Donated television airplay of colorectal cancer education public service announcements--United States, 1999-2002.

To help communicate the importance of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, in 1999, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) launched the "Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign" (SFL) (http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/screenforlife) as one of many strategies addressing the prevention and early detection of CRC. As a central part of this campaign, public service announcements (PSAs) were developed to take advantage of the influence and reach of television to encourage Americans aged > or = 50 years to get tested for CRC. This report summarizes an assessment of donated television airplay that SFL PSAs received during March 1999-February 2002. According to data obtained from Arbitron Inc., a research firm that monitors broadcast media in the United States, SFL PSAs were broadcast 41,624 times, amounting to approximately 4.3 million dollars in donated television airtime. As DHHS and others promote CRC screening, CDC will continue to release and track airplay of SFL PSAs and examine the collective influence that SFL and other educational efforts and strategies have on CRC screening rates in the United States.