NEWS - TEXT version only - February 4, 2000 ............ ========================================================= FROM USA Reeve in row over walk-on TV part By JAMES BONE, of The Times, in New York PARALYSED Superman star Christopher Reeve has defended his role in a controversial television commercial after being accused of offering false hope to disabled people. The advertisement for Nuveen Investments shows a computer-generated image of Reeve rising from his wheelchair to walk again, and has caused widespread disquiet since it was first aired during the national broadcast of the US Superbowl on Monday. Dozens of paralysed people and their relatives rushed to call spinal injury groups after seeing the advertisement, believing scientists had found a miracle cure. "While it's difficult, we have to tell them the truth: Christopher Reeve is not walking. He is still paralysed, he's still on a respirator," a National Spinal Cord Injury Association spokesman said. "I thought it was a fabulous idea, because it really is a vision of something that can happen," said Reeve, who has been paralysed from the chest down since a horse-riding accident five years ago. "It's like the difference between looking at a blueprint and looking at a detailed model of a new house. "And you can imagine yourself living there," he said. When he first saw the advertisement, Reeve said he had mixed emotions: "There was a lot of reaching for Kleenex afterwards . . . I was elated. I was deeply moved." Although his computer-generated body was a "little stockier" than he would have liked, he said, the advertisement was a "remarkable job technically". Nuveen Investments is spending $US7 million ($10.5 million) on the advertising campaign, which urges investors to "leave your mark" on society and think about the future when buying stocks and shares. ,,,,,,,, end news item 1, February 4, 2000 ................... ============================================================================== FROM AUSTRALIA Telstra shares feel heat of rivals By GEOFF ELLIOTT PRESSURE is mounting on Telstra to start swingeing cost cuts as fears mount that competition is hitting the carrier harder and faster than anticipated. Nervous Telstra investors continued to dump shares yesterday and were quick to link a shock plunge in profitability in British Telecommunications as an indicator of the kind of damage competition can do to former state-owned telco monopolies. Overnight BT announced that third-quarter profits slumped 24 per cent to £651 million ($1.7 billion) with the carrier noting that "the trend of increasing competition and reduction in margins has been worse than we forecast". With similar competitive forces unleashed in Australia, investors fear Telstra's is sailing into the same troubled waters as its UK counterpart. "Will the same happen here as British Telecom?" said one fund manager, who requested anonymity. "You can compare the two, and it's a question of what Telstra will do to cope with its loss of market share. It can slow it down but it won't reverse the trend." BT shares were hammered overnight, diving 18 per cent to £9.76 and its lowest close since October 20. Telstra shares were dumped too, sinking to 14-month lows as Telstra instalment receipts fell below the T2 offer price. The receipts hit a low of $4.38, while ordinary shares sunk 18.9c to $7.24. Analysts said it was a political headache for Prime Minister John Howard. The Government now has to deal with more than 1 million voters holding Telstra shares offering no premium on the $4.50 the Government sold them for. At the close of trading yesterday Telstra shares struggled back to parity with last November's offer price, closing at $4.50, down 21c on the day. The ordinary shares struggled off the lows for the day, eventually closing at $7.40, down 18.9c on the day. Telstra's market capitalisation has now fallen about $6 billion in the last week alone and reflects weakness in the share price since December when Telstra chief Ziggy Switkowski warned that revenue growth in the first half of the financial year was weaker than expected. Telstra also flagged last year it would step up its cost-cutting, a move widely seen as an attempt to protect margins because its growth initiatives – namely its new Internet businesses headed by Ted Pretty – still have several years to run before they become the kind of profit drivers Dr Switkowski is hoping for. As part of its cost-cutting plan, BT announced it would cut 10 per cent of its managerial jobs over the next six to nine months, a voluntary redundancy program which would cost £350 million. . end news item 2, February 4, 2000 ................ ============================================================================== FROM AUSTRALIA Oracle boxes clever on the Net By JANE SCHULZE The interactive TV threat to Australia's television networks will soon become a reality. Oracle Corporation yesterday formed a new company to deploy set-top boxes able to provide Internet access through TV sets. Consumers will not have to buy computers to access the Internet, however, using the TV as an access device could erode the ratings of broadcast programs and affect revenue. Oracle's general manager of e-business, Mr Stuart McLean, said the new company, ICE Interactive, would distribute set-top boxes that connect to the Internet by cable, telephone line or satellite. "The key thing here is that this is information for the masses," he said. "It gets rid of the complexity of the PC, and the high cost." Oracle has teamed with the Nasdaq-listed Liberate Technologies (of which it owns 40 per cent) and the local mining group Burdekin Resources to form ICE. Mr McLean said distribution of the boxes was likely to begin in the second or third quarter of this year. It had not been decided whether the boxes would be given away, and the distribution cost was dependent on the business model used. "We often quote the mobile phone model - when they first became available everyone paid for them, but now you get them for nothing and subscribe for the service," Mr McLean said. Burdekin, which was chosen to partner the companies through a tendering process, has committed $15 million to the project in return for 40 per cent of ICE, and Oracle and Liberate will provide technology in return for 15 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. The companies also want another partner to take 5 per cent of the business - one with a large database to which they could offer the service. Mr McLean was coy about any plans to list ICE, saying it was something for the board to decide. He said the set-top boxes could convey information to other devices, such as mobile phones or hand-held displays. ICE hoped to work with TV networks to make their programs interactive, and it was in discussions with all of them. "But broadcasters have to understand they don't own the TV but the broadcast content that's shipped there, and once it gets there what happens to it is up to the individual." Mr McLean said ICE expected to gain revenue from people paying for the service, from advertising and by facilitating e-commerce. "We will also develop interactive TV applications which we can resell around the world." Oracle was strongly rumored to link with Telstra in an interactive TV move. Mr McLean said Oracle continued to talk to Telstra about many opportunities. "We now have a small, nimble start-up company that can facilitate interactive TV and make it a reality sooner rather than later," he said. .............. end news item 3 - Note this item was missed yesterday.... ============================================================================= FROM USA WWF's McMahon forming XFL Associated Press NEW YORK -- The World Wrestling Federation announced plans Thursday for an eight-team pro football league that plans to kickoff next winter and lure fans unable to go cold turkey after the Super Bowl. The XFL will begin play in February 2001, WWF boss Vince McMahon told a Manhattan news conference Thursday afternoon. The X stands for exciting and exhilarating. "It will be extreme," said XFL executive Basil DeVito. But while the enterprise that brought "Raw is War" wrestling bouts to cable TV plans to use its promotional skills to merchandise its football venture, the WWF says the XFL will be unscripted. "The WWF is 100 percent entertainment," McMahon said. "But the XFL is 100 percent sports." Still, there will be an emphasis on entertainment. DeVito said the XFL will use helmet cameras and will let viewers have greater access than NFL broadcasts to activities on the sidelines during the game. He said rules would be adopted to accent faster play. Six cities already have been selected for teams: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Orlando, Fla., and Washington, D.C. Two more U.S. cities will be selected within 60 days, DeVito said. The 10-game regular season will be played outdoors in the heart of winter and early spring. At the end of April, four teams will advance to a playoff round leading to a championship game. DeVito said the teams will be owned by a WWF subsidiary and that general managers and coaches will be hired soon. Players will be offered a salary and benefits second only to the NFL, he said. McMahon estimated the WWF's financial commitment to the league as "somewhere south of $100 million." DeVito said no television rights have been decided, although talks are being held with broadcast and cable networks. DeVito said no franchises are immediately planned outside the United States, but that the XFL could expand into Canada and that Toronto would be among the cities considered. CFL president Jeff Giles said he is aware of the new league's plans, expressing concern about its immediate repercussions. "My first thought is players," he told the Toronto Globe and Mail. "They have to get their players from somewhere, and I'm sure they'll be looking at us. ... I'm sure they'll offer more than we can pay, and we have to hold the line on salaries." . end news item 4 - February 4, 2000 ================================================================================ FROM AUSTRALIA Optus funding boosts Rabbitohs' cause AAP -- South Sydney's fighting fund received a desperately needed boost last night when Optus coughed up $5 million it had promised the Australian Rugby League. ARL chairman Colin Love said the money would be evenly shared between the 10 ARL clubs, including Souths, as long as they agreed to "procedural requirements". But despite the $500,000 coming its way, the Rabbitohs will continue its New South Wales Supreme Court battle against the ARL on Monday where the club is demanding the league pay $1 million owed in funding. Souths president George Piggins said he had received no word from the ARL regarding the funding but added that it would free up other money and allow the club to continue its fight to be reinstated in the National Rugby League competition. Love refused to give details last night of the "requirements" needed for clubs to receive the funding but it's believed they include short sponsorship, signage, complimentary tickets, advertising and corporate facilities until the end of next season. "The money has been paid to the ARL and the ARL will pay it (to the clubs) provided certain procedural requirements are attended to," Love said. "Then all the clubs will get the money." Love would not speculate on how the requirements would affect South Sydney, which does not have a team in any grade. Souths launch their "2001 season" at Redfern Oval on Saturday to coincide with the NRL's season-opening double header at Stadium Australia. A Souths Legends touch football match, featuring former players John Sattler, Piggins, Gary Stevens and Charlie Frith, will start the entertainment at 4pm (AEDT) followed by performances by Little Patti, Golden Guitar-winning country and western singer Troy Cassar-Daley and Australian band You am I. The $1 million Souths are seeking from the ARL includes the Optus funding and another $500,000 from News Limited. Both companies escaped making the payments after the ARL forgot to secure the money because of an administrative blunder last year. However, News Limited eventually paid $500,000 to each ARL club, except Souths, claiming it would used to fund a court battle against the NRL. "We have been negotiating with Optus for a number of months in an attempt to reach an agreement," Love said. "The ARL is very pleased with the outcome as the $5 million will assist several clubs meet financial obligations." The $5 million for Optus will be shared between Souths, North Sydney, Balmain, Western Suburbs, Manly, Newcastle, St George, Illawarra, Sydney City and Parramatta. Some clubs, including Newcastle, were forced to borrow money to meet player payments at the end of last season ........... end news item, February 4, 2000 .... ========================================================================= FROM UK BBC plans spinoffs of consumer magazines Source: KRT The BBC, the venerable British media institution that has been trying to expand its footprint in the United States, said today it is launching a $US100 million ($A156.86 million) joint venture with merchant banker Veronis Suhler to build a US-based publishing company. BBC Worldwide Americas Inc. said the new venture will be aimed at acquiring consumer lifestyle magazines and developing book, video and television spin-offs from the magazines. The arrangement does not include BBC's current joint venture with cable's Discovery Channel or existing television sales or library sales, the company said. New York-based Veronis Suhler buys, sells and manages media operations. BBC and Veronis Suhler will be 50-50 partners in the venture, the companies said. Their strategy is built on the popular multimedia trend of magazines developing into television shows, like Martha Stewart Living, and TV shows (and networks) spawning magazines, like ESPN the Magazine. The BBC is the third-largest publisher of magazines in the United Kingdom. 'The initial focus will be acquiring lifestyle magazines and then, we hope, book and video deals will follow,' said Rupert Gavin, the BBC Worldwide's chief executive. Gavin said the venture will start with $US100 million ($A156.86 million) in equity but has purchasing power beyond that amount. Gavin said in London the company has about a dozen magazine titles it is interested in buying. In an unrelated development, several prominent US media companies said today they are forming a Web site partnership with Brill Media Holdings, the corporate parent of the media watchdog magazine, Brill's Content. The venture with CBS, NBC, Primedia, Ingram Book Group and EBSCO, will produce a Web site called Contentville.com. The site will sell magazine subscriptions, books and transcripts. . end news item February 4, 2000 ............. ============================================================================== INTERNATIONAL PAY TV & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS IN BRIEF FEBRUARY 4, 2000 REGIS APPEALS TO POTENTIAL MILLIONAIRES: Regis Philbin made an on-air appeal Wednesday night during ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in an effort to recruit more female and minority contestants. "Can anybody explain this to me - why is it that nearly all our contestants are white men," Philbin asked. "So here's the challenge. Everyone out there who has thought about being on the show - who isn't a white male - dial that 800 number and let's get into the game." Contestants are chosen by a double-blind process, so there is no chance of discrimination. "We don't know what the explanation is," a show publicist tells Reuters. "If we knew, we would do something about it." MORE MILLIONAIRE NEWS: In other Millionaire news, Tuesday's episode delivered more viewers (30.5 million) than CBS, NBC and Fox combined! Among adults 18 to 49, Millionaire beat NBC's comedies by 213 percent and two episodes of Fox's That '70s Show by 116 percent. REUNION FOR KEANU AND CHARLIZE: Devil's Advocate co-stars Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron are set to reunite in a big-screen remake of the 1968 film Sweet November. Variety reports that Pat O'Connor (Circle of Friends) will direct the flick about a tycoon who falls for a woman who insists on having a new lover every month because she is dying. NAOMI CAMPBELL ADMITS ASSAULT: Hot-tempered supermodel Naomi Campbell provided more grist for the gossip mill Wednesday when she pleaded guilty to assaulting her former assistant. Campbell, who was represented by her lawyer, was given an absolute discharge and will not have a criminal record in Canada, which is where the assault took place in December 1998. According to Reuters, the judge in the case said, "[Campbell] has learned her lesson and demonstrated her remorse." WWF TEAMS UP WITH THE NFL: The WWF and the NFL are expected to announce a partnership today in New York, although details of the pairing are being kept under wraps. Variety speculates that the two organizations will form a new football league that could serve as a farm system for the NFL. WWF honcho Vince McMahon will preside over the lunchtime press conference; expect fireworks. TITANIC STAR KISSES TV: The cult gay flick Kiss Me, Guido is one step closer to making the leap to the small screen. Variety reports that Danny Nucci (Titanic) is in final negotiations for the lead role in the Guido pilot, which is being developed at CBS. Nucci plays Frankie, an Italian-American guy from the Bronx who ends up with a gay roommate after misinterpreting a classified ad seeking a GWM. CBS PICKS PICNIC REMAKE: Since everything old is new again, it should come as no surprise that CBS and Columbia TriStar Television are planning a remake of the 1955 classic Picnic. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Josh Brolin will play the William Holden role; Gretchen Mol, Mary Steenburgen and Bonnie Bedelia also star. GILLIGAN'S CREW GOES DATING: Gilligan's Island refugees Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells (The Professor and Mary Ann) are back in the spotlight! The under-rated twosome, who were referred to as "The Rest" during the sitcom's early years, participate in the fifth annual 102.9 WMGK Valentine's Day-ting Game, Feb. 11 at Dave & Buster's Showroom in Philadelphia. The event features three live parodies of the classic game show, and the Gilligan alumni will host the event. .. end news February 4, 2000 . ==============================================================================