PROGRAMMING
ABC network finally has the water cooler show it so desperately needed.
Suburban drama "Desperate Housewives" is proving to be the Disney-owned station's
biggest hit of the new season. [E! Online News]
E! Online

Sinclair Broadcasting Group will air an anti-John Kerry documentary on up to
62 of its U.S. affiliate stations. The film, which is being met with plenty of
controversy, will air just weeks before the increasing close U.S.
Presidential election. [The New York Times]
The New York Times

BUSINESS
The BBC's international expansion continues with the creation of BBC Japan.
The advertising-funded entertainment channel will carry classic British
programs, and is expected to help improve residents' English. [The London Times]
The London Times

DreamWorks Animation SKG, a spin-off of parent company Dreamworks SKG, which
is co-owned by media giants Steven Spielberg, Jeffery Katzenberg and David
Geffen, is set to go public. Its pending initial public offering is 29 million
common shares, with an estimated price range of $23 to $25 per share. [The New
York Times]
The New York Times

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. will sell its stake in Sky Latin America to
DirecTV, in a $579 billion deal, which will eliminate DirecTV's satellite
competition in the region. [MSN News]
MSN

The BBC is being urged to ditch its niche channels. An independent report by
the government blames the company for providing "poor value for money." [The
London Times]
The London Times

ADVERTISING
As the U.S. presidential election gets closer and closer, both parties are
looking to advertisements to sway swing voters. New ads are deliberately being
aired in the as-yet-undecided states. [The Guardian]
The Guardian

CONTROVERSY
Fox affiliate stations face a total $1.2 million fine from the Federal
Communications Commission. The fine, which is the largest of its kind in history, is
directed at easily forgettable reality show "Married By America," which the
FCC claims showed licentious behavior, including a now notorious whipped cream
incident. [E! Online News]
E! Online

Apparently, Michael Jackson still has some pull in the entertainment
industry. The BET network pulled rapper Eminem's new music video "Just Lose It," which
spoofs Jackson, after requests made directly by the king of pop himself. The
video will air on fellow Viacom-owned stations MTV, MTV2 and MTVU. [MTV News]
MTV

FILM
Johnny Depp is expected to play the lead role in new film "Shantaram," which
sheds light on the underworld of Mumbai, India. The film is based on an epic
book by Australian writer Gregory David Roberts. [The Times of India]
The Times of India

After being voted Americans' favorite show from yesteryear, "The A Team" will
go to La La Land. Hollywood is set to make a movie based on the '80s classic
starring the ever-popular "bling" buff, Mr. T. [The Sun]
The Sun

Screenings of the documentary "A State of Mind," which sheds light on the
secretive state of North Korea, were completely sold out at South Korea's Pusan
Film Festival this month. [The International Herald Tribune]
International Herald Tribune

BROADCASTING
In front of members of the Korean Broadcasters Association, former BBC
director general Greg Dyke stressed the importance of independent journalism in the
face of mounting pressure from the government and other political
organizations. His speech was aptly titled, "Broadcasting and Politics: An Inevitable
Conflict?" [The Korea Herald]
The Korea Herald

OBITUARY
Actor Christopher Reeve died last weekend at the age of 52. The actor, most
famous for his role as the title superhero in the "Superman" movies, became
paralyzed in 1995 after a horseback riding accident, and was an advocate for
spinal cord research thereafter. [The Daily News]
The Daily News

PRESS RELEASE CLIPS
Celador International will launch the first-ever "FIFPRO World XI Player
Awards," a star-studded event where football (soccer) players will vote for the
best and brightest among them.
Celador

Sony Pictures TV International has extended a deal with sitcom writers Ken
Cinnamon and Karen Wengrod, who created successful series, "Nikola."
Sony

This newsletter is also available at www.videoage.org

This free service is directed to international television executives.

To subscribe, please e-mail us at vaieditor@aol.com.

To unsubscribe, please send a reply to this e-mail with "remove" in the
subject line.