SF Stations Join Media Effort to Focus on Homelessness

By Kevin Eck 

More than 70 San Francisco’s media organizations are taking a new look at the city’s homeless issue.

The four stations affiliated with major networks along with KRON have signed up for The SF Homeless Project, which goes on all week.

“We see the misery around us – the 6,600 or more people who live on the streets of San Francisco – and we sense it is worsening,” reads a letter kicking off the campaign read on-air and posted to stations websites. “We feel for the people who live in doorways and under freeways, and for the countless others who teeter on the edge of eviction. We empathize with the EMTs, the nurses and doctors, the social workers and the police. They are on the front lines of this ongoing human catastrophe.”

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“This is an unprecedented effort by more than 70 media outlets to shine a spotlight on a significant issue that impacts everyone in the Bay Area,” KRON news director Aaron Pero told TVSpy. “In fact the Project’s efforts have help spur media in other cities to take up the same action plan. Hopefully this project will continue past this week and even spread to additional topics.”

You can read what each station is doing for its part of the campaign below:

Fox-owned KTVU:
KTVU is running several homeless-related stories throughout the day at 4, 5, 6 and 10 p.m. all week.

Reporter Jesse Gary had the signature piece yesterday, which ran in the 10 p.m. newscast about the people, including families with kids, who can’t afford housing in the South Bay and are living in RV’s in Mountain View.

You can find the station’s stories about the subject at this url. http://www.ktvu.com/homeless

Media General-owned KRON:
KRON started its coverage yesterday evening with three stories.

“Our coverage of the homeless issue will go all week with several new stories this evening,” said Pero.

The station set up a special section on its website. Here is the url: http://kron4.com/category/sf-homeless-project/

ABC-owned KGO:
The station is airing several stories that look at the plight of the city’s homeless and possible solutions to the issue. It set up a web page with links to the organization. Here’s the station’s webpage about its participation. http://abc7news.com/sfhomeless/

A station spokesperson told TVSpy, KGO travelled to Seattle to see how the programs there are successfully handling the homeless situation.

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