The latest from Cable News … nutrition videos for food stamp participants - Cable News Network

Food and Nutrition, Fall, 1988 by Connie Crunkleton

Turner Broadcasting System's (TBS) Cable News Network has built an international reputation for the quality of its in-depth programming on a variety of topics. Portions of that programming which appeal to recipients of USDA's Food Stamp Program are now being put together in special videotapes for distribution by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.

'Turner Educational Services is the licensing arm of Turner Broadcasting System:' says Gary Rowe, head of TBS' educational marketing division. "Distributors-primarily publishers of educational materials-buy a license from us to use videotapes of our educational productions. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service is the only nonpaying distributor we have.'

The relationship between USDA and TBS came about through the professional association of Betty Wills, a nutritionist with FNS' regional office in Atlanta, and Carolyn O'Neill, nutritionist and anchor for TBS' "Nutrition News" and "On The Menu."

Wills was searching for effective but inexpensive ways to provide nutrition education materials to local food stamp offices in the Southeast. O'Neill, who has a knack for pinpointing issues in nutrition that are of interest to consumers, had accumulated a library of programs that had been aired on "Nutrition News" or "On The Menu." She had exactly the kind of nutrition education materials Wills was seeking, and Wills had a market (albeit a non-paying one) for extending the educational life of O'Neill's programs.

While both agreed this would be a worthwhile project on which to collaborate, they still needed the approval of TBS' management. Between O'Neill's persuasive presentation and TBS' interest in public service, the idea became a reality.

The relationship turned out to be even better than Wills had hoped. First, Rowe arranged for TBS to sign a distribution licensing contract with USDA, carrying the same rights and restrictions as those signed by TBS' commercial clients. For example, tapes prepared by TBS cannot be modified, edited, or reproduced without permission.

TBS then offered to edit materials from its film library into 30- to 35-minute tapes featuring topics that would appeal to food stamp recipients.

Tapes produced every few months

The videotapes consist of 15 different nutrition education segments (about 2 minutes each) interspersed with 30-second educational messages that are relevant to food stamp recipients.

The messages include information about FNS' publication series, "Make Your Food Dollars Count:' and also deal with topics related to food stamp eligibility and compliance, such as the importance of reporting changes in household income or residence to the food stamp office. New tapes are produced every 3 to 4 months.

Wills and O'Neill work together to select which segments of "Nutrition News" or "On the Menu" would be most pertinent to low-income families or would reinforce the national dietary guidelines. If a segment deals with expensive, exotic foods, it won't be used. If scenes are shot in situations that would be totally foreign to most recipients, those scenes are cut.

After the videotape segments have been selected, Wills develops specific educational messages that help food stamp recipients understand how to comply with program regulations. For instance, one message may explain the difference between "income" and "earned income"; another message may explain what kind of changes need to be reported and when that report is required. In addition, Wills may suggest some graphics to complement the message.

TBS takes over from this point. The production staff pulls together the selected segments, edits out irrelevant or inappropriate material, prepares the educational messages, designs the accompanying graphics and prepares several masters of each finished videotape.

Once the masters are prepared, they're given to Wills, who develops packets of printed materials to accompany the tapes. The tapes and packets are sent to state food stamp agencies in the Southeast, where they are reproduced and sent to individual county food stamp offices. In addition, Wills sends a videotape to each of the other six FNS regional offices. They, in turn, duplicate the tapes and send them to each of their state food stamp agencies.

An effective way to deliver the message

"The advantages of using videotapes foreducating food stamp recipients about nutrition and program regulations are numerous:' Wills says. "First and foremost, local food stamp agencies, which are strapped by budgetary and staffing constraints, can now present timely nutrition and administrative information to recipients with a minimum of cost and staff time.

"Videotapes are an especially effective way to reach food stamp recipients who may have poor reading skills:' Wills adds, "and recipients are more likely to watch and listen to networkproduced videotapes than to other types of videos. The information being generated has more validity.'

Wills has nothing but compliments for the way Rowe and O'Neill have worked with her on this project. "They are receptive to ideas we may have on topics that would be especially useful to food stamp recipients:' she says.