WASHINGTON, D.C. – To help increase awareness and education about the H1N1 virus, the cable industry is working to assist the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in distributing video public service announcements (PSAs) promoting the prevention and awareness of “swine flu” and other forms of the flu.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) will distribute the PSAs nationwide on Tuesday, October 13, and the spots will appear in advertising time and space donated by cable operators and programmers. NCTA also has distributed to cable systems around the country PSAs that were recorded for HHS by Members of Congress.
“The upcoming flu season, and the prospect of additional widespread outbreaks of the H1N1 virus, could become disruptive to the everyday lives, health, and welfare of millions of Americans,” noted Kyle McSlarrow, President & CEO, NCTA. “With cable’s ability – through thousands of local cable systems and scores of ad-supported cable networks – to reach the vast majority of American households, we think it’s critical to add our resources to the government’s efforts to help all Americans avoid the flu and other infectious diseases.”
The PSAs are part of an initiative by HHS to provide practical steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help prevent the spread of the flu virus and other infectious disease. The PSAs scheduled for distribution on October 13 include a spot created for the Ad Council featuring Sesame Street’s Elmo and Gordon, as well as the winner and several finalists in the Flu Prevention PSA Contest created by HHS and hosted on YouTube this past summer. All of the spots set for distribution encourage consumers to obtain additional information at the official flu prevention website of the U.S. government, www.flu.gov.
A satellite feed will be available on Tuesday, October 13, from 2:00 to 2:30 pm Eastern Time, for cable operators and programmers to “downlink” the PSAs. Information on satellite coordinates and other ways of obtaining the PSAs is available from NCTA’s Communications & Public Affairs Department, by contacting Helen Dimsdale at hdimsdale@ncta.com or Allison Shelton at ashelton@ncta.com, or by calling (202) 222-2350.
In addition, earlier this month, NCTA distributed to cable operators for their use, PSAs about flu prevention that had been recorded for HHS by several dozen Members of the U.S. Congress. NCTA distributed those spots directly to cable systems in the Districts or States represented by the various Representatives and Senators that had recorded them. NCTA encouraged operators in those areas to use the spots – which also drive viewers to the flu.gov website for more information – in whatever advertising inventory they have available.
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