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MUMBAI:
Major television networks, entertainment industry executives,
celebrities and prominent leaders in cancer research and patient
advocacy have jointly launched Stand Up To Cancer.
Stand
Up To Cancer (standup2cancer.org), is an initiative
to raise philanthropic dollars for "accelerating ground-breaking
research" in the US.
As
a part of this initiative, ABC, CBS and NBC will donate one
hour of simultaneous commercial-free prime time for a televised
fund raising event. This event, airing on 5 September, is
aimed at "rallying the public around the goal of ending
cancer’s reign as a leading cause of death".
The
initiative was announced together by Network evening news
anchors Charles Gibson, Katie Couric and Brian Williams during
live appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America,
CBS’ The Early Show and NBC’s Today show
respectively.
CBS
anchor Katie Couric said, "For people struggling with
this disease, or those who will be diagnosed, scientific breakthroughs
can be a matter of life or death - literally. We want everyone
to know that they can make a difference in this fight."
"Television
is a notoriously competitive business. For the three major
broadcast networks to join forces is a wonderful example of
the power of working together, and we’re very grateful
to have the opportunity to reach people all over the country
through this show," she added.
The
show will be produced by Laura Ziskin, a cancer survivor,
who said, "As a motion picture and television producer,
I’ve learned how incredibly powerful these mediums can
be in generating public discourse, sometimes almost overnight.
Our goal with this initiative and TV show is to ‘tip’
the conversation in this country about cancer - to get people
riled up, so they want to do something about the fact that
it still takes so many lives."
Ziskin's
film credits include the Spider-Man trilogy, As
Good As It Gets and Pretty Woman. She also produced
the 74th and 79th Annual Academy Awards.
The
Stand Up To Cancer special will feature live performances
by recording artists and stars from the film and television
fraternity. These people will perform as well as present filmed
content, giving viewers an insight into cancer.
"Katie, Charlie and Brian will report on potentially
life-saving research, speaking with both patients and scientists.
We hope to entertain you, educate you, move and inspire you,"
Ziskin added.
Stand
Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a program of the Entertainment
Industry Foundation (EIF), a charitable organisation.
ABC
anchor Charles Gibson said, "The statistics are staggering.
Cancer claims one person every minute of every day in the
United States. Every year in this country, it takes the lives
of more than half a million people...worldwide, cancer kills
more than six million people annually."
"
There has been progress on both the research and awareness
fronts; as a result, there are over ten million cancer survivors
in the US today. More urgent work needs to be done so that
more people can survive," he said.
NBC
anchor Brian Williams said, "Not only has cancer touched
all of our media organisations in profound ways, but it has
touched each of us personally. This extraordinary broadcast
will serve a number of purposes - we’ll share vital information
with our viewers and hopefully raise funds that are so critical
in the fight against this insidious disease."
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