VIACOM TO TAKE ON HIV/AIDS EXPECT TV ADS, STORY LINES.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

Prominent members of the Viacom Inc. empire, from ``Frasier'' to local disc jockeys, will help increase AIDS awareness through a massive campaign of advertising and story lines on the entertainment conglomerate's properties, the company announced Wednesday.

Viacom will tap more than $120 million in advertising resources and work with the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation to disseminate AIDS and HIV awareness messages via TV and radio programming, online properties and other U.S. media outlets, beginning early next year. The campaign's international effort is expected to start in the second quarter of 2003.

``We've been involved in AIDS/HIV education for a long time,'' said Carl Folta, a senior vice president of New York-based Viacom. ``We are a media company that has the ability to reach a lot of people. And the thing that we can do best is target the world.''

With Paramount Pictures Corp., MTV, CBS and Showtime all falling under Viacom's umbrella, AIDS story lines will be woven into TV series including ``Frasier,'' ``Enterprise,'' ``Queer as Folk'' and ``The District.'' Talk shows and other cable channels will also be accessed for the project, Viacom said.

The campaign's core message: Promote HIV prevention and educate groups that have been hit particularly hard. Viacom and Kaiser will produce public service announcements that will include toll-free numbers, while directing audiences to Web sites.

Both Viacom and Menlo Park-based Kaiser expect to inject about $1.2 million each into the campaign. ``But you really can't affix a dollar amount to the invaluable access we'll have through the TV shows and such,'' said Matt James, a senior vice president at Kaiser. ``This is obviously a really strong opportunity.''

Kaiser has already held briefings about AIDS for the creators of several prime-time series. Through special programming, Nickelodeon will focus ``on age-appropriate information about the disease.''

Other Viacom properties involved in the AIDS awareness campaign include the company's 180-plus Infinity radio stations and publisher Simon & Schuster.

Mel Karmazin, president and chief operating officer of Viacom, said Viacom is committed ``to get the word out ... that will promote better understanding of the disease and its prevention.''

AIDS awareness campaigns aren't new for the Kaiser Family Foundation. Founded as an independent health philanthropy foundation, Kaiser focuses on three main areas: health policy, public education, and health and development in South Africa. The company is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation's largest managed-care groups.

James said Kaiser decided to work with Viacom because of its media breadth. ``You can't just take on this kind of issue on your own,'' he said.

AIDS has already killed more than 20 million people, and an estimated 1 million are now living with AIDS-causing HIV virus in the U.S. AIDS is also a leading cause of death worldwide.

Considered a threat to the economic well-being and social and political stability of many nations, the majority of new HIV infections are found among people under age 25, according to Kaiser.