VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW

PROGRAMMING
Critics who point to MTV and VHI's less-than-intellectual television programming as a sign of the crumbling intelligence of America's youth, are in for a bit of a surprise. During its first three weeks on the air, Al Gore's Current network has helped show that America's youth does actually think. The network seems to have lived up to its billing as a slick, commercial cable alternative to the ditzier Viacom-owned stations. [The New York Times]
The New York Times

The next stop on Donald Trump's quest for world domination: China. The real estate and TV mogul is bringing his reality format, The Apprentice, to Chinese audiences. The Chinese version of the show will have contestants vying for a high-paying job at the Trump Organization. This time, though, 41-year-old Beijing-based real estate mogul Pan Shiyi will be delegating the firings. [China Daily]
China Daily

A group of Hungarian TV personalities, known for their work in front of the camera, are taking a trip behind-the-scenes to create a new 18-hour cable channel in Hungary called The StoryTV. The net will focus mainly on stars and celebrities, and will reach about 2 million households when it airs from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. [The Budapest Sun]
The Budapest Sun

After five seasons on the air in the U.S, Six Feet Under is dead. The drama, which followed the lives of a family that runs a funeral parlor, came to an end on Sunday. The series remained one of HBO's most popular dramas throughout its run. And the last episode, like the entire series itself, was bittersweet, with death hanging over images of new life. [E! Online]
E! Online

Those who are too poor or too busy to travel the world can now trade in their passports for a remote control. U.S. audiences are being inundated with more and more multicultural programming via cable and satellite. EchoStar's DISH Network added 50 international channels during the past year alone -- from Polish independent film channels to Chinese news networks. [Denver Rocky Mountain News]
Denver Rocky Mountain News

BUSINESS
Lachlan Murdoch isn't wasting any time. Just weeks after quitting his post at News Corp, Rupert's son has registered a new company, called Illyria, in his native Australia. According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Murdoch started the process of registering Illyria just three days after announcing his resignation. The company became fully registered last week. [Financial Times]
Financial Times

Canadian media giants seem to be having a bit of an identity crisis. Recently, CHUM renamed many of its TV outlets, and now, Quebecor is changing the name of its embattled Toronto 1 station to SUN-TV, in an effort to emphasize the outlet's links to the Toronto Sun newspaper, which is also a key property in the Quebec media giant's empire. [The Globe and Mail]
The Globe and Mail

It appears as though one of the last independent cable networks may follow in the footsteps of its colleagues and be gobbled up by a media conglomerate. Crown Media Holdings, the company that owns the Hallmark Channel, has announced that they will look into selling the successful company to a third party. [Reuters]
Reuters

This week's Sunday New York Times featured an article highlighting VideoAge International and its editor and publisher, Dom Serafini. The article focused on Serafini's experience in the TV industry, as well as his political ambitions. [The New York Times]
The New York Times

ADVERTISING
Nickelodeon is looking to prove that preschoolers can be tech savvy too. Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. has launched broadband sneak peeks of its newest preschool series Go, Diego, Go! a full two weeks before its September 6 on-air debut. According to the network, the sneak peek of the Dora the Explorer spin-off is meant to draw users to the ad-supported Nickjr.com site, which will begin airing full episodes of Dora the Explorer , Little Bill and Blue's Clues. [Advertising Age]
Advertising Age

The Desperate Housewives stars are officially in-demand, both on and off the screen. In a turn reminiscent of Friends and Sex and the City, the actors and actresses on the hit Buena Vista show are being featured in numerous advertisements, from 7Up to L'Oreal to Variety. [The New York Times]
The New York Times

TECHNOLOGY
Imagine being able to give your favorite TV series star a hug just as she is starting to get weepy...seem impossible? It may not be for long. Japan has announced plans to create high-definition 3-D television by 2020. [Reuters]
Reuters

Canadian broadcaster CTV is breaking technological ground. The company is the first national conventional broadcaster to transmit over-the-air in high definition. CTV has installed two over-the-air high-definition transmitters (named "CTV HD East" and "CTV HD West") in Canada's two largest English-speaking markets, Toronto and Vancouver. [The Globe and Mail]
The Globe and Mail

CONTROVERSY
Not everyone is fond of ABC drama Lost. Anthony Spinner, a Los Angeles-based writer, is suing ABC and producer Touchstone Television for appropriating his 1977 television concept for the show. Spinner claims that he was hired by Sid and Marty Krofft Productions in 1977 to develop a program for ABC about a group of airplane crash survivors struggling to survive in a jungle. [Reuters]
Reuters

Poor box office revenue is causing executives across the U.S. to rethink the traditional film release model, but John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, thinks Disney chief executive officer Robert Iger when too far. During a conference call with analysts last week, he suggested the simultaneous release of movies in theaters and on DVD. Fithian called Iger's comments a "death threat," saying: "Mr. Iger knows better than to tell consumers -- or Wall Street analysts -- that they can have it all, everywhere, at the same time. He knows there would be no viable movie theater industry in that new world." [The Los Angeles Times]
The Los Angeles Times

EXECUTIVE SHUFFLE
This has not been a very good end of the summer season for CBC-TV. Amidst a CBC employee lockout, the public broadcaster's head of English programming, Slawko Klymkiw, resigned from the post he had held for nine years. Klymkiw, who was overlooked for the job of executive vice president of English television in July, has accepted the executive director position at the Canadian Film Centre. [The Globe and Mail]
The Globe and Mail

FILM
This summer's box office seems to have seen far more flops that hits, with a nine percent drop in ticket sales and an 11.5 percent decrease in attendance figures, as compared to last year. Multiples theories for the decline abound, from a failure of studio marketing, to the rising price of gas, to the lure of alternate entertainment. But many movie executives and industry experts are beginning to conclude that Hollywood movies these days are just not good enough. [The New York Times]
The New York Times

Mobile TV, or the so-called "Fourth Screen", will be an important ingredient in the MIPCOM sales mix.

For this reason, VideoAge's MIPCOM issue will feature a section called "Mobile TV: The Fourth Screen."

We have engaged the top experts in this field to explain the various business models and how to best sell mobile TV rights.

If your company is actively involved in mobile TV sales, this is a VideoAge issue that you shouldn't miss.

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