Cable Positive Carries Fight Against HIV/AIDS to Vegas

LAS VEGAS - May 11, 2007

Cable Positive carried the fight against HIV/AIDS to the 2007 Cable Show in Las Vegas, creating a buzz over it’s partnership with Playboy Enterprises Inc. and it’s new red USB drive wrist bands containing four Public Service Announcements and the organizations most recent annual report. 

Cable Positive made history twice during The National Cable Show by naming Christie Hefner, CEO, Playboy Enterprises Inc. as the first recipient of the HIV/AIDS Educational Advocate Award that will be presented at the 2007 Positively Outstanding Programming (POP) Awards on June 12, 2007 and by becoming the first non-profit organization to distribute HIV/AIDS related programming on USB drive wrist bands, styled after the Lance Armstrong wrist bands.

Industry VIPs packed the Cable Positive exhibit booth for a press conference announcing Christie Hefner’s selection for the award, which will be presented by TelevisionWeek.  Joining Cable Positive in paying tribute to Christie were: Chuck Ross, Publisher TelevisionWeek, Greg Baumann, Editor, TelevisionWeek, Josh Sapan, President & CEO, Rainbow Media Services, Dennis Mangers, President, CCTA, Byron Merchant, EVP, CAO & General Counsel, BET, Stuart Benson, Senior VP, CFO Sundance Channel, Bonnie Hathaway, VP Public Affairs, Time Warner Cable, Erica Goldman, VP Event Marketing, NBC Universal, along with Playboy Team members Bob Meyers, President of Media, Playboy Enterprises Inc., Guyleen Castriotta, Affiliate Marketing Manager, Playboy Enterprises Inc., Pamela Simmons, VP Marketing, Playboy Entertainment Group, William Marovitz, the former Illinois state Senator who is married to Christie Hefner and Pilar Lastra, Miss August 2004, who is featured on NBC’s Deal or No Deal.

Cable Positive’s partnership with Playboy Enterprises Inc. consisted of sharing booth time, the donation of a raffle by Playboy for a 2 night fantasy trip for two at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, tickets to a professional boxing match, free copies of their popular book Playboy’s Guide to Playing Poker at Home and the presence of Miss August 2004, Pilar Lastra. The model remained on hand to sign copies of the book, and attracted lines that stretched long down the show floor.  Throughout the show Cable Positive distributed over 500 safer sex kits, a record amount for the organization at one time.

The show floor was also buzzing about Cable Positive’s red USB drive wrist bands.  The new initiative allowed the organizations educational programming to reach a wider audience.  Cable people marveled at the portability of the devices and the visibility it brought to the fight against HIV/AIDS. “Now industry leaders and activists can take the fight against HIV/AIDS with them – wherever they can plug our flash drive into a computer,” said Cable Positive President and CEO Steve Villano.

ABOUT CABLE POSITIVE:

Founded in 1992, Cable Positive is a non-profit organization dedicated to unifying the talents, resources, access and influence of the communications industry to raise AIDS awareness; to fund AIDS education and care; and to promote a more compassionate climate for people whose lives have been affected by HIV and AIDS.

ABOUT PLAYBOY ENTERPRISES:

Playboy Enterprises is a brand-driven, international multimedia entertainment company that publishes editions of Playboy magazine around the world; operates television networks and distributes programming globally; owns Playboy.com, a leading men's lifestyle and entertainment website; and licenses the Playboy trademark internationally for a range of consumer products and services.