NELSON MANDELA TO BE FEATURED IN CBS CARES PSA CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTING TOLERANCE AND DIVERSITY
Campaign To Debut During �60 Minutes� on Sunday, April 30
PSAs Will Be Made Available Internationally and Domestically To Interested
Broadcasters or Cable Operators
In a groundbreaking development, Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner whose fight for equality was instrumental in ending apartheid, will be featured in a special series of Public Service Announcements airing on the CBS Television Network, it was announced today by Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation. The messages, which will highlight the universal importance of tolerance and diversity, will debut during �60 Minutes� on Sunday, April 30, 2006 and will run for a year in prime time and other dayparts. The PSAs are part of the Network�s acclaimed CBS Cares initiative and mark the first time that CBS Cares PSAs feature non-CBS entertainment, news or sports talent.
�Nelson Mandela is among the most admired and important figures of the 20th Century, and we are extremely honored to have him participating in this campaign,� said Moonves. �Throughout his life he has fought for justice and equality, and the sacrifices he made in pursuing those ideals helped unite the world, and helped end a brutal legacy of oppression. He is symbolic of the struggle against racism and bigotry, and his participation in these PSAs will have a powerful impact.�
Mandela�s involvement in the project is significant because it is a very rare exception to the policy announced in June 2004 that he was retiring from public life and would not be able to participate in new projects. The timing of the PSA debut is significant in that it was this week in 1994 when the first democratic election was held in South Africa. April 27 is celebrated as �Freedom Day,� because it was the first day that all adults, regardless of race, could vote.
These unique and important messages, recorded recently, consist of two 30 second and two 15 second spots. They feature Mandela addressing the audience in a very personal and direct way on the subject of tolerance for people of different colors, religions and national origins.
Given Mandela�s rare involvement and the universal message the PSAs convey, CBS will provide versions of the messages to any broadcaster or cable operator domestically or internationally that wishes to run them. CBS will provide versions of the PSA without the CBS logo which will allow entities to brand them as their own. The distribution will be done through CBS Paramount International Television, which distributes CBS programming in nearly 200 countries.
The PSAs will also be shared with CBS�s 200 + owned and affiliated stations across the country for broadcast in local markets. Stations will be able to co-brand the spots with their call letters and logos. In addition, radio versions of the PSAs will be provided to the 179 CBS Radio stations as well as to the more than 500 stations that constitute the CBS Radio Network. They will also be streamed on CBSNews.com and on CBSCares.tv.
Mandela was the first President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative democratic elections. Before his presidency he was the leader of the antiapartheid movement and was imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid government. Upon his release, he helped steer South Africa to a policy of reconciliation, and � against all odds -- facilitated a peaceful transition to a fully-representative democracy for the country. In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with F.W. De Klerk, and in 1994 he was elected his country�s first black president. Since retiring from office, Mandela has continued to be an internationally admired figure and moral authority of immense stature.
Domestic broadcasters or cable operators interested in airing the PSAs should send an email to Megan Hannon at mphannon@cbs.com and those based outside the U.S. should reach out to Richard Yannich at richard_yannich@cbsparamount.com.
About CBS Cares:
At the heart of CBS�s public service commitment is the multiple award-winning CBS Cares campaign, which consists of PSAs created by CBS and featuring talent from a wide array of programming. In addition to Diversity, these PSA's have addressed numerous causes including HIV/AIDS, Alcohol Abuse, Breast Cancer, Child Abduction, Child Abuse, Colon Cancer, Drug Abuse, Education, Literacy, Menopause, Mental Health, Mentoring, Obesity, Osteoporosis, Prostate Cancer, Violence Prevention, the V-Chip and Women's Heart Disease. Some PSAs refer viewers to CBSCares.tv, which has been described by the Harvard School of Public Health as a �breakthrough website.� With Network PSAs as its fulcrum, CBS Cares has been built into a public service project, now involving every media asset of CBS.
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