Yet to reach a new carriage deal, Raycom Media Thursday temporarily extended its current agreement with DirecTV in order to provide ongoing coverage of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, the station group said.
The extension will keep Raycom’s 54 stations on the satellite TV platform through Sept. 5.
“The power of local broadcasters to serve those in need is of critical importance in times like these,” said Raycom president and CEO Pat LaPlatney. “That’s why we offered an extension to DirecTV and we’re pleased they understood the importance of that local commitment and accepted.”
Raycom stations have already raised more than $395,000 for hurricane relief, and have more initiatives planned, the company said. Stations are also trying to drive donations to the American Red Cross in newscasts and through PSAs.
“Our local commitment is all about putting the needs of the communities we serve first,” said LaPlatney. “As we all witness the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, Raycom Media teams in and around the affected areas are providing vital local news coverage on every screen, and stations across our group are raising funds and awareness for relief efforts that will help the people in Texas and Louisiana recover and rebuild.”
(Photo via Tariqmudallal. Image taken on May 12, 2014 and used per Creative Commons 3.0 license. The photo was cropped to fit 16x9 aspect ratio.)
