News Briefs

Fox Kids Latin America is making a special effort to tailor its programming to the Latin American market through the use of six VJs who will host the daily program schedule in Spanish, Portuguese and English at the same time.

The VJs were selected after an international talent search. They come from Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and El Salvador. Each of the VJs speak to each other in their native language, which "encourages multilanguage education and multicultural understanding," says Kim Hatamiya, senior vice president, Latin America and Asia, Fox Kids Network, Worldwide in a release. "As the VJs speak to each other in their native languages, the listener only has to understand his or her own language to understand the thread of the conversation."

-Dargaud acquires Marina

PARIS: French publisher/producer the Dargaud group has completed its majority acquisition of the Marina Productions group, creating a major new European-based player in the children's entertainment business.

Dargaud, a leader in comic book publishing, controls several publishing houses, including Dargaud, Lombard and Blake et Mortimer. The company recently expanded into animation production with the series Lucky Luke and Corentin. Dargaud also has a home video distribution subsidiary, Citel Video.

With the acquisition of Marina, Dargaud adds to its operations the animation production company Marina Productions, the animation studio le Dessin Animé Français and the licensing and merchandising subsidiary 4D.

Marina Productions has developed such properties as Mr. Men, which is launching in the U.S. syndication market in the fall, Bamboo Bears and Dog Tracer.