Morgan Murphy Stations Fighting Vaccine Hesitancy

Morgan Murphy Media’s TV stations committed their resources over one day to fight vaccine hesitancy, reaching viewers and listeners in 11 states.

The company-wide effort, labeled Vaccine Day, included phone banks, digital outreach and no-appointment, drop-in vaccination clinics to increase the rate of adoption in the communities served by the stations.

“We know the single greatest thing we can do to get our communities back to normal is get more people vaccinated,” said Brian Burns, Morgan Murphy Media executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“We provided a quick and easy way to get questions answered by medical experts and a simple way to get a vaccine without an appointment,” Burns says. “This is what we do. Devoting a single day to this effort is right in line with our 131year heritage of community service and part of our broadcaster DNA.”

Vaccine adoption rates are lagging in rural areas and in underserved populations across the country. The CDC estimates up to 30% of people in some areas are hesitant to get the vaccine over safety and efficacy concerns. Others just have not made time to get a shot because it is not convenient.

The campaign included two digital exclusives. Dose of Information offers quickly and easily dispelled myths about the vaccine and were shared across social media.

And Why I Got Vaccinated offered personal stories about what motivated people to get the shots.

With local health partners, the stations collectively fielded more than 1,000 phone calls. Two stations hosted on-site, no-appointment vaccinations clinics while others showcased community drop-in clinics.

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