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County of Los Angeles
DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES

425 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, California 90020

(213) 351-5602
JOAN SMITH
Acting Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 31, 2006

Contact: Louise Grasmehr or Stu Riskin

DCFS Office of Public Affairs

(213) 351-5872

Daniel McCosh

Azteca America

(310) 432-7653

PRESS RELEASE

DCFS Partners with Azteca America, Inc. to Create Media Campaign

Aimed at Adoption Awareness, Child Abuse Prevention

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has partnered with Azteca America, Inc., in collaboration with their non-profit Fundación Azteca America of Grupo Salinas, to create a media campaign to increase public awareness about the issues surrounding child welfare in the Latino community.

The campaign, which will run from September (Hispanic Heritage Month) through November (National Adoption Month), will highlight issues including the need for adoptive homes for Latino children especially those with special medical needs, and the services DCFS provides to families. The campaign, will also bring awareness to the issues of child abuse prevention and kinship within the Latino community.

During the fall, Azteca America, Inc. reporters and anchors will attend and cover adoption events and host a segment called “Comparta Su Corazon … Comparta Su Hogar” (“Share Your Heart … Share Your Home”) featuring Latino children who are awaiting adoption. The network will also produce three public service announcements (PSAs) featuring broadcast talent, DCFS social workers and families. The PSAs focus on three areas: adoption, child abuse prevention and the services available for relative caregivers and will air on the Azteca America, Inc., Los Angeles affiliate TV Azteca.

“We are very pleased to partner with Azteca America, Inc., on this campaign,” said Joan Smith, DCFS Acting Director. “With their help we hope to increase our education and awareness in the Latino community.”

“The welfare of children in the Latino community is very important to us,” added Luis J. Echarte, Chairman of the Board of Azteca America. “Azteca America looks forward to utilizing the power of television to help improve the lives of children throughout L.A. County.”

Currently, DCFS serves approximately 19,000 Latino children in L.A. County through programs such as Family Maintenance, Family Reunification and Adoptions.

About Azteca America

Azteca America is the newest Spanish-Language television network in the United States. The network is a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V., one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television content in the world. Azteca America currently has presence in 52 Hispanic markets, including: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Phoenix, Brownsville-McAllen, Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Albuquerque, San Diego, Fresno-Visalia, El Paso, Denver, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa, Washington DC, Austin, Las Vegas, Boston, Atlanta, Tucson, Corpus Christi, West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, Seattle, Hartford, Bakersfield, Portland, Salt Lake City, Monterey-Salinas, Laredo, Naples-Ft. Myers, Colorado Springs, Odessa, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Lubbock, Amarillo, Yakima, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Reno, New Orleans, Boise, Omaha, Victoria, Chattanooga, Twin Falls and Charleston. For more information, visit:

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