DO - Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Celebrate
1981
Family Health ® airs on 18 radio stations in Ohio and West
Virginia. Fred J. Jenson, D.O. is the first host. Jack Brose,
D.O. serves as the interim on-air voice for Family Health ®
radio in 1982.
Fred J. Jenson, D.O.
Sound Medical Advice
Family Health ® , a drive time audio
staple, turns 25 this year. These twoand-a-half
minute radio spots enlighten
12 million listeners daily, across the
nation and around the world.
The format is familiar to listeners: A theme song and
announcer cue the audience that Harold C. Thompson,
an osteopathic family physician, will provide health
information in layman's terms about a medical issue
that recently surfaced in the news or in answer to a
question frequently asked by patients. The program
ends neatly with suggestions that listeners can often
readily act upon.
Family Health ® was the product of a brainstorming
session between Ed McDonald, a radio producer at
the Ohio University Telecommunications Center (now
called the Center for Public Media); Fred J. Jensen,
D.O., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine
(OU-COM) professor of pathology; and Carl J. Denbow,
Ph.D., OU-COM director of communication.
In 1988, Adam Hochberg (right),
today a National Public Radio
correspondent, got his start as
a scriptwriter working with
Frank Myers, D.O., Producer
Don Bilski (seated) and Project
Director Carl Denbow, Ph.D.
Today, 6,500 shows later,
Family Health ® is regarded
by the profession as one
of its major vehicles to “make
D.O. a household word,”
according to Guy Beaumont,
executive director of the
American College of
Osteopathic Surgeons. Over
the years, primary support
for Family Health ® has come
from the American Osteopathic
Association, with additional
critical annual gifts from the
American College of
Osteopathic Surgeons and the
American College of
Osteopathic Family Physicians.
Frank W. Myers, D.O.
Harold C. Thompson, D.O.
1982
Jack Brose, D.O., hosts Family Health ® .
1983
Frank W. Myers, D.O., then OU-COM dean, is selected as the
new permanent host. Family Health ® airs on 142 radio stations.
1990
The Family Health theme song was written and performed
by Mark Phillips, professor of music at Ohio University.
Affiliate stations number their highest, at 330.
1994
Audio files of Family Health ® are available via download of
from its Web site, www.fhradio.org.
1998
Harold C. Thompson III, D.O., assistant professor of
emergency medicine in the Department of Family Medicine,
succeeds Dr. Myers upon his retirement.
2006
Family Health ® reaches about 12 million listeners each day
on an international network that includes nearly 300
domestic stations, a few foreign stations, and the U.S.
Armed Forces Radio Network.
Family Health ® Top 10 Listener
Choice Shows of 2006
• The Family Health ® First Aid Fact Finder
• Sleeping pills
• Adding protein to your diet
• Preventing osteoporosis
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Restless leg syndrome
• Sense of smell’s influence on health
• Lifesaving showering routine
• Vitamin A and bone health
• Getting more sleep can help lose weight
24 www.oucom.ohio.edu