May 2, 2008

BET

BET J reviews St Lucia Jazz 2008

The 17th Annual St Lucia Jazz festival, one of the Caribbean's premier musical attractions, set for May 2 to 11, has already started its countdown on top cable networks BET and BET J. The 2008 St. Lucia Jazz Preview Show is currently spotlighted on BET J's popular "Island Lime"

FOX

MySpace, NBC Prove 'America's Got Talent'

MySpace, NBC and FremantleMedia are expected to announce a partnership that will allow MySpace users to upload audition video clips for the third season of the NBC reality show "America’s Got Talent." One episode of the show will be devoted to auditions of MySpace users.

MySpace to Recruit Backup Singer for Keys

R&B star Alicia Keys is inviting female singers who are 21 to 30 years old to "audition" to be one of her backup singers via MySpace. Hopefuls have until May 5 to submit a video clip of themselves singing a capella to Keys' page on the News Corp. social-networking site.

MTV

MTV's Search For The New Elle Woods

Just moments ago, MTV made the official announcement that Haylie Duff is set to host the "Seach For The New Elle Woods" which will air this spring.

VIACOM

Viacom is Recession-Resistant, Analysts Say

Viacom says its quarterly net profit rose 33%, beating Wall Street forecasts, on strong sales of the "Rock Band" video game and higher advertising revenue at MTV Networks. Also: Some analysts say Viacom's mix of media businesses makes the company "recession-resistant."

AFRICA

Commercial sex industry booming along Uganda, Sudan border; teachers increasingly joining trade, study says

The commercial sex industry is booming along the border between Uganda and Sudan following a recent increase in jobs and commercial trucking, according to a recently released study about HIV/AIDS in the region, Uganda's Monitor reports.

Ghana: Efforts to Establish HIV/Aids Clubs in Schools Underway

A two-day capacity workshop, organized by the Social Change Advocacy Network (SCAN), with support from Ibis Ghana, has ended in Tamale. The objective of the workshop was to provide justification, for joint action and support to the establishment of HIV/AIDS clubs in basic schools, and to increase awareness on how HIV/AIDS impacts on education.

ASIA

Last Year Brought More Cases of HIV Infections in Singapore

The number of HIV cases in Singapore hit a record in 2007 with 422 new infections recorded, the highest number in a single year since records started in 1985, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

CARIBBEAN & LATIN AMERICA

Antigua, Barbuda Government, UNFPA Hold Training Workshop For Groups To Promote Condom Use

The AIDS Secretariat and the Directorate of Gender Affairs of the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, with support from UNFPA, earlier this week hosted a two-day workshop to train representatives from government ministries, and community and social groups to promote condom use. The workshop, titled "Behavioral Change Communication Condom Programming," emphasized use of the female condom.

Innovative HIV/AIDS initiative launched in St Lucia

Respect Initiative Social Health Education -- RISE (St Lucia) Inc. -- in partnership with Mystic Elements, Sound City Crew, the National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program, prepares to celebrate the closing of Youth month, April 2008, with the holding of Ride with Protection - a bicycle race with a difference.

USVI First Lady launches mental health awareness campaign

In recognition of Mental Health Month, which is observed each May, US Virgin Islands First Lady Cecile deJongh is launching a month-long media campaign to raise awareness of the reality of mental illness.

EUROPE

Largest Ever Regional AIDS Conference to Review Epidemic Status and Changing Challenges in the Response

Starting tomorrow, the second Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference (EECAAC II), the largest AIDS-focused event to date in the region, will bring together a wide range of private and public groups at a critical time in the fight against AIDS

HIV/AIDS AND SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS

'Magic' Johnson seeks to raise AIDS awareness

The former Los Angeles Lakers point guard spoke at Howard University on Wednesday as part of a campaign to help minority communities become more educated about the disease.

MOBLE NEWS

AT&T to launch Mobile TV service in 58 markets

AT&T's new Mobile TV service builds on its television offerings from Emeryville-based MobiTV Inc. MobiTV offers mobile television and radio programming through several carriers including AT&T, and also a broadband TV service with AT&T.

OTHER MEDIA NEWS

Facebook Beats Out MySpace in User Trust

Facebook and MySpace, the two largest U.S. social networks, have different cultures that influence the actions some members take to ensure privacy. Nearly all of Facebook's 70 million members use their real names, while less than half of MySpace's 110 million members use theirs.

Is the future of TV on the Web?

The future of television is changing before our eyes, as media giants scramble to stake their claims in the wilderness of Internet video. Major studios, including Fox, NBC Universal, and Warner Bros. are moving quickly to establish Web sites for their premium video titles, in hopes of grabbing a growing audience of online video viewers.

LA Times to Launch HollywoodBacklot.com

Tribune's LATimes.com is preparing to launch a behind-the-scenes film Web site called HollywoodBacklot.com. The advertising-supported site will feature sharable photos from the sets of movies and television shows. LATimes.com is set to bring in $25 million in ad revenue this year.

Nielsen Issues DTV Transition Plan

Nielsen Media Research has issued to its clients a nine-page letter spelling out its plan for the transition to digital-only television broadcasting that goes into effect on Feb. 17, 2009, assuring that "most homes" in its audience ratings sample with TV sets not capable of receiving digital signals will take steps to ensure that they continue to receive TV signals after that date.

Telemundo Partners With IAG, Nielsen

Telemundo has become the first Spanish-language TV network client of IAG Research, which began measuring viewer response to all prime-time Spanish-language ads and programs on the major Hispanic TV nets since August 2007.