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WASHINGTON (August 6, 1999) -- "I Love You, Dad," a public service announcement imitating a radionovela, received a prestigious 1999 "Gabriel Award" from Unda-USA, a national Catholic association of communicators which rewards quality programming proclaiming "a value-centered view of society and humanity."
The PSA highlighting the importance of family members expressing their love to one another is part of the "United Family" campaign, produced by the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC), an office of the U.S. Catholic Conference. The campaign's PSA series, first launched in 1997, is being aired by over 430 Latino radio stations in the country.
"They're excellent! People always call us with positive comments. That's how we know this campaign is reaching our audience," says Héctor Escalera of DWEI in Weifer, Idaho. "We don't erase or take these PSAs off the air. We just keep placing them because they send a positive message, especially to young people."
"We're very pleased the series continues to be so successful because it means our message of love and hope is reaching the heart of the Latino community," says Ramón Rodriguez, Executive Producer of the series, and Director of Development of the CCC.
In August, two new PSAs in the series of eight which will air into the new millennium, will be distributed to radio stations. In "Shame," a father confides in a good friend that he's sorry he threw his son who has AIDS out of the house and hopes to reconcile with him that same day. In "The Goal," a father welcomes his 9-year-old son's friend to a family celebration even though the youngster's behavior leaves much to be desired.
The series is directed toward the more than 28 million Latinos in the country. An estimated 30-35 percent of U.S. Catholics are of Hispanic origin.
The PSAs were produced by Accent Media, in McLean, Virginia.
The CCC has produced numerous TV specials and videos for home use, including the Spanish language video "The Catechism of the Catholic Church." The CCC also offers a toll-free movie-review line (1-800-311-4CCC) for brief reviews of current movies and their rating by the U.S. Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting.