Ad Council Honors Univision with the 2018 Catalyst Award

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Sep 27, 2018, 16:30 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ad Council, America's leading non-profit organization dedicated to using communications to drive social change, presented Univision Television Station Group, part of the local media division of Univision Communications Inc. (UCI), the leading media company serving Hispanic America, with the 2018 Catalyst Award for its extraordinary support of the Ad Council's public service campaigns. The recognition was given at TVBForward 2018, the Television Bureau of Advertising's (TVB) annual leadership conference in New York City.

The inaugural Catalyst Award, previously known as the Crystal Bell Award, honors media outlets annually across all media for developing and implementing innovative and effective programs that create meaningful change for social causes.

Univision owns or operates more than 62 stations across the U.S. and provided exceptional support for a wide range of Ad Council campaigns including Learning & Attention Issues, Fatherhood Involvement, Caregiver Assistance, Discovering Nature, and Type 2 Diabetes Prevention.

Notably, Univision Television Station Group also contributed to the success of the 2017 Project Roadblock, a six-day local broadcast TV station roadblock aimed at reducing drunk driving fatalities during the holiday season. Univision Television Station Group was the top supporter of the campaign during this highly relevant time period and helped the Ad Council and NHTSA extend the reach of Project Roadblock's message, helping people nationwide recognize their personal signs of impairment.

"We are losing far too many friends and loved ones to drunk driving, a threat on our roads that claims more than 10,000 lives a year," said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King. "We appreciate the ongoing support of broadcast television stations, and especially Univision Television Station Group, for helping NHTSA prevent drunk driving tragedies during the holiday season."

"Univision Television Station Group's support of our Buzzed Driving Prevention efforts speaks to their immense commitment to be a powerful voice for social change. We're so pleased to recognize them for this partnership," said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. "We're incredibly grateful for the generous support that the local broadcast television industry provides our campaigns every year."

"As a mission-driven company, it is our responsibility to give a platform to key organizations, such as the Ad Council, dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the communities we serve," said Ron Estrada, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Empowerment, Univision Communications Inc. "Ad Council's mission has helped to raise awareness on critical issues impacting our community and we are proud of the contributions our local stations continue to make to these important campaigns."

Impaired driving between Christmas and New Year's accounts for nearly one-third of all motor vehicle crash fatalities. Over the last fourteen years, TVB, the Ad Council and NHTSA have partnered with local broadcast television stations on Project Roadblock. Each year, between December 26 and 31, local broadcast stations voluntarily participate by airing Buzzed Driving Prevention PSAs during the concentrated six-day period, with a special push at 10 p.m. local time on New Year's Eve. This partnership helps raise awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and has helped save lives.

Many Univision stations went above and beyond in their support by participating in the 10 p.m. New Year's Eve activation. 2017 was a highly successful year for Project Roadblock; the initiative received widespread support from local broadcast TV stations, including nearly 67,000 placements of donated on-air, digital sub-channel, online and mobile time and space by over 1,000 TV stations reaching all 50 states, and resulting in $8.4 million of airtime over the six-day period. Since its inception in 2004, local broadcast TV stations across the nation have donated more than $67 million in support of Project Roadblock.

"We are honored to have been a part of Project Roadblock for the past fourteen years, and we know it will save even more lives in the future," said Steve Lanzano, President and CEO of TVB. "This initiative wouldn't happen without the exemplary efforts of Univision and other stations to make this message a priority, and it's been fantastic to see it flourish over time."

About TVB
TVB is the not-for-profit trade association representing America's $21 billion local broadcast television industry. Its members include over 800 individual television stations, television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters and associate members. TVB actively promotes local media marketing solutions to the advertising community and works to develop advertising dollars for the medium's multiple platforms, including on-air, online and mobile. TVB provides a diverse variety of tools and resources, including its website, to support its members and to help advertisers make the best use of local ad dollars.

About the Ad Council
The Ad Council brings together the most creative minds in advertising and media to address the most worthy causes. Its innovative, pro bono social good campaigns raise awareness. They inspire action. They save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council's communities on Facebook and Twitter, and view the creative on YouTube.

About NHTSA
For more than four decades, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has served as the key federal agency charged with improving safety on our nation's roadways. As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA is working to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries by promoting the use of safety belts and child safety seats; helping states and local communities address the threat of distracted, drunk and drug-impaired drivers; regulating safety standards and investigating safety defects in motor vehicles; establishing and enforcing fuel economy standards; conducting research on driver behavior and traffic safety; and providing consumer information on issues ranging from child passenger safety to impaired driving. For more information visit www.nhtsa.gov.

About Univision Communications Inc.
Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. The Company, a chief content creator in the U.S., includes Univision Network, one of the top networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country, available in approximately 90% of U.S. Hispanic television households; UniMás, a leading Spanish-language broadcast television network available in approximately 84% of U.S. Hispanic television households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the most-watched U.S. Spanish-language entertainment cable network, as well as UDN (Univision Deportes Network), the most-watched U.S. Spanish-language sports cable network, Univision tlnovelas, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to telenovelas, ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to international news, and an additional suite of cable offerings - De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson and Telehit; as well as an investment in El Rey Network, a general entertainment English-language cable network; Univision Local Media, which owns and/or operates 62 television stations and 58 radio stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Now, a direct-to-consumer, on demand and live streaming subscription service; Univision.com, the most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. Hispanics; and Uforia, a music application featuring multimedia music content. The Company also includes the Fusion Media Group (FMG), a division that serves young, diverse audiences. FMG includes news and lifestyle English-language cable network FUSION TV, and a collection of leading digital brands that span a range of categories: technology (Gizmodo), sports (Deadspin), music (TrackRecord), lifestyle (Lifehacker), modern women's interests (Jezebel), news and politics (Splinter), African American news and culture (The Root), gaming (Kotaku), and car culture (Jalopnik). FMG also includes the Company's interest in comedy and news satire brands The Onion, Clickhole and The A.V. Club. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has content creation facilities and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit corporate.univision.com.

SOURCE The Ad Council