The future investment stars are already with us. The NYSE Financial Future Challenge, operated by the NYSE Foundation, By Kids for Kids, K12 Inc. and the United Investors Association, is in full swing, with five finalists just identified. To reach this level, the participants had to develop a new product, idea or process that would "excite, educate and motivate their peers" to become interested in the financial marketplace. The eventual winner lurks within this subset and will receive a $2,500 prize -- a great way to get that portfolio started. And, he or she will be feted at a closing bell ceremony at the NYSE (NYX) on January 11, 2010.

The finalists presented a variety of ideas which are sure to generate some buzz. Kelsey Foss, a 12-year-old from Mountainville, NY, proposed a new television show, "Stock Market Tycoon Idol," which would harness the popularity of reality TV while amping up the content. The program would involve the journeys of 10 kids as they seek to make money or lose it, with the possibility of becoming virtual millionaires along the way. The show would be set at a mock NYSE studio on Wall Street, and exports would be brought out to mentor the contestants. The reality TV reach would help engage a younger audience.

The Writers Guild of America has threatened to go on strike when its contract expires on November 1. Variety reports that Walt Disney's ABC (NYSE: DIS), General Electric (NYSE: GE)'s NBC and CBS (NYSE: CBS) are scouring the world for possible replacement entertainment. (I stop here for a moment to ask: Are there actual writers involved in shows such as American Idol and Survivor?)

Among the places the networks are looking are cable channels, where a great deal of content specifically produced for cable networks could be rebroadcast to a much larger audience. Shows such as The Closer (TNT), Battlestar Galactica (SFN), and Dog: The Bounty Hunter (A&E) have pulled in enough numbers to suggest they might keep the networks' sponsors from storming their headquarters with axes and torches.

The big three are casting their nets even wider, looking to other countries for content. A great many Canadian CBC shows (not more Red Green show, please!) don't run on U.S. television, so shows like its hit Little Mosque on the Prairie could take the place of Desperate Housewives.

Long a staple of PBS, more British shows could also find their way to network television. Many will be very familiar, as Hollywood has found a rich vein by stealing mining England's entertainment, including The Office and American Idol.

The industry is in the midst of changing how audiences are measured and ad charges calculated, so this will be a dicey time for anything that will disrupt the broadcast routine. I, on the other hand, am looking forward to watching Fawlty Towers in prime time.

To those of you with younger females in the house, you may know the Disney television show Hannah Montana. It features the real-life daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus as a normal teenager that has a secret double life as a Hillary Duff-esque teenie-bop singer. This past Saturday morning, tickets were to go on sale at 10 a.m. CDT for tickets to a December Hannah Montana concert.

To girls in the eight-to-15 age bracket, this is gold stuff. Problem is -- no tickets were actually available at 10 a.m. when they were supposed to go on general sale. Using a combination of live, box-office presence, wireless Internet website checking and old-fashioned box-office phone calling, it was pretty clear to probably thousands of local parents here that no tickets would be for sale.

As always, the problem with high-profile concerts and appearances is the scam-laden "ticket broker" industry. These opportunists somehow manage to scoop up all tickets to major events (especially high-demand children's events) before general public ticket sales even happen, then spread them all over the web at 400% to 1000% markups. Some parents don't care and will do anything to buy these tickets, while level-headed ones become incredibly annoyed that ticket travesties like this happen, and consistently.

It doesn't seem that long ago that Hilary Duff was The The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) Channel's shining -- well more like blinding -- star. Hilary had it all: talent, looks, and an innocence that emanates only from Disney Channel stars. But once Duff's 65-episode Disney series Lizzie McGuire peaked in 2001, she went on to other things, including a 2003 album that reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (the project sold 3.7 million copies), an Elizabeth Arden fragrance, a clothing line, and another album that debuted earlier this year. What that meant for Disney was that Hilary was out. It didn't take long for someone else to move in -- Miley Cyrus.

You're probably wondering why that name sounds so familiar. Well, it's because Miley Cyrus is the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, best known for his top 40 hit "Achy Breaky Heart." Not only are both father and daughter singers, but they are also actors and show off both of their talents, together, on Disney Channel's new hit show Hannah Montana. The show premiered with 5.5 million viewers and 2.3 million tweens (kids 9-14) and became basic cable's top series in the tween demo in its first seven weeks. On the show, Miley plays a teenager trying to lead a normal life while hiding her secret, alter-ego rock star persona Hannah Montana from her classmates. Billy Ray plays her father (you can't get anymore true-to-life than that).

How are Miley and Hannah doing? According to Fortune, "The Disney Channel Hannah Montana series hasn't just been a huge hit with kids and 'tweens; it's become a ubiquitous franchise." The 2006 Hannah Montana soundtrack entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 and has gone double platinum, with 2.2 million copies sold since October. Hannah clothes are already the No. 1 tween brand at Macy's, and her new double-CD set that serves as a soundtrack and showcase for the actress, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, has outsold American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson's new album, both released June 26, by 34,000 copies.

As if that isn't enough for a 14-year-old, Miley's The Best of Both Worlds tour kicks off October 18 and features songs that showcase Miley Cyrus as an artist as well as Hannah Montana. This best of both worlds concept seems to be a smart move for a budding star, since she is establishing her career as a solo artist (Miley Cyrus) as well as a Disney star (Hannah Montana). In a few years, she may be able to drop the whole Hannah persona and continue a singer/actress career as Miley. But for the time being, It makes you wonder if there will be any room in toy and department stores for anything without the Hannah brand-stamp come holidays. Looks like Disney Channel has become nothing more than Miley's kingdom.

Bank of America(NYSE:BAC) has gone out with new coverage on the media sector for today. Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) and News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) have been initiated with "BUY" Ratings.

At Time Warner's AOL the analyst note is expecting a turnaround, and the "BUY" rating has a $25.00 target.

Oddly enough, it appears that Bank of America feels that the News. Corp. acquisition of Dow Jones (NYSE: DJ) would be a good fit and that recent weakness around the stock has been tied to the aggressive offer for the company.

Elsewhere in the sector, Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA) and Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) were given "Neutral" ratings.

Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.