Greater Than AIDS: Clear Channel Communications announces new effort to broadcast HIV/AIDS information

Apr 3 2010

Clear Channel Communications, Inc. has announced a bold new effort to broadcast information about HIV/AIDS and promote HIV testing as part of Greater Than AIDS, a coordinated response to AIDS in the United States. Leading up to National HIV Testing Day (June 27), Clear Channel Radio's Urban, Urban AC, and Inspirational/Gospel radio stations in more than 60 markets will air new public service announcements (PSAs) which will direct listeners to targeted online resources that provide lifesaving information about HIV/AIDS and local testing resources. Additionally, Clear Channel and Greater Than AIDS will debut a 30-minute radio program in June as part of the partnership. In conjunction with the effort, Clear Channel Outdoor has placed more than 1500 Greater Than AIDS billboards and other outdoor ads in 19 markets hard-hit by HIV/AIDS across the country.

“Clear Channel is proud to continue its partnership with Greater Than AIDS to provide current, relevant information to communities hard hit by HIV/AIDS. Utilizing our radio, digital and outdoor advertising platforms for these public service announcements is the most effective way of communicating this life-saving information.”

This expanded effort is part of Clear Channel's broader corporate commitment to Greater Than AIDS, a national movement that responds to the continuing AIDS crisis in the United States, with a particular focus on the severe and disproportionate impact of HIV on Black Americans. Of the more than 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. today, nearly half are Black Americans. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated one in five people living with HIV in the United States do not know they are infected. Launched last year as a private sector response to the Obama Administration's call for a renewed focus on the domestic AIDS crisis, Greater Than AIDS is a multi-faceted outreach effort that includes an extensive media campaign and community events and activities.

The new radio PSAs released today were produced by Clear Channel's Creative Services Group, and feature compelling messages that confront the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and encourage listeners to take concrete actions, such as talking openly and getting tested. Clear Channel has also debuted a new Greater Than AIDS portal webpage, available on every Clear Channel Urban, Urban AC, and Inspirational/Gospel radio station website, which provides basic information about HIV/AIDS, local HIV testing resources, interactive features and related video content. (See example at: www.ktu.com keyword: "Greater Than".)

Lisa Dollinger, Chief Communications Officer for Clear Channel Communications, Inc., said, "Clear Channel is proud to continue its partnership with Greater Than AIDS to provide current, relevant information to communities hard hit by HIV/AIDS. Utilizing our radio, digital and outdoor advertising platforms for these public service announcements is the most effective way of communicating this life-saving information."

"As a leading partner within the Greater Than AIDS movement, Clear Channel is leveraging its valuable and trusted radio, online and outdoor platforms to get out important messages about HIV -- inspiring individuals, families and communities to take action and helping to reduce the stigma that allows this disease to spread," said Tina Hoff, Vice President and Director of Entertainment Media Partnerships at the Kaiser Family Foundation, which provides day-to-day management of the effort.

In August 2008, the CDC announced that the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic is much larger than previously thought, with approximately 40 percent more infections occurring annually than previously estimated. Black Americans, who today account for nearly half of new HIV infections in this country while representing just 12 percent of the U.S. population, remain among the most severely impacted groups. Some 500,000 Black Americans are estimated to be living with HIV—and those infected are more likely to die of AIDS compared to other racial or ethnic groups.