CNN cuts 400 jobs, fewer than expected
The layoffs expected at CNN have finally been announced, and though the slashing won't be as severe as was rumored, some 400 employees, or 9 percent of the total work force, will lose their jobs.  One third of the pink slips will be in the online division, one third in programming and the remainder across all other divisions. Earlier reports put the expected number of layoffs at between 500 and 1,000. In a memo to CNN staff, Eason Jordan, head of newsgathering operations, said, "CNN will spend more in 2001 than in any previous year; employ more journalists, including 150 full-fledged correspondents, than ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC combined." This move comes on top of sizable layoffs from several media outlets in the last month, including NBC's 10 percent cut in personnel, Fox's News Corp.'s slash of half its U.S. digital media workforce, and the New York Times Co. 17 percent prune of its online staff.

Study: Media gets just a tad of blame for violence
The violence in movies and TV shows may not be a main cause of violent behavior in young people, but it sure ain’t helping things. That’s the gist of a report released yesterday by the U.S. Surgeon General’s office. The study concludes that, while there’s no smoking gun linking media violence to homicidal or otherwise vicious acts perpetrated by youth, the influence of media is at least partly to blame for aggressive behavior such as pushing, shouting and bullying. The report follows the publication of a study by researchers at Stanford University who determined that decreased television viewing leads to decreased levels of aggression in grade school children.

'Survivor's' Susan in TNN trucker series 
Rudy’s a doll, Greg’s a model and Richard’s a multimedia star, so it’s time that Susan Hawk get what's coming to her. Hawk, a contestant in last summer’s original "Survivor" series, is set to star in a new show for cable network TNN called "Pop Across America." The series, which is currently developing a pilot, will feature Hawk, a real-life truck driver, driving a flatbed around the U.S. with comedian Steve Marmel as her cargo. The show is part of an effort by TNN to boost its original programming output, with the goal of being at 50 percent by 2005. This summer the network, which was rechristened The National (rather than Nashville) Network after Viacom took ownership, will introduce two new series: "Lifegame," in which actors will portray the lives of real people, and "Small Shots," in which non-actors will re-create historic events. Other series still at the pilot stage include "Adventure Chef," a wilderness cooking show; "Stinkin’ Rich," a celebrity trivia game show; and "15 Minutes of Fame," a show that will profile the briefly famous. So does that mean Susan will get to appear on two shows?

Kathie Lee hisses back on 'The View'
It’s true what they say: Hell hath no fury like the "Heart of a Woman" scorned. It seems Kathie Lee Gifford isn’t quite over the snub she got after her request to make a guest appearance on her old show was turned down. "The only power I have is over my own choices and the way I act and the way I respond to things," Gifford told the hosts of ABC’s "The View." "And why other people do the things they do that might seem mean-spirited, or cruel, or vicious, or petty, or whatever it is in life, I just can’t control." After leaving her job as co-host of "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" over the summer, Gifford had asked if she could return to the show for a day to plug her new album, "Heart of a Woman." But the show’s producers denied the request, saying they didn’t think it was a good idea for her to come back until a replacement for her was installed. Doubtless the poor sales of "Heart" added to the sting of the rebuke: The album sold only 15,000 copies in its first three weeks in stores.

Bill Maher and Dr. Laura rapped for trash talk
Maybe it's just a coincidence, but those who make their living from offending others seem to be getting better at it. Late night host Bill Maher got a little too "Politically Incorrect" recently, at least in the eyes of his guests, when he compared developmentally disabled children to dogs. "Dogs are like retarded children," said Maher, noting that both are "sweet, loving and kind, but don't mentally advance at all." Among the outraged was Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who reacted to the offensive comment by booing Maher. Joining in the booing after the show aired were groups including Bethphage, a church-based organization that seeks opportunities for the developmentally disabled. But for sheer volume of offensive remarks, Maher can't hold a candle to conservative talk show host Laura Schlessinger. A vocal critic of homosexuals and gay rights, Schlessinger, speaking on her radio show, recently praised a conservative magazine's cover-story that associated homosexuality and pedophilia. The article, which Schlessinger urged listeners to read in order to protect their children, suggested that gays support sex with minors.

MTV's '2gether' star dead at 16
Michael Cuccione, who played a teen idol on the MTV show "2gether,’ has died of complications from Hodgkin’s disease. He had just turned 16. Cuccione, who died in his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, played Jason "Q.T." McKnight, the youngest member of the fictional singing group 2gether. The series is a send-up of boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync. Though the actor’s cancer had been in remission for five years, treatments for the disease had left his lungs severely damaged, forcing him to bring an oxygen machine with him on the set of the show. Cuccione’s character on the show suffered from a made-up illness, "biliary thrombosis." The actor had also appeared on "Baywatch" playing a cancer patient.

Printer-Friendly Version |  Send to a Friend
Cover Page | Contact Us

© 2001 Media Life