January 2006

Thursday's Senate Commerce Committee on=20
competition and convergence has been postponed,=20
but no worries -- Congress has been doing its=20
best to postpone both for many years. Events this=20
week include: 1) a hearing on the broadcast and=20
audio flags (see story below), 2) a discussion on=20
antitrust law and broadband; and a meeting of the=20
CPB board. For these and other upcoming media=20
policy events, see http://www.benton.org

NEWS FROM THE FCC
FCC Priorities for 2006
Indecency Enforcement Actions Confirmed
Martin Wants Review of Media Ownership Rules
Copps: =91Meaningful=92 Family Tiers
Martin sees wireless auction starting in June

OWNERSHIP
The Coming Tug of War Over the Internet
Disney May Be Near Deal to Sell ABC Radio Unit
The Jobs Factor Complicates the Media Universe

CONTENT
King Content
Gordon Tries To Re-Fly Broadcast Flag
Like This? You'll Hate That
Advertising Is Obsolete. Everyone Says So.
Soothe the Blog and Reap the Whirlwind

FUTURE OF MEDIA
Move Over, HD-TV. Now There's HD Radio, Too.
Missed It in the Theater Today? See It on DVD Tonight
Buyers Predict Broadcast's Upfront Take Won't Drop Much

QUICKLY -- PBS To Name New President; Google's=20
reputation at stake; We're all "knowledge workers" now

NEWS FROM THE FCC

FCC PRIORITIES FOR 2006
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
At the FCC meeting on Friday, bureau chiefs=20
identified their priorities for the coming year.=20
Media: 1) facilitate the transition to digital=20
television, 2) roll-out digital radio, 3) auction=20
off FM licences and 4) initiate a review of media=20
ownership rules. Wireline Competition: 1) Improve=20
911 services for consumers of nomadic Internet=20
telephone services (VoIP), 2) support continued=20
broadband Support continued broadband deployment,=20
and 3) reform the universal service fund.
http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/presentations/2006/012006/
* FCC Commissioners: Is This Mike On?
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable]
FCC Commissioners flew in for their meeting=20
Friday and, oh boy, were their arms tired.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6301256.html?display=3DBreaki...
News&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

INDECENCY ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS CONFIRMED
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Last year, Americans filed 189,362 complaints=20
with the FCC about television and radio=20
programming they found indecent. That's more=20
complaints than in any other year except 2004,=20
when something like a million people complained=20
about excessive nudity during a football game.=20
But the FCC didn't issue any indecency fines in=20
'05. Apparently, that's about to change, however.=20
The FCC's media bureau officially confirmed=20
Friday that it has initiated enforcement actions=20
on complaints about indecency and profanity. A=20
package of proposed fines and denials dealing=20
with TV stations is said to be a mix that, taken=20
together and signed off on by the commissioners,=20
are meant to be a better guide to what the FCC=20
thinks is indecent, though it will lack the=20
guidance that the Bono and Jackson reviews would provide.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6300894?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Upton Urges Senate to Take Up House Decency Bill
In related indecent news, Fred Upton (R-MI),=20
Chairman of the House Commerce Subcommittee on=20
Telecommunications and the Internet, said,
I am pleased that the Senate Commerce Committee=20
chose to have their first hearing of this New=20
Year on the important issue of decency. Just over=20
11 months ago, the House overwhelmingly passed=20
bipartisan legislation to raise the fines for=20
indecent material broadcast over the public=92s=20
airwaves. Our bill is a common sense measure that=20
will stand up to any court challenge as it does=20
not change the current standards that have been=20
on the books for decades. The Senate passed=20
similar legislation 99 to 1 in 2004, and now is=20
the time for the Senate to step up to the plate=20
and deliver something of real value to families=20
across the nation. The House passed bill, coupled=20
with initiatives taken by the cable industry to=20
offer family tier programming, will provide=20
families a sense of comfort when their kids reach=20
for the remote control. By increasing the fines=20
for indecency to $500,000, the fines will be at a=20
level where they cannot be ignored. The current=20
cap for fines is $32,500 -- to put that into=20
perspective, a 30 second commercial aired during=20
this year=92s Super Bowl will cost $2.6 million --=20
averaging more than $86,000 per second.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/News/01192006_1756.htm
* Concerned Women for America Legislative Action=20
Committee Calls on Senate Commerce Committee to=20
Act on Indecency Legislation Immediately
http://www.earnedmedia.org/cwfa01182.htm
* Horror episode too graphic for edgy Showtime series
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/entertainment/tel...
sion/13676679.htm

MARTIN WANTS REVIEW OF MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Doug Halonen]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on Friday said he hoped=20
to launch a review of the agency's media=20
ownership rules this year -- if he can forge a=20
consensus among the commissioners on how to=20
proceed. During an impromptu briefing with=20
reporters, Chairman Martin said he tried to get=20
the ball rolling against the rules last year but=20
was unable to get a consensus among the two=20
Republican and two Democratic commissioners at=20
the agency on how to proceed. It's widely=20
anticipated that a third Republican commissioner=20
will be appointed to the agency this year, giving=20
Martin the vote he needs to command an agency=20
majority. Chairman Martin also said he shared=20
concerns that the cable industry's recently=20
announced family-friendly programming tiers lack=20
sports and other important industry fare that=20
many observers believe could be critical to their=20
success in the marketplace. "I'm a big sports=20
fan," Martin said, "but I think it is important=20
that we've seen some family tiers at least being=20
offered. That's a really important step."
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D9231
(requires free registration)

COPPS: 'MEANINGFUL' FAMILY TIERS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps will be looking to=20
see whether new family-programming tiers offered=20
by cable and satellite companies represent an=20
attractive offer to consumers. In an interview on=20
C-SPAN, Commissioner Copps indicated that family=20
tiers could flop if they fail to include some of=20
cable's best-known names in news, sports and=20
information. "Is it designed to succeed or is it=20
designed to fail?" Copps asked. "I'm hoping it's=20
designed to succeed, and I'm hoping before it's=20
actually implemented that it will be designed to=20
succeed." Copps identified additional priorities=20
including: a national broadband strategy, network=20
neutrality, and media consolidation.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6301209.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)
* Lack of sports channels on family tiers sparks bipartisan complaints
http://www.wkrc.com/business/wire/story.aspx?content_id=3DC2998616-9002-...
F-B545-D089428009EE
http://www.wpmi.com/business/wire/story.aspx?content_id=3DC2998616-9002-...
F-B545-D089428009EE

FCC BOSS SEES WIRELESS AUCTION IN JUNE
[SOURCE: Reuters ]
An auction of a portion of US airwaves that could=20
be used for wireless video and high-speed=20
Internet access will likely go ahead in June,=20
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin=20
Martin said on Friday. Some of the airwaves to be=20
sold are being cleared by U.S. government=20
operations and some of the expected auction=20
proceeds are being earmarked to cover the costs=20
of moving those services, estimated to be almost=20
$936 million. The FCC sale can only be completed=20
if the proceeds from the sale bring in at least=20
10 percent more than those costs.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2006-01-20T194541Z_01_N20196598_RTRUKOC_0_US-TELECOMS-WIRELESS-AUCTION.x=
ml

OWNERSHIP

THE COMING TUG OF WAR OVER THE INTERNET
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Christopher Stern, Medley Global Advisors]
[Commentary] Do you prefer to search for=20
information online with Google or Yahoo? What=20
about bargain shopping -- do you go to Amazon or=20
eBay? Many of us make these kinds of decisions=20
several times a day, based on who knows what --=20
maybe you don't like bidding, or maybe Google's=20
clean white search page suits you better than=20
Yahoo's colorful clutter. But the nation's=20
largest telephone companies have a new business=20
plan, and if it comes to pass you may one day=20
discover that Yahoo suddenly responds much faster=20
to your inquiries, overriding your affinity for=20
Google. Or that Amazon's Web site seems sluggish=20
compared with eBay's. The changes may sound=20
subtle, but make no mistake: The=20
telecommunications companies' proposals have the=20
potential, within just a few years, to alter the=20
flow of commerce and information -- and your=20
personal experience -- on the Internet. For the=20
first time, the companies that own the equipment=20
that delivers the Internet to your computer=20
could, for a price, give one company priority on their networks over anothe=
r.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR200601...
0094.html?nav=3Drss_technology
(requires registration)
* Un-levelling the Internet playing field?
http://www.bleedingedge.com.au/blog/archives/2006/01/unlevelling_the.html

DISNEY MAY BE NEAR DEAL TO SELL ABC RADIO UNIT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Andrew Sorkin & Laura Holson]
The Walt Disney Company is near a deal to sell=20
its ABC Radio unit to Citadel Broadcasting, the=20
nation's fifth-largest radio broadcaster, for=20
nearly $3 billion. The sale of ABC, which owns=20
and operates 73 stations in many top markets and=20
a syndicated network with programming including=20
"The Sean Hannity Show," comes just as Disney is=20
considering an acquisition of Pixar Animation=20
Studios. Disney has long planned to sell its ABC=20
Radio business, which it does not consider part=20
of its core operations. It put the business up=20
for sale over the summer, and the auction process=20
has dragged on for several months. Citadel is=20
owned in large part by the private equity firm=20
Forstmann Little. A deal would catapult it into=20
the top tier of the industry and give it access=20
to much larger markets. Citadel now owns and=20
operates 155 FM and 58 AM radio stations in 47=20
markets in 24 states across the country, but most=20
of those markets are outside of the major cities.=20
ABC Radio was founded in 1943 after the Federal=20
Communications Commission forced NBC to sell one=20
of the two radio networks founded by RCA/NBC in 1926.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/business/media/23sale.html?pagewanted=...
ll
(requires registration)

THE JOBS FACTOR COMPLICATES THE MEDIA UNIVERSE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Richard Silkos]
The calculus of the Walt Disney Company buying=20
Pixar Animation Studios is, on its face, simple:=20
big media conglomerate plus vaunted computer=20
animation studio plus closer ties with Steven P.=20
Jobs, the maverick Pixar founder, equals=20
potential powerhouse. But because Mr. Jobs's=20
other job is chairman and chief executive of=20
Apple Computer, a deal also raises the=20
possibility of a warmer relationship between=20
Disney and Apple if Mr. Jobs plays an active role=20
at the company. Although there would be no direct=20
equity relationship between Apple and Disney, Mr.=20
Jobs would be the largest individual shareholder=20
in both, and would be likely to hold at least a=20
board seat at Disney. In the complex and=20
sometimes querulous dynamic between media and=20
technology companies, such a move would no doubt=20
raise questions about the ripples those ties can=20
be expected to cause. For example, would Mr. Jobs=20
view Disney as the preferred content supplier for=20
future generations of Apple iPods and other=20
hardware that distribute and play media products=20
like songs and TV shows? And would Disney's media=20
rivals be less inclined to do business with Apple=20
as it introduced new services because they would=20
be abetting a competitor? Similarly, will=20
technology companies vying with Apple to develop=20
new products for media consumption be less=20
inclined to work with Disney lest their best=20
ideas find their way up the California coast from=20
Disney's Burbank headquarters to Apple's Cupertino campus?
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/business/media/23jobs.html?pagewanted=...
ll
(requires registration)
* At Disney, a Dealmaker in the Grip of Technological Change
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/business/media/23iger.html?pagewanted=...
ll
(requires registration)

CONTENT

KING CONTENT
[SOURCE: The Economist]
Media conglomerates have seen their newspapers=20
and magazines lose readers and advertising to the=20
Internet; their music businesses suffer piracy=20
and falling sales; and someone else's video games=20
captivate new generations of consumers. Now come=20
fears about film and TV, the bedrock of their=20
business. Hollywood took 7% less at the box=20
office in 2005 than in 2004 and growth in sales=20
of DVDs has slowed. Internet video threatens the=20
satellite and cable systems of companies such as=20
News Corporation and Time Warner. Dozens of=20
advertisers are shifting budgets from television=20
to such places as the Internet and billboards.=20
Brand-owners hate it that people are using=20
digital video recorders to avoid their pitches.=20
And if media firms move on to the Internet=20
themselves, they risk losing their films and=20
television programmes to pirates. How's a=20
multinational corporation supposed to rule the=20
world under these conditions? Don't worry,=20
there's hope for you, Media Giant. The Internet=20
and digital devices will eventually break your=20
companies' grip on distribution. But you'll gain=20
something else: a digital world in which what you=20
supply matters far more than how you supply it.=20
In satellite radio, for example, Sirius has crept=20
up on XM Satellite Radio thanks chiefly to its=20
content, in the controversial form of Howard=20
Stern. And this world holds another promise, too:=20
an abundance of virtually costless ways to supply=20
consumers with what they want to watch, whenever=20
they want it=97things established media are ideally=20
placed to provide. The Internet is still in the=20
digital equivalent of the silent-film era. It has=20
been formidable for text, still images and music,=20
but is only now, with broadband access, entering=20
an age of high-quality video. As it does so, Time=20
Warner, News Corporation, Disney and other media=20
companies will be able to cash in on their film=20
and television archives. Selling video direct to=20
consumers, without distribution getting in the=20
way, lets media firms, and viewers, mine their=20
vaults for old episodes of =93The Outer Limits=94,=20
Johnny Carson, or whatever: minority tastes, to=20
be sure, but taken together, a vast new market.=20
Moreover, old media will command audiences for=20
many years yet. New media understand this.
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3D5411930

GORDON TRIES TO RE-FLY BROADCAST FLAG
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) is seeking support=20
for the Digital Content Protection Act of 2006, a=20
bill that would grant the FCC the express power=20
to regulate receiving devices for the purposes of=20
"limit[ing] the unauthorized copying and=20
indiscriminate redistribution of digital audio=20
and video broadcast content over digital=20
networks." The bill would mandate the flag for=20
digital broadcasts and includes language=20
permitting "customary historic use of broadcast=20
content by consumers to the extent such us is=20
consistent with applicable law." But it would=20
also give the affected industries a chance to=20
come up with their own compromise solution before=20
the FCC issues any new broadcast flag rules. The=20
bill would create a private-sector panel=20
including computer, equipment, broadcast, cable=20
and public interest representatives to come up=20
with that compromise. The bill is expected to be=20
discussed at a Jan. 24 Senate Commerce Committee=20
hearing on the flag technologies.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6300984?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

LIKE THIS? YOU'LL HATE THAT. (NOT ALL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE WELCOME.)
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Laurie Flynn]
Web technology capable of compiling vast amounts=20
of customer data now makes it possible for online=20
stores to recommend items tailored to a specific=20
shopper's interests. Companies are finding that=20
getting those personalized recommendations right=20
-- or even close -- can mean significantly higher=20
sales. For consumers, a recommendation system can=20
either represent a vaguely annoying invasion of=20
privacy or a big help in bringing order to a sea of choices.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/technology/23recommend.html?pagewanted...
all
(requires registration)

ADVERTISING IS OBSOLETE. EVERYONE SAYS SO
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Julie Bosman]
As advertising conferences go, the take-home=20
message at the Word-of-Mouth Marketing=20
Association meeting was a little unusual: Don't=20
advertise. But at the conference, more than 450=20
advertising and marketing professionals listened=20
to speakers tell them how to reach customers=20
using some alternatives to traditional=20
advertising, like viral and buzz marketing, that=20
are becoming increasingly popular within the=20
industry. The conference was called=20
"Word-of-Mouth Basic Training," and it was aimed=20
at teaching attendees how to tap into the power=20
of word of mouth, an ancient form of=20
communication that many marketers have updated by=20
using new technology like blogs, podcasting and=20
online message boards. At times, the conference=20
could have been mistaken for a religious=20
convention. Among Friday's offerings were=20
sessions titled "Turning Customers Into=20
Evangelists," "Word of Mouth in Faith-Based=20
Markets" and "How to Create Brand Converts."=20
(Later that afternoon, two speakers explained how=20
to "Bring Brands Back from the Dead.") Speakers=20
with titles like "marketing medic" or "manager of=20
influencer marketing" extolled the effectiveness=20
of nontraditional tactics in an industry that has=20
all but declared the 30-second TV commercial obsolete.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/business/media/23adco.html?pagewanted=...
ll
(requires registration)

SOOTHE THE BLOG AND REAP THE WHIRLWIND
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Carr]
[Commentary] Feedback, as any rock guitarist can=20
tell you, is not always a pleasant-sounding=20
thing. Finding an appropriate way to feature and=20
moderate comments from the reading public is=20
challenging not just for the old-line media, but=20
for many of the Web's most robust destinations.=20
The trouble with a community built of one-way=20
e-mail messages posing as two-way communication=20
is that when people can say anything, they frequently do.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/business/media/23carr.html?pagewanted=...
ll
(requires registration)

FUTURE OF MEDIA

MOVE OVER, HD-TV. NOW THERE'S HD RADIO, TOO.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Taub]
Traditional broadcast radio, the last bastion of=20
analog entertainment technology, sees a bright=20
future for itself. Its strategy for success is to=20
become more like one of its main competitors,=20
satellite radio. More channels and music formats,=20
and less-intrusive advertising are critical to=20
its growth, industry executives say.
The radio industry, like broadcast television=20
before it, is switching to digital technology.=20
Digital radio technology allows a broadcaster to=20
offer up to three additional FM channels in the=20
space formerly occupied by one. With digital=20
technology, AM stations sound like FM, and FM=20
stations approach CDs in sound quality. A=20
retrofit to HD Radio, or high-definition radio,=20
costs about $100,000 per station.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/technology/23radio.html?pagewanted=3Dall
(requires registration)

MISSED IT IN THE THEATER TODAY? SEE IT ON DVD TONIGHT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Sharon Waxman]
Hollywood will inch further toward making movies=20
simultaneously available in theaters, on DVD and=20
on home television screens at the Sundance Film=20
Festival this week, as IFC Entertainment unveils=20
a plan to release 24 films in theaters and on=20
cable at the same time this year. The=20
simultaneous release in several distribution=20
modes, called "day and date" release in=20
Hollywood, has been the subject of intense debate=20
in the industry, as movie attendance in theaters=20
has dropped for three years in a row while=20
cellphones and iPods have become the improbable=20
new hosts for filmed entertainment. In many ways,=20
the independent film world is best suited for=20
experimenting with these new distribution=20
strategies, because of the large number of films=20
that are not widely seen, and because the low=20
budgets make them a less risky proposition. IFC's=20
initiative will involve more films and almost=20
certainly more viewers. Because the films will be=20
made available on cable, far more subscribers=20
will have access to the video-on-demand service=20
than now receive the HDNet network.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/business/media/23independent.html?page...
ted=3Dall
(requires registration)

BUYERS PREDICT BROADCAST'S UPFRONT WON'T DROP MUCH
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: John Consoli]
With news of on-demand and interactive media=20
choices stealing the headlines almost daily,=20
along with studies citing the imminent exodus of=20
marketers to other options, it would seem the=20
national TV sales chiefs should prepare=20
themselves for a multibillion-dollar revenue=20
dropoff this year. But for the foreseeable=20
future, starting with this year=92s upfront=20
marketplace, the networks and major agencies=20
predict there will be no mega fallout of dollars.=20
Media agency executives acknowledge they do not=20
see the broadcast network upfront growing much=20
beyond last year=92s approximate $9 billion, but=20
they also don't expect it to drop much below=20
that. And while advertiser spending on the Big=20
Six nets may have peaked=97meaning more money will=20
be allocated to nontraditional media in the=20
future -- the shift of spending on digital,=20
interactive, on demand and other new forms of=20
advertising will happen gradually over the years.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=3D100...
2720

QUICKLY

PBS TO NAME NEW PRESIDENT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
As early as today we could hear who the next head=20
of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) will be.=20
A replacement for Pat Mitchell, whose contract=20
was up in June, had been expected to be unveiled=20
at a Feb. 11-12 board meeting in Washington. But=20
Mitchell announced two weeks ago that she was=20
leaving to head up the Museum of Television &=20
Radio in New York starting March 15. PBS Board=20
members met Sunday to pick the new President/CEO.=20
Names on the rumor list include former FCC=20
Chairman Reed Hundt; Mary Bitterman, former=20
president and CEO of noncommercial KQED San=20
Francisco; and Sesame Workshop CEO Gary Knell.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6301257?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

GOOGLE'S REPUTATION AT STAKE IN FIGHT WITH GOVERNMENT
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Jim Hopkins]
Google, facing its biggest public relations=20
battle yet, has more at stake than competitors as=20
it fights a federal government demand for data on=20
how millions of users search the Internet. As the=20
No. 1 online search company, Google has the=20
highest profile, and a brand built on a =93don't be=20
evil'' motto that it must defend as it expands=20
further into search-related ventures. =93That is=20
their motto and their ambition, and they need to=20
be true to that,'' says Denise Garcia, an analyst=20
who follows Google at W.R. Hambrecht. Google's=20
stance will likely burnish its image as a search=20
engine industry leader that can be trusted to=20
guard its users' data, Garcia says. But in the=20
short run, investors are worried. Friday, stock=20
in the company plummeted 8.5%, or $36.98 a share,=20
to $399.46, a day after published reports of its=20
refusal to bow to a Justice Department subpoena.=20
It was Google's biggest daily percentage decline=20
since it went public in August 2004.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060123/2b_google23.art.htm

COMPANIES STRUGGLE TO PASS ON KNOWLEDGE THAT WORKERS ACQUIRE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Scott Thurm scott.thurm( at )wsj.com]
We're all "knowledge workers" now. But few=20
organizations have figured out how to share=20
knowledge among employees, or to pass it on when=20
employees leave or change assignments. Business=20
gurus have offered dozens of potential solutions.=20
Most involve technology, like asking employees to=20
submit tidbits of expertise to a database that=20
other employees can tap. But few of these efforts=20
have produced big payoffs. Last year, when=20
consulting firm Bain & Co. asked 960 executives=20
about the effectiveness of 25 management tools,=20
knowledge management ranked near the bottom. The=20
reliance on technology obscures the crucial human=20
issues in learning and teaching.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113797285013053145.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online=20
news summary service provided by the Benton=20
Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday=20
through Friday, this service provides updates on=20
important industry developments, policy issues,=20
and other related news events. While the=20
summaries are factually accurate, their often=20
informal tone does not always represent the tone=20
of the original articles. Headlines are compiled=20
by Kevin Taglang headlines( at )benton.org -- we welcome your comments.
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