WAAY in Huntsville, Ala., wanted to bring a little different message to its audience. It arranged for approximately 1,400 students from schools all over North Alabama to participate in recording Let There Be Peace on Earth.
Today is the first of December, and it’s that time of year when many TV stations are planning their holiday greetings campaigns. I searched the Market Share archives for past stories and examples of holiday campaigns and spots and will be sharing some of those along with your examples.
So send me your station’s Happy Holiday messages all this month, [email protected].
WAAY, Allen Media’s ABC affiliate in Huntsville, Ala., wanted to bring a little different message to its audience, says Mike Wright, WAAY’s general manager.
Wright says “through all the challenges and unknowns of 2021 and a divide in our nation that seems to widen every day, it was our hope to do something that served to change the narrative.”
Originally, Wright’s idea was to use 8-10 high school choirs, but the number of schools responding grew.
WAAY got permission to use the song, Let There Be Peace on Earth. Wright says the station laid down a rehearsal track in a local studio, Downing Sound Studios, and sent it to all participating schools; tempo and key had to be consistent.
Approximately 1,400 students participated in recording the song from schools all over North Alabama. The station’s creative services crew recorded each choir in the location of the director’s choosing.
Lee Greenwood had a huge concert in Huntsville so the station asked if he would sing the song as part of the campaign, and Greenwood agreed.
The campaigns were introduced during WAAY-31 News at 5 and 6 Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, and will air periodically through Jan. 2, 2022.
Wright says “Tracy Slayton, a Sr. Editor in Creative Services, was incredible in putting his musical knowledge to work in editing these together. Special thanks to News Ops and Marketing Manager Sam Day, Creative Services Manager Suzanne Sullivan, and Photographer Shawn Jarrett for their dedication in recording all 18-participating choirs.”
Feedback from schools and the community has been overwhelming, Wright says.
“While we remain deeply involved in a number of local efforts in support of our friends and neighbors, this was more a moment of “reset” to let the voices of the next generation bring us to hear a message that crosses all faiths, creeds, and political persuasions,” Wright says. “We talk about various impacts of Covid, and in our minds, this helped to address a side effect of a pandemic many don’t often meet head-on, and that’s the mental impact. This holiday season, this message seemed the right thing to do. With large platforms available through TV and radio, we are all expected to give back, and to be a voice for those who have no voice. Serving the local community in a variety of ways has perhaps never been more important than now.”
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