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CABLE POSITIVE ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL Showtime Named POP Network of the Year, NEW YORK, NY - February 7, 2002
The POP winners are: POP Network of the Year: POP Celebrity of the Year: Outstanding Original Series: Outstanding News Coverage: Outstanding Documentary: Outstanding Newsmagazine: Outstanding Biographical Program: Outstanding Special Programming: Winning and nominated content demonstrated that HIV/AIDS is still affecting people and societies around the world at an alarming rate. In the US alone, 800,000 to 900,000 people are currently living with HIV or AIDS, and, of these, an estimated 300,000 are unaware that they are infected (Source: UNAIDS). Cable networks have taken a lead in the creation of content that speaks to these facts – and to audiences nationwide.
Steve Villano, Executive Director of Cable Positive observed, “This was not just another awards program. The cable industry is leading the public dialogue about HIV/AIDS by donating hundreds of hours of time to air Cable Positive produced public service announcements as well as groundbreaking new programs. Cable television, its talent and its programmers deserve recognition for continuing to keep HIV/AIDS on the public's mind."
The nominees for the first annual POP awards included A&E, BET, CNN, Discovery Health, E!, MTV, Oxygen, Showtime, and The Learning Channel. In order to qualify for submission, entries must have been an originally produced program that aired at least once on a national cable network in the United States from January 1, to December 31, 2001. Programming nominations were selected based on the following criteria: educates the audience about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, raises awareness and/or promotes prevention HIV/AIDS, clearly presents HIV/AIDS message to the viewing audience and maintains high production values that help bring the HIV/AIDS content to life.
A seven-person blue-ribbon judging panel viewed all submissions in the six programming categories and applied these criteria when selecting the nominated programs. The first annual POP Awards judging committee was comprised of national television critics, HIV/AIDS activists, and educators including USA Today television critic Robert Bianco, Entertainment Weekly entertainment editor Jamie Bufalino, AIDS activist Patrick O’Connell, POZ magazine publisher Brad Peebles, Newsweek television critic Marc Peyser, TV Guide television critic Matt Roush, and Syracuse University Center for the Study of Popular Television professor Robert Thompson.
The POP Celebrity of the Year and POP Network of the year categories were decided by a TV Guide Online viewer poll and a TV Guide industry web site poll respectively. More than 6,000 tvguide.com users cast their vote for POP Celebrity of the Year. Close to 1,200 cable industry professionals voted for POP Network of the Year. The 2002 Cable Positive POP Awards Nominees were: Positively Outstanding Programming (POP) Network of the Year Positively Outstanding Programming (POP) Celebrity of the
Year Positively Outstanding News Coverage Positively Outstanding Documentary Positively Outstanding Newsmagazine Series Episode or Special Positively Outstanding Biographical Series Episode or Special
Positively Outstanding Special Programming Cable Positive is a national non-profit organization that was founded in February 1992 by three concerned cable executives with the mission of organizing cable's resources in the fight against AIDS. Cable Positive is dedicated to unifying the talents, resources, access, and influence of the communications industry to raise AIDS awareness; to fund AIDS education, research and care; and to promote a more compassionate climate for people whose lives have been affected by HIV and AIDS. Cable Positive has grown to include supporters from every major cable network, MSO, system, hardware manufacturer, trade association, media publication, and affiliated industry vendors and suppliers. For more information about Cable Positive, call 212.459.1502 or visit www.cablepositive.org. About Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. The IPG products are integrated into various devices, including televisions, VCRs and set-top boxes (cable, satellite, telco, Internet) and can display a multi-day television program guide on the television screen from which the consumer can view, select, tune to or record programs. The Gemstar eBook is a reading device that can store tens of thousand of pages, and permits a user to purchase and receive instant delivery of any book, magazine or newspaper over a standard telephone line. The Company's media properties reach over 100 million people in the U.S. each week, and its products and services are available in over 60 countries worldwide. The Company's services, technology and intellectual property are licensed to major technology, media and communication companies in the consumer electronics, Internet, personal computer, satellite, cable television and telco industries. Licensees and customers include Adelphia, AOL Time Warner, AT&T, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Matsushita, Microsoft, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Philips, Shaw, Sony, Thomson Multimedia, Zenith and others. The Company has more than 180 issued U.S. patents in the general area of audio-visual technologies with over 4,600 claims, nearly 200 issued foreign patents, and continues to actively pursue a worldwide intellectual property program and currently has roughly 600 U.S. and 800 foreign patent applications pending. Except for historical information contained here, the matters discussed in this news release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the timely availability and acceptance of new products and services; the impact of competitive products and pricing; the management of growth; and the other risks detailed from time to time in the company's SEC reports, including the most recent reports on Form 10-K, 8-K, and 10-Q, each as it may be amended from time to time. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date of this release and the company undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Note to Editors: Gemstar, TV Guide, G-GUIDE, G-GUIDE Gold, Gemstar
eBook, GUIDE Plus+, TV Guide Interactive, VCR Plus+, PlusCode,
TVG Network, SkyMall and skymall.com are trademarks of Gemstar-TV
Guide International, Inc. Other product names used herein are
for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their
respective companies.
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