Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - November 30, 2007
NEW YORK, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of their boundary-breaking, decade-long partnership to empower young people with the means to help end the spread of HIV/AIDS, MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation today announced a host of on-air and online efforts debuting on World AIDS Day (December 1st). Programming from the two parties has already reached nearly 100 million viewers, spurred millions to take action and protect themselves, and was just recognized earlier this month with two more Emmy(R) Awards -- the Broadband Community Service and National PSA Emmys. The activities kicking off tomorrow and in the weeks ahead are designed to carry this momentum forward, further informing and engaging young people on this pressing global crisis.
Activities timed to the 19th anniversary of World AIDS Day include:
-- 46664 Concert in Johannesburg -- Tomorrow Ludacris joins with Peter Gabriel, Razorlight, Annie Lennox and more than forty leading South African musicians at a Nelson Mandela-led event to raise awareness and funds to help eradicate HIV/AIDS. On hand for the event will be MTV News, as well as one particularly special guest: Katarina Mijich, 23, of Arlington, VA. Katarina is a member of the Think.MTV.com youth- focused online activist community, and as a supporter of MTV and Kaiser's ongoing "It's Your (Sex) Life" campaign, was flown to the event and given the opportunity to hang with Luda, blog the concert for Think.MTV.com and more. Her journey will be profiled on MTV and the Think site next month.
-- World Premiere of new Annie Lennox video "Sing" on mtvU & mtvU.com -- Born from Annie's involvement with Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) -- two organizations fighting for human rights, education and health care for those affected by HIV/AIDS
-- "Sing" features guest vocals from global superstars Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Celine Dion, Fergie, Faith Hill, Pink, Dido, Gladys Knight, kd Lang, Bonnie Raitt, Shakira, Melissa Etheridge, Joss Stone, KT Tunstall and many others. The song and video are designed to raise awareness and finances for TAC initiatives; the video will have its world premiere on mtvU and mtvU.com Saturday morning.
-- Domestic Premieres of "48Fest: Kenya" and "Testing Diaries" -- Think.MTV.com will host the US premieres of two new poignant half-hour specials focused on different aspects of the HIV/AIDS crisis. "48Fest: Kenya" follows 30 young people as they script, shoot and edit a three- minute film on women and HIV/AIDS in just 48-hours, during the 2007 International Women's Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. "Testing Diaries," hosted by marquee rock act Good Charlotte, chronicles the journeys of three young people (from Jamaica, India and Ghana) deciding to take their first HIV test and then waiting anxiously for the potentially life-altering results. Both features will be available on demand beginning tomorrow morning.
-- MTV News Feature and new Think Vlog: Marteniz -- Marteniz is a remarkable, HIV-positive young man from Temple Hills, Maryland. He doesn't want others to make the same mistake he made and suffer the same consequences, so he's starting a highly-personal video log (vlog) to share his story and the day-to-day realities of living with HIV. The MTV News feature on Marteniz will run throughout the day on MTV and his new vlog will launch on Think.MTV.com.
-- PSAs and Feature Stories -- MTV and Think.MTV.com will both feature a mix of striking, award-winning PSAs and news stories focused on young people grappling with the magnitude of an HIV/AIDS infection. Every spot and story will point to additional resources on sexual health education, prevention measures and other ways to take action.
Additionally, today mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, and the Kaiser Family Foundation announced the winner of their joint "Change the Course of HIV Challenge" -- a competition that kicked off in January of this year. The challenge asked college students to propose a viral, Web-based video game concept to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among 15-24 year olds in the US and to promote personal action in response to the epidemic. The winning concept was submitted by a team of students from Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy and is now being developed into the final game, which will launch early next year.
MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation's 10 year Emmy and Peabody Award- winning partnership has reached more than 100 million viewers on-air, yielded more than 1.2 million calls to the campaign's toll-free hotline (1-877-777- IYSL), and put informational guides in the hands of more than 450,000 young people. The backbone of the campaign is www.ItsYourSexLife.com, a comprehensive online destination housed within Think.MTV.com, a new online community where young people, their friends and some of the biggest names in pop culture come together to effect positive social change.
The Think Community is dynamic, multimedia-driven and enables youth to easily learn more about the issues that matter to them most, share their opinions -- via uploaded online videos, podcasts and blogs -- and connect with others to make a difference. The site is one of the only to reward members for positive actions taken online or off, serving up chances to hang out with socially conscious celebs, access to exclusive MTV events, exposure on MTV and other national media outlets, as well as grants, scholarships and more. Think.MTV.com was built with the help of financial support and expertise from founding partners the Case Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Goldhirsh Foundation and MCJ Amelior Foundation. For more information or to build a profile and become involved, visit Think.MTV.com.
About The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation dedicated to providing information and analysis on health issues to policymakers, the media, and the general public. It is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries. Information on HIV/AIDS is available at www.kff.org, and a daily news summary report on developments in HIV/AIDS is available on www.kaisernetwork.org, the Foundation's free health information service.
About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 130 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services. The network also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
Source: Think.MTV.com
CONTACT: Jason Rzepka of MTV, +1-212-654-7198, Jason.Rzepka@mtvstaff.com; or Rob Graham of Kaiser Family Foundation, +1-650-854-9400, rgraham@kff.org
Web site: http://www.think.mtv.com/
http://www.mtv.com/
http://www.kff.org/
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/
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