From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Hollywood meets the Internet and economic reality.

Hello again, I'm Warren Olney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most. With so much free content online, the business model for movies just doesn't work anymore. Revenues

from DVDs are declining fast, so is backing from wealthy angels with big money to spend, and this

was a summer of box office flops. Studios are now basing productions on comic books, graphic novels, webisodes, and video games that can be serialized and branded for easy marketing.

Specialty products aimed at adults are fewer and farther between. Today we'll see how the wide world of entertainment is changing.

On reporter's notebook later on, Republicans strike back on congressional ethics. First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Hello again, Wimanalny, back with To the Point. Technology and economics are working big change on the business of entertainment.

What are the opportunities for content with quality and the risks of Hollywood dumbing down more than ever?

On reporter's notebook are the Democrats being haunted

by their promise to run an open and ethical Congress. First, this news update. Many troubled homeowners

may or may not agree, but Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said today that an important milestone

has been reached in the effort to prevent mortgage foreclosures. James Haggerty reports on real estate for the Wall Street Journal. James, good to have you on our program.

Thank you. What's this milestone? Well, they say they have now offered loan modifications, which basically means making the monthly payments lower to over half a million people. Their goal is to do that by November 1st. But I think it's

important to keep in mind that this is still the very early stages of this program, and it's

very hard to know how well it's going to work out. They are, though, trumpeting the idea that

they made the 500 million before November 1st. That's 500,000. $500,000, excuse me.

Yes.

I mean, they're happy to show some signs of progress.

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