Free Republic

When designing the new look for US Airways, America West executives turned their back on high-salaried Madison Avenue image consultants. Instead, they interviewed employees from both of the merged airlines: flight attendants, pilots, mechanics and executives. The result: a look that's neither too corporate nor too casual, according to Travis Christ, America West's vice president of marketing who oversaw the new US Airways design. Christ said the merged airline's style would best be described as "right down the middle between American and Southwest [airlines]." The newly redesigned planes, which make their debut today, aspire to a brighter appearance than US...

WASHINGTON, June 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- McGruff the Crime Dog, the trench coat-wearing icon who has taught millions of Americans how to "Take a Bite Out of Crime," celebrates his 25th birthday -- or 175 in dog years. Created by adman Jack Keil in 1980, McGruff was modeled after famous gumshoes such as television's Colombo for the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign to teach straightforward messages about safety and crime prevention. According to a Department of Justice study, three out of four Americans think they can do something to prevent crime, in part due to McGruff's messages over the past...

Characters from company's classic anime series "Robotech" to star along with PSAs from Sean Connery, Michael Douglas, Colin Farrell, Lenny Kravitz and other celebrities. LOS ANGELES ­ April 4, 2005 ­ In honor of the United Nations' 60th anniversary this year, the United Nations (UN) will debut a special Public Service Announcement (PSA) at MIP TV 2005. The 60-second spot, produced by Harmony Gold, is part of a broader effort to increase awareness of the work of the UN during this special period culminating with the 60th opening session of the UN General Assembly in the Fall. The unique element...

MARINE CORPS RECRUITING COMMAND, QUANTICO, Va. (Mar 28, 2005) -- The next time you’re at Wal-Mart shopping for a new television, don’t be surprised to see a few Marines in their combat utilities in the home theater department. No, it’s not a military exercise. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the world’s largest retailer, recently approved the airing of two Marine Corps public service announcements (PSAs), “Family Photos” and “For Country.” Both spots vividly highlight the efforts of the Corps’ active duty and reserve Marines and its veterans who’ve made contributions to the Corps’ legacy. During the spring and summer, viewers will have...

A U.N. commercial depicts American girls playing in a soccer match. A girl steps on a landmine and there's a big explosion. Kids get blown apart. CNN and other networks don't want to air the ad. The explosion appears to kill and injure some girls, sparking panic and chaos among parents and other children. Shrieks of horror are heard through much of the spot, and a father is shown cradling his daughter's lifeless body, moments after celebrating a goal she had scored. It closes with a tag line reading: "If there were landmines here, would you stand for them anywhere?...

A new United Nations campaign designed to get the public involved in the global fight against landmines is apparently too explosive for American television, as it depicts children being blown apart on a soccer field. The 60-second public-service announcement titled "Kickoff" shows a match in progress before a buried mine on the playing field is detonated. (Editor's note: Click here to view the ad, some content is graphic.) The explosion appears to kill and injure some girls, sparking panic and chaos among parents and other children. Shrieks of horror are heard through much of the spot, and a father...

The U.N. PSA No One Will Air Marketer: United Nations Brand: U.N. Mine Action Service Title: "Kick Off" Agency: Brooklyn Brothers, New York Since December, Richard Kollodge of the United Nations Mine Action Service has been trying to get TV to run a PSA underscoring the dangers of land mines. CNN, Lifetime Television and ABC affiliates KGOT-TV and WJLA-TV have flatly refused, he said. Dozens of other broadcasters are ducking the issue. Each year nearly 20,000 people are killed or seriously injured by land mines in 80 countries. Mr. Kollodge's job is to do something about it.... (free registration required)...

As I was listening to the radio last week, I heard two separate Public Service Announcements dealing with girls, math, and science. Here are text transcripts of the PSAs and accompanying links: 1) “By the sixth grade, many girls lose interest in math and science so it’s up to parents to help create a brighter future for them. For some simple ideas, go to girlsgotech.org. A public service announcement brought to you by Girl Scouts of USA and AdCouncil.” PSA 1 2) “By sixth grade, too many girls lose interest in math and science and in just a few short...

VITAL SIGNS Obesity appears to skew the results of the most common test used to detect prostate cancer, a study released yesterday concluded. According to the study, which was released online and will be published in March in the journal Cancer, earlier research has shown that obese men have a lower survival rate for prostate cancer and that their cancer tends to be diagnosed in more advanced forms. The researchers, led by Dr. Ian Thompson of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, wondered whether obesity might in some way throw off the results of testing for...

Big Apple broadcaster amps up ARRL radio spot for Limbaugh network fill (Jan 13, 2005) -- ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, says it's nice to have friends in high places. One of the friends of Amateur Radio public relations is Howard Price, KA2QPJ, of New York City's WABC-TV (Channel 7). Pitts says Price--acting president of the Broadcast Employees Amateur Radio Society (BEARS), the ham radio organization at ABC TV and Radio in New York City and an ARRL Special Service Club--heard the League's new radio public service announcement (PSA) and had an idea. "He passed it...

Legendary spokesfigure Smokey Bear celebrated his 60th birthday on Monday, Aug. 9, as Governor Tim Pawlenty proclaimed the day, “Smokey Bear Wildlife Prevention Day in Minnesota.” The Cambridge area Department of Natural Resources (DNR) held a party at its headquarters on Aug. 9 to celebrate the monumental occasion. Two-year-old Alexa Sutherland of Cambridge visited Smokey Bear and tossed a ball around with her furry friend. “The recognition by youth of Smokey Bear is tremendous,” said DNR Fire Management Section Manager Olin Phillips. Even though Smokey Bear has been around 60 years, his message is still relevant today, for the young...

Hello FREPers, It's frightening to see so many Dummycrates out there that are willing to turn a blind eye to the faults of their party leaders. I urge you all to continue to hear and respond to what is said, not what the Dummies are trying to make us believe. Call them on their lies and propaganda. The world is not a perfect place and even our actions, though well intended, may sometimes go astray, in the end, the motivation behind our actions are a true representation of who we really are.

FOUR nanograms of prostate specific antigen, or P.S.A., per milliliter. For more than a decade, that has been the line between normal and abnormal on a common annual blood test used to screen for prostate cancer. Above four and you need a biopsy of your prostate to look for cancer. Below four and you go home. But a new study, published last week in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed that no matter how low his P.S.A. level, a man could have prostate cancer. In addition, it has long been known that men whose prostates are enlarged, a normal...

Significant numbers of older men whose results on a popular screening test for prostate cancer are normal may nonetheless have cancer, a new study has found. The result, medical experts say, raises questions about what a normal test score should be and whether these men are better off let alone or treated when, through biopsies, cancer cells are discovered. It also amplifies a controversy over the test, known as the P.S.A., and whether finding prostate cancer early and treating it by removing or destroying the prostate is, on balance, helping or harming men. The P.S.A. test is a blood test...

<p>The Tennessee Department of Health pulled a radio public-service announcement yesterday after some people complained that it played to racial stereotypes about African-Americans.</p> <p>The PSA encouraged listeners to ''try baking your chicken, eating a fresh tossed salad on the side and scrumptious watermelon for dessert.''</p>

Anti-Smoking Ad Campaign Could Go off the Air Without Tobacco Money By Nancy Zuckerbrod Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - An edgy ad campaign aimed at getting kids to stop smoking could be forced off the air because tobacco companies are refusing to keep footing the bill. Former top federal health officials gathered Tuesday to urge the companies to keep paying for the "truth" ad campaign run by the Washington-based American Legacy Foundation. "I say to the tobacco executives, look if your words aren't just rhetoric, then fund the truth campaign," said Joseph Califano Jr., who served as former President...

Citing "Dangerous Increase" in Deaths, HHS Launches New Strategies Against Overweight Epidemic Study Shows Poor Diet, Inactivity Close To Becoming Leading Preventable Cause of Death With poor diet and physical inactivity poised to become the leading preventable cause of death in America, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today renewed efforts against obesity and overweight, announcing a new national education campaign and a new research strategy at HHS' National Institutes of Health (NIH). A new study released by HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that deaths due to poor diet and physical inactivity rose by 33 percent over...

WASHINGTON, March 11 (UPI) -- A nationwide education campaign launched by the Health and Human Services Department focuses on a theme of small steps Americans can take to combat a rising tide of obesity in the United States. "We're just too darn fat, ladies and gentlemen -- and we're going to do something about it," said HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson at a news briefing Tuesday. The campaign's centerpiece is a trio of public-service television commercials created by the Ad Council, but the HHS department-wide program also includes exercise and diet initiatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in...

RALEIGH — A new legal-research group in Raleigh will wage lawsuits over constitutional issues involving the use of tax dollars for business incentives and to broadcast public-service ads using state officials, its chairman said yesterday. The N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law will challenge state policies on business recruitment and tax issues, said William Graham, the former Superior Court judge and state banking commissioner who will head the group's board.