ABOUT BBC WORLD SERVICE TRUST

For more than 75 years, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has been one of the best known and most respected voices in international broadcasting. Today it broadcasts on radio in 33 languages to a weekly audience of more than 183 million listeners. The BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) is the BBC's international charity.

THE WINNING PROGRAM

The sheer magnitude and reach of BBC WST's HIV/AIDS mass media campaign in India makes this program truly ground breaking in its scale and impact.

In 2002, BBC WST initiated a partnership with Government of India's National AIDS Control Organization and state broadcaster, Doordarshan, to encourage the open discussion of sexual health issues and change behavior and attitudes toward people living with HIV through a combination of public service announcements (PSAs), reality TV shows, dramas, interactive discussion programs, music videos, competitions and outdoor advertising. BBC WST was able to leverage free airtime for the campaign, in exchange for its training and technical help.

To ensure that messages were accurate and uniquely tailored to the Indian cultural context, BBC WST met with government ministries, UNAIDS, health workers and NGOs and conducted research of at-risk groups. Notable components include the creation of 118 half-hour episodes of India's first-ever detective drama series with HIV/AIDS messaging, 117 half-hour weekly episodes of a youth reality TV show, 52 weekly episodes of a phone-in radio show, and more than 50 TV and radio PSAs.

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

Embedded Research and Learning Processes: By embedding research and learning processes into the development of campaign components, BBC WST ensured rigorous monitoring, evaluation and reporting. In-depth research established parameters and content while pre-testing messages helped to refine relevance and importance among viewers to ensure the project's impact.

Materials Targeted to Women and Girls: To reach out to female populations with limited access to television, BBC WST produced 28 half-hour weekly episodes of a radio show on women's empowerment and health issues. Regular contributors to the program included 12 female development workers who were trained by the BBC on the basics of journalism and radio programming skills.

BROADLY APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES

Supplemental Toolkits for NGOs Extend Impact: To reach populations in remote areas, BBC WST partnered with local NGOs to distribute multi-media toolkits, which included 11 audiovisual films, a user manual and supplementary materials such as games, flipcharts and flashcards that facilitators can use to conduct and stimulate community discussions about HIV/AIDS.

Celebrity Involvement Increases Public Appeal: BBC WST's weekly youth-focused reality TV show featured young achievers who had made outstanding contributions towards raising awareness about HIV/AIDS. By including top film stars in the show, the series leveraged the appeal of the Indian film industry to attract interest and raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.