BET and Kaiser Announce 8th Year of Award-Winning Rap-It-Up Campaign to Combat HIV/AIDS

BET and Kaiser Announce 8th Year of Award-Winning Rap-It-Up Campaign to Combat HIV/AIDS

African-American Cable Network Highlights 2005 Campaign Efforts

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- BET and the Kaiser Family Foundation announced today the continuation of their partnership, Rap-It-Up -- the largest public education effort on HIV/AIDS and related issues directed specifically toward African Americans. Launched in 1998, Rap-It-Up was designed to educate network viewers about HIV/AIDS, disseminate pertinent information to young adults about sexual health issues, and to encourage African Americans to get tested. This year, Rap-It-Up will feature new HIV- themed programming and public service announcements (PSAs), the 2nd Annual RIU/BASS film competition, grassroots events, and free print and online information resources.

On February 7, BET, the Black AIDS Institute, and the Kaiser Family Foundation will launch the 2nd Annual Rap-It-Up/Black AIDS Short Subject (RIU/BASS) Film Competition. Last year's winning films, "Walking on Sunshine" and "Tangy's Song!" has significant viewer appeal earning higher ratings than their respective Sunday network averages ("Walking on Sunshine" earned a .51 and "Tangy's Song!" earned a .47). In recognition of Black AIDS Awareness Day (February 7), BET will re-air the 2005 NAACP Image Award nominated "Walking on Sunshine" on Sunday, February 6 at 3:00 p.m. ET/PT and "Tangy's Song!" at 3:30 p.m. The film competition serves as a foundation for potential filmmakers to create short films that promote HIV awareness and address the magnitude of HIV/AIDS in Black communities.

The network also plans to unveil a pair of unique documentary-styled programs that will examine the influence of hip hop and sexual messages on the nation's HIV/AIDS epidemic. These fast-paced, thought-provoking documentaries are scheduled for broadcast on BET in September 2005. Also, viewers can anticipate the return of the network's two successful HIV-related specials: BET OPEN MIC highlighting National HIV Testing Day (June 27) and the 106 & PARK WORLD AIDS DAY SPECIAL commemorating World AIDS Day to air later in December.

"The network is extremely pleased with the success and accomplishments of its pro-social initiative, Rap-It-Up," stated Kelli Lawson, BET Executive Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Communications. "It is clearly evident that through our combined efforts of special HIV-related programming, community outreach, and public service announcements (PSAs), the network is effectively reaching viewers to educate them about HIV/AIDS."

"Given the devastating impact that HIV/AIDS is having on African Americans, BET's commitment to Rap-It-Up is essential and is showing real results," Tina Hoff, Vice President and Director of Kaiser's Entertainment Media Partnership program. "Young African Americans who are exposed to the campaign say they are prompted by what they see to do more to protect themselves."

An August 2004 survey conducted by Kaiser of a random sample of African Americans underscored the effectiveness of the Rap-It-Up and Viacom KNOW HIV/AIDS campaigns. Results revealed that more than half of all African Americans (58%) and 9 in 10 (92%) African-Americans 18 - 24 years old have heard of the Rap-It-Up Campaign. Among the 18- to 24-year olds who had seen BET's special HIV-related programming, half said they had talked with a partner about safer sex, and approximately 77% of those who were sexually active said they were more likely to use a condom. Nearly 40% said they had visited a doctor or had been tested for HIV.

To date, BET has produced and aired a total of 32 PSAs on HIV/AIDS or other sexual health issues; and a total of 21 full-length 30 to 60-minute specials, which aired a total of 32 times and reached a total of 9 million viewers over the last seven years. Under the network's Rap-It-Up HIV/AIDS public awareness campaign, the network has also tested over 5,300 people nationwide for HIV infection; received over 900,000 calls to its toll-free hotline; distributed over 230,000 sexual health brochures, and hosted community teen forums in over 27 cities for over 5,000 young adults.

ABOUT RAP-IT-UP

Since 1997, the Kaiser Family Foundation and BET: Black Entertainment Television have partnered on an extensive public education campaign to inform young people about sexual health issues, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). The partnership includes special programming, public service advertisements (PSAs), online content on bet.com, and a free resource and referral service. In 2000, the campaign launched a grassroots initiative to complement the on-air and online components of Rap- It-Up. Program elements include teen forums, mobile HIV testing events, and a middle and high school curriculum on HIV/AIDS. The campaign was nominated for an Emmy for Best National Public Service Announcement in 2002 and 2001, and has received numerous other awards, including the 2002 Cable Positive POP Award for Outstanding Newsmagazine Series, the 2002 CTPAA Joel Berger Award, the 2002 NAACP Image Award, the 2002 Academy of Television Arts & Science TV Cares "Ribbon of Hope" Award, and the 2002 NBACA Community Service Award.

ABOUT BET

BET, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA; VIA.B), is the nation's leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for the African-American audience. The BET Network reaches more than 79 million households according to Nielsen media research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. BET is a dominant consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse group of branded businesses: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for African Americans; BET Digital Networks - BET Jazz, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, specializing in a full range of event production services, including event management, venue selection, talent recruitment, sound, lighting and stage production; and BET Books, the nation's leading publisher of African-American themed romance novels under the Arabesque imprint which also publishes compelling fiction under the Sepia imprint and inspirational fiction and nonfiction under the New Spirit imprint.

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 http://www.kff.org/, and a daily news summary report on developments in HIV/AIDS is available on http://www.kaisernetwork.org/, the Foundation's free health information service.


Source: BET (Black Entertainment Television)

CONTACT: Lyntina Townsend of BET, +1-202-608-2745,
lyntina.townsend@bet.net; or Rob Graham of the Kaiser Family Foundation,
+1-650-854-9400, RobG@kff.org

Web site: http://www.bet.com/
http://www.kff.org/
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/


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