Listos California Partners with PBS Stations Across California For Emergency Preparedness Programming

Campaign targets state’s diverse and vulnerable populations 
Announcement made during California’s Wildfire Preparedness Week 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 8, 2020)— Listos California, a statewide emergency preparedness campaign anchored in the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), today announced the launch of a partnership with PBS stations across California to launch an on-air and online campaign focused on preparing Californians for emergencies. This first-of-its-kind media partnership, called “Building Resiliency with Emergency Preparedness,” is designed to reach vulnerable populations and encourage them to take free and easy steps to prepare for wildfire and other disasters as they stay home and practice physical distancing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The partnership – launching today during Wildfire Preparedness Week as declared by Governor Gavin Newsom – will consist of public service announcements appearing throughout the entire state across seven markets, including regional PBS stations PBS SoCal and KCET (Los Angeles), KPBS (San Diego), KVCR (San Bernardino), KQED (San Francisco Bay Area), Valley PBS (Fresno), KVIE (Sacramento) and KIXE (Redding).

Paid-media spots start airing Monday May 11 and will continue for 10 weeks with nearly 1,500 unique television and digital spots across all PBS stations and digital platforms in California.

• Listos California Anthem (30 Seconds) - Simple Steps to Prepare for Wildfire, Earthquake & Flood
   
• Listos California Anthem (90 Seconds) - Simple Steps to Prepare for Wildfire, Earthquake & Flood

In addition, Los Angeles’ PBS Flagship stations PBS SoCal and KCET will produce two television programs (30-minute and one-hour programs) to air statewide later in the year that will provide simple, free and easy steps to prepare all Californians, especially vulnerable populations, and will help advance public media’s commitment to public safety and to keeping the public well-informed. The programs will be made available for broadcast on all of the PBS stations in California and will feature the five steps to prepare for disaster from Listos California’s Disaster Ready Guide which are to:

1. Get official alerts to know what to do.

    

2. Make a plan to protect your people by creating an emergency contact list and an evacuation plan.

    

3. Pack a go-bag with things you need.

    

4. Build a stay box to stay safe at home for when you can’t leave.

    

5. Help friends and neighbors get ready.
    

“PBS is a trusted lifeline for so many Californians, and we are excited that this new collaboration with PBS stations across the state will help bring critical, lifesaving guidance to millions of viewers,” said Listos California Co-Chairs Karen Baker and Justin Knighten.

“Californians trust PBS to deliver accurate, high-quality information, whether they tune in through their televisions or online—and this campaign will provide exactly that,” continued Baker and Knighten. “PBS viewers value educating themselves and their families, and we look forward to bringing them information designed to keep the most vulnerable members in our communities prepared for future wildfire and other disasters.”

“PBS has played an essential role in informing the American public for generations, and this has never been more important than it is today,” commented PBS SoCal President and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Russell. “We are excited to work with Listos California to provide information that will help save lives in a partnership that is aligned with the spirit of public media. This collaboration with local PBS stations across our state will provide much-needed public safety facts in an innovative way.”

Additional Quotes:

“Listos California is providing a crucial service to our state, and we are proud to be a part of this campaign. It is important to stay home—and follow the official guidance from our government officials. In this time of crisis, we are proud to offer free resources and programming to keep viewers engaged and learning.” - David Lowe, President and General Manager, KVIE

“KPBS has earned the trust of our community for 60 years. We do not take this responsibility lightly. This campaign in partnership with Listos California will provide much-needed information about this crisis our residents want and need, and how to be prepared for future emergencies.” - Tom Karlo, General Manager, KPBS 

“With free and accessible broadcast services and online resources, public television is in a unique position to expand the reach of Listos California and ensure the emergency preparedness and safety of Californians.” - Michael Isip, President and Chief Executive Officer, KQED

ABOUT LISTOS CALIFORNIA
The Listos California Emergency Preparedness Campaign is an effort based on an investment of public funds by Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers, to ready our most vulnerable populations for disasters like wildfires, earthquakes and floods, and now public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, before disasters strike. The campaign is anchored at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). For up-to-date official information about the Coronavirus, visit COVID19.CA.GOV. For more information on other emergency preparedness steps, visit ListosCalifornia.org.

ABOUT PBS SOCAL AND KCET
PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California, which was formed by the merger of PBS SoCal and KCETLink Media Group.  PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for 19 million diverse people across California.  PBS SoCal delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and entertain – over the air, online, in the community and in the classroom. We offer the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, Frontline, Independent Lens, a broad library of documentary films including works from Ken Burns; and educational PBS KIDS programs including Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Curious George. Our programs are accessible for free through four broadcast channels, and available for streaming at pbssocal.org, on the PBS mobile apps, and via connected TV services Android TV, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

KCET is on-air, online and in the community, and plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 54-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps.
 

CONTACT FOR PBS SOCAL & KCET:                                         CONTACT FOR LISTOS CALIFORNIA:

JP Shields                                                                                     Aram Nadjarian

jpshields@pmgsocal.org                                                             aram@mozaicmc.com

747.201.5886                                                                                323.533.4523