Cable's Helping Hands

The Weather Channel Companies pledged $1mln cash to Red Cross relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and is asking other companies in the industry to match or exceed that donation, if possible. Weather also will match contributions made by its 800 employees. — NBC-Uni will air "A Concert for Hurricane Relief," on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC Fri, 8pm ET. The live, hour-long telethon will feature performances by Tim McGraw, Harry Connick Jr and Wynton Marsalis. Donations will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. — NCTA launched an employee campaign to raise money for Red Cross. Mass Ave will match money donated through Wed. — Charter created a Hurricane Damage Relief Fund via Red Cross. It will match employee contributions up to $500/employee. Charter operates in Slidell, LA, and other heavily impacted areas. — Cox set up an employee relief fund, committing to match employee contributions 2 to 1. "No amount of preparation is enough for what we are presently facing in our New Orleans market," said Claus Kroeger, svp, ops for Cox’s central div. — Walt Disney committed $2.5mln, with $1mln going to Red Cross, $1mln to children’s charities and $500K to volunteer centers. — CNN is helping those looking for loved ones by posting messages on CNN.com. The site features a list of people who have reported themselves safe, as well as an email address to report people missing. — MTV, VH1 and CMT also have a live concert special planned to raise money for the Red Cross and promote volunteerism. The concert will run on all 3 nets Sept 10 and include Green Day, Gretchen Wilson and Ludacris performing from NY, L.A., Atlanta and Nashville. MTV parent Viacom is making a $1mln cash contribution and matching employee donations.