Clear Channel Outdoor (NYSE: CCO) and Maricopa County today announced a third consecutive year of partnership on a digital out-of-home campaign designed to direct residents and visitors to heat relief resources across the Phoenix metropolitan area. The campaign, which launched on May 4, 2026, and runs through the end of September, uses CCO's digital billboard network to promote more than 200 cooling sites and the 2-1-1 Arizona helpline at no cost to taxpayers.

The announcement, published on May 5, 2026, by the Maricopa County Office of Communications, arrives as the region enters what historically ranks among its most dangerous months for heat-related illness. The campaign is also supported by the Maricopa Association of Governments, 211 Arizona, and the City of Phoenix.

How the campaign works

Clear Channel Outdoor is donating its digital billboard inventory across high-traffic corridors in the Phoenix metro area to run the messaging. The billboards direct people to the free, 24-hour 211 information service, which connects callers to nearby cooling centers, transportation assistance, and additional support during the 2026 heat season. According to the announcement, 211 Arizona live operators will take calls in English and Spanish from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Outside those hours, callers can still access resources through an automated menu.

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) is expanding its heat-relief efforts further this year by contracting with cities and community-based organizations to support extended hours and access to cooling centers, including overnight sites in both Chandler and Phoenix. That is a direct operational expansion compared to previous years, when overnight access was more limited.

MCDPH is also addressing what it describes as the combined risks of extreme heat and substance use. According to the announcement, the department will partner with community-based organizations to distribute educational materials, naloxone, and electrolytes at heat relief sites - a programmatic addition that reflects awareness of the overlap between opioid exposure and heat vulnerability in outdoor populations.

The scale of the 2025 campaign

Numbers from the previous year illustrate the reach of the billboard donation. According to Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee, District 3, the heat relief messaging placed by Clear Channel Outdoor in 2025 was seen an estimated 220 million times across Maricopa County. "Last summer, Clear Channel provided space with heat relief messaging (at no cost to taxpayers) across the county," McGee said. "These messages were seen an estimated 220 million times. We are so grateful for this lifesaving partnership with Clear Channel. We ask all residents to remember if they or their loved ones are in a heat related emergency call 211 and get the help you need."

That figure - 220 million impressions from donated inventory - places the campaign within a context that digital advertisers will recognize immediately. Impression volumes of that scale typically require substantial paid media budgets. The fact that they were generated from donated out-of-home inventory signals something specific about the reach characteristics of large-format digital billboard networks in dense urban markets, even at a county level.

Heat death data: two consecutive declines

The campaign runs against a backdrop of measurable improvement in outcomes. According to preliminary data from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, heat-related deaths in Maricopa County fell to 430 confirmed cases in 2025, down from 608 in 2024. That itself followed a decline from the record-setting 645 deaths recorded in 2023. Two straight years of reduction represent a statistically meaningful trend in a county that, for several years, had seen heat fatalities climb to levels drawing national attention.

Whether the billboard campaign is causally connected to those declines is not stated in the official announcement, and multiple factors influence heat mortality, including temperatures, access to air conditioning, public outreach through other channels, and expanded cooling center capacity. What the data does establish is that Maricopa County experienced its highest-ever recorded heat deaths in 2023, and the subsequent two years produced consecutive reductions while the campaign was running.

What Clear Channel says about the third year

Adriane Youngblood, President of the Arizona Division at Clear Channel Outdoor, described the focus of the ongoing partnership in the announcement. "In our third year working in partnership with our fellow community stakeholders, the focus remains on making sure people know where to go before heat becomes an emergency," Youngblood said. "We're proud to continue this partnership to amplify awareness of heat relief resources across the Valley. By using our digital billboard network to deliver timely information at scale, we're helping residents and visitors quickly find cooling centers and critical support when and where it matters most."

The framing around timing is notable. The campaign launched May 4, four weeks before Phoenix temperatures typically push into the danger zone. MCDPH's Heat Relief Network, operated in coordination with the Maricopa Association of Governments, runs from May 1 to September 30 each year. Starting the billboard campaign in early May, before peak summer heat, gives residents time to learn where cooling centers are located before an emergency forces them to search.

The role of 211 Arizona

The 211 helpline plays a central operational role in the campaign. According to the announcement, 211 Arizona was originally known as Community Information and Referral Services, founded in 1964 and incorporated as a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in 1979. In 2017, Solari, Inc. acquired the program. The service connects individuals and families to vital services throughout Arizona at www.211arizona.org.

The 24-hour availability of the automated menu means that callers reaching out at 2 a.m. during a heat emergency can still be connected to resources, even when live operators are not staffed. The combination of always-on automated routing and daytime live-operator capacity covers the full daily cycle during which heat emergencies occur.

The Maricopa Association of Governments and the Heat Relief Network

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) provides a regional forum for local and tribal governments working on issues affecting the greater Phoenix area. For the heat campaign, MAG develops and coordinates the Heat Relief Network interactive map, which identifies hundreds of locations where people can find indoor spaces to cool off, access water, and donate supplies. The network is active from May 1 to September 30, directly aligning with the billboard campaign's operational window.

The interactive map and the 211 service function as two distinct but complementary access points. One is self-directed and digital; the other is assisted and operates by phone. Together they address different segments of the population at risk - those with smartphones and internet access, and those who rely on telephone services to navigate emergency situations.

Clear Channel Outdoor's broader position

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is a publicly traded out-of-home advertising company whose portfolio spans digital billboards, transit advertising, and airport inventory across the United States and internationally. The company has been undergoing significant corporate change. In February 2026, Mubadala Capital and TWG Global agreed to a $6.2 billion take-private transaction that values shareholders at $2.43 per share - a 71% premium to the company's unaffected closing price on October 16, 2025. That deal is expected to close by the end of Q3 2026, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.

The company's digital transformation has accelerated in recent years. Digital revenue represented 42.1% of total consolidated revenue during Q3 2025, up from 39.4% in the same period of 2024. The Arizona Division's heat relief campaign, while not a revenue-generating program, reflects the same underlying infrastructure - CCO's digital network in the Phoenix metro area - that the company uses for commercial advertising.

In January 2026, CCO secured a multi-year contract to manage advertising across Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority's transit network in Austin, covering 400+ buses on 71 routes and 10 rail stations. In March 2026, the company announced a 10-year contract at Omaha Eppley Airfield committing $1 million to outfit a new terminal with large-format LED video walls. The Maricopa County partnership sits alongside those commercial contracts as evidence of CCO's digital network density in key Sun Belt markets.

What this means for the marketing and ad tech community

For marketing professionals, this campaign raises a specific technical question: how does a digital out-of-home operator allocate donated inventory across a live network without displacing revenue-generating campaigns? The answer lies in how programmatic and direct-sold DOOH inventory is managed. According to PPC Land's coverage of the broader programmatic DOOH market, large-format digital billboard operators increasingly run tiered inventory structures that separate guaranteed commercial placements from remnant or donated slots. The CCO donation likely operates within available inventory windows rather than displacing sold campaigns.

The scale of the 220 million impressions figure also provides a reference point for marketers evaluating out-of-home reach in the Phoenix market. The programmatic DOOH sector has been growing rapidly, with VIOOH's 2026 State of the Nation report projecting that pDOOH will appear in nearly 48% of all campaigns globally within 18 months, up from 34% over the prior 18-month period. Average anticipated investment increases stand at 44% over that same period among recent pDOOH buyers.

The CCO Phoenix network demonstrates the kind of market penetration that makes those impression figures plausible. A metropolitan area with heavy car dependency - Phoenix ranks among the most automobile-dependent cities in the United States - creates conditions where billboard frequency and reach are structurally high. Commuters on high-traffic corridors see the same boards repeatedly throughout the week.

Expanded scope in 2026

Several operational details in this year's announcement suggest a more comprehensive program compared to the campaign's first two years. MCDPH is specifically contracting with cities and community-based organizations to extend cooling center hours, including overnight access. The distribution of naloxone at heat sites represents an addition that was not mentioned in previous years' announcements. The explicit bilateral language coverage from 211 Arizona (English and Spanish live operators) addresses the needs of Spanish-speaking communities within Maricopa County, which has a large Hispanic population.

Real-time heat data is available through the MCDPH dashboard, and information on heat illnesses and prevention is accessible at Maricopa.gov/heat. The campaign is designed to drive people toward both digital and telephone resources rather than relying on any single access point.

Context: Maricopa County's heat problem in numbers

Maricopa County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, with a population exceeding 4.5 million. The county operates nearly fifty lines of business, including public health, public safety, and elections. Heat is among the most acute public health challenges the county faces each summer, driven by the urban heat island effect, the region's desert climate, and the concentration of vulnerable populations including unhoused residents, outdoor workers, and elderly people without adequate cooling.

The trajectory of heat deaths over three years tells a stark story. From 645 confirmed deaths in 2023 to 608 in 2024, and then to 430 in 2025, according to preliminary MCDPH data - a reduction of 215 deaths between the peak year and 2025. Whether that trend continues in 2026 will depend on temperatures, the reach of public health interventions, and access to cooling infrastructure.

The billboard campaign addresses the awareness dimension of that problem: making sure that people who need help know where to find it. The 200+ heat relief sites covered by the campaign and the 211 helpline form the operational backbone of that public awareness effort. Clear Channel Outdoor's digital network provides the distribution layer.

Timeline

  • 1964: 211 Arizona, originally known as Community Information and Referral Services, is founded to connect Arizona residents with vital services.
  • 1979: The organization incorporates as a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3).
  • 2017: Solari, Inc. acquires 211 Arizona, continuing its mission of linking individuals and families to essential support throughout the state.
  • 2023: Maricopa County records a then-record 645 confirmed heat-related deaths, according to MCDPH data.
  • 2024 (heat season): Clear Channel Outdoor and Maricopa County launch their first year of the digital billboard heat relief partnership.
  • 2024: Maricopa County records 608 confirmed heat-related deaths - a first decline from the 2023 record.
  • January 9, 2025: Bauer Media Group announces the acquisition of Clear Channel Europe-North for $625 million. Coverage on PPC Land.
  • 2025 (heat season): Clear Channel Outdoor and Maricopa County run a second year of the digital billboard campaign; heat relief messaging is seen an estimated 220 million times across the county.
  • 2025: MCDPH preliminary data records 430 confirmed heat-related deaths in Maricopa County, a second consecutive annual decline.
  • October 16, 2025: Clear Channel Outdoor's unaffected closing share price stands at $1.42 before media reports of potential acquirers emerge.
  • February 9, 2026: Mubadala Capital and TWG Global announce a $6.2 billion all-cash take-private agreement to acquire Clear Channel Outdoor at $2.43 per share, a 71% premium. Coverage on PPC Land.
  • March 12, 2026: Clear Channel Outdoor announces a 10-year contract at Omaha Eppley Airfield, committing $1 million for LED displays in a new terminal. Coverage on PPC Land.
  • May 1, 2026: The Maricopa Association of Governments Heat Relief Network activates for the 2026 season, running through September 30.
  • May 4, 2026: The Clear Channel Outdoor and Maricopa County digital billboard heat relief campaign launches for its third consecutive year, covering 200+ heat relief sites.
  • May 5, 2026: Maricopa County publishes the official announcement through its Office of Communications.
  • May 6, 2026: The partnership announcement is distributed to media, confirming the campaign's third-year renewal and expanded operational scope.

Summary

Who: Clear Channel Outdoor (NYSE: CCO), Maricopa County, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH), the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), 211 Arizona, and the City of Phoenix.

What: A third-year renewal of a donated digital billboard campaign directing Phoenix metro area residents and visitors to 200+ heat relief sites and the 211 Arizona helpline. The campaign uses CCO's digital out-of-home network at no cost to taxpayers and is supported by an expanded network of overnight cooling centers, bilingual 211 live operators, and new distribution of naloxone and electrolytes at heat sites.

When: The campaign launched on May 4, 2026, and runs through the end of September 2026, coinciding with the Maricopa Association of Governments Heat Relief Network's active season.

Where: Across the Phoenix metropolitan area in Maricopa County, Arizona. Digital billboards are placed along high-traffic corridors. Cooling centers include overnight sites in Chandler and Phoenix. The 211 Arizona service operates statewide.

Why: Maricopa County has recorded some of the highest concentrations of heat-related deaths in the United States. After a record 645 confirmed heat-related deaths in 2023, preliminary MCDPH data showed a reduction to 608 in 2024 and 430 in 2025. The campaign is designed to ensure residents and visitors know where to access cooling centers and emergency assistance before heat exposure becomes life-threatening. The billboard donation from Clear Channel Outdoor allows the public health messaging to reach a county population of more than 4.5 million at no direct cost to public funds.

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