GUIDELINES CHANGED FOR CABLE POSITIVE’S TONY COX COMMUNITY FUND APPLICATION DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 15

NEW YORK, NY, July 7, 2006—Cable Positive, the cable and telecommunications industry’s national non-profit AIDS action organization, is now accepting applications from AIDS service organizations (ASOs) and cable systems for the Tony Cox Community Fund (TCCF). The fund provides grants for community-based ASOs to partner with local cable systems for HIV/AIDS awareness, education, and prevention through joint community outreach efforts, or the production and distribution of new, locally focused HIV/AIDS-related programs and public service announcements (PSAs).

Changes have been made to the guidelines for fund applicants, encouraging a more active public affairs role for the ASO and cable system. These changes include the following:

Applicant & Partners

• Cable system agreement must be signed by system’s General Manager and/or Public Affairs representative

Partnership

• Criteria includes tie-ins between ASOs and cable systems. Successful applicants will demonstrate use of at least two of the following tactics:
  • Employee volunteers
  • PSA or program production
  • Community partnership-third party participation
  • Local government involvement
  • Media outreach
  • Cause-related marketing

Funding

• New funding levels are based on the number of television households in the community served. The following three funding levels are available
  • $3,000-Alpha Cable System (up to 150,000 television households)
  • $5,000-Beta Cable System (150,001-300,000)
  • $7,000-Gamma Cable System (more than 300,000 television households)
• Grants may not be used to purchase airtime on cable systems

The fund is named in memory of former chairman and CEO of Showtime Networks, Inc. and a founding honorary chair of Cable Positive, Winston "Tony" Cox. Grants are awarded for the creation of local AIDS-related programming, PSAs, and outreach efforts in two grant cycles per year. Since its inception in 1996, the Tony Cox Fund has more than $1.25 million to more than 230 ASOs in the United States.

For more information on the Tony Cox Community Fund, please contact Thomas Henning at 212.459.1606 or thenning@cablepositive.org

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 $16 million in the fight against AIDS. For more information about Cable Positive, call 212.459.1502 or log on to www.cablepositive.org.