Healthy alliances and social action broadcasting: Assessment of a local radio project

Abstract

The Listen To Your Heart (LTYH) project is an example of a 'healthy alliance' between district health authorities in the West Midlands, a local radio station and the Health Education Authority. The project had a number of innovative features - institutional, educational and organisational - which underpinned its social action broadcasting approach to health-related lifestyle changes, This paper focuses mainly on the organisational aspect of innovation, involving health professionals as co-designers and co-producers of health promotion materials in partnership with broadcasters and other media professionals, and the development of their competence in using the mass media.