Concord High School’s TV Production Club, with their ad on the dangers of tobacco use, and Prospect Mountain High School’s Controlling Our Own Lives (COOL) group, with their ad on New Hampshire’s Party Host Law, are this year’s winners of the Concord Substance Abuse Coalition’s 2007 Radio Ad Challenge. Both teams won a gift basket of prizes donated from area businesses and had the opportunity to record their winning ads at the 105.5 JYY studios in Hooksett.

The Radio Ad Challenge is an annual initiative of the Concord Substance Abuse Coalition, in partnership with 105.5 JYY and local businesses, that offers young people the chance to have their drug-free message heard by thousands of residents across the state. Each year, middle and high school students from across the state are invited to create and record a radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) concerning alcohol, tobacco or other drug use.

“The Radio Ad Challenge provides a way for our coalition to involve youth as partners in our effort to raise awareness of substance abuse issues in our community. Through this initiative, we also hope to counteract some of the negative messages that appear in the media through alcohol and tobacco advertising, that tend to glamorize substance use,” said Shannon Swett, director of the Concord Substance Abuse Coalition.

“Past studies have shown that youth are 96 times more likely to see an ad promoting alcohol than an industry ad discouraging underage drinking. Clearly we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Tune in to 105.5 JYY during the next few weeks to hear the winning public service announcements or visit the Coalition’s Web site at www.concordprevention.org.

For more information or to join the efforts of the Coalition, call 223-2023 or e-mail info@concordprevention.org.

Local businesses sponsoring the 2007 Radio Ad Challenge include Wal-Mart, Water Country, Manchester Monarchs, Shaw’s Supermarket, Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, Funspot, Museum of New Hampshire History, Santa’s Village, Capitol Center for the Arts, Gondwana and Goodale’s Bike Shop.