News Round-up: Sexuality on TV, Byrne, Lavoisier

VARIETY: TV matures in depiction of sexuality
The coupling of the aforementioned ATWT's Luke and Noah (fans have dubbed them "Nuke") has proved to be one for the daytime soap record books, right up there with Luke and Laura. While theirs was the first gay male teen kiss ever to be shown on daytime TV, the show has gotten some criticism that their romantic scenes have been more tame than those of the straight couples.

Exec producer Chris Goutman pooh-poohs that criticism. "We rarely venture into the land of sappy lovemaking outfitted with lighted candles, chocolate strawberries, corny music and predictable choreography," he says. "I subscribe to the philosophy that it's more powerful to leave it to the imagination of the audience."

INTERVIEW: Actress/Writer Martha Byrne
"I'm such a people person, and such an interactive person with my work, that I do miss that in-person collaboration. And you're in such a grind there's not really any time to talk about scripts or where you're going with your script. I miss the social aspect of the process. But I can get that if and when I act again."

Study Shows TV’s Impact on Consumer Purchasing Behavior
With the upfronts just around the corner and the economy in need of stimulation, a new study by the Television Bureau of Advertising offers insights into how advertising affects consumers as they make their way toward purchase decisions. The report, called “How Media Works: Advertising and the Purchase Funnel,” was conducted by Yankelovich for the TVB to determine the role TV plays as part of a multiplatform environment for advertising.

The study looks at the “Purchase Funnel,” a continuum that tracks a consumer from when he first becomes aware of a product through his actual purchase. In between are steps including interest, consideration, desire and store and Web site visits. Media had an impact on 80% of the awareness phase of the funnel and declined to 53% at the transaction phase. Two consistently strong contributors in most categories and purchase funnel phases are television and the Internet.

NBC U Launches Incubator For Canadian Content
NBC Universal is partnering with the Canadian Film Centre on a new initiative, the NBC Universal Content Creator Program. The program is designed to give Canadian content creators assistance and mentoring in the packaging and development of projects that could have an international audience.

INTERVIEW: OLTL's John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex)
"I don't know how I got into dad mode… I don't have kids or a dog - I used to have a goldfish. I hope I'm doing an okay job because I don't even want kids."