The CW Mental Health Initiative Launches Amid Regime Change
At the CW’s May upfront presentation, then-Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz announced that a new initiative with United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy would launch in the 2022-23 season to tackle “the number one issue facing America’s youth: mental health” by developing storylines across the network’s programming as well as working with advertisers and affiliates and across social media.
With the fall 2022 launch in full swing, the initiative is now launching, with Stevie Wonder, who performed live at The CW’s Upfront presentation in May, granting the use of his song “Where is Our Love Song” as the official soundtrack of the “Dare to Love, Defy Hate” initiative.
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The launch comes a week after Pedowitz as well as Rick Haskins, the CW’s President, Streaming & Chief Branding Officer Rick Haskins, exited following the completion of Nexstar’s acquisition of the network. It is proceeding amid the regime change and Nexstar’s plans to shift the CW’s youth focus to broader, older-skewing and cheaper programming.
“The CW Network is honored to partner with the United States Surgeon General to launch this incredibly important national conversation and movement around youth mental health,” the CW’s new President Dennis Miller said. “Through the power of our storytelling and our unparalleled reach across all platforms, The CW is committed to bringing awareness and access to resources surrounding mental health to our audience while helping break the negative stigmas surrounding this topic.”
Timed to coincide with National Bullying Prevention Month and launching on World Mental Health Day, this season-long campaign kicks off with a new public service announcement that stars The CW’s on-screen talent, including Walker‘s Jared Padelecki, All American‘s Daniel Ezra and Walker: Independence‘s Kat McNamara, and focuses on online hate and cyberbullying in partnership with nonprofit The Cybersmile Foundation.
The CW’s original series that will participate in the campaign with specifically-themed storylines and episodes revolving around mental health issues include All American and All American: Homecoming, with Nancy Drew, Superman & Lois, Walker and Walker: Independence also set to address the issues of mental health this season.
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