KING 5 service to the community merits national award

Washington Secretary of State first in nation to give 'Medallion Award' to corporations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2009 
CONTACT: Rick Swanson, Director of Marketing & Programming
(206) 448-5555

Seattle, WA – Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed has selected KING 5 Television as one of two businesses to receive a National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) “Medallion Award.” The “Medallion” is the highest award the Office of the Secretary of State can give. This is the first time in the nation businesses have received the honor. The award for “Corporations for Communities” recognizes a large and a small corporation that exhibit the most impact on Washington State communities. It is part of the Secretary of State’s efforts to promote civic engagement and community involvement.

“Community service and civic responsibility are founding principles of KING 5,” says Ray Heacox, President and General Manager, KING 5, KONG 6/16, NWCN, KING5.com and NWCN.com. “Receiving this recognition is an honor both for the people who work here and for the viewers across all of our channels who give their time and donations so generously.”

KING 5 was selected from a statewide list of nominees. The American Red Cross serving King and Kitsap counties nominated KING 5, citing the media company’s extensive commitment to disaster preparedness and relief. One example is KING 5’s “Northwest Response” program. “Northwest Response” is an on-air program deployed at times of natural disaster that asks viewers for targeted donations to help the Red Cross. For example, during the December storms of 2007, KING 5 viewers donated more than $500,000 to support the American Red Cross serving King and Kitsap counties aid work to flood victims in Western Washington.

Secretary Reed will present the Medallion Awards on November 4th to KING 5 and the Composite Solutions Corporation of Auburn (winner in the small corporation category) in a ceremony at the KING 5 studios.

About Belo
KING 5 is part of Belo Corp.  (BLC) is one of the nation’s largest pure-play  publicly-traded television companies with 2008 annual revenue of $733 million.  The Company owns and operates 20 television stations (nine in the top 25 markets) and their associated Web sites.  Belo stations, which include affiliations with ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW and MyNetwork TV, reach more than 14 percent of U.S. television households in 15 highly-attractive markets.  Belo stations rank first or second in nearly all of their local markets.  Additional information is available at www.belo.com.

About the Secretary of State’s Office
Secretary of State Sam Reed’s Office is home to a variety of crucial public services, including Washington State Elections, the State Library, and Archives. The Corporations & Charities Division, a customer-service arm of the Office of Secretary of State, keeps track of registrations for various types of businesses and charities, as well as domestic partnerships, for the official public record. The Corporations & Charities Division registers and tracks more than 400,000 corporations and charitable organizations statewide. More information can be found at www.secstate.wa.gov.