like a lion)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
FCC: Ryan Not Indecent
PTC Complains About CSI Episode; Fans Respond with
"Noncomplaint" Campaign
Attorney General Will Fight Obscenity
Can Citizens' Journalism Resuscitate the Media?
Ratings Coalition Heavies-Up on Hill
Artists Break With Industry on File Sharing
TELECOM
Rival Bids for MCI Come Under Fire
FCC Adopts Additional Requirements for ETC Proceedings
INTERNET
Net-based 911 Fight Puts Lives On Line
In Hunt for Online Advertising, Yahoo Makes Big Bet on Media
QUICKLY -- Deborah Klein Named Media Bureau Acting Chief; FCC Seeks Voom
Input; 120 Million Chinese Internet Users by Year's End
MEDIA & SOCIETY
FCC: RYAN NOT INDECENT
Meg -- scratch that -- Private Ryan is not indecent, the FCC has decided.
No stations will be fined for airing the uncut version of World War II
movie "Saving Private Ryan." By a unanimous vote, the five FCC
commissioners ruled that the profanity and violence of the movie are
"integral to the film's objective of conveying the horrors of war" though
the eyes of soldiers. Several complainants asked the FCC to investigate the
program. The FCC said there was a vast difference between the context of
the profanity in the Saving Private Ryan and during the Golden Globes
shows. "During the Golden Globe Awards . . .the word was shocking and
gratuitous," the FCC said. In Private Ryan, by contrast, it's what one
would expect soldiers under duress to say. Also spared fines were stations
that aired episodes of Fox's Arrested Development and NBC's Will and Grace
that the Parents' Television Council complained about. The FCC's decision
came one week too late to give guidance to noncommercials stations, many of
which were concerned about a Feb. 22 Frontline documentary in which real
soldiers in Iraq use similar language. Many aired a version with the rough
language edited out for fear of the FCC.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA507458?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Links to FCC Press Releases and Orders --
* Saving Private Ryan:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-257036A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-23A1.doc
* Arrested Development:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-257008A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-36A1.doc
* Will and Grace:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-257028A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-38A1.pdf
Also see --
* Saving "Saving Private Ryan"
http://www.creativevoices.us/php-bin/news/showArticle.php?id=110
PTC COMPLAINS ABOUT CSI EPISODE; FANS RESPOND WITH "NONCOMPLAINT" CAMPAIGN
Viacom's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is the latest target for the
Parents Television Council which objects to a episode that dealt with
infantilism (please don't ask). "Apparently, CBS has learned ABSOLUTELY
nothing [emphasis theirs] from the record-breaking $3.5 million fine levied
against parent company, Viacom, in an effort to settle scores of indecency
complaints," said PTC. CBS declined to comment on the complaint. However
Speakspeak.org -- a Web site launched one month ago to fight back against
the Federal Communications Commission's indecency crackdown -- did respond
quickly. It has set up an online form on its opening page for surfers to
submit a letter of "noncomplaint" to the Commission to counter the PTC
complaint. "Our members feel that, while not every program is appropriate
for every age group, neither is it appropriate for a small-but-active
segment of the population to control the airwaves," site founder Amanda
Toering said. "Because their mobilization has led to fear and
self-censorship at the broadcast networks, the PTC has become the nation's
de facto censorship board."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA507264?display=Breaking+News&...
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA507477?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL FIGHT OBSCENITY
Overweight people beware, new U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is not
going to put up with any obesity. Whoops, there I go again... make that
obscenity, darn it. The obscenity crackdown is on the same list of
priorities as the war on terror, deterring violent crime, lobbying for
victims' rights legislation, reforming immigration laws and eliminating
human trafficking. In the wake of a federal court ruling that throws the
government's ability to combat obscenity into question, AG Gonzales said he
has ordered Justice Department lawyers to "carefully review federal laws to
see how we might strengthen our hand in prosecuting obscenity." A
crackdown on obscenity would go hand-in-hand with congressional efforts to
mete out harsher punishment for indecent broadcasts on TV and radio and
would raise the specter of a government attempt to restrict pay-per-view
X-Rated movies on cable. Obscenity enjoys no First Amendment protection and
may be banned but the government has not been able to define exactly what a
program must depict in order to be considered obscene.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA507324?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Also see --
WashPost: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60683-2005Feb28.html
CAN CITIZENS' JOURNALISM RESUSCITATE THE MEDIA?
[Commentary] The decline of our media system has been well documented.
Every week seems to bring with it news about how the news is screwed up.
Media concentration, commercial imperatives and a clear conservative tilt
is tuning out and turning off viewers, readers and listeners. Journalists
are under fire from every side of the partisan divide. You get the feeling
that we are living in the last days of our media system. As
MediaChannel.org marks its fifth anniversary, co-founder and News Dissector
Danny Schechter opens a discussion on where we go from here in the first of
a series of articles.
[SOURCE: MediaChannel.org, AUTHOR: Danny Schechter]
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/affalert329.shtml
RATINGS COALITION HEAVIES-UP ON HILL
The Don't Count Us Out Coalition is pushing for more oversight of Nielsen
Media Research alleged undercounting of minorities by the company's Local
People Meters. Executive Director Cynthia Jasso-Rotunno has joined full
time, coming from Issue Dynamics, a public affairs and Internet consulting
firm. She and adviser Minyon Moore, a former advisor to President
Clinton,will focus both on legislative strategy and on the Washington (DC)
and Philadelphia markets, where Nielsen will roll out its next Local People
Meters in June. The meters have been criticized for undercounting black,
Hispanic and Asian viewing. Nielsen is addressing problems with
sampling--users correctly recording their information--but critics continue
to push for greater oversight than the current Media Ratings Council (MRC)
accreditation process. Nielsen also argues that the meters are better
counting the flight of minorities to other outlets rather than simply
undercounting them.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA507319.html?display=Breaking+...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
ARTISTS BREAK WITH INDUSTRY ON FILE SHARING
A prominent group of musicians and artists, breaking with colleagues and
the major entertainment studios, is urging the Supreme Court not to hold
online file-sharing services responsible for the acts of users who
illegally trade songs, movies and software. The group, which includes
representatives of Steve Winwood, Chuck D and Heart, said in court papers
to be filed today that it condemns the stealing of copyrighted works. But
it argues that popular services such as Grokster, Kazaa and others also
provide a legal and critical alternative for artists to distribute their
material. Other groups filing briefs in support of Grokster's position
include the Consumer Electronics Association, the Computer & Communications
Industry Association, Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation of America,
and Public Knowledge, a digital-rights advocacy group.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jonathan Krim]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61254-2005Feb28.html
(requires registration)
TELECOM
RIVAL BIDS FOR MCI COME UNDER FIRE
As MCI considers competing bids, the rhetoric is heating up between Qwest
and Verizon. Yesterday, Qwest chief executive Dick Notebaert had an op-ed
in the WSJ claiming the proposed Verizon-MCI merger would be bad for
consumers. Tom Tauke, Verizon's executive vice president for public policy,
responded saying a deal between Qwest and MCI was "not in the public
interest." Many big investors in MCI already have said they prefer the
Qwest offer, since it provides a larger payment, including $1 billion in
cash. Many of those investors are also hoping that Qwest's persistence will
force Verizon to raise its offer. "I think the Qwest offer has more value,"
says Bruce Berkowitz, chief executive officer of Fairholme Capital
Management, which is one of MCI's biggest shareholders with roughly 11
million shares. "But which offer is better right now doesn't matter to me,
because I can't see how the MCI board can make the decision without talking
to the other side, especially when it doesn't cost them anything."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jesse Drucker jesse.drucker( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110963465224066410,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
FCC ADOPTS ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ETC PROCEEDINGS
Eligible telecom carrier (ETC) status allows a carrier to get high-cost
universal support funding. Yesterday, the FCC adopted guidelines for how
carriers can get ETC status; a carrier must: 1) Provide a 5-year plan
demonstrating how high-cost universal service support will be used to
improve its coverage, service quality or capacity throughout the service
area for which it seeks designation; 2) Demonstrate its ability to remain
functional in emergency situations; 3) Demonstrate that it will satisfy
consumer protection and service quality standards; 4) Offer local usage
plans comparable to those offered by the incumbent telephone companies in
the area for which it seeks designation; 5) Acknowledge that it may be
required to provide equal access if all other ETCs in the designated
service area relinquish their designations.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Susan Polyakova]
(Not available online)
See FCC Press Release:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-257026A1.doc
INTERNET
NET-BASED 911 FIGHT PUTS LIVES ON LINE
Some Internet telephone service (VoIP) providers don't offer 911 at all.
More typically, those such as Vonage and AT&T offer a bare-bones 911
service that doesn't show operators a caller's number or address. And it
doesn't ring on the emergency phone lines in the dispatch center. As a
result, some 911 centers don't accept the calls. Several VoIP providers do
offer a full-featured 911 --- called Enhanced 911, or E-911 -- that's akin
to the 911 feature most consumers have today with regular phone service.
But it sometimes costs extra. Vonage, the No. 1 VoIP provider, has been
working with states, 911 directors and local phone companies to bring free
E-911 to customers. Its efforts have bogged down, though, partly over
regulatory hurdles. The problem looms larger as the VoIP market swells. The
number of U.S. VoIP customers is likely to rise from 750,000 to about 9
million by 2008, researcher In-Stat/MDR says. And a rising number of people
use VoIP as their primary service.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR:Paul Davidson]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050301/voip01.art.htm
IN HUNT FOR ONLINE ADVERTISING, YAHOO MAKES BIG BET ON MEDIA
Under the leadership of Terry Semel, a former movie executive, Yahoo is
taking its cue from the entertainment industry. It believes its future
largely lies in building the equivalent of online theme parks featuring
fantasy sports leagues, music, sites for new TV shows such as "The
Apprentice" and other branded content and services. Yahoo wants users to
come often and stay a long time so it can put more and more ads on their
screens. Google devotes its energies primarily to thriving on the Web's
vast sprawl rather than trying to occupy one corner of it. Half of Google's
advertising revenue, for example, comes from simple text ads that appear on
other people's Web sites. The other half comes mainly from ads that
accompany Google's own search results. Google produces virtually no content
of its own, fearing that would tarnish the impartiality of its search
service. "Yahoo sees itself as a media company," says Shelby Bonnie,
chairman and CEO of technology Web publisher CNET. "Google views itself as
a technology company."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Kevin J. Delaney kevin.delaney( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110963221790466352,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
QUICKLY
DEBORAH KLEIN NAMED MEDIA BUREAU ACTING CHIEF
FCC Chairman Michael Powell named Deborah Klein to be the Media Bureau's
Acting Chief, following the departure of outgoing Bureau Chief Kenneth
Ferree on March 4th. Klein has served as the Media Bureau's Chief of Staff
since 2002 where she worked to implement the Commission's policies relating
to electronic media, including broadcast and cable television, radio, and
post- licensing satellite issues. Prior to becoming Chief of Staff, she
was Chief of the Consumer Protection and Competition Division in the Cable
Services Bureau. Before joining the FCC in 1994, Klein served as an
attorney at the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition. Klein is
a graduate of the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) with a B.A. in
Political Science, and the University of Toledo College of Law (Go
Rockets!), where she received a J.D. magna cum laude.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-257022A1.doc
See also --
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA507196.html?display=Breaking+News&...
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA507119?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
FCC SEEKS VOOM INPUT
EchoStar plans to buy Voom's direct-broadcast satellites from Cablevision
and the FCC would like to hear what you have to say about it by March 28.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA507466?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
China's Internet user base is expected to grow 28 percent this year to 120
million
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=7767971
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------