RSC Wins Emmy Award For National Hurricane Survival Test

December 12, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - Putting an exclamation mark on the beginning of its 10th anniversary, Ron Sachs Communications is celebrating the victory of a prestigious Emmy Award for its production of The National Hurricane Survival Test.

Ron Sachs Communications, a full-service communications firm, and the Southeast's leading independent producer of public purpose and safety television programming, created The National Hurricane Survival Test and Initiative.

The National Hurricane Survival Test is a fast-paced and informative 30-minute television special broadcast in 13 hurricane vulnerable states from Texas to Maine on network affiliates and cable partner stations. The program is the center of a comprehensive, educational campaign helping to inform and protect Americans in hurricane-vulnerable states.

Ron Sachs Communications developed and produced the 2005 television special in conjunction with CoreMessage, the acclaimed Tallahassee-based public affairs firm whose principal, Cory Tilley, and Vice President, Liz Hirst, served as co-executive producers on the project.

"While an Emmy Award is an icon, recognizing excellence, at RSC the recognition that really matters is that knowledge is the key to saving lives. That's the reason we launched the Hurricane Survival Test and Initiative ten years ago," said Ron Sachs, president of Ron Sachs Communications and creator of The National Hurricane Survival Test and Initiative. "We remain focused on strengthening this vital project for 2006 and beyond, to help prepare millions of our fellow Floridians and Americans for the projected horrendous hurricane seasons to come."

The program is a product of the American Initiatives production division of Ron Sachs Communications, which creates public purpose initiatives for non-profit, government and corporate entities working in partnership on broad educational objectives. Veteran broadcast journalist and former Miami anchorman Art Carlson is senior producer on all American Initiatives broadcasts. With this win, Carlson now has seven Emmy Awards to his credit.

"While we are proud of receiving an Emmy Award for our effort, we are gratified by the program's success in reaching people and helping them prepare," said Carlson, the producer of The National Hurricane Survival Test and who accepted the award during the Suncoast Regional Emmy Award ceremonies in South Florida.

Sachs and Carlson noted the program, which has been a cornerstone production throughout the firm's first decade in business, is the result of a strong team. Along with partner firm CoreMessage, other outstanding organizations and individuals playing a role in the production include: Salvation Army; The National Hurricane Center; National Emergency Management Association; Florida Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management (DEM); Craig Fugate, Florida Emergency Management director; Plylox; Sonitrol; and Freestyle Productions.

"While our program aired across the nation, we are particularly grateful for the part played by Governor Jeb Bush and the State of Florida's Division of Emergency Management," Sachs said. "During the past two trying hurricane seasons, Governor Bush and the Division of Emergency Management have demonstrated their commitment to educating residents and arming them with the information they need to protect themselves."

The 2005 television special was the centerpiece of a carefully orchestrated initiative that kicked-off at the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Other components of the initiative included a national poll conducted by Mason Dixon Polling & Research, testing public knowledge of hurricane safety strategies and determining how and to what extent citizens were leaving themselves vulnerable. The poll results were unveiled at the NHC news conference and generated tens of millions of media impression in advance of the television program.

The National Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences presents the regional Suncoast Emmy awards for TV programs in the Southeast United States and Puerto Rico.