Monday, June 9, 2008

June 09, 2008


BET

Animated 'Boondocks' takes two swipes at BET

The battle between "The Boondocks" creator Aaron McGruder and Black Entertainment Television is about to get a lot more animated. Two second-season episodes of the biting cartoon series that attack the black-themed network but were never aired, possibly because of corporate pressure, are slated for DVD release next Tuesday. The pair of shows take aim at BET's top executives and lampoon what it views as the cable network's harmful negative imagery and stereotypes that work as a "destructive" force within African-American culture.

D.L. Hughley to host 'BET Awards '08'

Actor and comedian D.L. Hughley will take the reins as the host of BET Awards '08 honoring the biggest stars in music, sports and entertainment live from Los Angeles' historic Shrine Auditorium on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:00 p.m. Newly announced performers include Alicia Keys, nominated for Best Female R&B

CBS

CBS And Yahoo To Announce Video Partnership Tomorrow Morning

We've got confirmation that CBS is going to announce an important partnership with Yahoo tomorrow morning. While we don't yet know exactly what it will entail, we are confident that Yahoo will be joining the CBS Audience Network, which distributes CBS content to destinations such as YouTube, AOL, MSN, Joost, Veoh, Fancast, Bebo, and TVGuide. See a longer list of partners here.

CW NETWORK

CW Network Sees Prime-Time Ad Sales Drop 40%

The youth-oriented CW says it has sold nearly $375 million in prime-time advertising for next season -- about 40% less than it did last year. CW, a 2-year-old joint venture between CBS and Warner Bros., says its ratings plunged 23% from last year during the just-concluded TV season.

FOX

Fox Nabs 40% Premium For 'Remote-Free TV'
Fox is getting pricing premiums of between 35-40% for ad space in two new 2008-09 dramas that are running only half the typical number of commercials. The shows "Fringe" and "The Dollhouse" have cut the portion of ads and promotions in an effort to maximize viewer engagement.

MySpace's Tech Attraction May Lure More Ads

MySpace's recent move to allow software developers to make money from their viral creations is beginning to pay off. About 1,000 new applications created for MySpace in the last two months have helped keep the site's 117 million users online longer, which could boost advertising.

MTV

MTV does another phone for Europe

MTV is continuing its march across Europe to get its logo on various continental-based gadgets. Its latest effort is a co-branded "MTV Edition" of Sony Ericsson's W760i Walkman phone. It's the second MTV handset released on the European market, following one designed by Paris-based ModeLabs for France.

MTV UK’s relaunched news site live today

“MTV News is evolving and adapting to suit our viewers’ needs giving them access to the content they want across multiple platforms,” says Lisa Stokoe, executive producer of MTV News, in a press release. “The success of the news section on mtv.co.uk suggests our users are keen to read entertainment news online, and the refreshed news site ensures that MTV News will become a one-stop destination for all music, celebrity and entertainment news”.

VIACOM

Paramount lineup key for Viacom

Viacom's stock is undervalued, but should move higher during the next year if management continues its turnaround of key businesses, chairman Sumner Redstone and CEO Philippe Dauman said at the firm's annual shareholder meeting Thursday. In that regard, one of the industry's final events of the annual meeting season echoed a key theme heard in other sector biggie's shareholder gatherings. "Over the long run -- we're in a bad market now -- it will go up," Redstone said.

Viacom names European government relations head

Viacom has announced the appointment of Philip Jenner as vice president, government relations, Europe. Jenner joins from Discovery Communications where he has been director of international public policy and government affairs. He was also responsible for licensing and regulatory compliance in the UK and chaired Discovery’s Compliance Committee.

Viacom nears end of upfront ad sales

Viacom's cable networks are about 75% done with their upfront advertising sales and expect to wrap up business this week, Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman said here Monday. He told the Deutsche Bank Securities Media and Telecom Conference that the company is selling a bigger percentage of its ad inventory in the upfront this year compared than last, but declined to provide a specific percentage.

AFRICA

Caravan Travels West Africa to Focus on HIV Testing, Education

The Love Life Caravan is passing through Benin, as it travels the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor. The almost month-long campaign attempts to educate people along the corridor about HIV and AIDS. Ricci Shryock has more from Dakar.

Ghana: Standard Bank's Wellness Champions Recognized for Excellence

Standard Bank, parent company of Stanbic Bank Ghana, has won the prestigious 2008 AfriCom.Net annual award for Excellence in HIV and AIDS Communication in Africa. The award recognises the work the Bank's "Wellness Champions" have done in HIV/ AIDS training, raising awareness and offering HIV/ AIDS advisory support to staff and the broader community.

HIV rate falls among pregnant women in S. Africa

The prevalence of the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) among pregnant women aged between 15 and 19 in South Africa has continued to decrease over the past two years, says Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

Liberia: New Media Group Formed

A new media group, Media Female Association (MEFA) which has a focus to address issues surrounding women in the media morally and socially has been established in the country. The decision to establish the group was reached by a team of women, working within media organizations who saw the need to identify with each other apart from just writing and reporting the news.

Mercedes drops off HIV/Aids fight at the door of rivals

Mercedes-Benz South Africa has been commended internationally for Siyakhana, the car make's HIV/Aids community project in the Eastern Cape. The Global Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC) annually acknowledges the efforts of companies around the world for implementing sophisticated and effective programmes, using business principles to fight these deadly diseases.

Some African cultural traditions influence spread of AIDS – UN report

Cultural factors in Africa, including gender inequalities, wife inheritance and some sexual practices, need to change and be better understood if the fight against HIV/AIDS is to be more effective, according to a new United Nations report.

South Africa: Intl Meeting to be Held to Assess HIV, AIDS Progress

Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang will be attending a high-level meeting at the UN headquarters in New York this week to assess progress being made around the spread of HIV and AIDS.United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, will address the meeting and give countries a platform to assess progress around the spread, treatment and management of HIV and AIDS globally.

South Africa: Mfuleni Park to Address Social Issues

The City of Cape Town in partnership with Ma-Afrika Tikkun has opened a community park which aims to address social issues facing the Mfuleni community. Opened on Friday, the Mfuleni Park will be used as training centre and provide recreational equipment including sport equipment and activities for children.

You, me and the condom

After a long day's work at a printing office in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo (RoC), André Mikangou* usually buys a bottle of beer at the local petrol station shop and gets some locally produced Ami-3 condoms from the vending machine. Condom dispensers are now found in most of the RoC's busiest towns, thanks to an initiative by the National AIDS Council (Conseil national de lutte contre le sida - CNLS), in partnership with the UN Population Fund, which has installed around 40 machines across the country to promote condoms.

ASIA

Female condoms are in-things for city’s sex workers

Though some activists say it lets men off the hook yet again and lays the onus of protection solely on women. The various points of view notwithstanding, the female condom receives a thumping vote of confidence from the city’s sex workers because for them it means empowerment, one like never before.

Social awareness to fight HIV/AIDS underscored

Speakers at a day-long meeting at Mohasthangarh in Shibganj upazila of Bogra stressed the need for taking joint efforts for preventing HIV/AIDS. They also called for awareness-building campaign, particularly among the vulnerable groups, to check spreading of the deadly disease and also trafficking of women and children. VCO, a local NGO, with assistance of Padokhkhep, organised the meeting titled 'HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme and the Youth Community' at VCO office at Mohasthangarh

Used Condoms Recycled Into Hair Bands In China

Latest report shows that in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in Guangdong southern province, Chinese-made recycled products such as headbands and rubber bands made of used condoms were seen being openly sold in local markets and beauty shops. Report said, "These cheap and colorful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ... threatening the health of local people."

CARIBBEAN

Barbados to participate in the United Nations meeting on HIV/AIDS

Barbados Minister of Family, Youth, Sports and the Environment, Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo, will lead an eight-member delegation to the meeting which begins on Tuesday, June 10, at the United Nations Headquarters. Other members of the group are Minister of Health, Dr. David Estwick; Chairman of the National HIV/AIDS Commission, Dr. Carol Jacobs; Director of the Commission, Alies Jordan; and Barbados’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Christopher Hackett.

Bright Lights, Carib City

Carifest, an annual, New York-based, Caribbean diaspora celebration that combines food, crafts, and a concert, will also include a charitable theme this year: “Carifest CARES: Keep a Child Alive (KACA)”. Keep a Child Alive is a non-profit organization founded by Leigh Blake, in response to the desperate cry for much-needed AIDS-combating medicines in Africa.

Nike makes Mavado shoe

International sportswear giant Nike has selected dancehall star Mavado to be part of the company’s latest consumer marketing campaign. Nike recently commissioned Mavado to appear in an EPK (Electronic Promotional Kit) and to make an original track to support the Jamaican effort at the 2008 Olympics, starting August 8, in China. The company also made a limited number of sneakers to help promote the campaign.

Parties' stand on AIDS lauded

BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES have been praised by a Government minister for their views in responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Minister of Family, Sports, Youth and the Environment Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo said she was pleased there was support from both sides as it was not a political issue.

Prof disputes Minister's facts on HIV infection

The rate of HIV infection in Trinidad and Tobago is higher in males than females, Minister of Social Development Dr Amery Browne said yesterday. "Data in Trinidad and Tobago shows that while there may be a feminisation of the epidemic, particularly among 15 to 24 years old; the current rate of infection is still generally higher amongst men by a ratio of 2:1, especially amongst the 25-49 age group."

Setting the right example!

SETTING the right example always goes a long way toward any successful programme. Thus we support the suggestion coming from Leader of the House Ronald Jones, that all 30 members of the House of Assembly lead by example in the fight against HIV/AIDS, by getting tested publicy.

The Poster Girl Who Was Cut Out of the Picture

There were television spots as well, and radio ads. In a blitz organized by the Jamaican Ministry of Health, Annesha became the poster child for the country's fight against HIV/AIDS. Some people assumed that the 27-year-old was an actress. (How could such a beautiful woman be living with such an ugly disease?) Others took her apparent well-being as evidence that HIV isn't so dangerous after all.

EUROPE

Sexual health clinic to cut teen pregnancies

A pilot scheme at a Spalding surgery aims to reduce teenage pregnancies and improve the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

Church Street Surgery is now offering two three-hour sexual health clinics each week and a hour-long weekday lunchtime service that will provide better access to contraceptives and better screening for sexual infections, such as Chlamydia

ADVERTISING NEWS

Ad agency launches social networking platform

The site allows members to download and comment on videos, post their own audio and video logs and engage in the type of social networking and collaboration that has come to define the new generation of Web 2.0 websites.

Song and Dance Squelch TV Ad Skipping
It looks like vaudeville has never really gone away; dancing and singing TV shows seem to discourage people from ad zapping. An survey of media-buyer projections of commercial ratings reveals that "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars" will have the highest "C3" ratings--households that will watch the ads within three days of a program's original air date.

Teenagers attending college less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior

The University of Washington study, published in this month's issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, also compared risky sexual behavior of teens living at home and those who established their own residences and found no significant differences between the groups, said Jennifer Bailey, a research scientist with the UW's Social Development Research Group and lead author of the paper.

YouTube Lets Content Creators Sell Ads
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said that monetizing YouTube is priority No.1 for the search king this year, but nearly six months into '08, it's the same old story for the online video sharing giant: Sustained market domination but puny revenues. The company's latest money-saving idea: let content creators sell their own ads.

HIV/AIDS AND SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS

AHF's Public Health Division Celebrates Advances in the Fight

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), operator of the largest non-government HIV testing program in California, will celebrate advances in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), with an open house and re-dedication ceremony for AHF’s Public Health Division on Monday, June 9

Condom company mixes sex and art to boost sales

Legends Rubbers is about to launch prophylactic packaging featuring works by Hazel Dooney and is following in the footsteps of other campaigns that feature artists, like Louis Vuitton stylings of Takashi Murakami to Australia's own Pro Hart and Stainmaster carpet.

Forum looks at ways to prevent STDs

Linda Bolton, community relations/health education program coordinator at the Vermilion County Health Department, said the pilot program is something the department is most excited about, because it has never been done before. She said it is a good curriculum that will focus on teaching teenagers the decision-making skills necessary to avoid behaviors that put them at risk of sexually transmitted diseases.

HIV/AIDS numbers on the decline

HIV rates are declining in prison, according to the U. S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, but AIDS activists paint a different picture of the disease's prevalence both in and out of prison. Laura M. Maruschak, a statistician for Bureau, studied statewide HIV rates for 2005 and 2006, and found that the number of HIV positive prisoners decreased by a little more than three percent (from 22,676 to 21,980). Despite this drop, the overall AIDS rate among prisoners was 0.46 percent compared to 0.17 percent for the U.S. general population.

Mass. launches campaign urging blacks to get tested for AIDS

State public health officials are launching a new campaign to encourage blacks to get tested for AIDS. The state Department of Public Health program is the first new AIDS testing campaign in four years and includes billboards and newspaper ads. Blacks in Massachusetts account for 6 percent of the population, but 28 percent of people with HIV/AIDS.

More Evidence on Failure of Abstinence Only

The nation's campaign to get more teenagers to delay sex and to use condoms is faltering, threatening to undermine the highly successful effort to reduce teen pregnancy and protect young people from sexually transmitted diseases, federal officials reported yesterday.

Now Playing: Spike Lee Stands with Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Cookie

Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Cookie Johnson, Abbott and the Magic Johnson Foundation launched a public service announcement campaign as part of the "I Stand With Magic Program," part of "The Campaign to End Black HIV/AIDS," directed by Academy Award-nominated director Spike Lee. The public service announcement campaign will premiere nationally this summer and is targeted toward African-American and other minority communities where new HIV infections are prevalent.

Singer Alicia Keys talks about her mission to fight HIV/AIDS

"I have been blessed to travel around the world. I have spent a lot of time in Africa, and during those trips got to see firsthand the needs of people suffering with AIDS," said Keys, 27, who has noted in past interviews that she was born the year the epidemic began. "I knew I needed to do something."

Study: 1 in 4 adults in NYC have herpes virus

A city Health Department study finds that more than a fourth of adult New Yorkers are infected with the virus that causes genital herpes. The study, released Monday, says about 26 percent of New York City adults have genital herpes, compared to about 19 percent nationwide. The department says genital herpes can double a person's risk for contracting HIV.

Study: Programs Succeed In Reducing Risky Sex Among HIV-Pos

Research has shown that HIV-positive African American and Hispanic men who were sexually abused as children are particularly vulnerable to engaging in high-risk sex and experiencing depressive symptoms. Yet few HIV intervention programs exist to help them.

Teenagers Attending College Less Likely To Engage In Risky Sexual

Adolescents attending college six months after completing high school are significantly less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than those who do not go to college, according to the first study to directly compare the two groups.

MOBILE NEWS

Mobile Social Networking: European Survey

According to a recent survey of 500 social networkers across Europe, 32% of social networkers believe mobiles will be used to alert users to friends or family in the vicinity. 17% believe they will be used to take lessons and lectures. Dating is the least popular, with only 5% saying mobiles will be used for pre-date screening.

MULTI CULTURAL NEWS

DirecTV to Launch Hispanic Network

DirecTV will launch a 24-hour, satellite Hispanic network, Azteca Mexico, which will be aired through DirecTV Mas U.S. It will air nationally starting June 11. Azteca Mexico will offer exclusive programming from TV Azteca's three Mexican networks, which is different from shows that viewers currently get on Azteca America. Programming includes Mexican novelas, Mexican news and reality and entertainment shows.

Hispanic Students More Likely to Use Drugs, Attempt Suicide

Hispanic students are more likely than black or white students to attempt suicide and use drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines, says a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Symposium and Conference Look at Diseases Affecting African Americans

About 400 medical officials, community leaders, pastors and business owners will gather in downtown Houston during the second annual Houston Juneteenth Multicultural Health Festival (HJMHF) presented by UnitedHealth Group for a symposium and conference that focuses on chronic life-threatening diseases affecting African Americans and Hispanic Americans.

Tourism conference addresses niche marketing in the Caribbean

The set theme of the symposium from May 15-19 was, "Embracing the Diaspora: Connecting Communities.".Terestella Denton, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, called for a plan for the region to deal with the challenges ahead, stressing this might include a drive to niche-market the region to Caribbean emigrants abroad, luring them back to the region as tourists. "Theres gold in them there hills," assured Irwin Clare, the Managing Director of the Jamaica-based Caribbean Immigrant Services, Inc. He said the potential economic contribution of Caribbean descendants now living abroad is being masked by the fact that there is little data on their activities.

PHILANTHROPY

How Bill Gates Prepared For His New Role
On June 27, Microsoft Co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates will step away from daily management of the company to focus on his philanthropy project, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Steve Ballmer, Gates' longtime friend and colleague, will remain company CEO, but will assume greater control. The Wall Street Journal tells the story of the gradual handoff, which was set into motion in early 2000, when Gates handed his CEO title to Ballmer.

Three Areas Where Foundations Falter

Ms. Higgins lists numerous pieces of information that foundations are fearful of reporting but fails to list the three they fear the most. First, why do foundations spend only five cents of every dollar of their assets on philanthropy despite the fact that they grow by 13% every year? Second, why have foundations failed to leverage their funds by partnering with corporate America? Third, since foundations are more efficient than government in assisting the underserved, why have they not effectively leveraged government funds?

US corporate philanthropy increased in 2007, says new report

Corporate philanthropy by multinational US businesses increased by 5.6% in 2007 according to new research by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP). The international forum of business CEOs and chairpersons claims that donating shot up to a median of $26 million among the 155 companies it surveyed.

SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS

Application Makers Competing For Social Media Dollars

Application makers on Facebook and MySpace are starting to compete with the mother site for ad dollars, The Wall Street Journal reports. Backed by a hefty dose of venture capital and under pressure to find new ways to make money, companies like RockYou and iLike are hiring teams to sell ads on the applications they build. In many cases, the sellers are going after the very same advertisers as Facebook and MySpace.

Disney to Launch Family-Focused Social Network

Disney Family.com plans to roll out a new parent-oriented social networking platform that will provide users with the ability to create profiles for their entire family. The new community will be different from typical social networks, which emphasize individual profiles.

myYearbook Named Third Largest Social Network in the US

myYearbook.com, a network founded by two high school students, is now the third largest and fastest growing social network in the U.S. The teen network’s market share grew by 426 percent this past year, according to leading online competitive intelligence service Hitwise.

Nationwide Survey Shows the Prevalence of Spam on Social Networking Sites

Cloudmark, Inc., the global leader in carrier-grade messaging security, today announced the results of a nationwide poll conducted on its behalf by Harris Interactive®, which revealed that, in the past twelve months, more than four in five social networking site users(1) (83 percent) received unwanted (or spam) "friend" invitations, messages or postings on their social or professional network account.

New LGBT Social Networking Site Launches

A new social networking site for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allied community was launched today in Beta. FriendsYouKnow.com attempts to be a little different: The site will donate 10 percent of subscription fees to organizations that support LGBT interests. (Of course, this also means the site costs money to use.)

Report: Social Networking To Revolutionize Industry

According to a report from iSuppli, the wireless social networking market stands to revolutionize the global technology business by 2020. The research firm estimates that over the next 12 years the wireless social networking value chain, including products, services, applications, components and advertising, will generate more than $2.5 trillion in revenue.

Social Networking Meets Madison Ave.

Feeling feisty? Throw an orange Tic Tac at a friend through Facebook, sponsored by Fox Searchlight studios to promote DVD sales of the movie "Juno." Feeling thirsty? Give a friend a virtual bottle of Vitamin Water, courtesy of Coca-Cola. These are a few of the ways big-name brands are advertising to the millions who use the social networking tools made by Slide, the largest maker of mini-software programs known as "widgets" that let people express themselves on sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

OTHER NEWS

Alternative Newspapers & Their Sites Read By Surburbia

A new report issued by The Media Audit reveals that 43.8 million U.S. adults have read an alternative newspaper or visited an alternative newspaper's website in the past 30 days. The study, which compared past four issue readership among 117 papers across 88 U.S. Markets, reveals an average readership of 374,296 adults in 2007 compared to 362,938 in the previous year, a 3% increase.

Cornucopia of April Online Web and Video Viewers and Brands

Click the link above to view total website user data for April, including detailed findings for viewers and advertisers in the Current Events and Global News categories, as well as Online video viewers and brands.

Deluge of media discussed at Internet Week

The opportunities and challenges of the ever-growing consumption of online content and entertainment were in focus at Internet Week on Thursday. "Consumers are taking on more media right now than they ever have before," Warner Bros. Television vp Brett Boutier said at a discussion at Midtown Manhattan's Time Warner Center, which drew a big crowd. Moderator Scott Donaton, publisher of Entertainment Weekly, even suggested it was the biggest turnout at the TW Center since Bono

New Media Discovery Website That Uses AI

A new website called, The Filter, has been launched that uses advanced mathematics and artificial intelligence to help you discover new music and other types of media. Backed by the legendary Peter Gabriel, The Filter system aims to act as a "life jockey" and deliver recommended content based on your ratings of artists, genres, videos, literature, etc.

New media ventures target influential female executives

Trying to reach the growing and influential audience of female business executives, several media companies have recently rolled out or announced new properties aimed at professional women.

Nielsen Preps Service for Downloadable Media

Nielsen Online is preparing a platform to monitor the number of downloaded media served through Apple iTunes and other systems. While Nielsen and others track the views of streaming video, third party monitoring of downloaded video are understood to not currently exist.

Study: Tykes, teens outdo adults on Youtube

According to a new study from Nielsen Online, the largest number of tykes and preteens go to YouTube for video (or 4.1 million viewers aged 2 to 11), followed by the Disneychannel.com at a distant second, with 1.3 million viewers in that age bracket for the month of April. MySpace.com, NickJr, and Google Video also showed up on that list.

The Video Generation: Kids and Teens Consuming More Online Video

Nielsen Online, a service of The Nielsen Company, today announced that per person, kids consumed more streams than those over 18, and spent more time watching online video from home in April (see Table 1). Kids 2-11 viewed an average of 51 streams and 118 minutes of online video per person during the month, while teens 12-17 viewed an average of 74 streams and 132 minutes of online video. Those over 18 viewed an average of 44 streams and 99 minutes of online video.

Time Warner Cable Turns to Bloggers for Feedback

Time Warner Cable's public-relations staff is conducting blog outreach for its test of an Internet usage-based pricing plan. Members cable system company's internal staff are engaging bloggers, mostly in the technology and consumer verticals, and analyzing online coverage.

Workshop targets journalists

A three-day workshop in Vanuatu is aiming to get journalists to question their attitudes and beliefs when it comes to sexual health. And journalists are asked to understand how individuals and communities change in relation to HIV.

YouTube Launches Video Channel for Reporters

YouTube is launching a "Reporter" channel, featuring news-related videos submitted by both amateurs to professionals, in time for presidential race. Also: The Google-owned video site is teaming with the GOP for a contest to send an amateur videographer to the Republican convention.

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