Iowa Flood Relief Gets $100K From Mediacom, Vendors
Programmers, Tech Suppliers Chip In To Help Heartland Flood Victims
By Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 6/30/2008 11:39:00 AM
Mediacom Communications said it led a fundraising effort that included several programmers and technology suppliers that raised $100,000 to aid Iowa families and communities devastated by the floods of 2008.
The funds will be directed to the American Red Cross chapter based in Cedar Rapids. Mediacom is the largest cable-TV provider in the state.
Contributors joining Mediacom in the fundraising effort include American Life, ARRIS, Comcast Networks, Discovery, ESPN/Disney, Fox Channel Group, Hallmark Channel, HBO, HSN, Lifetime, MTV Networks, NBC Universal, Outdoor Channel, Pace, QVC, Rainbow, Sprint, Turner, Univision and The Weather Channel.
“I would like to thank our cable industry partners for their overwhelming generosity in helping Mediacom quickly raise cash for the Iowa flood relief efforts,” Mediacom chairman and CEO Rocco Commisso said in a statement. “I also want to commend all of our 1,500 Iowa employees, who worked tirelessly and heroically to aid the flood stricken communities and customers we serve.”
Mediacom, the dominant cable operator in flood-devastated Iowa, itself was victimized by the severe storms, with many of its systems taking the brunt of the high winds, record-breaking rain and flooding. Mediacom serves two-thirds of the 83 counties that Iowa Gov. Chet Culver declared as disaster areas.
Said Angela Schmucker, CEO of the American Red Cross Grant Wood Area Regional Chapter based in Cedar Rapids: “As I reflect on the last few weeks of tornadoes, torrential rains and extensive flooding, I am struck by the outpouring of caring and support we have received from around the country. While our chapter had always prepared for a major disaster, I never thought it would become the worst catastrophe in Eastern Iowa history. It is Iowa’s time of need and because of the American Red Cross and our generous friends at Mediacom and within the cable industry, help has arrived.”
