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National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Advertising Council and MySpace Partner to Promote Online SafetyLOS ANGELES --(Business Wire)-- April 10, 2006 -- Public Service Advertisements to Run On News Corporation's Outlets Including Television, The Internet, and Newspapers The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(R) (NCMEC), the Advertising Council and News Corporation, parent company of Fox Interactive Media and MySpace, announced today a joint effort to promote online safety through the deployment of a series of national public service advertisements (PSAs). The PSAs, part of an ongoing Ad Council campaign, will begin running today through News Corporation's broad network of distribution channels, and are designed to raise awareness about Internet safety and education. The campaign is part of an ongoing, industry-wide effort led by MySpace, Fox Interactive Media and News Corporation to work with leading advocacy organizations to develop safety curriculum and educate the public on online safety. "Fox Interactive Media now has the third largest reach of any Internet company and from the top down, News Corp is committed to making the Internet as safe as possible. We're delighted to be working with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Ad Council on this important awareness initiative," said Peter Chernin, President and Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation. "We will be leveraging the full power of News Corp's broad distribution channels to get their message out and remain deeply committed to promoting online safety." "We know the Internet holds tremendous potential for our nation's youth," said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of NCMEC. "We are pleased to be partnering with News Corp and MySpace to extend the reach of our ad campaign so that we can educate additional parents, guardians, and teens about how to prevent online victimization so our children may have safer experiences online." "We are grateful to News Corporation for their generous commitment of donated advertising time and space to this important campaign. Their support in media frequented by our target audience will go a long way to getting this important message out to teens and their parents," said Peggy Conlon, President and CEO of the Advertising Council. "Since its inception MySpace has worked with law enforcement to aid in the protection of teens and help find runaways," said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace. "This partnership makes a lot of sense on many levels given NCMEC's position as the premier organization in helping find and protect children." Sponsored by NCMEC and created pro bono by ad agency Merkley + Partners, the PSAs are designed to educate parents and guardians about measures they can take to better protect their children online, and to educate teens on how to be smart and maintain safe online relationships. The PSAs direct parents, guardians, and teens to visit www.cybertipline.com to learn about safe and responsible use of the Internet, as well as how to report threats. The PSAs will air on primetime on FOX, and across Fox Interactive Media's network of websites including MySpace, FoxSports.com, IGN.com, Fox.com, AmericanIdol.com, Rotten Tomatoes and AskMen. The PSAs will also air on the 28 Fox Networks Group broadcast, cable and satellite services. Fox broadcast and cable networks running the campaign will include FOX, FX, National Geographic channel, Fox Movie Channel, Fox Reality, FUEL TV, FSN, SPEED, Fox College Sports Atlantic, Fox College Sports Central, Fox College Sports Pacific, Fox Soccer Channel and (in Spanish) on Fox Sports en Espanol. All Fox-owned-and-operated regional sports networks will likewise televise the PSAs. Additionally, Fox All Access radio and the New York Post will run the campaign. About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 365,600 leads. Since 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 117,100 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 99,500 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com. About The Advertising Council The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to affect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. About MySpace.com MySpace is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends and discovering popular culture. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities and user forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the second ranked web domain in terms of page views*, MySpace.com is the most widely-used and highly regarded site of its kind. With more than 69 million members, MySpace is committed to providing the highest quality user experience and will continue to innovate with new features that allow its users to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off. -- Among the top 2000 domains. comScore Media Metrix, February 2006. For more information on comScore Networks, please go to http://www.comscore.com. News Corporation (NYSE:NWS)(NYSE:NWSA)(ASX:NWS)(ASX:NWSLV) had total assets as of December 31, 2005 of approximately US$55 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$24 billion. News Corporation is a diversified international media and entertainment company with operations in eight industry segments: filmed entertainment; television; cable network programming; direct broadcast satellite television; magazines and inserts; newspapers; book publishing; and other. The activities of News Corporation are conducted principally in the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Basin. |
