUniversal. “We’ve seen the tremendous value and transferrable skills veterans bring to the table and hope to attract more members of the military community to our workforce. Partnering with T-Mobile to launch Boots to Boardroom allows us to take an internal initiative and scale our impact with our partners by leveraging NBCUniversal’s One Platform, in hopes of inspiring the media, marketing, tech and creative industry at large to become vet-ready.”

NBCU has had a series of public-good initiatives, including Family is Universal and, more recently, Health is Universal: The Caregiver Initiative.

NBCUniversal and T-Mobile will donate $75,000 to Hiring Our Heroes, an organization whose mission is to connect the military community with American businesses. This funding will support Hiring Our Heroes’ year-round hiring events, which help tens of thousands of veterans, military spouses, and transitioning service members to find meaningful employment opportunities.

“This Veterans Day, and every day, T-Mobile wants the military community to know just how grateful we are for their service and that we recognize the real value Veterans, and their families bring to the workforce,” said Janice V. Kapner, T-Mobile’s chief communications and brand officer. “We have had a longstanding partnership with Hiring Our Heroes as we’ve worked to hire 10,000 Veterans and their spouses by 2023 – and now we’re honored to join NBCUniversal’s campaign to encourage other companies to do the same.”

In May 2022, T-Mobile will feature their own employees in the “Because I’m a Veteran” campaign.

The National Association of Broadcasters has launched the latest phase of its “We Are Broadcasters” branding campaign, one that emphasizes trusted broadcast journalists in a sea of misinformation — particularly on social media, NAB suggests.

The campaign is in response to research asserting that the business practices of Big Tech firms like Google or Facebook keep local stations from recouping their investment in local news by exerting “enormous influence over what online content is eligible to be monetized.”

Broadcasters are currently pushing legislation, the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, that would provide an antitrust exemption to allow news outlets to bargain collectively with online aggregators for access to those publishers' high-value content. On Thursday (Sept. 16), for example, the new LPTV Broadcasters Association, representing low-power TV stations, said it would be pushing for that legislation.

Also Read: Broadcasters Push for Local Journalism Tax Break Bill

“At a time when misinformation and disinformation are all too common online, the local journalism broadcasters provide is more important than ever — we deliver the facts Americans need to know without fear or favor,” NAB president and CEO Gordon Smith said, echoing one of his most familiar phrases. “We want to remind the public and our nation’s leaders about the indispensable role broadcasters play in our local communities every day as the most trusted source of news.”

Spots are available in English and Spanish and include a call to action for viewers, saying, "Text TV to 52886 and let Congress know you depend on local journalism."

WarnerMedia has put masks on the faces of characters from several of its classic films to create a public service announcement urging Americans to “Mask Up” to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Working with the Ad Council and the Centers for Disease Control, WarnerMedia will launch the PSAs on donated ad time on its television and digital channels starting today.

The PSA uses special effects to show characters from Wonder Woman, Casablanca, Austin Powers, Harry Potter, Joker, The Matrix and other films wearing masks.

“WarnerMedia is proud to help educate and inform our fans about the importance of mask wearing during this pandemic," said Dennis Williams, senior VP, corporate social responsibility at WarnerMedia. "Wearing a mask is an effective way to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19. We hope that by seeing some of our favorite heroes and characters masked up, our fans will follow suit. Mask wearing is a simple step we all can take to show up and support our communities during this difficult time.” 

COVID-19 is surging throughout the country but the number of Americans wearing a mask outside their home on a consistent basis has leveled off in the past few months to about three-quarters, according to an Axios-Ipsos survey. A projection by IMHE found that if 95% of all Americans wore a mask, nearly 22,000 lives could be saved by May 2021.

The spot was created pro-bono by WarnerMedia Studios’ in-house creative agency 10th Street Productions.

“We are so grateful to the WarnerMedia team for their commitment to educating Americans on the importance of wearing a face mask to protect themselves and their families from COVID-19,” said Lisa Sherman, president & CEO of the Ad Council. “We know that face masks continue to be one of the most effective ways we can protect ourselves against the virus and we’re truly grateful to Warner for lending their talent and iconic films to support to this critical message.”

The Mask Up campaign was launched in July 2020 in partnership with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose brother Chris is an anchor on WarnerMedia’s CNN.

A+E Networks launched a cross-platform campaign called Voice Magnified that the company said will spotlight and amplify the words of people who are effecting positive change in their communities.

The effort will include topical specials and a series of short-form videos designed to call national attention to conversations about equality and social reform in America.

Voices Magnified: Policing in America will be the first special under the banner, premiering Aug. 30 at 9 p.m  ET/PM on A&E Network.

The one-hour special is narrated by Laurence Fishburne and examines what it will take to transform the way our streets are policed so that people of all races feel safe and respected.

"We are proud to launch the Voices Magnified campaign to elevate the stories of those pursuing solutions to the critical issues of our time," said Rob Sharenow, president, programming at A+E Networks. "Through long-form and short-form programming, PSAs and partnerships, we are committed to using our platforms to shine a light on the diverse people and organizations who are bringing communities together, confronting challenges and inspiring change."

As part of Voices Magnified, A+E will be supporting non-profit organizations, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the George Perry Floyd, Jr. Scholarship for Racial and Social Justice at Santa Monica College. 

The company is also supporting the National Women’s Law Center.

Viamedia said it is offering free TV commercials as part of a grassroots campaign to help end racism using the hashtag #ChangeStartsRightHere.

The local-ad-sales provider is asking local business owners, minorities and law enforcement to create 15- and 30-second on-camera spots about how they are working together in their communities.

Viamedia will run approved messages as local public service announcements across cable TV channels in their local communities free of charge.

“Today, a long-overdue conversation is taking place across America, and the world. We should no longer sit idly by and wait for politicians to enact change,” said Mark Lieberman, president & CEO of Viamedia. “Viamedia’s goal is to create a nationwide grassroots campaign that engenders civil discourse, reminding all that change begins with each of us, at home around the dining room, and within our local communities. We cannot be afraid to use our voices to stand up and have a conversation. Change starts right here.”

Viamedia will share the call to action spots and the www.changestartsrighthere.com portal with other interested TV providers for free, whether they are Viamedia affiliates or not.

The campaign comes amid more than a week of demonstrations about race and police violence after George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis. It is compounded because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has cost more than 100,000 lives in the U.S., left millions unemployed, closed businesses and depressed the TV ad market.

“Another senseless moment of violence toward the African American community has taken place in our country. This moment calls for all of us to do more. This is about human rights, about our towns, our businesses. And I’m inviting other video service providers to similarly use their platforms to provide a voice to those who feel threatened, unsafe and marginalized to join the conversation.”