links for 2010-07-13

“A fight over affordable housing is brewing in the District, with a protest march and an overnight tent city criticizing the Fenty administration.”

“An even higher proportion — 86% — of top-billed stars are White.

“The category White there specifically includes White non-Hispanics. No Latinos had top billing in Paramount movies during this time period.

“When the data are broken down by race/ethnicity and gender, we see that the vast majority of top-billed stars who are non-White are men. Non-White women are almost entirely shut out.”

“‘We’re seeing a real flowering in demand,’ said David Jensen, vice president of content acquisition for Comcast. The cable operator provides eight South Asian linear channels — among them SET Asia ( Sony), Zee TV and STAR India PLUS — in Northern California but is looking to expand its reach into other parts of the country this year. A new platform providing some 90 ethnic channels will include 10 targeted toward Indians. Comcast also carries ‘Bollywood Hits on Demand’ nationwide.

“Executives say that the nature of the programming is poised to change, taking into consideration U.S.-born Indians whose tastes are more inclined toward mainstream American television. According to Jensen, that could offer opportunities for programming for children as well as sports shows.”