PROGRAMMING
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" creator Joss Whedon has pulled out of
a contract with Twentieth Century Fox and out of the TV industry altogether,
citing a lack of new ideas. He also blamed the prevalence of reality television
on the small screen for "leaving a bitter taste" in his mouth. [E! Online
News]
E! Online

Crime pays in the U.K. But as almost every channel benefits from cop dramas,
the viewers in jolly ole England wonder how much more of it they can take.
[The London Times]
The London Times

WB sitcom "Commando Nanny," which was loosely based on reality TV mogul Mark
Burnett's life experiences, has been nixed before it ever even saw the light
of day. [E! Online News]
E! Online

Ken Jennings, the 30-year-old Mormon software engineer and "Jeopardy!" champ,
passed the $2 million earning mark, breaking the popular game show's record.
Jennings is that much closer to beating the all-time game show cash winnings
record of $2,180,000, held by a contestant from "Who Wants to be a
Millionaire." [The Daily News]
The Daily News

BUSINESS
In an effort to strengthen the company's finances, Rupert Murdoch's News
Corp. is moving one step further away from its Australian homeland. The conglom
will shift its main share listing to the New York Stock Exchange. [Forbes.com]
Forbes

The BBC is expected to cut about a quarter of its 28,000 person workforce.
The restructuring, which would primarily threaten jobs in news and production,
will be the largest in the company's history. [The London Times]
The London Times

ADVERTISING
Though enjoying massive popularity amongst viewers, ABC's "Desperate
Housewives" isn't as big a hit with advertisers. Tyson Foods and Kellogg's are among
the advertisers who have been turned off by the licentious behavior depicted on
the show. [E! Online News]
E! Online

TECHNOLOGY
As cell phones continue to evolve and can handle more and more content, Nokia
is wooing operators with Preminet - a system for hosting, delivering and
charging for entertainment content on mobile phones. [Computer Weekly]
Computer Weekly

The convergence of TV and mobile is set to get a jump start this week. Texas
Instruments is expected to announce plans to create technology that will allow
wireless phones access to high definition television channels. [The Times of
India]
The Times of India

BROADCASTING
Monday night marked the first transmission of France's PinkTV, a private TV
channel for gay and lesbian audiences. The maiden broadcast was celebrated by
2,500 guests at a huge bash in Paris. [BBC News]
BBC News

PERSONALITIES
Just as U.S. citizens prepare for their presidential election, U.K. viewers
voted for the American fictional TV character they'd like to see choose for
president. The obvious choice, Martin Sheen's presidential character on "The West
Wing," came in second to none other than Homer Simpson. D'oh! [BBC News]
BBC News

FILM
Just in time for Halloween, "The Grudge," a reamke of a Japanese film, scared
up $40 million in U.S. box office sales. During its opening weekend, the
Sarah Michelle Gellar-starrer raked in four times the amount of money it took to
produce. [USA Today]
USA Today

PRESS RELEASE CLIPS
AETN will bring murder and scandal to Australia, with the debut of Crime &
Investigation Network on FOXTEL in January 2005.
AETN

CHUM Limited's Kevin Goldstein has been promoted to director, Relgulatory
Affairs. Goldstein joined CHUM in 2003.
CHUM Limited

Canada's Corus Entertainment has received a record 47 nominations for the
Academy of Cinema and Television's 19th Annual Gemini Awards.
Corus Entertainment

ShoPro Entertainment announced that its 30-second interstitial series "Deko
Boko Friends" will air on Nick Jr., Noggin and Nicktoons, starting in January
2005.
ShoPro

At MIPCOM, Tepuy International signed a deal which will bring "Protagonistas
de Novela" to Greece and Cyprus. The Promofilm format will be produced by
FremantleMedua Greece for the MEGA Channel in Greece and MEGA Cyprus.
Tepuy

Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution has sold exclusive U.K. TV
rights to its hit comedies "Arrested Development" and "Family Guy" to the BBC. The
Brits also bought rights to the new Seth McFarlane animated comedy "American
Dad."
Fox

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