VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW

PROGRAMMING
If you're looking for real diversity in the media, look no further than the U.S. kids' programs. Nickelodeon's two top-rated kids' shows -- Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! both feature Hispanic lead characters and an entire cast that is bi-lingual. And Nick isn't the only network focusing on the Spanish-speaking tots. PBS Kids Go!, a 24-hour cable station to launch this fall, will include two hours a day of shows in Spanish with English subtitles; the Disney Channel and the Cartoon Network also have shows featuring bi-lingual characters.
Los Angeles Times

British sports fan are getting one more outlet for watching their favorite games. Walt Disney will launch ESPN -- the leading American sports television network -- in Britain, in what could develop in the long term into the first major challenger to Sky Sports. The British version will feature content bought specifically for the U.K. market.
The London Times

Just when you thought Rupert Murdoch's monolithic media entity News Corp. couldn't get any larger, it has. News Corp. will launch a new mini-network called My Network TV that will supply primetime programming for the Fox's 10 local TV stations that were left without programming after UPN announced it would close. The core of the new programming lineup will be two telenovela-inspired serial drama shows -- Desire and Secrets -- that will air six nights a week.
Associated Press

Welsh singer Charlotte Church is looking to make the oft-desired shift from music to TV. Channel 4 is piloting a Friday night talk show hosted by Church, which it intends to turn into a regular primetime series. The show will include a mixture of interviews, live music and comedy.
Brand Republic

BUSINESS
In South Africa, NASPERS' conditional access (CA) business Irdeto has purchased pay-television technology unit CryptoTec from Dutch technology giant Philips. CryptoTec develops and sells CA products such as advanced security systems for cable, satellite, terrestrial and Internet protocol networks, which are important in the digital television environment. The deal could lead to more decoders being produced in South Africa, and make that territory an even bigger international player.
All Africa

After three years of unsuccessful talks, three Israeli cable TV companies have finally merged. Golden Channels, Matav and Tevel will trade under one unified brand name -- HOT. They are separate entities that work together in marketing and operations.
Yahoo! Finance

CONTROVERSY
The BBC is finding itself in trouble with a gay campaigning charity called Stonewall. The organization has complained that stable homosexual relationships were "almost invisible" on the BBC's two main television channel, and that most of the images aired were "clich=E9s and stereotypes." Two presenters in particular --Anne Robinson of The Weakest Link and Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear are being accused of perpetuating negative attitudes towards homosexual men and women.
Telegraph News

ADVERTISING
While Madison Avenue is beginning to quake in fear of Google's imminent foray into the advertising world (with the recent acquisition of a company that sells radio advertising), French advertising heavyweight Publicis Groupe is gearing up to take the Internet company head on. Last week, the Paris-based company hired about 15 marketing futurists to spot new media and marketing technologies on behalf of clients, investors and, not least, Publicis itself.
The New York Times

Some advertisers are doubting the importance of buying ad time at this year's Academy Awards (usually a no-brainer among Madison Avenue). Advertisers are questioning whether the ceremony, to be broadcast on Sunday by ABC, will draw a sizable audience given that the none of this year's Best Picture nominees were box office hits, and this year's show seems to favor the independent/off-the-beaten path films.
The New York Times

EXECUTIVE SHUFFLE
Stacy Snider is moving from Universal Pictures -- where she was a big fish in a big sea -- to DreamWorks, where she'll be a big fish in a smaller sea. Snider, who served as chairman of Universal Pictures will now run DreamWorks, which was recently bought by Paramount Pictures. She will make four to six movies a year in partnership with producer and director Steven Spielberg.
The New York Times

FILM
While this year's Oscars are being celebrated for recognizing smaller, independent films that tackle controversial issues, only one of the films can truly claim that it is independent. Brokeback Mountain is from Focus Features, a specialty arm of NBC Universal, the studio that also produced Munich. Good Night, and Good Luck is from Warner Independent Pictures, a unit of Time Warner, and Capote belongs to Sony Pictures Classics, owned by Sony. Only the Crash, produced by Lion's Gate Entertainment, can truly call itself independent.
The New York Times

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