E! News Host Helps Push AIDS Message

Steve Kmetko is best known as the host of E! Entertainment Television’s popular series, “E! News Daily.” But for World AIDS Day today, he is wearing the hat of spokesman for Cable Positive, the cable and communications industry’s AIDS action organization.

Cable networks and systems across the country are joining together today in the fight against HIV and AIDS with two public service announcements that are estimated to reach more than 70 million households nationwide.

The newest PSAs are targeting viewers under 25--a high-risk category for HIV infection. Every PSA concludes with the telephone number for either the National AIDS Hotline ([800] 342-AIDS) or a local AIDS service organization where callers can get more information about HIV education and testing in their community.

In addition to the PSAs, cable networks will be airing programming dealing with HIV and AIDS. Kmetko spoke earlier this week about Cable Positive and World AIDS Day.

Question: How will the public service announcements from Cable Positive reach the 70 million households?

Answer: Basically, at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time [5 p.m. locally] on World AIDS Day, as many cable networks--I believe more than 75 cable networks--are all going to run the same Cable Positive public service announcements. With that kind of penetration, it’s almost like a roadblock to everything else that is on cable.

Q: What prompted your involvement with Cable Positive?

A: I don’t think there are a lot of people who yet are willing to step up and talk about AIDS. You have your Elizabeth Taylors and Sharon Stones. This organization is basically for the cable industry. This is the third year in a row I have tried to help them out--I have a responsibility to give back in some way.

Q: The PSAs are targeting viewers under 25. Has there been a real increase in HIV/AIDS in that age group?

A: Right now, statistically 50% of all new infections are among people under 25. It’s the fifth-leading cause of death for people ages 25 to 44. If you are under 25, you are coming along at a time when the AIDS crisis isn’t viewed as seriously as it was 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago.

The fact that there are drugs that can now--in most cases--manage the disease and improve the quality of life, I think younger people look at that and they don’t see their friends dying. They don’t see their peers dying. Gay men, such as myself, went through a lot of it. And so as a result, I think the education needs to be maintained. This is just the cable industry’s way to try to do that.

Q: Is the entertainment industry doing as much for AIDS research and awareness as when you started working with Cable Positive?

A: There is not the urgency in the entertainment community. Remember when you couldn’t turn on an awards show without seeing the red ribbon on everybody? Granted, it was just a red ribbon, but it was a symbol and maybe it jarred someone to ask, “Why are they wearing red ribbons?” There’s nothing like that anymore.

We, I am speaking of a larger “we,” people who have embraced this particular cause, we have to be more diligent than ever to get the message across.

Q: Will you be doing anything on World AIDS Day on “E! News Daily”?

A: I have been invited by Sharon Stone to follow her around at an AIDS hospital [in New York City] that primarily deals with AIDS patients and HIV-positive people. We are going to be turning that around and satelliting it back for our newscast, which will not only air on World AIDS Day, but throughout the weekend. So I am pretty excited about that and flattered she would ask me to do that.

* “E! News Daily” airs weekdays at 1 p.m. on E! Entertainment Television.