May 20, 2025
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Local TV and radio stations provide Americans' most trusted news, including the accurate, useful public health information their audiences need. NAB also has tools for stations, including reporting resources and PSAs, to promote the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
As we close out Mental Health Awareness Month, broadcasters continue working to foster a culture of empathy, understanding and support, reminding their communities: Help is available and you are not alone.
Western Kentucky’s WKDZ-FM, owned by Ham Broadcasting, spoke with Dr. Paige Mullins-Couch, a licensed psychologist and health services provider, as part of their “Sharing Our Stories” theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Mullins-Couch discussed the stigma around mental illness and ways to support people who are struggling. “We’re learning more and more that there is a biological basis for a lot of the struggles people have in their mental wellness. And we want to treat them with respect and help them find paths to healing rather than keeping them quiet and suffering in silence,” she said.
Nexstar Media Group’s WOOD-TV 8 in Grand Rapids, Mich., compiled months of mental health stories and resources to give families the tools to ask each other: “How’s it really going?” With categories including “At Home,” “With Friends” and “Online,” the site’s goal is to make it easier for families to speak openly to each other about their mental health.
South Carolina Educational TV and Public Radio (SCETV) aired a variety of programs throughout May. The programs included “Health Focus,” which brought on various experts, “Safe Space,” aimed at youth, and much more. “Through our programming, expert insights and digital initiatives, we aim to break down stigma, encourage help-seeking behaviors and ensure that mental health remains a priority for all South Carolinians,” said SCETV President and CEO Adrienne Fairwell.
CBS News Los Angeles teamed up with Special Needs Network Los Angeles, an organization that connects families with disabled children to critical resources. This partnership is part of a larger initiative from the station to highlight the immediate and ongoing mental health needs of families.
Berkshire Hathaway’s Local 10 News in Miami, Fla., aired a HealthCast segment with mental health experts. In the segment, experts gave recommendations for small changes people can make in their daily lives to help support their mental health.
Cox Media Group’s WSB-TV showcased the many ways Mental Health Awareness Month has championed mental well-being. In addition to ten concrete impacts the annual observance has made, WSB also shared ways people can get involved in personally helping eradicate stigma and push for change.
More than 2.47 million American jobs depend on broadcasting, and the local broadcast radio and television industry - and the businesses that depend on it - generate $1.17 trillion annually for the nation's economy.
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