KNOW HIV/AIDS Teams up with Hip-Hop Sensation Common to Promote HIV Testing

Viacom and Kaiser Family Foundation's Initiative Supports World AIDS Day Through HIV/AIDS-Related Television Programming, PSAs, News Specials and Events

New York, New York, November 15, 2004-Viacom Inc. and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation today announced the launch of a new set of public service advertisements (PSAs) featuring hip-hop artist Common, promoting testing as part of their Emmy and Peabody Award-winning KNOW HIV/AIDS public education initiative. The television, radio, and outdoor messages mark the second wave of the groundbreaking "Knowing is Beautiful" series that launched in June, which seek to redefine how young people think about HIV testing and to eliminate the associated stigma.

The PSAs are the latest installment of a $380 million media commitment Viacom has made toward HIV/AIDS public education since 2003 as part of its ongoing collaboration with the Kaiser Family Foundation. The KNOW HIV/AIDS partnership also includes HIV-themed programming and free print and online informational resources. In addition to the new PSAs, HIV/AIDS-themed shows and specials will air across Viacom properties in the weeks leading up to World AIDS Day. These programs will highlight the impact of HIV/AIDS in the United States and around the world.

Drew E. Altman, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Family Foundation, said, "The unique combination of public service messages, HIV storylines in popular TV shows and special in-depth programming makes KNOW HIV/AIDS a powerful force in informing people about HIV testing and other ways they can protect themselves."

Sumner Redstone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Viacom, said, "Since the beginning of the campaign, KNOW HIV/AIDS has done a tremendous job of educating and influencing at-risk groups. Today, this newest evolution of the campaign, draws on an icon of hip-hop culture to powerfully communicate the initiative's lifesaving messages and ensure that they resonate with communities that are most adversely affected."

Working with the ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Viacom and Kaiser created the nine PSAs (four television, three radio and two outdoor) which feature the "Knowing is Beautiful" tagline. The ads use popular and aspirational images of beauty to reach those most at-risk and delivers the message through a unique approach that plays off hip-hop culture. The television spots showcase the importance of getting tested through original spoken word poetry written and performed by Common for the campaign. As the narrator, Common describes the scenes of four different characters who find themselves in their own respective moments of intimacy or contemplation. All of the spots reveal the characters wearing a small adhesive bandage that signifies an HIV test, while Common's poetry underscores the personal empowerment of having been tested for the disease. The radio ads are tailored to similar scenes that allow listeners to hear Common's powerful message. In addition to Common, radio messages were also recorded by well-known spoken word artists Black Ice and Bassey Ikipi. The outdoor billboards highlight the self-confidence of knowing one's HIV status by displaying Common wearing a small adhesive bandage himself. All of the PSAs are tagged with the KNOW HIV/AIDS website (www.knowhivaids.org) to allow viewers to find a local testing center or more information.

Grammy Award-winning artist Common stated, "It was really important for me to be involved with a campaign that is raising awareness of HIV/AIDS. I had an uncle succumb to HIV, so I've personally felt the impact of the disease. It's important for everyone to be aware that this disease doesn't just affect a single race or sexual orientation. The 'Knowing is Beautiful' campaign was especially important to me because I'm a true advocate of taking care of and loving ourselves, and that's really what this campaign is about. So I was glad to be a part of the mission to help raise the consciousness about HIV/AIDS."

In total, 21 testing-focused "Knowing is Beautiful" PSAs (13 from the first wave and eight from the second) will run across Viacom's broadcast networks CBS and UPN; cable networks MTV, Nick at Nite, VH1, BET, TV Land, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV and Showtime; 184 Infinity Broadcasting radio stations, a majority of which are in the top 50 markets; and billboard, bus and bus shelter advertising faces in the nation's largest markets.

Also as part of the World AIDS Day activities, Viacom's broadcast and cable networks will air 15 HIV/AIDS-related specials, news programming and events. CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, BET and Showtime will feature content that will raise awareness and humanize the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS for their audiences. CBS' Cold Case will highlight the 20-year history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, using that show's unique retrospective format. As part of the Staying Alive campaign, MTV will globally premiere Save the Humans, a series of four PSAs about AIDS' impact on humanity. In addition, MTV International and CNN International are collaborating on Staying Alive: An MTV & CNN News Special, which will air on CNN's international and MTV's worldwide channels. MTV's international channels will also air a variety of additional locally produced programming and PSAs. MTV UK & Ireland, in collaboration with Virgin Unite and Paramount, will host Eyes Wide Open, a live music and comedy event, which will air on MTV and Paramount.

Additionally, MTV's sexual health campaign in the U.S., Fight For Your Rights: Protect Yourself, will premiere on both MTV and mtvU Campus Guide to Safer Sex, which focuses on how college students are protecting themselves and dealing with STDs and unintended pregnancy. Fight For Your Rights: Protect Yourself will also debut new public service announcements titled "Get Perspectives" about sexual health issues, and an MTV News segment also will be aired about the disease. Nickelodeon will air Living With AIDS: A Story of Three Kids, a Nick News special edition about three children living with AIDS.  VH1 will re-air its award-winning AIDS: A Pop Culture History, produce a special news package, and debut new public service advertising as part of their partnership with The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Through its Rap It Up campaign, BET will feature a special edition of 106 & Park; will debut the two winning films from the Rap It Up/Black AIDS Short Film Competition, Walking On Sunshine and Tangy's Song, which both explore the impact of HIV/AIDS on African American women; and provide special coverage and stories on BET Nightly News. Showtime will air It's My Party, a film about an architect nearing death from AIDS, and My Life in Verse, a short film about a creative writing class for HIV-positive people.

About KNOW HIV/AIDS
KNOW HIV/AIDS combines the power of Viacom's media brands and unmatched audience relationships with the public health expertise of the Kaiser Family Foundation to foster awareness of the disease and its prevention. Every Viacom division is involved in the campaign, and 80 rights-free messages have aired to date, totaling more than $300 million in media value. Additionally, Viacom has produced 27 television shows on the topic seen by millions worldwide. The campaign targets areas of the world where Viacom has a concentration of assets, especially the United States and Europe, and it partners with other companies to focus on regions most affected by the disease. Outside of the United States, KNOW HIV/AIDS is branded Staying Alive, building on MTV International's award-winning campaign of the same name, and encompasses the full range of Viacom's international properties.

Through a joint effort of KNOW HIV/AIDS and the BBC World Service Trust, messages in seven languages are broadcast to 60 million people in Africa and the Caribbean. In Russia, the campaign has teamed up with Gazprom-Media, Russia's largest private media holding to help implement a cross-platform initiative on HIV/AIDS. KNOW HIV/AIDS is working in China with MTV and CCTV for a branded AIDS awareness campaign in the world's largest country.

About Common
Grammy Award-winning artist Common is often referred to as one of the most thoughtful and gifted lyricists in hip-hop. Common has released five studio albums to date, most recently the Electric Circus album, which included the hit single "Come Close" featuring Mary J. Blige. He is currently in the studio working on his new album, BE, with producer Kanye West. BE is scheduled for a spring release in 2005.

About Viacom Inc.
Viacom is a leading global media company, with preeminent positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor advertising, and online. Viacom's well-known brands include CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom Outdoor, UPN, TV Land, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, Showtime, and Simon & Schuster. More information about Viacom and its businesses is available at www.viacom.com.

About The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation dedicated to providing information and analysis on health issues to policymakers, the media, and the general public. It is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries. Information on HIV/AIDS is available at www.kff.org, and a daily news summary report on developments in HIV/AIDS is available on www.kaisernetwork.org, the Foundation's free health information service.

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