SURVEY SHOWS RUSSIANS WANT GREATER
MEDIA ATTENTION AND EDUCATION ON HIV/AIDS

Russian Media Companies Build on Efforts to Combat HIV/AIDS in 2006

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – October 27, 2005 – A majority of Russians say HIV/AIDS is a problem that needs more attention and view mass media as an effective mechanism for battling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, according to a new national public opinion survey released today by Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA), a non-governmental organization, at the 2nd annual meeting of the Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS held in Moscow. The Partnership, coordinated by TPAA, brings together the communication power of more than 40 Russian and international media companies to raise awareness and inform the public about HIV/AIDS through its StopSPID (StopAIDS) public education campaign.

Additional key findings of the survey include:

• 84% of respondents say that the numbers of Russians living with HIV/AIDS has increased during the past five years;
• 70% believe AIDS is not receiving enough attention today;
• 86% say they are comfortable with public discussion about the issue of HIV/AIDS;
• 78% view mass media as capable of playing a vital role in helping fight HIV/AIDS;
• 75% named television as the most reliable and trustworthy source of information on HIV/AIDS, followed by medical establishments (52%); and,
• Over half of those surveyed (55%) believe that media can do more to fight HIV/AIDS.

The survey, commissioned by TPAA, polled a nationally representative sample of adult Russians age 18 to 50 in July 2005 and was conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation. The Kaiser Family Foundation helped to develop the survey questions and analyze the results, and along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank Group, provided financial support for the survey.

At today’s meeting, participating media executives reviewed the results of the Russian Media Partnership’s progress in its first year, finding that their StopSPID campaign has achieved substantial visibility. According to the same July 2005 survey, nearly half of Russians (46%) say they are familiar with at least one of the StopSPID campaign’s public services announcements (PSAs) on television. Of those who saw StopSPID PSAs, nearly half (47%) felt motivated to learn more about HIV/AIDS.

In response to the results of the survey, participating media executives approved aggressive goals for the StopSPID campaign in 2006, including increasing the campaign’s reach across television, radio, print, outdoor, internet and consumer products platforms; expanding integration of HIV/AIDS themes into popular analytical and entertainment programming and editorial content; and making significant new investments into the development of informational resources on HIV/AIDS.

TPAA also released today the following placement data for the Partnership’s StopSPID campaign PSAs during the period January 1 – September 30, 2005:

• 4,145 StopSPID PSAs on national television networks, including Rossiya, CTC, TNT, REN-TV, MUZ-TV, MTV, DTV, and Euronews.
• 3,027 StopSPID PSAs on radio networks, including Ekho Moskvy, NASHE, Serebryany Dozhd, Russkoye Radio, Russkoye Radio 2, Dinamit FM, HIT FM, Maximum, Europa +, Retro FM and Voice of America.
• Over 5,000 StopSPID PSAs across Magitel and TriStar video screens.
•  Over 50,000 StopSPID PSAs on SOYUZ video releases.
• Over 750 StopSPID PSAs on screens of Cinema Park cinema halls.

In addition, more than 120 journalists from federal and regional news agencies have participated in TPAA’s comprehensive HIV/AIDS briefings, resulting in more than 100 articles in federal and regional mass media during 2005. TPAA, in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation and with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has organized HIV/AIDS trainings for journalists in Moscow, Perm, Krasnoyarsk, and St. Petersburg.

“We are very pleased with our progress over the past year, and specifically with the unprecedented collaboration by media companies to coordinate such a visible public campaign,” said Alexander Rodnyansky, President of CTC-Media and Chairman of the Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS. He added: “However, we also recognize that the Russian public believes more should be done to address this growing problem. Our shared goal is to continue building a personal connection between our audience and HIV/AIDS to inspire them to action.”

“The survey released today shows that very few Russians personally know someone living with HIV. This explains an uncertain attitude towards people living with HIV and a misperception of personal risk,” said Vladimir Pozner, President of the Russian Television Academy and member of TPAA’s Board of Directors. “The StopSPID campaign reminds us that AIDS affects everyone, challenges our negative stigmas about this disease, and encourages each of us to take responsibility for our behavior in order to prevent infection and support people already living with HIV/AIDS.”

“HIV/AIDS has become a priority issue for Russia, which is evidenced by President Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement to increase the 2006-2007 federal budget for HIV/AIDS by 20-fold over 2005,” said Mikhail Grishankov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Security Committee. He added: “Implementation of national information campaigns on HIV/AIDS require support from legislative and executive powers. Effective media campaigns must have active involvement from state administrative resources and all-state electronic media, including Channel One and the All-Russia State TV-Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) that broadcast across the Russian Federation”.

“The Russian Media Partnership model – uniting resources and expertise of media companies, consumer products companies, civil society, state structures and the international community – is truly innovative and showing great potential,” said John Tedstrom, President of TPAA. “All the statistics show that HIV is gaining a strong foothold in Russia and is spreading throughout society. Stigma and discrimination are still our biggest enemies. I hope our campaign opens people’s hearts and eyes to the fact that this epidemic is real. It’s also stoppable with responsible behavior on all levels and that’s what this amazing partnership is all about.”

“Of all the media partners that the Kaiser Family Foundation is working with around the world, the Russian Media Partnership is among the most impressive,” noted Matt James, Senior Vice President of the Kaiser Family Foundation, TPAA’s partner in the StopSPID effort. “In just one year, the Russian Media Partnership has helped to break the silence that surrounds HIV/AIDS.”

The Russian Media Partnership also announced today that a new series of StopSPID PSAs are expected to hit airwaves in January 2006. Separately, TPAA will launch late next month a new version of the StopSPID website (www.stopspid.ru) to coincide with World AIDS Day. The online HIV/AIDS resource is intended to encourage and support interactive dialogue and action on AIDS and related issues among users, in addition to providing extensive information about the epidemic and ways to prevent infection. Support for today’s meeting was provided by The Coca-Cola Company.

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About HIV/AIDS in Russia
At present, there are over 318,000 registered cases of HIV infection in Russia, although some independent Russian and international experts estimate that between 800,000 and 1.5 million Russians may be living with HIV, representing between 1 and 2 percent of its adult population. Injection drug users remain the primary community at-risk, although the epidemic is increasingly shifting beyond traditionally vulnerable groups into the general population. Young Russians are especially at-risk, with more than 80 percent of all registered cases of HIV-infection among men and women under age 30. For more information about HIV/AIDS in Russia, visit www.tpaa.net or www.tpaa.ru.

About TPAA
Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA), is an international non-governmental organization – with offices in Moscow, Kyiv and New York – that fights HIV/AIDS in Ukraine, Russia and neighboring countries. TPAA raises awareness and builds political will; provides high-quality policy research and analysis; strengthens civil society; forges innovative global partnerships; and, supports policymakers, business executives, and media leaders in their efforts to stem the growing tide of HIV/AIDS in Russia and Ukraine. For more information, visit TPAA online at www.tpaa.net.

About the StopSPID Campaign
StopSPID, a campaign of the Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS (RMP), raises awareness and informs the public about HIV/AIDS in Russia. The Partnership brings together the communication power of more than 40 Russian and international media companies in an unprecedented coalition united to help stem the country’s growing epidemic. The StopSPID campaign includes: public service announcements (PSAs) across a variety of formats, including television, radio, print, outdoor, Internet, cinema theaters, and consumer goods; special news and entertainment programming and editorial; free print, online and mobile telephone messaging resources; briefings and workshops for media organizations and journalists; and, community involvement and mobilization events.

StopSPID and the Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS are coordinated by the non-governmental organization, Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA). The Kaiser Family Foundation, Viacom, and UNAIDS provide ongoing substantive and communications guidance, as well as financial support for production of StopSPID campaign messages. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank Group provide financial support to StopSPID through separate grants to TPAA. StopSPID is endorsed by the Federal Agency for Monitoring Consumer Rights and Welfare, the Ministry of Health and Social Development, the Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications, members of the Russian State Duma and Federation Council, and communities of people living with HIV/AIDS.