(Woodbury, NY) March 28, 2003 – News 12 Long Island presents "Letters From Home", a televised expression of love from the families and friends of military personnel overseas. These segments feature parents, spouses, children and close friends reading letters they personally composed to their loved ones, illustrated with family photos. The one minute pieces began airing on News 12 Long Island on March 28, 2003. Copies of the "Letters from Home" segments will be sent to the servicemen and servicewomen to whom they are addressed.
The first Letters from Home features the Smith family of Riverhead. Their son Jeffrey Jr. is a Private in the Army and is stationed in Kuwait. The family wants Jeffrey Jr. to know that his family and church are praying for his safe return, and that another family member, Bobby, is on his way to the Middle East.
"These segments reflect the mission of News 12 Long Island, which is to be as local as local news gets, and to help people stay connected to their communities", said Patrick Dolan, News 12 Long Island News Director. "We wanted to honor the men and women from our area who were called to serve as well as provide an outlet for their loved ones to share their thoughts and feelings. Through these letters we are learning about the incredible people serving our country overseas from the people who know them best."
News 12 Long Island will air Letters from Home for the duration of the conflict in Iraq. To participate in the Letters from Home series, contact News 12 Long Island's Special Projects Producer Debi Gade at (516) 393-1070.
News 12 Long Island is part of News 12 Networks, the country's first, largest, and most watched 24-hour local television news network. The Network is made up of 5 individual local news channels serving the areas of Long Island, New Jersey, Southwestern Connecticut, Westchester County, and the Bronx. News 12 Networks is a cable exclusive service, reaching approximately 3.3 million households in the New York market. News 12 Networks is owned and operated by Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc, a division of Cablevision Systems Corporation. Cablevision is one of the nation's leading entertainment and telecommunications companies. Its cable television operations serve 3 million households located in the New York metropolitan area. Cablevision owns a controlling interest and operates Madison Square Garden and its sports teams including the Knicks and Rangers. The company also operates New York's famed Radio City Music Hall and owns and operates Clearview Cinemas in the New York metropolitan area.