New Jersey Shout Down Drugs Music Competition to be Held as Online Concert

3/30/2020

   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2020

Contact: Natalie Golub

Media Coordinator

973-382-4560

natalie@drugfreenj.org

New Jersey Shout Down Drugs Music Competition to be Held as Online Concert


Winners To Announced Live April 3, 2020 on 95.9 WRAT

MILLBURN, NJ — The New Jersey Shout Down Drugs music competition, sponsored by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), 95.9 WRAT and the New Jersey Broadcasters Association was set to hold its Prevention Concert on April 3rd at the Two Rivers Theater in Red Bank. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the concert will now be made available as an audio show set to air on the Shout Down Drugs website (www.ShoutDownDrugs.com ) on April 3rd at 6 pm, and the winners to be announced live on air at 6:45 pm on 95.9 WRAT.

The New Jersey Shout Down Drugs music competition was open to any New Jersey high school individual group, to create and enter original songs with anti-drug messages. This year there were 13 finalists from 6 different counties throughout the state. Online voting has been ongoing and will remain open through midnight on April 2nd.

“This is the 16th year we have held this competition,” states Angelo Valente, PDFNJ’s Executive Director.  “While we are sad that we are not able to hold the concert in person this year, we are really excited to offer the contestants a way to showcase their music. Each of these contestants is uniquely talented, and their anti-drug messages are so important to be heard especially during this difficult time.”

“The New Jersey Broadcasters Association is honored be a part of New Jersey Shout Down Drugs music competition,” explains Paul Rotella President and CEO of the New Jersey Broadcasters Association. “These teens have worked so hard on their music and we are excited to be able to share their talents through the audio show and announce the winners in a live format.”

The audio show will be available on April 3rd at 6 pm on www.ShoutDownDrugs.com and the first, second and third place winners will be announced live by Jimmy Steel, WRAT’s Creative Services Director and Afternoon Drive Host on 95.9 WRAT at 6:45 pm. Additionally, the three winners will be featured on WRAT’s Jersey Rock show on April 7th, 8th and 9th.
The audio show will also remain online for listeners on the Shout Down Drugs website and on the Jersey Rock page of WRAT.com.

“We are thrilled that 95.9 WRAT was able to be a part of this year’s Shout Down Drugs music competition,” states Steel.  “Music is a great way to bring people together, and PDFNJ’s commitment to engaging kids to lead a drug-free lifestyle through this music contest is really great.”

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Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $100 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 180 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.