Univision and Kaiser Foundation Mark National Latino AIDS Awareness Day With New Campaign Featuring People Living With HIV/AIDS

LOS ANGELES, Oct 15, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- UVN | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Testimonials Aim to Inspire Hope and Debunk Myths in Response to Latino AIDS Crisis

Univision Communications Inc. and the Kaiser Family Foundation today unveiled the second phase of "SOY. . ." (I AM. . .), the groundbreaking Spanish-language media campaign featuring the personal stories of a diverse group of Latinos living with HIV and their loved ones. The new campaign materials will debut on the Univision Network, the Telefutura Network and Galavision in conjunction with National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) on October 15th and continue throughout 2010.

"SOY. . ." features 14 Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America living with HIV/AIDS who share both a passion for life and a desire to end the spread of the disease. They are musicians, academics, businessmen and housewives - everyday people who share their experiences living with HIV. Shot in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Mexico City, San Salvador, Lima, and Buenos Aires, the documentary-style public service ads (PSAs) aim to create a personal connection to HIV/AIDS among the audience and engender the feeling that HIV/AIDS could affect "people like me and those I care about."

In the first wave of the campaign, which debuts today, audiences will meet Yolanda, a devoted mother who works in a Los Angeles health clinic; Joann, a minister and church choir director from Chicago; Alejandro, a 20-year old Argentine musician; Dania, a vibrant Cuban-American poet and dancer from Miami; and, Enrique, a passionate community activist from New York City. The campaign spots will air in the United States on Univision, TeleFutura, and Galavision networks and television and radio stations, and across more than 12 countries in Latin America as part of the Latin American Media AIDS Initiative.

Developed by Univision and the Kaiser Family Foundation, "SOY. . ." includes 28 original public service ads (PSAs) for television and radio and Spanish-language HIV/AIDS information and resources available online through a dedicated website (www.univision.com keyword: SIDA) and via a toll-free Spanish-language hotline (1-866-TU-SALUD). The campaign was developed as part of iEnterate de VIH y SIDA! (Get the Facts about HIV and AIDS!), a long-standing public information partnership established in 2001 between Univision and the Kaiser Family Foundation to provide culturally relevant Spanish-language information and resources about HIV/AIDS and sexual health. The latest series of campaign spots were conceptualized by Kaiser and Univision, and produced by ONYX.la and WeArePacheco, winners of 7 Lions Awards at the 2009 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

"Univision has a long history of addressing issues that are important to our audience and the response to HIV and AIDS within our community is an urgent issue," said Ivelisse Estrada, Senior Vice President for Corporate and Community Relations at Univision Communications. "Our work to provide information about HIV and link our audience to AIDS-related resources has made a critical difference in breaking the silence about this disease and getting people tested."

"Latinos in the United States are disproportionately impacted by HIV and AIDS, and stigma remains a key challenge to addressing the problem within the community," said Tina Hoff, Vice President and Director of Entertainment Media Partnerships at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "By sharing their stories, the individuals profiled in this campaign are connecting very personally with audiences in the U.S. and across Latin America, helping to break the silence and fight the stigma surrounding this disease."

The campaign launch coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month and National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) - a national collective movement and public health marketing effort aimed at educating and mobilizing Hispanic/Latino communities to increase their knowledge on the impact of HIV/AIDS and health related safe practices. "SOY. . ." is the official campaign of NLAAD, and Univision and Kaiser are working with the Latino Commission on AIDS and the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) to distribute HIV/AIDS information resources and "SOY. . ." programming materials to community organizations, health agencies and local clinics and across the country.

"The 'SOY. . .' campaign provides an unprecedented opportunity to tell the story of HIV/AIDS in our communities in a way that's real and compelling. The campaign reinforces that each of us is equal in the face of AIDS - ending this epidemic requires both personal responsibility and community action," said Guillermo Chacon, interim Executive Director, Latino Commission on AIDS. "Univision and Kaiser are real leaders in the Latino response to AIDS, linking Univision's audience to critical resources and fighting the stigmas and stereotypes that persist within our families and communities."

All campaign materials can be viewed at www.univision.com (keyword: SIDA) or on the campaign's YouTube page: www.youtube.com/soycampaign.

About HIV/AIDS and U.S. Latinos

Of the approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, 200,000 are Latino. The U.S. Latino community is disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, accounting for 18 percent of total AIDS cases while comprising only 14 percent of the U.S. population. Latinos are testing positive for HIV, being diagnosed with AIDS and dying from the disease at four times the rate of Caucasian counterparts in the United States. As the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States, addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community takes on increased importance in efforts to improve the nation's health.

About Univision Communications

Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States. Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 95% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 85% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavision, the country's leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 64 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 68 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in Puerto Rico; and Univision Interactive Media, which includes http://www.univision.com, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S., and Univision Movil, the industry's most comprehensive Spanish-language suite of mobile offerings. Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa's pay television channels in the U.S. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit www.univision.net.

About the Kaiser Family Foundation

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information, research and analysis on health issues. It is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries. Information on HIV/AIDS, global health and Kaiser's public education partnerships with entertainment media is available at www.kff.org.

SOURCE Kaiser Family Foundation

http://www.univision.com

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