3.3.2.2 Community Rollout or Other Activities to Support the Media Campaign

In any media campaign, numerous rollout efforts must be made to maximize impact and to develop momentum. The volume of, characteristics of, and response to rollout activities varied from site to site, with different agencies (sometimes more than one) serving as sponsors of the Media Campaign. For example, in Denver, the Connecting Colorado Prevention Coalition and the Colorado Prevention Resource Center were local sponsors and played major roles in preparing for the rollout.

In Milwaukee the Media Campaign rollout was tied to promotion of the Bill Moyers' addiction series; the producers of that series sent kits to many cities nationwide suggesting "Take a Step" activities that communities could implement to capitalize on the impact of the series. The Milwaukee Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence had a media task force that was involved in managing and monitoring the Media Campaign. The group prepared a viewing guide and viewer group response surveys that included questions about the Media Campaign's impact and that were distributed through local organizations.

Houston Crackdown organized the kickoff in that city and the schools figured prominently in the event; the event was videotaped for broadcast on local television. Milwaukee was the only other site that reported heavy involvement of their schools in the kickoff; two congressmen sent letters about the Media Campaign to Milwaukee's public school system. A Safe and Drug Free Schools representative was involved in hosting the kickoff meeting at one of the area schools; a notice was sent to the Student Assistance Coordinator in each school announcing the Moyers' series, with a Viewing Guide and the Viewer Response Survey attached.

In Hartford, Drugs Don't Work! (DDW) is the local Media Campaign contact. Although the schools there have made no effort to support or supplement the Media Campaign, DDW has provided schools with educational materials about the dangers of inhalants and DDW and the schools are working together to develop Student Assistance Programs. In Sioux City, several local TV and radio stations are donating the fees paid by ONDCP for air time to local community-based prevention programs; however, they were not certain how much longer they could afford to do so.

One supporting activity in Portland was a local program on community drug awareness that was hosted by a non-urban school liaison and was reportedly well attended. The local sheriff's office and a U.S. Senator were planning a press conference on the legalization controversy that would stress the importance of the Media Campaign's messages.

No supporting activities were reported in Denver and San Diego although informants in San Diego expressed their desire to support the Media Campaign. Although the local Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and the Elks were directly involved in the Media Campaign and the kick-off, most informants in Washington, D.C., knew very little about the Media Campaign. The Bill Moyers series on addiction that was broadcast at the end of March was the complementary activity discussed most often. A number of sites planned community or public education activities around the Moyers broadcast.