Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Associated Press - Wednesday, October 9, 2002
Working with the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, Viacom plans to distribute AIDS and HIV awareness messages through its TV and radio programming, online properties and in public service announcements.
Ad placements valued at $120 million have been pledged for 2003, the company said. The U.S. campaign begins Jan. 6, with the international effort expected to start in the second quarter of 2003.
Viacom and Kaiser will produce public service announcements, or PSAs, for TV, radio and billboards that will direct audiences to a Web site and a toll-free telephone number. All PSAs will be offered free to other media outlets, and some other programming will be offered without cost internationally, Viacom said.
In the United States, AIDS story lines and references will be included in TV series including "Frasier," "Star Trek: Enterprise" and "The District."
Syndicated talk shows and cable channels including BET and Nickelodeon will be part of the campaign, Viacom said.
Other Viacom units involved in the anti-AIDS effort include the 180-plus Infinity radio stations; publisher Simon & Schuster and Paramount Motion Picture Group.
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is an independent national health philanthropy that provides information and analysis on health issues to policymakers, the media and the public.
An estimated 40 million people worldwide, including more than 1 million in the United States, are infected with AIDS-causing HIV virus, with the majority of new infections among people under age 25. More than 20 million people have died.
"Global AIDS is the greatest health challenge of our generation and the media can be a powerful tool in educating people about the disease," the Kaiser foundation's president, Drew E. Altman, said in a statement.
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