HHS wrote a letter July 10 detailing its plans to purchase COVID-19 public service announcements from local broadcast media outlets.
The letter was addressed to Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who led a bipartisan group that urged HHS in April to recognize how critical it is to utilize and support local media during the pandemic.
The PSAs, which will offer information on public health as it pertains to COVID-19, will be bought from local television and radio stations for a flat fee, rather than a commission.
"We agree that local media institutions — the key sources of public health information for small- and mid-sized markets — are vital conduits for disseminating the information Americans need right now," HHS wrote in the letter. "HHS Secretary Alex Azar joins the President in recognizing that these important institutions also suffer from the virus-induced recession."