July 28, 2008

MTV

MTV asks, Elizabeth Berkley answers

MTV is developing an unscripted project with Elizabeth Berkley and her husband, artist Greg Lauren, that is based on Ask-Elizabeth, the self-esteem workshops for teen girls that Berkley created. Berkley has volunteered her time facilitating Ask-Elizabeth workshops in schools and for organizations around the country for 2 1⁄2 years. Her Web site, Ask-Elizabeth.com, features a library of video content intended to help empower girls worldwide.

MTV TR3 Receives Eight Imagen Nominations

“Beyond Borders: An MTV Tr3́s Immigration Forum,” a network special that gave voice to Latino youth who were ready to go beyond the politics and rhetoric of the immigration debate, was nominated for Best National Informational Programming. The historic, first-ever of its kind on network TV event, brought together artists such as Ana Ortiz, Calle 13’s Residente and Malverde; young people from Cal State L.A; and U.S. Congressman Xavier Becerra to explore solutions to the immigration crisis and discuss its impact on their families, education and everyday lives. It was hosted by journalist Gustavo Arellano.

VIACOM

Nick Hotel coming to Dubai

Hot on the heels of the launch of the Nickelodeon Arabia television channel, media giant Viacom International is planning to bring its Nick Hotel franchise to Dubai. Viacom, which has the MTV and Nickelodeon international networks among others in its bag of channels, also owns the Nick Hotels franchise that is managed globally by the Marriott Group. Nick Hotels are designed specifically for children and are themed around the Nickelodeon channel brand. They operate only in the US, where they have reportedly become very popular with families. Viacom intends to take the Nick Hotel franchise to several emerging markets around the world.

AFRICA

Food crisis could hit HIV treatment

Spiralling food costs could cause a new crisis in Africa's HIV programme, a UK aid agency has warned. Speaking ahead of an HIV-Aids conference in Mexico, Cafod said advances in treatment for the virus could be swiftly undermined by the soaring price owf foodstuff. Its partners in Africa have reported sufferers coming off anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, while the effectiveness of the treatment was being weakened by poor diets.

Rwanda: Teenagers Launch Battle Against HIV/Aids

A group of six teenagers from the USA and six from Rwanda have converged to fight the HIV/Aids pandemic among their fellow youth. Supported by a local NGO Women's Equality in Access to Care and Treatment(WE-ACT), the six Rwandan girls received their counterparts from Chicago for a one week study tour to learn more about Rwanda and how they can join efforts to fight the pandemic in both countries.

ASIA

ILO, China jointly work on AIDS education among Chinese

The program, called the China Workplace Education Program is a joint program of the ILO, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the China Enterprise Confederation and part of the UN program on HIV/AIDS in China.

New Aids prevention schemeto target ‘high-risk’ students

A NEW programme to stop the spread of Aids and other sexually-transmitted infections (STI) among youth here is being drawn up by the authorities — but what is different this time is that the programme is specifically targetted at students in the Normal stream, who have been identified by counsellors working with youth as being at “high risk” of contracting such diseases.

New sex education module to stress on abstinence

Condom and safe sex are terms that will find no mention in the new sex education module being devised for school students in India. It will instead stress on abstinence, the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) announced Monday. NACO director-general Sujatha Rao said the module would be adopted after intensive consultations with all partners, including parents and teachers.

US-funded consulting room for HIV/AIDS opens in Nghe An

VietNamNet Bridge - A $238,000 consulting room for HIV/AIDS patients opened in the central province of Nghe An on July 24.This consulting room was built under the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for Vietnam, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

CARIBBEAN & LATIN AMERICA

Caribbean Social Networking Platform Unleashed

Social networking specifically for Caribbean nationals has gotten a shot in the arm with the establishment of the www.Cbean.tv platform. CbeanMedia.TV founder, Trinbagonian, and experienced technologist, Sherra Pierre March, says Caribbean nationals now have a space of their own to create their own web page, and post their own video, audio, blog and create forums, and need not look only to MY SPACE` and `YOU TUBE.`

Health (A weekly column prepared by Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc.

Sexually transmitted diseases: The ‘deeper’ and the ‘darker’ insight from Dr. Soumyaroop Dash MD, DNB, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. Dr. Dash offers Guyana residents very helpful sexual health information.

Kerry-Ann Collins a fresh 'Morning Mint'

Kerry-Ann Collins has been spreading Jamaican culture via the radio show The Morning Mint, which she co-hosts on Roadblock Radio in New Jersey, USA. In the Medical Minute she gives the listeners advice about different diseases and infections. The hosts also discuss news items, simplifying them so that the regular listener can understand. Kerry-Ann noted that The Star and The Gleaner are reliable sources to get current information.

Mexican hotels join UN campaign on HIV/AIDS

Ahead of a major HIV/AIDS conference that begins next week in Mexico City, the United Nations and the Mexican hotel industry have joined forces to launch a campaign focusing on prevention, awareness-raising and improved workplace policies for those living with the disease

ADVERTISING NEWS

$80 Billion? Online Display Market Is Being Overhyped

It's déjà vu all over again as the web giants scurry to build massive internet-ad networks: Microsoft makes plays for Yahoo, both of them talk to AOL, Google tries to milk a display powerhouse from DoubleClick, and venture capitalists throw money at ad networks and exchanges. But amid the frenzy, it might be worth taking a look at whether today's economic and marketing developments are shrinking that pot of gold they're all after. Because guess what: The trough of ad dollars flowing from places such as TV and print to the web isn't bottomless after all.

Clear Channel And Katz Launch Big Online Network

Clear Channel Radio and Katz Media Group are launching what they say is the largest online radio advertising network ever, the companies revealed today. The new Katz Online Network will combine over 1,200 Clear Channel stations and Katz affiliates with a number of independent online radio stations, with a total unique audience of about 5 million listeners per week.

GamePro Strikes Ad, Content Deal With Wikia

GamePro Media will exclusively handle ad sales for the gaming section of Wikia, the for-profit Web hosting service started by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, under a new marketing partnership announced today. GamePro will serve display ads across the approximately 500,000 pages of game-related content on Wikia covering a wide range of enthusiast topics from the complex fantasy game "World of Warcraft" to Club Penguin. Wikia's game-related inventory accounts for more than 300 million ad impressions a month.

Yellowpages.com Campaign Shows Off Cross-Media Versatility

Yellowpages.com launched a billboard outdoor advertising campaign this month in five target markets from Detroit to Sacramento, Calif. The campaign designed by WPP Group's Mediaedge:cia and created by GSD&M Idea City in Austin, Texas will eventually add viral media and local search, too. It already taps television and online ads.

HIV/AIDS AND SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS

Area leaders, experts say AIDS is a problem among Hispanics

"We have a lot of Hispanics who are not coming to the agency," said Wheeler, the bilingual case worker for the Triangle AIDS Network in Beaumont. "They are afraid. They think if they do not have (citizenship) papers, they do not qualify for this service. Sometimes they don't know where to go." A study that the Kaiser Family Foundation released earlier this week shows that although Hispanics account for 15 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 19 percent of the reported AIDS cases nationwide. About 1.2 million Americans have the disease.

Call for better sexual health care

Family doctors need to improve the sexual health care they provide, a report has said. Many GPs do not offer enough support to patients, according to the report by the Medical Foundation for Aids and Sexual Health. The report analysed the impact of the Government's sexual health policies over the past seven years.

Condom maker hopes to ink endorsement deal with Miley Cyrus

LifeStyles Condom execs want the 15-year-old star to endorse their product and promote safe sex in teens. “Pop culture proves that teens are more ready than ever to discuss the subject of sex,” New York Daily News quoted Carol Carrozza, VP of marketing for LifeStyles, as saying. “With recent reports showing that one out of four teenage girls has an STD and the high level of teenage pregnancy, we believe that Miley is both influential and relatable to this afflicted set - and is the obvious choice to get the message of safe sex out to teens across America,” she added.

Finding the cure for ignorance

Patient X is a 17-year-old girl, previously healthy, who visited a clinic for routine care. She is sexually active — as are nearly half of Missouri high school students. Her nurse practitioner ordered a battery of blood tests, but a lab technician misread the form. Instead of screening for hepatitis C, he ran a test for HIV. It came back positive.

Getting the HIV message to teens

“Due to budget cuts, educational programs about HIV transmission in schools are almost nonexistent today. Teenagers are lucky to get one or two hours of instruction about HIV transmission in their four years of health education,” Mr. Chittick said. “We are cutting back on instruction, and it is killing teens every day,” said Mr. Chittick, who, for the last 15 years, has committed to the cause as a volunteer.

How Hispanic Leaders Tackled AIDS

The July 23 front-page story "AIDS Among Latinos on Rise" mistakenly characterized AIDS among Hispanics as a new "simmering public health crisis." In fact, since the first days of the epidemic, Hispanics have been overrepresented among AIDS cases. The article was also wrong to focus almost exclusively on immigrants, as most Hispanics with AIDS are U.S.-born.

Network offers help to people with HIV, AIDS

John tells his story to schools, service groups, churches and organizations as part of the “My Face, My Voice” program through the AIDS Support Network of San Luis Obispo County. The program trains speakers to educate the public and give a face and a voice to people with HIV and AIDS.

Talking To Children About Sex

Each year about one million teenage girls become pregnant in the United States and three million teens get a sexually transmitted disease. Experts say children and adolescents need guidance from parents to help make healthy and appropriate decisions regarding their sexual behavior since they can be confused and overstimulated by what they see and hear. (Also link to video - starting at :25 the reporter interviews teenagers about their sexual experiences and the norms for their age group)

What only a dad can tell a daughter about sex

In fact, he says it's imperative for fathers to have that potentially difficult conversation about what teenage boys really want from them in terms of sex. "They can explain it in a way that mom can't, to let daughter know that for boys teen sex is about conquest, fun and adventure; while for girls, teen sex is about expressing love and affection," Wanis said.

MULTI CULTURAL NEWS

Black in America on CNN: Are We There Yet?

For whites, Black in America has to be just as complicated to watch. There are no forced fed finger-pointing segments aimed at white guilt (i.e. painful historic regurgitations of America's shameful past), and no easy saviors riding in from White America to make everybody feel OK. Nor is the documentary a parade of black overachievers like Oprah and Obama, propped up as evidence that we can all rest easy now, black folks will be just fine, y'all. I could imagine it even feeling somewhat voyeuristic, sitting on a comfortable suburban sofa looking at the dissected struggles of a people, once removed.

JL KING NO LONGER ON 'THE DOWN LOW'

JL King became known as the infamous "Mr. Down Low" after he guested on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and shared the story of his double life as a loving husband who had homosexual affairs. “I am one who wants to let people know that this type of behavior exists and it looks like me,” he said, “but the African American community did not let me change.”

Latino Soccer Tournament Educates About Health Care

For the 5th year, the city's Minority Health Program is sponsoring a weekend soccer tournament.The tournament not only provides a good athletic outlet for Latinos in Portland, it also is a way for the Minority Health Program to make community members aware of the services available to them.

The Stars Come Out at First Ever Spanish-Language Awards Show

The historic Pasadena Civic Auditorium was filled with stars from both the sports and entertainment worlds as the first-ever annual "Tecate Premios Deportes" (Tecate Sports Awards) honoring Hispanic athletes in nine different categories was broadcast last night by Univision, the most-watched Spanish-language television network in America.

PHILANTHROPY

Russian Moguls Join Forces in Philanthropy

A closely allied group of prominent and controversial Russian billionaires has thrown its largesse behind a multinational philanthropic fund to develop Jewish identity among Russian speakers worldwide. The Genesis Philanthropy Group already is providing targeted grants in the United States, Russia and Israel for a bevy of Jewish educational, travel and community development programs.

Tanzania set to host tourism philanthropy conference

Announcing the conference with a theme of “2008 Travellers’ Philanthropy Conference”, in Washington DC in United States of America, organizers of the professional travel and tourism gathering said Tanzania will be the first African nation to host the conference since its inception four years ago. Other plenary sessions include a panel discussions on the roles of tourists and travellers on supporting combating HIV/AIDS in Africa, benefits of tourism to the local communities and commitments from tourist business stakeholders in supporting local people in tourist zones.

SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS

Bad News For MySpace: Growth Curve Flattened

Bad news for Rupert Murdoch: Goldman Sachs figures his Internet business is worth perhaps $3 billion -- about half the value he was trying to get for it earlier this year. The good news: Goldman didn't generate its numbers by placing a value on the eyeballs that MySpace and the rest of Fox Interactive Media have attracted, or even the revenue they're generating.

Facebook fends off attack of the clones

Clones of the wunderkind social-networking Web site — some of which resemble Facebook right down to color, font and layout — have popped up in local languages around the world. These competitor sites offer identical core services, letting users post pictures, make groups and choose their friends.

The Gamma Factor: Women and the New Social Currency

Meredith Corporation, the leading media and marketing company serving American women, today released The Gamma Factor: Women and the New Social Currency. This new report uncovers the rise of Gamma women: a growing segment - significant both in number and influence - that is creating a groundswell in today's new media and marketing landscape.

OTHER NEWS

Print Newspaper Readership Yielding to Internet Publishing

According to the 2008 Readership Institute, Northwestern University tracking study of newspaper and online readership in 100 U.S communities, reported by Mary Nesbitt, Readership Behavior Scores (calculated on a 1-7 scale) among the general adult population have averaged 3.4 over the last six years, with variations likely due, in whole or part, to seasonal variations. With non-readers out of the mix, readers of the local daily newspaper registered a 4.7 score this year, a level that has actually risen slowly since the first measurement in 2002.

Race, Politics, and the Media: A Roundtable Discussion

In Chicago, nearly 10,000 journalists of color are gathered for a convention that brings together members of the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and the Native American Journalists Association. It’s organized by UNITY, Journalists of Color, Inc.