IN THE LIFE PREMIERES 30 YEARS POSITIVE:
A Look Back At Groundbreaking HIV/AIDS Media Coverage Plus Harmony Santana & Rev. Charles King
December 1, 2011 - Tonight, public television stations across the country will begin airing 30 Years Positive,
an episode of the award-winning documentary series IN THE LIFE looking
back at multiple decades of media coverage of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The episode also premieres online on World AIDS Day,
held annually for the global community to gather in the fight against HIV/AIDS, to show support for people living with
HIV, and to remember those who have passed.
30 years after the first AIDS case was reported in the United States, more than a million Americans are HIV-positive. The most recent
statistics report that one in five HIV-positive Americans don't know they are HIV-positive, and that 56,000 are newly infected each
year. However, mainstream media coverage has given little attention to the epidemic's ongoing impact. Says Marjorie J. Hill, PhD,
Chief Executive Officer of GMHC, in the episode: "We've been able to stabilize the HIV epidemic - not stop, not reduce - stabilize."
The episode concludes with a frank discussion about HIV prevention and the National AIDS Strategy featuring Gun Hill Road actress
Harmony Santana and Reverend Charles King, CEO of Housing Works, who criticizes the White House for inaction on the epidemic,
saying: "I feel that President Obama needs to be called on HIV and AIDS just like President Bush needed to be called on it."
To receive the latest updates about In The Life Media, follow @ITLMedia and use the hashtag #ITLMedia.
30 Years Positive begins airing December 1st on public television stations across the country and will be available for free video streaming and
downloadable podcasts from the In The Life Media website. To find out when it will air in your local area, or to stream or download it,
go to ITLMedia.org.
Produced by In The Life Media, IN THE LIFE is the longest running television show documenting the gay experience. IN THE LIFE is
a three-time Emmy Award nominee, a Lambda Legal Liberty Award honoree, and the recipient of the Courage Award from the New York
City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, the Seigenthaler Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association
for excellence in network television and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Journalism-Newsmagazine.
In The Life Media produces change through innovative media that exposes social injustice by chronicling lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender life. Produced by In The Life Media, IN THE LIFE is the longest running television show documenting the gay
experience. IN THE LIFE is a two-time Emmy Award nominee, a Lambda Legal Liberty Award honoree, a Seigenthaler Award
recipient from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for excellence in network television and a
GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Journalism-Newsmagazine.
ABOUT AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION:
IN THE LIFE is distributed by American Public Television. APT has been a leading distributor of high-quality, top-rated programming to America's public television stations since 1961. In 2009, APT distributed 56 of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles. Among its 300 new program titles per year are prominent documentaries, news and current affairs programs, dramatic series, how-to programs, children's series and classic movies. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service. In 2006, APT launched Create® - the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. APT is also a partner in the WORLDT channel expansion project including its web presence at WORLDcompass.org . For more information about APT's programs and services, visit APTonline.org . For more information on Create, visit CreateTV.com .
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Contact:
ELEANOR MOONIER COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
184 FIFTH AVENUE, 4TH FLOOR | NEW YORK, NY 10010
T: 212.255.6012 EXT 321 | F: 212.255.6097
EMOONIER@ITLMEDIA.ORG | WWW.ITLMEDIA.ORG
