VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW

PROGRAMMING
ABC has found a reason for axing its new female-skewing series Emily's Reasons Why Not: low ratings. Production has halted on the Heather Graham starrer, after the show's premiere only attracted 6.2 million viewers.
E! Online

A new television station is reaching the Gaza Strip; but this is not your typical TV station. Sure, Al Aksa TV features kids shows and historical programming, but this one's brought to you by the militant Palestinian organization that made suicide bombing a household term: Hamas. The channel -- which is now broadcast terrestrially, but may become available via satellite in the near future -- is part of Hamas' strategy to broaden its role in Palestinian society and politics.
The New York Times

While advertisers and broadcasters have recognized the importance of the U.S. Hispanic market for a while now, a new niche within that market is starting to be explored: English-speakers. Two new cable channels -- independent SiTV and Telemundo spin-off mun2 --offer English-language programs and each reach approximately 10 million homes nationwide.
The New York Times

BUSINESS
What started out just five years ago as a merger of Chinese local TV and radio interests, has grown into a full-fledged media conglomerate. Shanghai Media Group (SMG) encompasses pay-TV, TV production, a home-shopping venture, music labels, newspapers and magazines, sports teams and arenas, theaters, websites, and nascent mobile content and Internet TV ventures. And the man responsible for such growth is none other than SMG president Li Ruigang, who has built partnerships with many Western companies -- including MTV, Sony and Universal Music -- and is seen as an ally to those looking to crack the Chinese market.
The New York Times

ADVERTISING
The controversy surrounding Canadian film Karla continues to snowball. Two of Canada's largest broadcasters, CHUM and Alliance Atlantis, have pulled the film's 30-second commercials from the air. The movie -- scheduled to open in Canadian theaters on Friday, January 20 -- tells the story of serial killing Canadian couple Karla Homolka and Misha Collins.
The Globe and Mail

Comcast, the U.S.'s largest cable provider, is providing a solution to all the worrywarts out there who fear that the increasing popularity of on-demand programming will hurt ad sales. New on-demand channel Exercise TV features shows which have advertising embedded within them. While other on-demand channels include commercials with their programs, viewers can fast-forward right through them. This form of advertising is a new method to guarantee marketers that their products reach viewers.
The New York Times

CONTROVERSY
Christian groups in the U.S. are, once again, incensed with Hollywood. These groups have launched a furious campaign against Hollywood, claiming the Golden Globe Awards promotes films with gay or "leftist" themes to serve a political agenda. The criticism surrounded Brokeback Mountain, a film about the forbidden love between gay Wyoming cowboys. Other winners included Philip Seymour Hoffman, named Best Actor for his portrayal of the homosexual writer Truman Capote; and Felicity Huffman, who played a transsexual with a gay prostitute son in Transamerica.
The Australian

AWARDS SHOWS
This year's Golden Globe Awards -- a precursor to both the Oscars and the Emmys -- celebrated a country music biopic, a gay cowboy film, an island of survivors and a bunch of domestic dames. Among the winners were: Brokeback Mountain (Best Picture, Drama); Walk the Line (Best Picture, Musical or Comedy); Lost (Best Television Series, Drama); and Desperate Housewives (Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy).
E! Online

EXECUTIVE SHUFFLE
Former Nine Network chief David Gyngell has switched teams. Gyngell resigned from his post at the Australian broadcaster nine months ago, and will now join the Granada team in the U.S. Granada, the ITV-owned production company, owns a 12 percent share in Nine's biggest Aussie rival, the Seven Network. Gyngell's move has caused speculation that his wife, Nine presenter Leila McKinnon, will also leave the network.
The Australian

FILM
Seems as though moviegoers resoundingly agree: bigger is better. Despite a significant drop in box office sales across North America in 2005, the oversized Imax theaters actually saw ticket sales increase by 35 percent. The increase is being attributed to the conversion of several Hollywood films -- including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire -- to the Imax format. Based on the numbers, Imax plans to expand it number of Hollywood films in 2006.
The Globe and Mail

***Paper Clips will be on hiatus next week, as the VideoAge staff attends the NATPE Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas. Paper Clips will resume on Wednesday, February 1.

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