Autumn is the time of year when the battle against cancer takes the shape of different campaigns in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and MTG wants to show its support.
In Norway radio station P4 joined forces with The Pink Ribbon by devoting the weekend, 2-4 October, to get the campaign started. Every hour, from 18:00 through to midnight, a “pink song” was played in tribute to the campaign and listeners were encouraged to send donation SMSs for the cause and take part in a prize competition.
The theme for the “Rosa Sløyfes” this year was reconstruction of the breast, a subject P4 presenters Astrid Gunnestad and Lise Askvik have long been promoting. They have started a Facebook group in protest to the long wait Norwegian cancer patients are facing to get a new breast after an operation.
“We have 10,000 people supporting us,” said a happy Lise who’s been very outspoken when debating the subject in Norwegian newspapers, TV and radio.
“One week after having my breast amputated I was on air debating with the Health Minister of Norway, who promised to do something about the untenable situation. At this year’s Rosa Sløyfe show I received a very moving applause from the public for fighting on behalf of the thousands of women who are waiting for new breasts.”
In Sweden, MTG has been collaborating with the Pink Ribbon and the Cancer Society for seven years. This year’s campaign raised more than 45 million SEK (nearly five million Euros). One of the fundraising initiatives was radio station RIX FM's popular lottery where everyone donating five Euros or more could win a trip to meet some of the world’s biggest stars, including Britney Spears, Coldplay and Bruno Mars, and enjoy their concerts.
Viasat has joined forces with Disney and technological system solutions company Hoist in order to help make children’s time at the cancer clinic at the University hospital in Umeå, northern Sweden, a little bit brighter. The children can now enjoy the Viasat channels if they want to relax. Viasat is looking at extending the scheme to more hospitals in Sweden.
TV3 broadcast the big fundraising show Pink Ribbon Gala on 26 October with artists like the immensely popular Eldkvarn, Ane Brun, Agnes, Samuel Ljungblahd, Peter Johansson and Nicke Borg. Hasse Aro and Renée Nyberg hosted the event.
In Denmark, their big fundraising show “Brystgalla”, was held for the fourth consecutive year by TV3, marking the final of a month of nationwide cancer campaigning. This year the final sum of 22.5 million DKK (more than three million Euros) being raised proved to be the best result ever, by far. The Danish campaign started at the end of September 2011 to support the massive Danish Breast Cancer Society campaign carried out in October. The TV3 show on the 29 October was seen by 279,000 viewers all over Denmark and the four well-known hosts Ibi Støving, Peter Schmeichel, Camilla Ottesen and Adam Duvå Hall were all really pleased about the outcome:
“I get carried away when a big company donates a million DKK, it’s absolutely terrific! But I can get the same feeling when a young girl calls in and promises that she’ll send us all her pocket money for the next two months,” says Adam Duvå Hall.
The Danish TV3 invited its viewers to take part in an auction where they could bid on no less than three stars from a TV3 reality show. The stars had all agreed to be auctioned away as bartenders for an evening. A lot of other entertainment was also on the programme, including the pop group The Storm:
“Breast cancer is unfortunately such a common disease that I feel it’s super important that we all join the fight against it,” said Pernille Rosendahl from The Storm. She claims that the good cause makes it even more special for her group to perform. Other artists that helped TV3 to raise money for cancer research and prevention in Denmark were Melanie C , Ankerstjerne feat. Burhan G and Wafande feat. Kaka.