BROADCAST
Could the declining ratings of shows like Fox's "Joe Millionaire" be the
beginning of the end for reality television?
USA Today

Israeli-Russian billionaire Lev Leviev is in talks to have one of his
companies buy out the 42 percent stake Africa Israel holds in money-losing Vash
Telecanal, which operates the Russian TV channel, Israel Plus.
Ha'aretz

A dispute between ABC executives over the ABC Family cable network is putting
the future of the costly ABC Family Channel in jeopardy.
The New York Times

Oprah protégé and talk show host, Dr. Phil McGraw, is battling obesity on his
syndicated series, inviting 13 overweight guests to sweat off the pounds over
the course of a year.
The New York Times

PAY TV
Australian pay-TV operator Foxtel has secured $550 million in loans from the
Commonwealth Bank and ABN Amro and can now fully afford its planned digital
television roll-out.
Sydney Morning Herald

CABLE
The simultaneous release of a new documentary called "Born Rich" and MTV's
airing a new show called "Rich Girls" makes one wonder if life really is better
on the other side of the fence.
The New York Times

PIRACY
U.S. Federal regulators are planning to adopt rules which they hope will keep
people from copying digital broadcasts of TV shows and films and distributing
them over the Internet.
The New York Times

AWARDS
Mere days after the Motion Picture Association of America lifted a ban on
screeners for Oscar voters, the Screen Actors Guild, the Hollywood Foreign Press
Association and other groups that traditionally received screeners, have yet
to be appeased.
Chicago Tribune

PROGRAMMING
HBO will co-fund a new multi-million pound 12-part BBC documentary called
"Rome," which will be shown in England and the U.S. in 2005.

The Guardian

Columnist Anna Quindlen contends that television is a vast wasteland of
unwatchable shows -- except maybe the "Law & Order" franchise.
Newsweek

ADVERTISING
Seven-month-old, 24/7 College Sports Television has inked a lucrative deal
with Nike that includes both ad time and regular product placement in the form
of a half-hour show called "Nike Training Camp."
The New York Times

Commercials with sexual content upset 41 percent of Israeli viewers and 13
percent complain that many commercials don't make any sense.
Ha'aretz

TECHNOLOGY
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found a new way to
distribute free music to dorm rooms: using the campus cable TV station.
USA Today

Why pay a fortune for a Japanese DVD player when you can get a Chinese one
for less than half the price?
Sydney Morning Herald

FESTIVALS
East Hampton's 11th annual Hamptons International Film Festival gave the
Golden Starfish Award for Best Narrative to "Screen Door Jesus," an ensemble drama
directed by Kirk Davis.
The New York Times

SATELLITE
Fox Kids Europe is banking that "Power Rangers," the number one show for boys
in Europe, will continue to be a strong ratings performer.
Los Angeles Times

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