Polk County Emergency Management Agency Taps Clear Channel Outdoor’s Digital Billboards for Urgent Safety Alerts

July 30, 2014 by Jason King

WHO Radio 1040 AM Supports Billboard Messaging to Des Moines Area Residents

Des Moines, IA – Clear Channel Outdoor (NYSE: CCO)—Des Moines and the Polk County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) today announced a new partnership enabling the Polk County Emergency Management Agency to leverage the real-time power of digital out-of-home media to communicate vital safety and disaster preparedness information to protect citizens and visitors during emergency circumstances.

Now, when the National Weather Service alerts Polk County Emergency Management to imminent severe weather, including; tornados, flash floods or storms with 70+ mile per hour winds, Clear Channel Outdoor-Des Moines’ 29 digital billboards will broadcast these life-saving alerts within seconds. As a multi-platform media company, Clear Channel will also support community safety by using the billboard creative to ask citizens to tune in to Clear Channel Radio station 1040-AM WHO for more emergency updates and preparedness information.

Storms and natural disasters can happen in an instant, often leaving people with just minutes to prepare by seeking shelter. Polk County EMA safety experts enlisted Clear Channel’s support to broadcast real-time emergency updates and safety information to people while they are out and about to help save lives. With Clear Channel’s digital billboards reaching nearly 90 percent of adults weekly across Polk County, they serve as one of the most powerful broadcast mediums available to support the County’s efforts.

Polk County Emergency Management is tasked with ensuring the County is prepared to deal with large-scale emergencies and is responsible for coordinating the response when these events occur.   Polk County Emergency Management looked to national best practices and now joins a growing number of state and local emergency agencies across the U.S., including; Boston, Florida, Maryland and Minneapolis/St. Paul that have tapped into the un-skippable power of Clear Channel’s digital outdoor media to help communicate time sensitive safety messages.

In every market across its U.S. footprint, Clear Channel Outdoor is supporting local, state and federal agencies with out-of-home public safety campaigns. In addition to local safety agencies like Polk County EMA, this includes the FBI, U.S. Marshals and AMBER Alerts for missing children. Clear Channel Outdoor’s digital media alert system, like the one Polk Co. will leverage, was used by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency in a multi-staged response to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing.

“I thank Clear Channel Outdoor for partnering with Polk County Emergency Management Agency on this important initiative that I am sure will save lives,” said PCEM Executive Director A.J. Mumm. “We want to have as many tools as possible to reach out to our residents during emergencies. Digital out of home media is an important new broadcast medium and an effective way to notify residents who may be tuned out from other media and not receiving vital emergency messages.”

“Clear Channel Outdoor is honored to support law enforcement, public health and safety efforts,” said Tim Jameson, president, Clear Channel Outdoor-Des Moines. “Crisis situations can erupt at any time – from tragic accident to weather events and terror threats. It’s important that our community have an adquate response and our digital media can help PCEM save lives.”

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