NBCU Unveils Health, Wellness Initiative

NEW YORK: NBC Universal has embarked on a company-wide effort to ramp up the creation of content that will educate audiences about health and wellness issues, including a new daily show on MSNBC anchored by NBC News’s chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

The campaign, announced by president and CEO Jeff Zucker, is part of NBCU parent company General Electric’s "Healthymagination" initiative. It is being led by Lauren Zalaznick, the president of women’s and lifestyles entertainment networks at NBCU.

"As recent events in the news underscore, timely access to news and information about health and wellness is vital to our audience," Zucker said. "We are in a unique position to provide that information in ways that no other media company can, given the breadth of our assets. NBC Universal’s role in ‘Healthymagination’ is to provide access to timely, relevant, actionable content on health and wellness issues."

A centerpiece of the new effort is the new daily show dedicated to health information on MSNBC, set to launch next month. Dr. Nancy Snyderman will tackle health and wellness tips, medical breakthroughs and in-depth reports on government health policies. Snyderman will also bring her tips and medical advice to iVillage’s online community. "This program will give us a chance to integrate medical news with politics, health policy and the health concerns of our consumers," said Snyderman. "Health information changes as quickly as the stock markets, which is why we need this daily platform. In addition, the opportunity to cover medical news in depth and engage directly with women, via iVillage’s online social community, is an extraordinary opportunity. I am very excited to play a part in all of it."

Additionally, NBCU and the cardiac care facility The Cleveland Clinic are partnering on a research study to determine the power of consumer health education. Other highlights of the program include increased news about health and wellness on NBC News platforms such as Today, Nightly News, Meet the Press and Dateline, as well as on MSNBC, MSNBC.com, NBC Mobile and NBC Radio. NBC News will deliver more than 5,000 reports a year on its national and local outlets, including its owned- and-operated stations and affiliates, on breaking medical news, healthy living and consumer-focused trends in health and wellness.

There will also be health and wellness content featured on iVillage, while NBCU’s "The More You Know" public-service campaign will focus its upcoming 2009/10 season on health and wellness.