In March 1996, the Chiropractic Centennial Foundation's documentary "From Simple Beginnings" aired nationwide to an audience of millions. However, chiropractic's PR campaign to get the word out about that event was partially thwarted when some stations scheduled to air the program never did.
Our second attempt to air the documentary has proved more fruitful. The documentary was edited down into a tight and compelling 30-minute version and rebroadcast on cable station CNBC on Saturday, January 18, and Sunday, January 26th. Atlanta station WAGA, a Fox network affiliate, also aired the documentary on Sunday January 19th.
Advertisements in the television or "health/living" sections of newspapers in 46 states (a modest total investment of $46,000) heralded the second national documentary showing. The ads featured the heading, "Catch the Chiropractic Wave," and gave the times and stations for the documentary airings. The text of the ads read: "Watch the story of America's Fastest Growing Health Care Profession -- 'From Simple Beginnings.'" Additionally, the newspapers received press releases describing the documentary, and many of them ran stories from that information.
According to the Nielsen Media Research Company, the documentary airings on cable station CNBC had a potential "cumulative" audience of 72,500,000 households for each showing. Sixteen percent of those households viewed the January 18 airing; 12 percent of those households saw the show on Jan. 26. The two documentary airings on CNBC combined were viewed by 12,470,000 households.
Atlanta station WAGA's broadcast of "From Simple Beginnings" aired during the 6:30 p.m. time slot normally reserved for syndicated reruns of "Designing Women." The documentary earned a 3.7 rating and a 6% share, which translates into approximately 60,000 homes. This share was higher than the normal rating for a four-week average of "Designing Women" broadcasts in that time period. The station received hundreds of calls for information about the chiropractic documentary.
Connecticut Chiro. Council Funds Additional Documentary Broadcasts
To reach an even greater audience, the Connecticut Chiropractic Council (CCC) sponsored six documentary airings in February in the lower New England area. The variation of times and dates provided the greatest exposure to the television audience.
Dr. Luigi DiRubba, director of PR for the CCC, commented on the effectiveness of the chiropractic documentary:
"Patients love it. A lot of non-patients have told us that they really didn't know much about chiropractic. They didn't know the extent of our education or our history. We have seen a greater respect for chiropractic and new patients in our office because of the chiropractic documentary. Our cable station's program manager complimented the quality of this documentary."George Curry, DC, chairman of the CCC Board noted:
"We've gotten some good calls, people are calling and saying 'I need a chiropractor.' Our plan is to look at our response and air it again as long as the response continues. Some of our docs have taken it upon themselves to advertise the documentary themselves. It's something we should be proud of."Those local associations and individuals who would like to air the chiropractic documentary in their area may obtain a broadcast formatted copy for the minimal cost of reproduction in the required format.
Individual DCs and/or state chiropractic associations may purchase a copy of the 30-minute version of "From Simple Beginnings" for $30; quantities of 6-10 are available for $15 each; 11 or more at $10 each. To order call (319) 326-9626 or mail/fax the coupon below. The fax is (319) 327-0129.
Chiropractic Documentary
P.O. Box 4522
Davenport, IA 52808
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
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A central challenge in creating our identity is that chiropractic is a method of care, not a technique or procedure. This is an important concept for us to promote. Our patients are treated with lifestyle modification, exercise, nutritional supplements, diet and a whole-body approach to accelerate the natural healing process. We are not simply CMT providers.
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