Jerry Wishnow is an American activist, entrepreneur and founder of the Wishnow Group Inc., a company that developed and produced campaigns aimed at intervening in social problems through mutually beneficial partnerships between media, nonprofits, and business. The projects have reduced infant mortality, property crime, changed drug laws, and added anti-discrimination curricula to U.S. and international schools.
Wishnow contributed his copy written name "AmeriCorps" to the Clinton White House as the official title of what has become the domestic version of the Peace Corps.
Wishnow and his campaigns have received over 70 national and regional awards including a Peabody award, three National Emmy awards, and four Presidential commendations.
Career
Wishnow attended Northeastern University in Boston and earned a BA in English Journalism. As a student editor at Northeastern, he was physically threatened while covering the 1963 Selma, Alabama racial unrest. He later earned a Master of Journalism degree from the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Evanston, IL. In 1967, he covered the "Summer of Love" in San Francisco for The Boston's Herald Traveler.
He started his work at 50,000 Watt WBZ radio (Westinghouse broadcasting) Boston in 1968 as a public affairs director and producer for The Jerry Williams Show. Wishnow soon became creative services director producing public affairs campaigns which were designed to utilize WBZ’s powerful market position and resources to create positive public service campaigns designed to measurably assist its audience while promoting the station and project partners.
Wishnow launched his own firm. The Wishnow Group Inc., an activist public affairs firm based in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1974.
The Wishnow Group has worked with nonprofits including the Anti-Defamation League and the March of Dimes, University of Chicago Hospitals, and government agencies including US Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, US Law Enforcement Systems Association, and the US Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
They have also worked with corporate clients and underwriters, including American Express, Digital Equipment Corporation, Sears, Montgomery Ward and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
WBZ public affairs campaigns
T-Group 15
In 1969, Wishnow created and produced an event which padlocked nine Boston African-American and white school decentralization activists, including Louise Day Hicks, a Boston School Committee Chairwoman who strongly opposed court ordered busing and desegregation in public schools, together in a room for over 22 ½ hours with microphones and cameras until compromises over the closing of a key black feeder school were reached The result was broadcast on WBZ. An African-American and a white psychologist were present during the experiment and the participants were given cues in a "sensitizing" environment to direct the discussion. The project was named "T-Group 15 and narrated by Boston university Sensitivity Training pioneer Dr. Malcolm Knowles. The 11-hour edited broadcast included four hours of live audience reaction with the participants and was aired on WBZ for 15 straight hours from 7AM-midnight without commercials.
Storm Center
Weeks later a historic nor'easter paralyzed New England. Wishnow convinced management to turn the station personnel and its powerful signal into an emergency communications center. Those requiring help called in on the air live and were connected to civil authorities and/or local volunteers who, in addition to advice, often delivered food and medicine and provided emergency transport. Thousands were helped and the service drew a 33% rating*.
Rush Hour Rescue
Wishnow worked with ALA Auto & Travel Club of Wellesley, Massachusetts and WBZ radio to develop a service which included a van that provided free emergency road assistance for cars that broke down on major area highways speeding up traffic during peak travel periods.
Commuter Computer
In 1969 "Commuter Computer" was a service created by Wishnow and Jerry Swerling, a public relations director of the ALA Auto & Travel Club. Listeners sent in forms with their schedules and locations. A computer (well before ubiquitous computer use) matched them up with ten people who had similar carpooling needs. Tens of thousands of people joined the effort. The project sparked carpool campaigns in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Baltimore and Miami.