HIV-Positive on TV

Next month on the UPN series "The Parkers," a main character will meet a desirable girl, then learn she is HIV-positive. Mel Karmazin and Sumner Redstone, president and chair, respectively, of Viacom Inc. -- which owns UPN, CBS, MTV and Showtime -- have encouraged its networks to air shows with HIV storylines. The effort is part of a campaign by Viacom and the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation to foster HIV/AIDS awareness. "We realized that, as a media company ... we had tremendous power to educate people," Karmazin said. Last week, meeting with about 500 MTV sales team members, Karmazin named dozens of TV shows that would have HIV-related plots this year. He received a standing ovation.

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