For the second year, WSLM 1220 AM and WSLM 97.9 FM have won the Indiana Broadcaster’s Association Cardinal Community Service Award for dedication to community service.
This year’s award is for station owner Becky White’s Say Yes to the Prom Dress program that collects gently used and new prom dresses, shoes, purses and other accessories for girls in the Kentuckiana area to use to attend the prom each year.
“When I came up with the idea to do this, I had no idea we would collect hundreds of dresses from people around the region,” said White. “We’ve been able to donate dresses back to girls who need encouragement, self-esteem and all the right accessories so they can look beautiful and feel special that one time of the year that our society has deemed so important.”
White said this award is extra special since this is the 66th Anniversary of the radio station started by her late father, Don H. Martin.
“Dad lived and breathed community,” said White. “Everything he did was about Salem and our surrounding communities. The FCC has got to be very proud of the way we live each day 100 percent the way they imagined radio to be – bringing local news, weather and community concerns to listeners via radio.”
As an example, the FCC requires all radio stations to air five hours of community service related programming each month. White said WSLM stations air that much in two days.
“We have a commitment to bring our listeners programming they can’t get anywhere else,” said White, who has owned the FM station since 1993 and owned the AM station since before her father passed away in 2010.
WSLM was one of two award winners in District 9 and among the 60 recipients (including TV stations) around Indiana.
WSLM started SAY YES TO THE PROM DRESS in 2015 and began working with Dillard’s Department Store for the first couple of years and has brought the spring event back to Salem for the past four years..
“If only one girl picks out a dress that she couldn’t afford, and feels special – then we’ve accomplished our goal,” said White.
The event is open to girls in the Kentuckiana area and will be this Sunday, March 31 at the Salem High School Presentation Room beginning at 2p.
