April 2, 2008

BET

She’s the boss lady

Some see BET as a much-needed outlet for black programming in the UK. (Let’s face it: we don’t get much). But others have expressed concern that the station will simply bombard us with US programming and not reflect the black British experience. BET’s Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer Debra Lee, who has worked with the network for over 20 years was happy to set the record straight.

http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=13188

CBS

CBS Reduces TV Stations' News Staffs

CBS-owned TV stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago are reducing their news staffs. The cuts include two well-known anchors in Los Angeles, five on-air veterans in San Francisco and one of Chicago's highest-paid anchors.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5htvW-KcWSq45xr3aTqRjaZWaaXvAD8VPP0GG0

FOX

MySpace Forecasts Boom in Mobile Music

News Corp.'s MySpace, the most popular social-networking site, is exploring ways to let users access music featured on its pages through Internet browsers on mobile phones. Within a few years, MySpace is expected to get up to 50% of its user traffic through mobile devices.

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_8775031

MTV

Danville producer looks to 'Rock the Cradle for MTV

Scowley is convinced the show transcends the typical celeb-reality fare with a "compelling drama that delves into the universal theme of parent-and-children relationships," while providing an "eye-opening look" into what it's like to grow up in the music business.

http://www.mercurynews.com/tv/ci_8779211

UNIVISON

Univision Honored with Prestigious Peabody Award for Outstanding Public Service

Univision Communications Inc., the leading Spanish-language media company in the United States, today announced it is the recipient of the coveted Peabody Award for "Ya es Hora," a national citizenship and civic engagement campaign done in collaboration with hundreds of Hispanic serving organizations across the U.S.

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1298243/

Univision Online President Javier Saralegui Resigns

Univision Online's President Javier Saralegui has resigned and Cesar Conde will assume the Role of Interim President of Univision Online. Cesar Conde, currently Chief Strategy Officer of Univision Communications, will assume the role of Interim President of Univision Online. There currently is a search for permanent replacement.

http://www.portada-online.com/html/website/paid/2008/April07/Javier_Saralegui_Resigns.aspx

VIACOM

MTV Networks Content Now Available on iTunes in Germany

MTV Networks Germany will be making a selection of its hit series, including South Park, available for download through the iTunes Store in Germany.

http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent.php?filename=itunes040208.htm

Verizon Wireless And MTV Networks Launch GameTrailers And The N On V CAST Video

The GameTrailers channel on V CAST Video is the premier destination for customers looking for video game entertainment and information, offering customers game trailers, reviews, interviews and event news, as well as Go Gaming, an original series dedicated entirely to the coverage of mobile games.

http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=62488

HIV/AIDS AND SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS

Afghanistan: Education and Media Key to Improving HIV/AIDS Awareness and Knowledge

InterMedia, a Washington, D.C.-based research, evaluation and consulting organization, today released findings from a nationwide survey of Afghanistan that finds low awareness and knowledge levels about HIV/AIDS, but also shows that education and access to media are important predictors for heightened awareness.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/education-and-media-key-to,336933.shtml

South Africa: Campaign Moves to Prevent HIV Among Youth

LoveLife last month launched a new phase of its campaign to reduce HIV among young people. Using the tagline "Make YOUR Move" the new approach recognises that most young South Africans know about HIV/Aids and how to avoid getting it, but further progress in reducing the prevalence among young people is constrained by their perception of limited opportunity.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200804010994.html

St. Maarten: Airport flies [RED] in ApriL

Princess Juliana International Airport operating company (PJIAE) goes [RED] this month in promotion of HIV/AIDS awareness amongst its employees and passengers. A series of activities including handling out of pamphlets in the arrival hall and hanging of banners in the Airport Terminal Building have been planned for the [RED] month. “We will truly be a [RED] company this month,” said Lucrecia Lynch, PJIAE Marketing and Customer Service Manager

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k267/red267.html

Uganda: Country Lagging Behind in Sex Education

WHEN should sex education be introduced in schools? How much of it and in what form should it be delivered? This was the heated debate that remained unresolved by world population and reproductive health experts recently.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200804020022.html

US: Caribbean HIV/AIDS Play Open Call

The Brooklyn, NY based, Caribbean Cultural Theatre begins preparation for their final production for the 2007-2008 season by announcing an open casting call for roles in Godfrey Sealy's One of Our Sons is Missing. A provocative and engaging exposé into many of the issues associated with the spread of HIV within our community, One of Our Sons is Missing is part of the company's Main Stage Series that highlights the work of contemporary Caribbean and Caribbean-American playwrights as they seek to address the complexity of Caribbean realities and the Caribbean-American experience.

US: House Approves Global AIDS Program

The House voted Wednesday to triple to more than $10 billion a year U.S. humanitarian spending on fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other stricken areas of the world.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jb7JQ6VIFJu7UQB0ElCfWnkvUAGwD8VPUN6O1

MOBLE NEWS

MobiTV and FOX Business Network Team Up to Provide Live Business Programming to Mobile Television Viewers

MobiTV, Inc., the leader in mobile and broadband entertainment services, and FOX Business Network today announced a content licensing agreement under which MobiTV will offer FOX Business Network as a dedicated, live channel of full-length linear programming, the same version as seen on cable and satellite line-ups.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/article/mobitv-fox-business-network-team-provide-live-business-programming-mobile_544962_1.html

OTHER MEDIA NEWS

28 Million Mobile Subscribers Responded to At Least One Mobile Ad

According to a new report from The Nielsen Company, twenty-three percent (58 million) of all U.S. mobile subscribers say they've been exposed to advertising on their phones in the past 30 days. Half (51% or 28 million) of all data users who recall seeing mobile advertising in the previous 30 days say they responded to a mobile ad.

http://blogs.mediapost.com/research_brief/?p=1673

Amazon Rolls Out Shopping via Text Message

Amazon.com's brick-and-mortar rivals have another reason to fear the Web: a new service that lets shoppers compare prices and buy things via cellphone. The new Amazon TextBuyIt lets people order products from anywhere their cellphones work -- including from inside physical stores.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080402/ap_on_hi_te/amazon_text_message_shopping;_ylt=AuNy29mn8a0acQjdNOvxFEP6VbIF

Conde Nast Launches Wireless Video Channel

Conde Nast's CondeNet is launching a new channel on Verizon Wireless's V Cast platform, which culls together video clips produced by several of its core content sites, including Style.com, Epicurious.com and Wired.com. The new channel initially features 40 different video clips.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003783811

Consumer Demand for TV Sets Is Shrinking

Consumers appear to be turning down the volume on purchases of television sets. Recent consumer surveys and comments from TV suppliers point to a slowing demand. But while big-screen-TV sales are slowing, sales of videogames are helping to boost the consumer electronics industry.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120709784073182019.html

Media M&A Activity Strong Despite Economy

Despite the slowing economy, mergers and acquisitions in the media industry are keeping up a fairly strong pace, according to a report released by media investment bank Jordan, Edmiston Group. AOL's $850 million acquisition of Bebo helped lift the deal value in this year's first quarter.

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/FREE/995082902/1001

Nielsen Reports Rise in Product Placement on Network TV

According to The Nielsen Company, the number of product placement occurrences in prime-time U.S. network TV rose 13 percent in 2007, with a total of 25,950 instances in the top ten programs for product placement, versus 22,553 in 2006.

http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent.php?filename=nielsen040108.htm

Teens Have Their Stuff Together

the Teen Topix study by OTX and the Intelligence Group finds that 81% of teens (13-17) say they are at least somewhat happy, and over a third say they are very happy.

http://blogs.mediapost.com/research_brief/?p=1672

http://medianewsreports.blogspot.com/