NEW YORK, NY - December 22, 2003
Cable Positive, the cable and telecommunications industry’s national non-profit AIDS action organization, ends 2003 reporting “Cable Positive’s Top Ten Accomplishments of 2003”. The list includes successes in fundraising, programs and our continual battle against AIDS.
Fundraising Ratio: More Than 3 to 1 for HIV/AIDS Programs
Cable Positive's fundraising expenses for three consecutive years have not exceeded 23% as a percentage of fundraising expenses to total expenses. This means that 77% of the money raised goes directly to programs and services of the organization.
Launch of First Integrated HIV and AIDS Awareness and Prevention Campaign
Cable Positive has launched a new integrated HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaign entitled Is Today The Day You Get HIV? for World AIDS Day 2003. The campaign consists of television and print public service announcements with an educational website, www.istodaytheday.org, and 1-800 number, 1-800.909.2DAY, that connects to the CDC National AIDS and STD hotline. The campaign was created in collaboration with Romoff, Newman, Cesark & Daraio, LLC, a marketing and communications company dedicated to connecting people and brands in a way that will enhance their well-being and quality-of-life.
Is Today The Day You Get HIV? brings HIV and AIDS into everyday life moments and situations with the understanding that most Americans know the most prominent way HIV is transmitted is through sex. The campaign strives to provide the knowledge that we are all at risk for HIV, and to promote personal responsibility.
Development and Implementing of New Strategic Plan
In fall 2003, Cable Positive adopted a new three-year strategic plan - the second such plan in Cable Positive’s history. It serves as the culmination of intensive work over the past two years by our Strategic Planning Committee chaired by Cable Positive Board Immediate Past Chair Rob Stoddard of NCTA; our Strategic Marketing Advisory Committee chaired by Honorary Chairs CTAM’s Char Beales and Time Warner Cable’s Lynn Yeager; members of our Board of Directors; several Honorary Chairs; and Cable Positive Staff, led by President & CEO Steve Villano.
The plan outlines several elements for the organization’s growth over the next couple of years including an update to Cable Positive’s mission statement, focusing more directly on education, awareness, prevention and fighting stigma that surrounds the disease, and the advancement of Four Core Business Principles on HIV/AIDS.
More Emphasis on Reaching Local Communities
Cable Positive has placed greater emphasis on aiding local communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS through the Tony Cox Community Fund. This year, more than 25 projects where funded that partnered local AIDS service organizations with local cable outlets across the country. The effort resulted in more locally focused programming to raise HIV and AIDS awareness and prevention initiatives in these communities and provided the opportunity for an increase in fundraising for organization’s to continue important programs and services provided to their communities.
Growth of Cable Positive Chapters
Cable Positive launched two more chapters this year in Atlanta and Philadelphia, reaching a total of five chapters across the country. The combined efforts of the established chapters in Denver, New York, and Southern California along with the two new chapters provide Cable Positive with the opportunity to make an impact on both the cable community and the local community in those areas in the fight against AIDS. Hundreds of cable industry activists and dozens of companies supported the activities of Cable Positive chapters, raising more than $200,000 for Cable Positive and our local AIDS service organization partners Action AIDS in Philadelphia, AID Atlanta, AIDS Service Center of New York, AIDS Service Center of Pasadena and Volunteer of America’s Rainbow House in Denver.
Beyond raising funds for the fight against AIDS, the chapters have provided the local cable communities with the opportunity to volunteer their time to the fight against AIDS.
AIDS in the Workplace Program Re-Launched
Cable Positive re-launched the AIDS in the Workplace program this year. The new program features a more interactive experience with video enhancements including footage from HBO’s Sex And The City, MTV’s The Real World and from And The Band Played On and commentary from top cable executives such as Lifetime’s Carole Black, Showtime’s Matt Blank, and BET’s Debra Lee on the importance of HIV/AIDS education and its value. A corresponding curriculum includes the latest information on HIV/AIDS, incorporating updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other policy issues.
Diversification of Fundraising
Cable Positive greatly diversified its fundraising throughout 2003. Cable Positive’s Broadway fundraisers have become an industry favorite and an excellent way to raise money while engaging more companies and individuals in the work of Cable Positive. The Cable Positive Broadway Benefits have provided sponsorship opportunities for Bravo, NBC Cable Networks, VH1 and VH1 Classic, while greatly supporting the work of Cable Positive on behalf of their industry.
Forming Partnerships with Cable Industry Organizations
In 2003, Cable Positive formed several partnerships with other cable industry organizations to benefit the industry and the organizations involved. Through our partnership with WICT, Cable Positive is able to offer cable industry professionals the opportunity to attend a week’s worth of events in New York in spring 2004 that kick off with our Annual Benefit dinner. For the National Show, Cable Positive worked the NCTA to gain a presence at the convention to educate the cable and telecommunications about HIV and AIDS. While at the Western Show, Cable Positive teamed up with CCTA at the Chairman’s Reception for a fundraiser that raised more than $24,000. And, The Cable Center has provided Cable Positive with the opportunity to utilize its facilities for screenings, meetings and to the Denver Chapter’s record-breaking performance of “Positively Cable”.
Increasing Partnership with Cable Networks to Raise Awareness
Cable Positive teamed with several network partners in 2003 to screen important HIV and AIDS-related programming across the country. These screening serve as an avenue of education for cable industry leaders. HBO’s Angels in America, The N’s A Walk In Your Shoes, and Showtime’s My Life in Verse are all important examples of valuable HIV/AIDS-related programming.
Additionally, the Sundance Channel helped raise consumer awareness about Cable Positive and our efforts with a standing room only screening in New York City of the film “Die Mommie Die!”.
Six Consecutive Years of Raising at Least $1 million at the Annual Benefit Dinner
For the sixth consecutive year, Cable Positive’s Annual Benefit Dinner raised at least $1 million. The 2002 dinner recognized BET’s Bob Johnson and Debra Lee for their commitment to the fight against AIDS through BET’s Rap It Up campaign. The evening was hosted by AJ and Free of BET’s 106 & Park and featured a musical performance from the legendary Roberta Flack.
The 2004 Benefit Dinner is scheduled for March 30, 2004 and will honor Showtime’s Matt Blank with the Joel A. Berger Memorial Award.
ABOUT CABLE POSITIVE
Cable Positive is a national non-profit organization that was founded in February 1992 by three concerned cable executives with the mission of organizing cable’s resources in the fight against AIDS. Cable Positive will mobilize the talents, resources, access and influence of the cable and telecommunications industry to raise HIV/AIDS awareness; support HIV/AIDS education, prevention and care; and strive to end stigma by creating a more compassionate climate for people whose lives have been affected by HIV or AIDS. Cable Positive has grown to include supporters from every major cable network, multiple system operator, cable system, hardware manufacturer, trade association, media publication, and affiliated industry vendors and suppliers. Since 1992, Cable Positive has raised more than $10 million in the fight against AIDS. For more information about Cable Positive, call 212-459-1502 or log on to www.cablepositive.org.
