Telemundo’s Los Angeles affiliate, KVEA-TV, Channel 52, is taking an unusual approach to its 11 p.m. news slot. They’ve made it newsier.
Anchor Ruben Luengas hosts a popular half-hour 11 p.m. news show called “En Contexto,” a show that’s a big departure from the light-news format typically a combination of entertainment, gossip and news prevalent in Spanish-language news broadcasts, particularly the late-night editions.
“So much of what’s out there is a combo of entertainment and information,” Luengas said. “If we go back to real journalism, giving people the context of all these issues that are affecting their lives, that is the difference we can make.”
Telemundo took a risk launching “En Contexto” in January, since the meatier menu of issues and their effect on the Latino community was unproven.
Luengas traveled to Mexico this month to cover the presidential elections there. He landed an interview with candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and focused on U.S.-Mexico immigration issues, hoping to provide Southern California’s Latino viewers with a different perspective. Obrador subsequently lost to rival Felipe Calderon in a historically tight vote.
“If you give people quality, it will be good for both the people and the station,” Luengas said.
Some Telemundo execs doubted the show would catch on since it was such a departure from the typical network news-gossip fare. But “En Contexto’s” ratings have been impressive. The ratings for the network’s 11 p.m. time slot grew 71 percent in the adult 18 to 49 demographic in May compared to the same month last year. Viewership increased about 15 percent from March to May 2006.
“I try to use television to give viewers other tools, other possibilities,” Luengas said. “The viewers should be interested in Israel and Iraq. We want to take them into the big leagues.”
The station’s formerly skeptical execs and advertisers are happy, since they can now target a more informed and enriched audience.
The station is pulling in record amounts of political advertising, and financial institutions such as banks and credit card companies are knocking on the door as well, according to Andy Barnet, general sales manager for KVEA-TV.
“We sell the currency of adults 18 to 49. Ninety-nine percent of our business is built on that demographic,” Barnet said. “When we first went out there and said we’re changing the format of our 11 o’clock news and doing something new, there were a lot of doubters. We had to prove ourselves, and people really came on in April and even more in May, which is a very important sweeps month for us.”
Poker Palace
Call it poker’s answer to the Crystal Cathedral. Appropriately enough, it’s in downtown Sin City at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street.
The huge, 80-foot by 40-foot soundproof glass dome is the unlikely centerpiece of Fox Sports Net’s series, “Poker Dome Challenge.” Poker players will sweat it out under the watchful eye of a 150-member audience for a $1 million winner-take-all pot.
Poker is common on television, but sponsor MansionPoker.net is hoping the unique and unprecedented look at televised poker will separate it from the pack. The dome will keep things on the up-and-up by ensuring the players, whose images and actions will be projected onto giant screens, can’t see or hear those outside. To make sure there are no signals sent, the dome is equipped with more cameras than the Super Bowl, organizers said.
The players will compete at a specially built table that will use card- and chip-tracking technology and also has timer lights embedded in it for the fast-paced “speed poker” rounds. To add more pressure, the six players who participate in each week’s games are required to wear heart monitors, with the heart rates on display for the audience to see.
Shows tape each Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. and air the following day at 11 p.m. on Fox Sports Net.
CinemaNow
Internet-based movie download service CinemaNow has beaten rival Movielink to the punch in providing users to burn DVDs from film downloads. The firm launched its beta test service last week.
The initial download offering will include more than 100 of the company’s older library titles from studios including Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Lions Gate, MGM Worldwide Digital Media, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, EagleVision and Sundance Channel. Users are able to keep one digital copy of a film and one burned copy. Windows XP is required to use the service. That’s no surprise, since software giant Microsoft holds a 10 percent stake in CinemaNow.
The DVD download prices start at $8.99. CinemaNow’s major investors include independent movie studio Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Northern California-based venture capital firm Menlo Ventures and EchoStar Communications Inc.
Digital Confab
The American Film Institute will host a two-day digital entertainment festival focused on innovation this week, with speaker panels and presentations from digital entertainment executives from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount Pictures and ABC Television Network.
Wednesday is the institute’s Digital Content Festival, an event that will showcase the best digital entertainment from the past year. The day’s events include a keynote address by Todd Wagner, chief executive of 2929 Entertainment, and the announcement of the 2005-2006 Interactive Television Emmy Winners.
Thursday will feature the Digital Content Lab Showcase, which will premiere new media projects in the AFI Digital Content Lab. Included will be offerings from Cynergy Films, MTV News, Music Choice and National Geographic Channel. Both events will take place on the AFI Campus at the Mayer Library, 2021 N. Western Ave., Los Angeles. You can link to event and ticket information at www.afi.com/education/dcl/events.aspx.
Beach Bashes
Shutters on the Beach and Hotel Casa del Mar, two of Santa Monica’s luxury oceanfront hotels, have hired a director of entertainment sales and a support staff in hopes of luring Hollywood’s power players to hold their parties at the beach.
Kaylee Kiecker will oversee all entertainment sales initiatives, working with major entertainment companies and networks, talent agencies and the studios. Kiecker was previously vice president of special events and tourism for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce from 2004 to 2006.
Hold Your Fire
The record for the world’s largest pie fight is safe. Citing scheduling and logistical difficulties, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has canceled its “Biggest Pie Fight On Earth,” a charity event that was have been staged on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue on Aug. 1.
Staff reporter Anne Riley-Katz can be reached at
[email protected]
or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 225.
