March 24, 2008

BET

BET's joining the big hit-makers with 'Iron Ring'

"At BET, we obviously have to get into sports programming," said BET entertainment president Reginald Hudlin. "Sports is such a big part of the African-American experience."

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2008/03/18/2008-03-18_bets_joining_the_big_hitmakers_with_iron.html

CBS

CBS Eyes Payday for March Madness Online

CBS, which holds the rights to NCAA's championship, will stream all 63 basketball games this year to 200 Web sites, making March Madness the biggest expansion beyond television for any major sports event. Online ads could bring CBS $23 million, says CEO Les Moonves.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_13/b4077070416250.htm

CBS Mobile Names EVP, GM

CBS Mobile has elevated Jeff Sellinger to evp and general manager in the wake of Cyriac Roeding's departure.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/inc/quickread/e3ifcdf91a54bfcc659a79aec4f069d7e64?KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=310&width=600

FOX

Fox Refuses to Pay FCC Fine Over Indecency Complaint

Defying federal regulators, Fox Television said today it won't pay a $91,000 indecency fine levied recently by the Federal Communications Commission for a 2003 episode of a reality television show that featured strippers and whipped cream.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120638411852459999.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Murdoch Shutters Gossip Site PageSix.com

News Corp. is shutting down PageSix.com, its entertainment gossip site, after a mere three months online. PageSix exec Jennifer Jehn cites "difficulty in the economy." Some 18 staffers will be let go. PageSix was not believed to be making rapid inroads against sites like Time Warner's TMZ.

http://gawker.com/5004134/page-six-shutters-web-site-after-three-months

MySpace Close to Deal With Sony, Warner

MySpace's plan to launch a digital-music joint venture with the major record companies is picking up steam, as News Corp.'s social networking giant nears deals with Sony BMG and Warner Music Group. The labels are trading content rights in exchange for equity stakes in MySpace Music.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03242008/business/digital_destiny_103302.htm

Sprint Gets The New MySpace Mobile; Trying To Lure Customers To Unlimited Plan

Sprint (NYSE: S) Nextel is the first carrier to offer MySpace Mobile's new ad-subsidized site that was unveiled earlier this week. Although this announcement was expected based on Sprint's existing relationship with Fox Interactive Media (NYSE: NWS), Sprint is likely highlighting the partnership so it can drive demand for its recently launched $99 unlimited voice and data plan.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032101478.html

MTV

2008 MTV Movie Awards -- Airing Live On June 1!

The date's been set and the producer secured: The 17th annual MTV Movie Awards will be airing live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, on June 1.

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1583597/story.jhtml

Mos Def Gets '4REAL' For MTV

Mos Def will be among various celebrities who will be featured on a MTV documentary series titled 4 Real which captures the stars embarking to different countries to connect with leaders inspiring change in their nations.

http://www.sixshot.com/news/10569/

VIACOM

Tolosa takes MTV Latin America strategy post

Jose Tolosa has joined MTV Networks Latin America as vp strategy and business development, based in Miami. He will be responsible for development, growth and expansion opportunities for all of the company's brands in Latin America, including MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ifac237f466f9757e5253c41e08ab65a7

Viacom's MTV Sued Over 'Guitar Hero' Game

Gibson Guitar is filing a lawsuit against Electronic Arts and Viacom units MTV and Harmonix for infringing a patent by selling Activision's "Guitar Hero" video game. "Guitar Hero," which lets players strum along to music videos on a toy guitar, has generated more than $1 billion in sales.

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2147943920080321

UNIVISION

Univision, CNET Enter Online Content Deal

Univision.com and CNET are entering a content-sharing partnership that will give digital and consumer electronics enthusiasts technology news, product reviews and original videos to help users navigate the high-tech world in Spanish. A mini-site will be available at Univision.com.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3i2fa66ba7e54b9b002c09aa1aae3b39ee

AFRICA

Aureos Launches HIV/AIDS Risk Management Programme

Aureos Capital, a leading private equity fund management company has launched an innovative new medical risk management programme covering HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

http://www.accra-mail.com/mailnews.asp?id=4278

HIV and Life for Rural Women in South Africa

Now, a report from Amnesty International looks at the struggles of poor rural women living with H.I.V. in South Africa. The human rights group says the women face oppression and human rights abuses. And it says other women who feel socially and economically weak are at a higher risk of becoming infected with H.I.V.

http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2008-03-23-voa1.cfm

Youth still HIV ignorant

Two decades of HIV and Aids awareness campaigns may have helped reduce prevalence rates in Uganda, but a large segment of the population still remains ignorant about how the disease is transmitted.

http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/Magazine/mag240320084.htm

CARIBBEAN

New programme to increase uptake of HIV services in Haiti

In June 2008, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance will start a project in Haiti to ensure that those who need HIV prevention, treatment, and care are able to access these services.

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-6613--2-2--.html

Still grim news for Carib regarding HIV/AIDS

Caribbean health officials on Tuesday said that at least 31 people are dying daily in the Caribbean from the deadly HIV/AIDS virus. UNAIDS Director Karen Sealey, speaking at the launch of an HIV Epidemic and Response Synthesis in the Caribbean, said that the statistics also show that 47 persons had become infected with the virus on a daily basis last year.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080313/carib/carib3.html

Survey reveals 1,082 men having sex with men in St. Kitts and Nevis

A recent survey conducted by International AIDS Alliance, Caribbean Office revealed that 1,082 men are reported to be having sex with men while 400 persons are selling sex in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

http://www.sknvibes.com/News/NewsDetails.cfm/4649

UN report suggests troubled Caribbean youth

A United Nations youth report has pointed to numerous challenges facing young people in the Caribbean, including high unemployment , lack of opportunity and social alienation which are driving many of them to lives of crime.

http://www.caribbean360.com/News/Caribbean/Stories/2008/03/17/NEWS0000005596.html

OTHER NEWS

2008 HIVAIDS Implementers' Meeting To Highlight Progress And Lessons Learned In HIV Programming

HIV/AIDS implementers from around the world will gather in Kampala, Uganda from June 3-7 for the 2008 HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting. Recognizing the rapid expansion of HIV/AIDS programs worldwide, the focus of this year's meeting is building the capacity of local prevention, treatment, and care programs; enhancing quality; and promoting coordination among partners.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/100078.php

Conversation Quotient

Social media metrics are still a work in progress

What's a friend worth? It's the question marketers are asking more and more as they plow into social media in the hopes of finding new customers in welcoming environments while going beyond simple messaging to the fuzzy notion of "engagement."

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3ibbacf24cbb5b53e808754445d8161984?imw=Y

Internet to Clobber Old Media in Recession

As the United States slips into recession, advertising spending is set to fall -- spelling trouble for broadcasters, magazine publishers, newspapers and cable operators. Also: The Internet is expected to win big during a recession, due to superior targeting and metrics.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/23/news/companies/simons_media.fortune/index.htm

Media Companies Battle Web Portals on Ads

Traditional media companies like Viacom, CBS and Conde Nast are trying to stem the flow of advertising dollars to Google and other Internet outfits by building their own ad networks. The latest, Forbes, is expected to announce that it will start selling ads for about 400 financial blogs.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080324/ap_on_hi_te/online_ad_showdown

National Conference To Address Gay Black Concerns

The conference will be divided into three main areas - Black wellness including HIV/AIDS, the Black Church and homophobia, and Black LGBT Politics including the 2008 Presidential Race and Marriage Equality.

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/03/032408conf.htm

Tribune Sees Culture Change as Top Priority

Tribune's immediate focus appears to be on staunching the bleeding at its newspapers and improving the company's online offerings. "The big message right now is changing the culture," says new exec Randy Michaels. We have "journalists who write mostly for each other, not readers."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982761.html?categoryid=2523

Wikipedia Preferred Over MySpace by Fans

Music fans searching online for information about artists select the Wikipedia entry link over artists' pages on News Corp.'s MySpace by a factor of more than 2-to-1. The Wikipedia entries are also more popular than the artists' own sites. Wikipedia is seen as a "missed opportunity."

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN2148195720080322