Kid

Help Parents Talk with Their Kids

Last Updated Aug 20, 2008 02:13 AM

President Clinton Unveils New TV and Radio Ad Campaign to Help Parents Talk with Their Children About Violence

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In the aftermath of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado and other recent tragic events, a new TV and radio public service ad campaign aimed at helping parents talk with their children about violence was announced today by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Children Now and The Advertising Council. The PSAs were unveiled today at a White House event with President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.


The PSAs encourage parents to talk with their kids about violence and include a toll-free telephone number and Web site to contact for a free booklet. The ads, which include a call to action by President Clinton, are the latest component of the "Talking With Kids About Tough Issues" campaign, a national effort to encourage earlier and more frequent parent-child communication.

The PSAs grew out of discussions at the White House Strategy Session on Children, Violence and Responsibility, held three weeks after the Columbine incident. More than two dozen national broadcast and cable TV networks plan to run the ads for the first time on the same day, Wednesday, August 18th, during the family hour of 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. Participating media organizations include the broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Univision, UPN and WB. Participating cable networks include: A&E, Animal Planet, BET, CNN, CNN Airport, Comedy Central, Country Music Television, Discovery Channel, Discovery Digital Networks, FOX Family Channel, Headline News, the History Channel, the Learning Channel, Lifetime, MTV, the Nashville Network, Nickelodeon/NICK at NITE, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, TV Land, and VH-1. FasTV.com, a Web site with video streaming capability, will provide the spot online. According to the Ad Council, such a coordinated effort by media organizations is unprecedented. In addition, the National Association of Broadcasters and National Cable Television Association will distribute the PSAs to all broadcast and cable TV networks through satellite feeds.

"I am truly awed by the media's unprecedented support of the Talking With Kids campaign," said Ad Council president and CEO Peggy Conlon. "Once again, the media industry has proven that when there is a national crisis facing kids and families they will put aside the bottom line to get an important message out to all Americans."

The ads, produced for "Talking With Kids" by the J. Walter Thompson, the campaign's volunteer ad agency, feature children between ages 8 and 13 speaking un-scripted about their concerns and fears regarding violence.

"Parents tell us that they are tired of hearing from experts about how they are failing and need to do more," said Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, California. "We launched the Talking With Kids campaign to support parents, so that they can support their kids."

"When the Colorado tragedy forced parents to jump into difficult conversations with their children about violence, many realized it was hard to do," said Lois Salisbury, president of Children Now, based in Oakland, California. "The Talking With Kids campaign offers practical guidance in starting and deepening these important conversations. But more importantly, the campaign reminds parents that the most effective family communication about violence and other tough issues begins early and happens often."

See also Kid 600 1 - 6