January 14, 2008

BET

BET Honors Bring Star Power to DC

It was an evening that favored achievement with honor over gaudy success, with awards handed out in fields from business to education to entertainment, with emphasis on both style and substance.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/13/AR2008011301378.html

CBS

CBS Takes Big Bite of Reality

The network has picked up Katalyst Films' "Game Show in My Head," the biweekly celebrity talent contest "Secret Talents of the Stars" and the R.J. Cutler-produced dog competition "America's Top Dog" to air this year.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i68f721fedbd4e22ca96a2a460a8be10a?imw=Y

FOX

Fox's 'American Idol' Sees Benefit from Strike

Fox's "American Idol," the most-watched show on U.S. television, is capitalizing on both its popularity and the Hollywood writers strike to set record advertising prices. Commercials are currently priced in the low $900,000s, up about 50% from a year earlier.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=av3Kujb0NzsI

MySpace Agrees to New Safety Measures

Under mounting pressure from law enforcement and parents, MySpace agreed Monday to take steps to protect youngsters from online sexual predators and bullies, including searching for ways to better verify users' ages.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hSw1bFIrWYZw-tkA2mAdbrbkSlkgD8U5UEIO0

MySpace, Fox and Honda Search for the Next Marching Band Star

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., and Fox Entertainment Group (FEG) have come together to announce a unique partnership via MySpace for the 2008 Honda Battle of the Bands, designed to directly reach students at America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/AQM12014012008-1.htm

MTV

MTV wants digital army to bring back the buzz

MTV, seeking to reestablish itself as a relevant medium for young people, has hired over 50 amateur journalists as part of a pilot program to deliver campaign news with the kind of pizzazz that put the network on the map in the early 1990s with programs like "Choose or Lose" and "Rock the Vote."

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/01/12/mtv_wants_digital_army_to_bring_back_the_buzz/

"We're gonna go minister to the world on MTV."

You wouldn't expect a rap star who drives a Phantom and makes trips to Hooters with Kid Rock to be the centerpiece of one of the most feel-good and positive reality shows on television, but Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons is just that.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/11/AR2008011100679.html

UNIVISION

Lisa McCarthy Joins Univision Communications as Executive Vice President of Client Development and Partnership Marketing

McCarthy will establish and lead the Company’s Client Development and Partnership Marketing efforts which will be dedicated to serving the needs of marketers across Univision’s portfolio. McCarthy’s sales and marketing teams will be responsible for educating marketers about the economic and political power of the U.S. Hispanic consumer.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080114006038&newsLang=en

Univision to Premiere Animated Series

Univision will premiere the first ever prime-time Spanish-language animated series. The half hour show, which will premiere with a one-hour episode at 7 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time and 6 p.m. Central time, is an animated version of one of the most popular shows in Mexico in the 1970s.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003696197

AFRICA

CNN Multichoice African Journalists Awards to be held in Ghana

The winners of the prestigious annual awards will be announced at a gala ceremony in Accra. The award aims to reinforce the importance of the journalists' role in Africa's development and to recognize journalistic talents across all disciplines.

http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/200801/12452.asp

Sierra Leone: Imams Vow to Fight HIV/Aids

Islamic leaders in the east of Freetown Friday vowed to help fight HIV/AIDS in the country. The promise was made following a one-day clinic on HIV/AIDS among Muslim youths at the Sulaimania school hall, Fourah bay.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200801141793.html

CARIBBEAN

HIV in Puerto Rico from a Puerto Rican perspective

Growing up gay in Puerto Rico adds several problems and prejudices to GLBT Puerto Ricans’ lives. Three traits define the GLBT community in Puerto Rico: religion, machismo, and strong family/nationalistic ties.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_carlos_t_080112_hiv_in_puerto_rico_f.htm

Jamaican philanthropist honoured by Trinidadian government

Mrs. Richardson-Pious is a former drama teacher who co-founded Children First in 1997. The organization, the largest of its kind in Jamaica, is dedicated to taking children off the streets. It also provides HIV/AIDS testing and counseling to rural youth.

http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/4544/26/

INDIA

An opportunity to erase AIDS stigma

“An event like this provides a lot of opportunities for people like us to come out into the open,” says Noorie, of the South India Positive Network. She says one of the most stigmatising acts is when people refuse to eat with the HIV-positive, or on plates used by them. “Here, all of us are together, cooking pongal and eating it. There is love and a sense of togetherness. A positive person myself, I know it is a great tonic for survival.”

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/15/stories/2008011554010500.htm

Corporate India aiding AIDS awareness

One of the greatest challenges facing India is the challenge of the unspoken disease of AIDS. It’s been called the ticking time bomb and it could change the course of India’s destiny. Sheeren Bhan finds out how corporate India is doing its bit to bring about change. http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/management/corporate-india-aiding-aids-awareness/13/35/321019

Love, hope for shunned kids in India AIDS school

At Gokul, a school for HIV-infected children in this dusty village north of India's commercial hub of Mumbai, each student has a heart-wrenching tale of discrimination and suffering. The school is among only a few across the country run by voluntary groups, where infected children expelled by "normal" schools receive education.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSDEL18511020080114

MOBILE MEDIA

News Corp's Photobucket Site Goes Mobile

Photobucket, the massive photo-sharing site that was acquired by News Corp. last year, is rolling out a mobile Web site. Members can browse their own photos as well as public images, upload photos to the site from their mobile devices and access a limited home page.

http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9850481-36.html

OTHER MEDIA NEWS

BLACK GAY/LESBIAN GROUP TO HOLD PRESIDENTIAL FORUM

The two-hour event at the Lucy Florence Coffee House and Cultural Center (3351 West 43rd Place) bears the theme "It’s A Black Thang! The Black LGBT Vote ’08" and bills itself in a press release as "the first of its kind that features the voices and opinions of African-American LGBT persons, a community whose voice often goes unheard in both the mainstream gay community and African-American community."

http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur39969.cfm

Cosmopolitan Launches TV Channel in Canada

Hearst's Cosmopolitan magazine is launching a television channel in Canada, with programming billed as "fun, flirty and irreverent." The new venture joins similar Cosmo TV networks in Spain and Latin America. Offerings will include Cosmo TV's flagship show "Oh So Cosmo."

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpposted/archive/2008/01/14/cosmo-tv-to-launch-valentine-s-day.aspx

Microsoft Brings Video Ads to Grocery Carts

Microsoft is working with Plano, Texas-based MediaCart Holdings on a grocery cart-mounted video console that will help shoppers find products in the store, then scan and pay for their items. Microsoft's aQuantive will serve video ads onto these grocery cart screens.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080114/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_shopping_carts