The Africa Channel Designates February as 'Elders Month'

The Africa Channel announced today it is designating February as "Elders Month," acknowledging the accomplishments and lost stories of people whose contributions, no matter how seemingly small, continue to create the foundations of our families and local and global communities.

The Africa Channel's "Elders Month" celebration will be highlighted by more than 50 short-form vignettes created by up-and-coming filmmakers from the United States and Africa. The vignettes will spotlight people from all walks of life who have made a difference.

The network said it will continue the elder's campaign after February as a year-round initiative to spur community involvement and engagement around the country.

Lee Gaither, general manager/executive vice president, The Africa Channel, said: "Not every life well lived ends up in history books. The purpose of Elders Month, and our ongoing elder's initiative, is to recognize everyday heroes and encourage people to make a difference in their communities."

MTV to Air in Black and White for the First Time in Network History, Share Artist, Politician and Audience Perspectives on Race on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

MTV today announced an expansion of its Look Different anti-bias campaign called #TheTalk, a multiscreen effort to encourage its audience to have candid, confident and “color brave” conversations on race with family and friends. According to a 2014 MTV study*, 73% of Millennials believe having more open constructive conversations about bias would help people become less prejudiced.

“Millennials believe strongly in fairness, but they can also find it difficult to talk openly about race – to be not simply ‘color blind’ but ‘color brave,’” said Stephen Friedman, President of MTV. “Our audience is looking for a way to bring the national conversation on race into their homes and this campaign will give them a forum to express true color bravery.”

#TheTalk will begin at 9 a.m. ET/PT on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day when MTV will kick off a 12-hour period in which all programming will air in black and white for the first time in the network’s history. Every commercial block will begin with personal reflections on race from luminaries including Kendrick Lamar, Common, Big Sean, Ava DuVernay, David Oyelowo, Penn Badgley, Jordin Sparks, Pete Wentz, Sen. Rand Paul, Rep. John Lewis, Sen. Cory Booker and more.

Lawrence Saint-Victor Writes 'The Bold and the Beautiful' Episodes

Lawrence Saint-Victor

Actor Lawrence Saint-Victor, who plays Carter Walton on The Bold and the Beautiful, has written an episode of the CBS soap opera which will air on Friday, January 16.

"It's common for actors to go into Brad's [Bell, executive producer/head writer] office and talk about where their characters are going, and during one of those meetings, Brad asked if I ever wanted to write an episode," Saint-Victor reveals to Soap Opera Digest.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

'Coronation Street' Announces Four Winners For Its Original Voices Writer Diversity Program

Stephenson Ardern-Sodje, Ella Carmen Greenhill, Louisa Hayford and Shazia Rashid

British broadcaster ITV launched an Original Voices initiative in 2012 on its long-running soap opera Emmerdale in an effort to tap into and connect with diverse local writing talent. The aim of the initiative was to "find interesting writers from Black, Asian or other Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds living in Yorkshire or the North East" to join the show. This fall ITV announced it was rolling out Original Voices to its flagship drama Coronation Street, with submissions open to North West based writers from BAME backgrounds. Four winners have now been selected, and each of the writers will be joining Corrie in the New Year for a 10 week paid internship, which could lead to a place on the writing team.

Applications were accepted from any North West based, BAME writers interested in writing on the show, regardless of previous experience in television. Entrants were asked to send in a sample script of their work (stage, TV, film, radio or any medium that displayed their skills in dramatic writing). Industry professionals were engaged as readers, to assess and respond to each script. Every writer who entered was given a personal script report in order to provide clear feedback.

ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC’s Latino Inclusion: A Mixed Bag According To National Latino Media Council

The National Latino Media Council (NLMC) has released the 2014 NLMC Television Network Diversity Report. The report rates Latino inclusion and diversity performance of ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC in the 2013-2014 television season, based on the employment of Latino actors, writers, producers, directors, and entertainment executives; program development; procurement; and commitment to diversity and transparency.

For the 2013-2014 television season, NLMC assigned “Good,” “Mediocre” and “Bad” ratings for each of the above eight categories for Latino inclusion, which provided the basis for overall scores for each network:

ABC: Mediocre
ABC had the most Latino scripted actors, and it also led the pack in terms of Latino writers and producers. However, the network underwhelmed with regard to Latino directors and unscripted talent. ABC is to be commended for its excellent quantity of initiatives to infuse more people of color into its ranks.