In this issue:

Phase III of Media Campaign Takes Off

Numbers Show Success and Potential for Drug Control

The Campaign in the Community: The Wisconsin National Guard

Fleishman-Hillard Heads Program and Outreach Initiatives

Ogilvy & Mather Leads Advertising Component

Advertising Council Awarded Contract

ABC and AOL Partner With ONDCP; Online Areas Launched for Parents, Youth, Prevention

Online Banner Ads Reach Target Audiences

Campaign Ads Now Available on Web Site

Media Campaign Reaches Multi-Cultural Populations

Pro Bono Advertising Match Aids Local Organizations

"Parenting is Prevention" Teleconferencing Initiative: 1999 Calendar

NBC Adopts Prevention Themes in Popular Teen Line Up

Daniella Deutscher, star of NBC's Hang Time chatted with teens about drug abuse live online.

On Saturday, February 13, 1999, when kids and teens across the nation tuned into the popular TV show Hang Time, they saw a group of high schoolers catch their friend smoking marijuana, witnessed the negative consequences of drug use, and saw some real friends convince their pal to seek help. The show sent a powerful message, but the learning didn't stop there. Later that day, more than 2,000 teens logged onto America Online (AOL) to participate in a live online chat about drug use with Hang Time star, Daniella Deutscher. The following week, teachers across the country used a specially designed activities guide to initiate classroom discussions about drug use.

The programming and surrounding activities were made possible by a unique collaboration among the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), NBC Television, and AOL, arising from the powerful messages of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.

ONDCP's purchase of advertising required a pro bono public service match from the network. NBC's creative response included developing a special substance abuse-themed month for its popular Teen NBC (TNBC) line up. To promote this theme, TNBC aired one episode focusing on the dangers of substance use each Saturday morning during the month of February. TNBC producers developed the programming with the help of educators, psychiatrists, and other experts to ensure efficacy with today's young people. In addition, during the themed month, each substance use episode was accompanied by specially produced The More You Know public service announcements featuring stars from the TNBC line up.

The themed TNBC episodes - on Hang Time, One World, City Guys, and Saved by the Bell: The New Class - showed various substance abuse scenarios, highlighting the negative consequences on relationships, health, athletic performance, and emotions. Storylines also dealt with peer pressure and carried the common theme of friends helping friends.

To complement the themed episodes, TNBC and ONDCP jointly issued a study guide for junior and senior high school teachers that was distributed to principals and printed as a reproducible master. The guide included three sets of activities designed to provide information about drug realities, help students develop strategies for facing peer pressure, teach techniques for helping friends in trouble, and give students the opportunity to work together to educate each other. The guides were distributed with "Be Your Own Person -- Don't Let Someone Else Pull Your Strings" in-school posters.

The online chat following the Hang Time episode also was made possible through the media campaign, with America Online coordinating activities as part of its paid advertising pro bono match commitment. The chat brought teens from across the country together with one of their favorite stars (Deutscher) and Dr. Judi Kosterman, a substance abuse prevention expert on the media campaign staff. The dialogue featured real questions from real teens who were working to separate fact from fiction and seeking help with decision-making and relationship problems.