The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71408

Joni L Eisenberg, MPA, WPFW Pacifica Radio, 2390 Champlain Street NW, Washington DC, DC 20009, 202-361-1688, jeisenberg@dchealth.com

This presentation will explore the use of community radio in building awareness and activism around public health and peace and justice issues. The presenter will base remarks on twelve years of experience as producer/host of a weekly health program (creating more than 600 shows) aired on a Washington DC based station (part of the Pacifica radio network). An overview of community radio nationwide will also be given.

The presenter will utilize one radio station, WPFW-Pacifica, to describe the effectiveness of radio for conveying public health information and generating involvement in public health campaigns locally, nationally, and internationally. Examples will address: · Breadth of topics; · Using radio to highlight and empower public health work carried out by communities and individuals not heard on commercial media; · Effectiveness of radio in heightening awareness, promoting diversity, and building bridges with regards to race, ethnicity, class, age, gender, sexual orientation.

The use of radio to generate community activism will be explored, examining lessons learned from radio campaigns such as: · The global and national AIDS crisis · War as a public health issue · Universal health care · Attempt to prevent DC General closure · Martin Luther King, sanitation workers, and occupational health

Audience discussion will cover: · Opportunities for radio collaboration within different cities and regions · Accelerating use of community radio to strengthen the building of a peace, health, and justice movement.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to:
• Describe the ways in which community radio has been utilized within a Washington DC based listener-sponsored station to strengthen knowledge, awareness, and activism around a broad range of public health issues, helping to build a movement for peace, justice, and health.
• Develop ideas and mechanism for taking advantage of community radio to build public health awareness, strengthen activism, and create bridges between diverse populations.
• Investigate the creation of a radio action plan for reaching audiences that are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, class, age, and geography to link public health with broad peace and justice activism. Using radio as a vehicle to promote collaboration within different cities will also be explored.

Keywords: Communication, Health Activism

Related Web page: www.wpfw.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.