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Yahoo To Show Original Animated Sci-Fi Series
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1:22
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Our last word in business also comes to us from the Consumer Electronics Show. And the word is "Electric City." That's the name of a new animated science-fiction series created by - and starring - Tom Hanks. It's being promoted at the Vegas show in part because it will be airing - or rather it will be shown - on the Internet site Yahoo this spring.
Entertainment trade publication Variety reports that the project's actually been in the works for eight years. It's Yahoo's first effort at original scripted programming. Yahoo's already had a reality show, an advice show, as well as news bulletins.
With "Electric City," Yahoo is banking on some positive attention and extra ad revenues. The series is made up of 20 interactive cartoon episodes, each three or four minutes long. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world that is utopian on the surface but under the surface something else. According to one Yahoo executive, it is secrets and heavy-handed state control.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
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