Tegna to Air ‘Harvey Can’t Mess With Texas’ Telethon

09.13.2017

Broadcaster Tegna will produce and air Harvey Can't Mess With Texas: A Benefit Concert for Hurricane Harvey Relief on Friday, Sept. 22.

The four-hour concert will take place at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, and feature such performers as Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and more. Celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey, Renée Zellweger and Luke Wilson also will be on hand along with local officials such as Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Houston Chief of Police Art Acevedo. Charlie Sexton is serving as music director and Asleep at the Wheel is the house band.

Tickets are on sale at www.RebuildTX.org with prices ranging from $30 to $199.

Tegna will air one hour of the concert commercial-free on its 11 owned stations in Texas as well as stream that hour internationally at YouTube.com/TexasStrong from 9 to 10 p.m. CT. Tegna stations airing the broadcast concert include WFAA Dallas; KHOU Houston; KVUE Austin; KENS San Antonio; KBMT Beaumont; KCEN Waco-Temple-Bryan; KAGS College Station; KIII Corpus Christi; KYTX Tyler; KIDY San Angelo and KXVA Abilene. As well as making the YouTube stream possible, Google will match the first $500,000 of donations through a pledge challenge. Volunteers from Google's Austin office and Tegna employees will staff the phone banks at select station locations across the state. All viewers can support the relief efforts in post-Hurricane Harvey Texas by donating via telephone or online at www.RebuildTX.org.

"We are proud to stand with Texas and present 'Texas Strong' across our stations," said Dave Lougee, president and CEO of Tegna, in a statement. "The outpouring of support from the local community and communities across the nation is a testament to the spirit, grit and determination of the people of Texas. We are proud to work alongside our partners to help bring aid and healing to those impacted by Harvey."

Proceeds will benefit Rebuild Texas Fund, which was created by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in collaboration with the OneStar Foundation. The Dells are working to raise a total of $100 million for the long-term relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts for all affected communities in Texas.

The concert is being organized with donated efforts and services by Springboard Productions, Solomon Group, Big House Sounds, Soundcheck Austin, The University of Texas Frank Erwin Center, Hotel Van Zandt, Sodexo, GSD&M, Andy Langer, Texas Music Office, and the City of Austin, as well as media partners KUT/KUTX, 93.3 KGSR, 103.5 BOB FM, 101X, 93.7 KLBJ, MIX 94.7, Majic 95.5, 95.9 R&B, 98.1 KVET, Austin American-Statesman, Austin360, The Austin Chronicle, and Do512.

Tegna is producing the broadcast in partnership with Debra Davis Productions. Austin-based C3 Presents will proudly produce the live event with all services donated.