Philadelphia Town Hall Meeting Addresses Substance Abuse Prevention, Communication and Intervention

Philadelphia Town Hall Meeting Addresses Substance Abuse Prevention, Communication and Intervention

Several Hundred Community Members Expected to Participate in Forum Hosted by Comcast and The Partnership for a Drug-Free America

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a problem that touches millions of families throughout the United States, and in Pennsylvania alone, there are estimated to be more than 200,000 young people between the ages of 12 to 25 who are struggling with dependency. Comcast and The Partnership for a Drug-Free America will host a special town hall meeting this evening to help raise awareness about this important issue and provide information about the ways in which families and communities can combat substance abuse through communication, prevention and intervention efforts.

Hundreds of parents, teenagers, community leaders, educators and substance abuse prevention experts are expected to participate in the "Working Together to Keep Our Communities Drug-Free" town hall meeting at Temple University's Liacouras Center. Produced with the assistance of A&E Network and CN8, The Comcast Network, the program will include a screening of a clip from the A&E documentary series INTERVENTION, and panel discussions moderated by Lynn Doyle, CN8 Political Director and Host/Executive Producer of "It's Your Call with Lynn Doyle," and Kevin Walsh, CN8 News co-anchor. In addition, CN8 will air this event as a special television broadcast, "Comcast Town Hall Meeting" on Thursday, September 29 at 9:00 PM/ET.

Panelists for the "Working Together to Keep Our Communities Drug-Free" session will include: Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania Attorney General; Sylvester Johnson, Philadelphia Police Commissioner; Robert Quigley, Executive Director of Drug Free PA; Steve Pasierb, President and CEO, The Partnership for a Drug- Free America; Jeff VanVonderen, Interventionist; David Rosenker, Executive Vice President, Treatment Services at the Caron Foundation; Robin Rothermel, Director for the Division of Treatment, Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs, PA Department of Health; A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D., Director of the Treatment Research Institute; and Dr. Libby O'Connell, Senior Vice President of Corporate Outreach, A&E Network.

"Like many, I am concerned about drug abuse and hope that these kinds of conversations can help our communities," said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast. The Philadelphia town hall meeting is part of Comcast's three-year effort to increase exposure of anti-drug messages for The Partnership for a Drug-Free America with $50 million worth of public service airtime. Best known for its national drug-education advertising campaign, the Partnership exists to help kids and teens reject substance abuse by influencing attitudes through persuasive information.

The vast majority of Americans with drug or alcohol problems do not receive treatment. In 2002, for example, some 22 million Americans were in need of drug and alcohol treatment, yet just 3 million received any form of help. Most who have alcohol/drug problems simply do not believe they need help.(1) Some 63 percent of Americans report being impacted in some way in their own lives by addiction, and for most of them (72 percent) that addiction was among a family member.(2)

"Most parents don't believe or don't know if their teens have been offered drugs," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership. "Statistics show that 48% of the high school students in the United States have used illegal drugs and many studies confirm that communication is the best defense and prevention against drug abuse. Taking action to protect their children requires parents to recognize and acknowledge the possibility that their own teens are likely going to be exposed to the lure of drugs at some point."

The A&E documentary series INTERVENTION expands on the forum's themes of communication, substance abuse prevention and intervention efforts. The series, which airs Sundays at 10pm ET/PT on A&E, captures true drama as the person in crisis, along with their loved ones and the interventionist grapple with the problem and attempt to provide a roadmap to recovery.

"We're proud to be collaborating with Comcast and the Partnership For A Drug-Free America to raise awareness of interventions and avenues of treatment for people suffering from addictions," said Abbe Raven, President and CEO, A&E Television Networks. "It has been truly gratifying that our series INTERVENTION is inspiring people all over the country to seek help, for themselves or a loved one."

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP FOR A DRUG-FREE AMERICA

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America(R) is a private, non-profit coalition of professionals from the communications industry. Best known for its national, drug-education advertising campaign, the Partnership's mission is to reduce illicit drug use in America. The Partnership's State/City Alliance Program supports the Partnership's mission at the local level. The Partnership receives major funding from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and financial support from more than 200 private sector corporations. The Partnership accepts no money from alcohol or tobacco manufacturers. All actors in the Partnership's ads appear pro bono through the generosity of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

About A&E

Now reaching more than 88 million homes, A&E Network offers a diverse mix of programming ranging from critically acclaimed original Real Life series and original movies, to innovative documentaries, to the Emmy Award-winning Biography(R) series, to dramatic specials, feature film presentations, and contemporary performances. In 2004, A&E Network holds the distinct record for the most Primetime Emmy nominations (24) for a basic cable network.

Recently premiered new series include: Inked, which will take viewers to the craft's cutting edge at Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company, Vegas' first casino tattoo parlor; and Criss Angel Mindfreak, "a master of shock" who transcends tradition and moves into a new brand of modern mysticism, exhibiting mystery on the stage, on the street and in public and Intervention, a powerful and gripping program featuring real people at the boiling point of a personal crisis as they are confronted by friends and family who have staged a surprise intervention. The 2005 schedule also includes a host of topical and timely documentary specials under the A&E IndieFilms banner, including Murderball and Rock School and a quarterly series titled Movie Real, bringing viewers the true stories behind the topics of Hollywood's biggest releases. Also set to debut is the series, Being ... , executive produced by Mick Jagger, giving viewers an exclusive, all-access pass into the lives of today's most popular and fascinating people. Great drama also remains the heart of the A&E Network brand with upcoming original movies such as Knights of the South Bronx. Returning real-life series in 2005 include Dog The Bounty Hunter, Growing Up Gotti, Airline, Family Plots and The First 48.

The A&E Network website is located at http://www.aetv.com/ and the Biography(R) website is located at http://www.biography.com/. The Biography Club is located at http://www.biographyclub.com/. For more information and photography please visit us on the web at http://www.aetvpress.com/.

About CN8

CN8, The Comcast Network (http://www.cn8.tv/) has quickly become one of the nation's largest and most honored regional 24-hour diversified television networks - serving 7.1 million cable homes on the East Coast. The network provides quality, locally produced programming in four main areas: live, interactive television; regional news; entertainment; and coverage of high school, college and professional sports. CN8 has been nominated for 241 regional Emmy Awards. The Comcast Network is owned and operated by Comcast Cable Communications, Inc., a division of Comcast Corporation and the country's leading cable and broadband services provider.

ABOUT COMCAST

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)(NASDAQ:CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com/) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 21.5 million cable customers and 7.7 million high-speed Internet customers, and 1.2 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable networks and in the delivery of programming content.

The Company's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, Outdoor Life Network, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One and four Comcast SportsNets. The Company also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia. Comcast Class A common stock and Class A Special common stock trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbols CMCSA and CMCSK, respectively.

(1) 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2) "Poll Finds Alcohol and Drug Addiction Has Impacted the Lives of 63 Percent of Americans," Faces & Voices of Recovery, May 14, 2004. On the Web at http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/.

Source: Comcast

CONTACT: Kate Disston of Comcast, +1-215-320-8793, or mobile, +1-215-606-8124, or Nancy Page of Comcast, +1-215-981-7778; or Steve Dnistrian of The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, +1-212-973-3504, or mobile, +1-917-842-8439; or Robert Quigley of Drug Free Pennsylvania, +1-717-232-0300

Web site: http://www.comcast.com/

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