February 8, 2008

BET

Apology for BET Protest

One of the biggest critics of Black Entertainment Television says she will make a public apology Friday to Debra L. Lee, the network’s chairwoman and chief executive, for supporting a protest, right, outside Ms. Lee’s home in Washington.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/arts/08arts-APOLOGYFORBE_BRF.html?ref=arts

CBS

Facebook, CBS team up for March Madness

CBS said Thursday it is teaming up with social networking site Facebook Inc. to offer March Madness brackets as part of its NCAA basketball-related tournament coverage. Palo Alto-based Facebook will feature coverage from CBS Sports, CSTV and CBSSports.com, the companies said, along with mobile access and public or private bracket groups.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2008/02/04/daily71.html

Is CBS' Grammy Awards Show Still Relevant?

Sunday marks the 35th year of the Grammy Awards telecast on CBS. But with the Grammys battling the perception that it is an icon of the older generation -- and with CBS representing a similarly aged demo -- the show's relevance faces challenges by many newer rivals.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i09f751dd163aa41170327fbe0b530860

CW

`Smackdown' Smacked Down by CW Network

The long-running "Friday Night Smackdown" won't be airing on the CW this fall, the network and World Wrestling Entertainment said late Thursday. In separate announcements, they stated that "after a successful decade of `Smackdown,'" they had agreed to conclude their partnership after the 2007-08 season.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h5q3b7_6STwS0uKkBYzUFyhcZCxgD8UM70C81

FOX

Generation MySpace Is Getting Fed Up

Annoyed with the ad deluge on social networks, many users are spending less time on the sites. Uh-oh. Social networking was supposed to be the Next Big Thing on the Internet. MySpace, Facebook, and other sites have been attracting millions of new users, building sprawling sites that companies are banking on to trigger an online advertising boom. Trouble is, the boom isn't booming anymore.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_07/b4071054390809.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_top+story

MySpace Sees Half of Traffic from Mobiles

MySpace exec Travis Katz predicts that more than half of the site's traffic will be from mobile within five years. MySpace and rival Facebook rolled out mobile sites last year and are already seeing a surge of user interest. "Mobile is one of the most important strategic initiatives," says Katz.

http://www.nma.co.uk/Articles/36749/MySpace+plans+for+half+of+traffic+from+mobile+users.htm

MTV

MTV PLANS 'IDOL' FOR CELEB SPAWN

THE producers of "Ameri can Idol" are creating a new music-competition show - starring the kids of famous celebs. Like "Idol," the show, with the working title "Rock the Cradle," will feature the talented offspring of performers facing off each week with songs, according to sources.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02082008/tv/kids_show_786669.htm

MTV president to STEP DOWN at end of February

Christina Norman, president of MTV since 2005 and a protege of former Viacom Inc. Chief Executive Tom Freston, resigned her job effective at the end of the month, the head of her division told employees in an e-mail Thursday, The New York Times reported in its Friday editions.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117980440.html?categoryid=18&cs=1

The Game's the Thing at MTV Networks

Today, any regrets over MySpace are a fading memory. MTVN is pushing hard into online games in pursuit of their rich advertising potential and can't have failed to notice that traffic growth is slowing at social networks.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_07/b4071051387940.htm

UNIVISION

Terry Mackin, Hearst-Argyle Television's evp and digital guru, is jumping to Univision

As president of Univision's TV Station Group, Mackin will oversee Univision's and TeleFutura's 64 owned-and-operated stations, reporting to Ray Rodriguez, president and chief operating officer of Univision.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/media/e3i55bff7bc1a68ecef741c34ef3ad5b29d

VIACOM

Viacom's Redstone 'Can't Sell CBS News'

The Paley Center for Media honored Viacom/CBS chief Sumner Redstone in its annual gala Thursday evening. The star-studded event in New York featured roasts by the likes of newsman Bob Schieffer, who quipped in song: "You said 'bye to Tom Cruise, but you can't sell CBS News."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i09f751dd163aa411602ff030a9351a86

AFRICA

Love in the time of AIDS

The doumentary Love (and Babies) in the Time of AIDS, A Journey to India follows HIV/AIDS activist Thembi Ngubane, 23, as she travels from her humble home in Khayelitsha, South Africa to the bustling centre of Bollywood in Mumbai, India.

http://www.mediaforfreedom.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=9500

No Sex, Please - You're HIV-Positive

HIV/AIDS policies and programmes disregard the sexual needs of people living with the virus, claim a number of HIV-positive women who attended the third Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights -- held this week in Nigeria.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41118

CARIBBEAN

CARNIVAL CONDOMS

ASPIRE (Advocates for safe Parenthood: Improving Equity) said its programme to distribute the free latex condoms at fetes and other carnival-related events is part of its "commitment to the sexual and reproductive health and lowering the abortion rate".

http://www.cbc.bb/content/view/14034/45/

CHINA

David Beckham "Long Love" Condoms

The sale of an unauthorized brand of condoms named after soccer hunk David Beckham has skyrocketed in China, making it the best selling condom brand in the communist state.

http://www.bgay.com/news/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=193&Itemid=23

HIV AIDS & SEXUAL HEALTH

Changing the face of HIV/AIDS

On Feb. 7th 2008 we celebrate National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. There is no better time to remind everyone, especially those in the Black community that are so disproportionately affected by the disease, that changing the HIV/AIDS epidemic starts with yourself. It starts by getting tested so that you know your status.

http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/02/changing_the_fa.html

Contraception campaign aims to cut teenage pregnancy

The government today launched a campaign to lower Britain's teenage pregnancy rate and educate women about contraception choices. The £26.8m campaign is intended to promote to women of all ages the full range of contraception available, including the pill, condoms and longer-lasting methods such as injections and implants that can remain effective for up to five years.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/06/health

'Kinsey Confidential': Sexual health information for the millennial generation

Finding reliable, research-based sexual health information when you need it can be a challenging task. The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University has revamped its sexual health information service to make it more interactive and accessible to a college age audience.

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/7462.html

Winners of sexual health poetry competition revealed

Ore Clinic in Old London Road invited Observer readers to write a poem based around either chlamydia or contraception for National Contraceptive Awareness Week.
Organisers recieved a large number of entries from people of all ages - including one pensioner aged 77.

http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/newshastings/Winners-of-sexual-health-poetry.3751767.jp

OTHER MEDIA NEWS

Interpublic, Jay-Z to start ad agency

Advertising company Interpublic Group said it started a new agency with Steve Stoute and hip-hop artist Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter that will target multicultural consumers. Interpublic will own 49 percent of the new company, which is called Translation Advertising. Stoute and Carter will own the rest.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8UM8C3G0.htm