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LPWire: ABC Cable Networks Group to Roll Out Public Affairs Initiative

ABC Cable Networks Group to Roll Out "Learning Together!" Portfolio-Wide Public Affairs Initiative

Five Individual Campaigns Encourage Family Involvement in Learning and the Development of Well Rounded Children

ABC Cable Networks Group will rollout an expansive, portfolio-wide public affairs initiative this spring called "Learning Together!" to encourage family involvement to improve children’s learning and personal growth through increased family involvement, it was announced today by Anne Sweeney, President of ABC Cable Networks Group and Disney Channel Worldwide.

"Learning Together!" encompasses five individual campaigns: ABC Family’s One-on-One, Disney Channel’s Imagineer That! and Stanley’s Story Time Adventure from Playhouse Disney, SOAPnet’s Talk It Over Soaps, and Toon Disney’s Passport to Reading.

"`Learning Together!’ works on many levels – on-air, in the community, at school and in the home," said Sweeney. "Family involvement is a crucial component to childhood development and a core element of our success as a popular and powerful portfolio of television brands dedicated to kids and families."

"`Learning Together!’ resonates with our viewers, with our affiliates and with our employees," said Ben Pyne, Senior Vice President, Affiliate Sales & Marketing, ABC Cable Networks Group. "That’s because it was developed in collaboration with our key audiences. We have sought input not only from our internal partners, but also from nonprofit groups, government agencies, our affiliates, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and other industry associations, in order to develop five distinct public affairs programs that support families and enhance the lives of children and young people. Whether it is reading stories to preschoolers or engaging parents in open discussions with their teenagers, we believe that ‘Learning Together!’ provides our cable affiliates with additional resources to make a positive impact in their local communities."

Leveraging the resources of ABC Cable Networks Group’s four wholly-owned channels – ABC Family, Disney Channel, SOAPnet and Toon Disney – as well as DisneyHAND, the worldwide outreach organization for The Walt Disney Company, the five individual programs under the "Learning Together!" umbrella will launch in partnership with affiliates around the country. Each program is designed to take place at a specific time throughout the year.

  • ABC Family’s One-on-One is a mentoring program designed to help girls realize their full potential and address the complex life issues that arise during adolescence. We are in discussions with the national nonprofit youth group Girls Inc., to collaborate on this program, which will encourage high school students to mentor middle school students. ABC Family’s One-on-One is set to launch in January 2004.
  • Disney Channel’s Imagineer That! is designed to inspire children’s creativity through special hands-on workshops hosted either live, via broadband or pre-taped by a Walt Disney Company Imagineer to teach kids how to tap into their own creativity. Launching in Fall 2003, the program also includes local events for teachers and parents.
  • Stanley’s Story Time Adventure, presented by Disney Channel’s Playhouse Disney, will engage the minds and imaginations of preschoolers in local communities through storytelling and book donation events. Partnering with First Book, a national non-profit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books, Stanley’s Story Time Adventure will launch in the summer of 2003.
  • SOAPnet’s Talk it Over Soaps will launch this spring with local forums for parents and teens. Developed in conjunction with the American Counseling Association, these local events will encourage open communication between parents and teenagers about important and sensitive issues such as teen pregnancy, sexuality, divorce and drug abuse and drinking and driving.
  • Toon Disney’s Passport to Reading is a summer reading and rewards program. The program promotes and encourages a shared love of books between adults and children.

Taggable public service announcements that encourage parental involvement in learning, provide tips on getting involved and highlight programs that provide opportunities for involvement will be created to support each of the five "Learning Together!" programs. Additionally, ABC Cable Networks Group has created co-branded materials and community "tool kits" including customizable templates, check lists and recourses to assist local affiliates in implementing the campaign in their markets.

--Posted April 1, 2003
Source: ABC Family