Posted on August 16, 2004 at 2:49 p.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will receive nearly $500,000 in grants over the next three years to expand its production of BODYLOVE, a radio drama series produced by UAB’s School of Public Health and the UAB Department of Theatre. The Joseph S. Bruno Charitable Foundation, Care Free Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham will partner with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to fund production of 60 more episodes in the series and distribution to an additional 14 radio stations in Alabama.
The radio soap opera, which debuted in 2003 on WJLD 1400 AM in Birmingham, is an entertaining and educational approach to providing listeners with important information about prevalent health problems in the African American community. Topics covered during weekly programs include diabetes care, heart health, coping with stress and good nutrition.
Production of the radio drama is led by Connie Kohler, Dr. P.H., associate professor of health behavior with UAB’s School of Public Health. “Audience response has been very rewarding,” Kohler said. “Also, the program has been featured on a nationally syndicated radio news program and has won three national Communicator Awards.”
Scripts are written by UAB public health and theatre students enrolled in an honors course taught by Kohler and Lee Shackleford, UAB playwright-in-residence and head writer/producer of BODYLOVE. “The class studies methods of teaching healthy behavior as well as dramatic structure and tricks-of-the-trade in radio writing,” Shackleford said.
In September as producers, writers and actors begin work on a second season of episodes, the first season of 20 episodes will air on 14 radio stations across the state. “Each weekly 30-minute program will include a 12- to-19-minute episode of the show followed by a call-in question-and-answer period,” Kohler said. “Call-in segments will be hosted by local stations and will feature local health experts.”
Funding for the expansion of BODYLOVE is provided in part by a matching grant from RWJF through its Local Initiative Funding Partners (LIFP) program. LIFP is designed to establish partnerships between RWJF and local grant makers in support of innovative, community-based projects aimed at improving the health of vulnerable populations. It is one of the most highly competitive grantmaking programs of the Foundation. Of more than 300 applications received for 2004 LIFP awards, this project was one of only 19 selected. The BODYLOVE project is continuing to seek matching funds from local Alabama grant makers for this and the next two years.
For more information, contact Connie Kohler at ckohler@uab.edu, (205) 934-6020 or (205) 975-8071.