National service will be at the center of television programming this fall on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, The NonProfit Times has learned. The White House, The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), AARP and the Corporation For National and Community Service are expected to be part of the announcement of the initiative in coming days.
Also involved is the Points of Light Institute and other organizations that were part of the ServiceNation Summit held this past September. Calls to the participating organizations either went unreturned or spokespeople have declined to comment on the record.
The announcement is expected to involve First Lady Michelle Obama and leaders of all of the organizations involved, multiple sources told The NonProfit Times. The effort is similar to the EIF’s push this past September for Stand Up To Cancer, an event to raise money for cancer research that involved network programming.
In this case, instead of one show simulcast on the broadcast outlets, national service will be written into shows on all of the outlets. There will also be public service spots and online outreach.
“It’s about how to amplify the president’s call to service, to get more Americans involved in service,” one source told The NonProfit Times.
The announcement is expected to be made next Tuesday (6/23) in San Francisco during the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service.
