January 2006

For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org

PUBLIC MEDIA
Wi-Fi run by Cities: Yea or nay?
Public access TV holds ground in Adelphia Sale
Public Radio Listeners Want Their Money Back

INTERNET/CABLE
Martin Stresses Unblocked Internet
Free the Cable Box
Coming Soon to TV Land: The Internet, Actually

RADIO/MUSIC
As His Sirius Show Begins, Radio Ponders the Stern Effect
Clear Channel Ties Videos to Ads In Big Web Push
Buying Music From Anywhere and Selling It for Play on the Internet

QUICKLY -- More and More Bang for More and More Bucks; TV: In the Money; PA=
=20
Considers Ad Tax; CEA's Old, New Priorities; Indiana Latest State To Mull=
=20
Telecom Dereg; Mine Disaster's Terrible Irony: A Failure to Look Deeper;=20
Connection between Wiretapping and the Telephone Industry; State laptop=20
plan prompts mixed reaction; Iran Cleric Struggles to Get Alternative Views=
=20
to TV Screens; Carmakers find a captive audience for entertainment

PUBLIC MEDIA

WI-FI RUN BY CITIES: YEA OR NAY?
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
At a debate on Friday over municipal broadband networks, Harold Feld of the=
=20
Media Access Project squared off against Tom Lenard of the Progress and=20
Freedom Foundation. Not only should city governments have the unrestricted=
=20
ability to create their own wireless broadband networks, but they should=20
also consider baking broadband plans into disaster recovery scenarios,=20
argued Mr. Feld. "At this point I think most of us recognize that the=20
Internet is not a luxury," Feld said. "It has become something essential=20
for the conduct of business and even the conduct of everyday life." But=20
Lenard said the track record of cities' involvement in similar ventures is=
=20
"not happy." The evidence, he said, lies in several studies, one of which=
=20
he authored, that point to money-losing telecommunications firms run by=20
local governments. "None have been able to cover their costs without being=
=20
subsidized" by taxpayer money or rate hikes in other public utility bills,=
=20
such as electricity and water, he said. Lenard added that large scale=20
wireless broadband networks remain experimental enough to warrant caution.=
=20
"When the private sector makes bets on one technology or another, it's=20
disciplined by the shareholders," a process that he said tends to occur=20
more efficiently than waiting to vote someone out of office. But Feld=20
argued that that's missing the point of municipalities' involvement in the=
=20
first place. Cities are right to step in where "there's a valuable social=
=20
good or economic benefit that would be distributed if somebody did this,=20
and there's not a rate of return sufficient to attract the private sector"=
=20
-- for instance, in low-income or rural areas. Local governments should=20
view the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as a lesson, Feld said.
http://news.com.com/Wi-Fi+run+by+cities+Yea+or+nay/2100-1028_3-6022185.h...
?tag=3Dnefd.top
See also:
* Let There Be Wi-Fi
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0601.podesta.html

PUBLIC ACCESS TV HOLDS GROUND IN ADELPHIA SALE
[SOURCE: Vermont Guardian, AUTHOR: Kathryn Casa]
Confronting the specter of a vastly consolidated national cable television=
=20
market, advocates are hailing the Vermont state Public Service Board=92s De=
c.=20
29 approval of the sale of Adelphia=92s Vermont franchise to Comcast and Ti=
me=20
Warner as a quiet victory for public access to the airwaves. If the $17.6=
=20
billion sale of the national Adelphia network is approved by federal=20
regulators and a bankruptcy court, Vermonters stand to gain more local=20
access channels, the ability for those channels to exchange programs, and=
=20
even a statewide channel that could feature live programming of events like=
=20
the opening session of the Legislature, a state championship basketball=20
game, or election returns. =93If there is any big story for us out of this,=
=20
it=92s that Vermont access channels and organizations were recognized as=20
important =97 that the 20 years of protections for free speech that we work=
ed=20
for have been protected by the Public Service Board, and both the=20
Department of Public Service [DPS] and Comcast are on notice that they=20
can't treat [public access] lightly,=94 said Lauren-Glenn Davitian, executi=
ve=20
director of CCTV=92s Center for Media and Democracy in Burlington.
http://www.vermontguardian.com/local/012006/AdelphiaSale.shtml

PUBLIC RADIO LISTENERS WANT THEIR MONEY BACK
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Maria Aspan]
When the public radio station in Detroit canceled some local music shows=20
and replaced them with nationally syndicated talk and news programs, it=20
probably expected some complaints from listeners. What it got was a lawsuit=
=20
asking for their pledge money back. A group of listeners to WDET-FM in=20
Detroit filed a class-action lawsuit against the station on Dec. 19,=20
claiming fraud and breach of contract. The Detroit Free Press reported that=
=20
seven plaintiffs filed for damages after contributing to the station's last=
=20
on-air fund-raising pledge drive, which ended in October. Station managers=
=20
announced the new schedule on Dec. 13. The listeners claim that they were=
=20
tricked into contributing money for programs that the station already=20
planned to cancel. "They took our money six weeks before they made the=20
changes," said Dan Sordyl, a member of the committee for=20
SaveDetroitRadio.com, a Web site started by disgruntled listeners after=20
WDET's announcement. Mr. Sordyl says that he is trying to negotiate a=20
compromise with WDET or Wayne State University, which owns the station.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/business/media/09radio.html?pagewanted...
all
(requires registration)

INTERNET/CABLE

MARTIN STRESSES UNBLOCKED INTERNET
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Tom Steinert-Threlkeld]
Consumers should =93have unfettered access to all [of] the Internet,=94 FCC=
=20
Chairman Kevin Martin said Friday. =93You can't have consumers being blocke=
d=94=20
from individual services or parts of the Internet, Chairman Martin said in=
=20
at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show. His comments came as=
=20
developers of new sites on the Web -- which increasingly make use of video=
=20
and moving images, not just text and graphics -- expressed concern that=20
their services might be regarded as competition to the multiple channels of=
=20
service offered by cable and telephone companies on their TV networks. But=
=20
Chairman Martin said he was =93hesitant=94 about instigating a rule-making=
=20
procedure at the FCC at this point, adding that he lacks evidence that=20
content is being blocked. The Wall Street Journal Friday reported that=20
large phone companies such as BellSouth hope to start charging Google=20
Vonageand other Internet-content providers for high-quality delivery of=20
music, movies and the like over their networks. The implication is that if=
=20
they didn't pay up, their services might not be allowed to operate on those=
=20
networks. When asked about the report, Chairman Martin said he did not know=
=20
enough to comment usefully on it. He added that the FCC should look at=20
setting a =93baseline for access=94 to Internet content. In the meantime, h=
e=20
said, he will adopt a =93wait-and-see=94 attitude on the issue.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6297783.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)
* FCC's Martin Says He's Not Pushing Any Cable Option
At the same forum, Chairman Martin said that though he thinks consumers=20
need choices and control over cable content delivered into their homes, he=
=20
has "stayed away from pushing" any particular option, such as a la carte.=
=20
Thus, he said, he will not necessarily demand that cable go a la carte if=
=20
the family tier solution proposed by various operators is not widely=20
adopted by consumers. On the question of indecency, he said the FCC will=20
continue to meet its legal mandate to enforce standards of decency on=20
broadcast television. Asked if the FCC needs to do a better job of=20
clarifying what is and is not considered indecent, he said that context is=
=20
important -- something that might be deemed indecent in an entertainment=20
program might not be indecent if it were in a different context on a news=
=20
program. And, he added, to make those kinds of differentiations "is a good=
=20
thing." Asked if the FCC should enforce indecency rules on=20
satellite-delivered services that use public spectrum-as opposed to cable=
=20
delivery-he said the FCC has been asked to look into the issue.
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D9135
(requires free registration)

FREE THE CABLE BOX
[SOURCE: The Boston Globe, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] What do cable subscribers do if they don't like the offerings=
=20
of "family-friendly" tiers? It's take it or leave it like all the other=20
cable packages. Comcast and the other cable companies argue that allowing=
=20
subscribers to pick and choose would be too expensive and force=20
little-watched channels off the air. Maybe they are right, but without=20
trying the a la carte option, no one will ever know for sure. Cable=20
television is the kind of semimonopoly that cries out for government=20
regulation -- maybe not the price controls that were lifted in 1996, but=20
some consumer protection. It's probably too much to expect the FCC to=20
insist on a la carte immediately. But the Commission should make it a=20
condition of the Adelphia deal that Comcast -- and Time Warner, which is=20
also buying part of the company -- report back in a few months with the=20
numbers of subscribers who sign up for the Family Tier. If it is not=20
popular, the next step is to insist on an a la carte experiment.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2...
/01/08/free_the_cable_box/

COMING SOON TO TV LAND: THE INTERNET, ACTUALLY
[SOURCE: New York Times 1/7, AUTHOR: John Markoff]
What would a world with television coming through the Internet be like?=20
Instead of tuning into programs preset and determined by the broadcast=20
network or cable or satellite TV provider, viewers would be able to search=
=20
the Internet and choose from hundreds of thousands of programs sent to them=
=20
from high-speed connections. At the International Consumer Electronics Show=
=20
here this week, a future dominated by Internet Protocol TV, or IPTV, seemed=
=20
possible, maybe even inevitable. Potentially, IPTV could replace the 100-=
=20
or 500-channel world of the cable and satellite companies with millions of=
=20
hybrid combinations that increasingly blend video, text from the Web, and=
=20
even video-game-style interactivity. the advantage of IPTV is that it can=
=20
potentially be deployed at lower cost than current cable television systems=
=20
and can offer consumers features like the ability to record several=20
programs simultaneously without having to add costly additional tuners. But=
=20
critics charge that the telephone companies are intentionally crippling the=
=20
Internet capabilities of their services to appear much like traditional=20
closed cable offerings. "They're trying to construct their own separate=20
world to keep their walled garden," said Robert Frankston, a personal=20
computer industry pioneer and former Microsoft researcher. The growing=20
tension has begun to show in the objections of existing D.S.L. and cable=20
providers that are threatening to create surcharges for Internet content=20
providers as well as the prospect of the deployment of a two-tiered=20
Internet in which favored customers would in effect have special=20
high-performance lanes reserved for their use.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/technology/07video.html?pagewanted=3Dall
(requires registration)
* After long wait, line between PCs, TVs blurring
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2006-01-07T173605Z_01_WRI763311_RTRUKOC_0_US-ELECTRONICS-CONVERGENCE.xm=
l&archived=3DFalse
* Google to launch online video store
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2006-01-07T065140Z_01_KWA700640_RTRUKOC_0_US-ELECTRONICS-GOOGLE.xml
* Yahoo expanding Web on TV, phones with Go service
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2006-01-07T020956Z_01_BAU647170_RTRUKOC_0_US-ELECTRONICS-YAHOO-GO.xml

RADIO/MUSIC

AS HIS SIRIUS SHOW BEGINS, RADIO PONDERS STERN EFFECT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Taub]
Since October 2004, when Sirius announced a deal to bring Howard Stern to=
=20
satellite radio, subscribership for the service has grown from 660,000 to=
=20
3.3 million. Mr Stern and his manager have been rewarded with more than 34=
=20
million shares of common stock, currently worth about $225 million. That is=
=20
on top of the $500 million that Sirius had already agreed to pay Stern for=
=20
his salary and production costs. Stern now holds more shares than any other=
=20
single investor. Sirius has given Stern two channels to program. His=20
four-hour show airs at 6 a.m. on both coasts, live in the East and=20
tape-delayed in the West. In addition to the live show, programming will=20
include Howard 100 News, a news operation "reporting on the world of=20
Howard." "Howard will be doing a show that he hasn't done for 15 years,=20
because he's been held back" by the Federal Communications Commission, said=
=20
Patrick Reilly, senior vice president of communications for Sirius. "It's=
=20
not about swearing, it's about being candid, doing creative performance=20
work for radio."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/business/media/09stern.html
(requires registration)
* Stern says he'll avoid =91foul language'
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20060109/d_topstrip09.art.htm
* XM, Sirius: Threshold of a =91radio revolution'?
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20060109/d_mediamix09.art.htm
* A daughter's advice eased Stern's decision
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20060109/d_mediamix09_side.art...

CLEAR CHANNEL TIES VIDEOS TO ADS IN BIG WEB PUSH
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sarah McBride sarah.mcbride( at )wsj.com]
Clear Channel's radio division is launching a service tomorrow that allows=
=20
people to get free music videos streamed from the company's radio-station=
=20
Web sites after watching a 15-second ad. The service draws on videos from=
=20
Vivendi Universal's Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group Corp., and=20
others, and provides links for viewers to buy the music of the video they=
=20
have just watched. The move signals Clear Channel Radio's continuing push=
=20
into online content. In the past year, Clear Channel Radio Web sites have=
=20
increased the number of unique visitors each month from five million to=20
nine million. Clear Channel owns 1,200 radio stations.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113676610144541170.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)

BUYING MUSIC FROM ANYWHERE AND SELLING IT FOR PLAY ON INTERNET
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Robert Levine]
The Orchard is seeking to make money by purchasing music from small=20
independent and foreign labels, and then distributing it to digital music=
=20
services. In most music stores, CD's of, say, Chinese or Kenyan pop music=
=20
would be consigned to the world-music bin as a good will gesture. But the=
=20
economics of online stores is changing the financial calculations of the=20
music business, making it profitable to sell a relatively small number of=
=20
copies of a song, as long as a compact disc is not manufactured and=20
distributed. So instead of trying to sell millions of copies of hundreds of=
=20
albums, the standard music industry strategy, the Orchard hopes to sell=20
hundreds of copies of thousands of albums. In that way, the company is=20
anticipating that sales will follow a pattern known as "the long tail," in=
=20
which a large number of only marginally popular items can eventually=20
produce significant revenue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/technology/09orchard.html?pagewanted=3...
(requires registration)

QUICKLY

MORE AND MORE BANG FOR MORE AND MORE BUCKS
[SOURCE: New York Times 1/7, AUTHOR: Ken Belson Matt Richtel]
In the supersized world of modern communications, cellphone plans are=20
bulging with minutes, cable channels are proliferating and high-speed=20
connections are, well, zippier than ever. Consumers are spending more than=
=20
ever, but some are wondering if they are being showered with necessary=20
advances or force-fed features they cannot hope to use. Paradoxically, the=
=20
cost of providing cable, Internet and phone services has been falling.=20
Instead of passing along the savings in the form of cheaper plans, the=20
cable, phone and broadband providers are locking customers into=20
higher-priced packages and giving them bigger bundles of services. The pool=
=20
of new customers, after all, is shrinking - more than 65 percent of=20
Americans already have a cellphone, for example - and companies need new=20
revenue. "Rather than giving customers what they want or what they need,=20
they're telling customers, 'here's what you're going to get,' " said=20
Michael Shames, executive director for the Utility Consumers Action=20
Network, a nonprofit advocacy group. "Sometimes, they're giving more=20
service even though a customer doesn't want or need it." Phone companies=20
defend their high-calorie plans by pointing out that calculated per minute,=
=20
the price of cellphone and landline calls has been falling and some=20
Internet services are now heavily discounted. Even when prices rise,=20
companies say consumers get more in return, from camera phones to=20
video-on-demand to extra mailboxes for e-mail. While some consumers may=20
revel in this technological bounty, many others who just want the bare=20
minimum are becoming annoyed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/business/07supersize.html?pagewanted=3...
(requires registration)
* Yahoo expanding Web on TV, phones with Go service
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2006-01-07T020956Z_01_BAU647170_RTRUKOC_0_US-ELECTRONICS-YAHOO-GO.xml

TV: IN THE MONEY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
B&C estimates network revenue each year to show where money really flows in=
=20
the TV business. While everyone watches the Nielsens, advertising isn't the=
=20
only driver of the TV business. Although CBS toped the money list in 2005,=
=20
QVC, the televised shopping service, came within $200 million of topping=20
CBS, and it sells no advertising at all, instead making all its money=20
hawking computers, candles and clothing. HBO, the 28 million-subscriber pay=
=20
channel, collects more in license fees from cable and DBS than last year=92=
s=20
most-watched network, Fox, sells in advertising.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6297847?display=3DFeature&ref...
al=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE PASSES AD TAX
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Pennsylvania state Senate is considering a measure that would extend=20
the state's sales tax to various services, including advertising and public=
=20
relations. Amazingly, advertisers are against the move. The Association of=
=20
National Advertisers argues that a similar bill adopted by Florida in 1980s=
=20
resulted in a sizeable drop -- ANA says 12% -- in broadcast advertising in=
=20
major Florida media markets. And who wants to see less advertising on TV?
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6297409?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

CEA CHIEF SHAPIRO SKETCHES OLD, NEW INDUSTRY PRIORITIES
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
Consumer Electronics Association Chief Executive Officer Gary Shapiro began=
=20
the Consumer Electronics Show here with a paean to the virtues of=20
information technology -- and a revised list of priorities to keep the=20
industry strong. The priorities include: completing the transition to=20
digital television, preserving consumers' "fair use" rights to copyrighted=
=20
materials, "ensuring that Americans can install their technologies of=20
choice in their cars," barring telecommunications and cable carries from=20
discriminating against competitors' content in order to promote broadband=
=20
competition and ensure network neutrality toward competitors' content, and=
=20
e-cycling.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-WSEI1136562541818.html

INDIANA LATEST STATE TO MULL TELECOM DEREG
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Michael Martinez]
Indiana state Sen. Brandt Hershman unveiled a bill that would strip his=20
state's regulators of their power to set prices and service standards for=
=20
the telecommunications industry. The measure, S. 245, would remove telecom=
=20
firms from the oversight of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in=20
2009. The legislation also would let companies raise their prices $1 per=20
month until that deadline, provided they offer high-speed Internet access=
=20
to more than half their customers. And the bill would create a statewide=20
franchising authority for video programming across all technologies. The=20
proposal further outlines stringent rules for municipalities seeking to own=
=20
and operate broadband networks. The rules would authorize the use of=20
taxpayer funds for broadband infrastructure only when funding is not=20
available from private sources. Hershman, a Republican, said in a statement=
=20
that the bill aims to drive down prices for consumers by facilitating a=20
free telecom marketplace. He said Indiana's telecom laws are designed for a=
=20
market that existed "when a blackberry was just a fruit and a google was=20
just a very large number." But critics of the bill said it caters to=20
dominant providers at the expense of consumers. "This isn't public policy,"=
=20
said Dave Menzer, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition of=20
Indiana. "This is AT&T's business plan converted into legislation."
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-DDOV1136562267373.html

MINE DISASTER'S TERRIBLE IRONY: FAILURE TO DIG DEEPER
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
[Commentary] It was the most heart-rending and humiliating botch of a=20
life-and-death story in modern memory, yet most journalists, naturally,=20
aren't blaming themselves. It was everyone else's fault, they say. We just=
=20
published and broadcast what we were told, and it turned out to be wrong.=
=20
Experienced journalists should have understood that early, fragmentary=20
information in times of crisis is often wrong. But the larger issue is that=
=20
much of the press has abandoned reporting on health and safety regulation=
=20
until disaster strikes. How many reporters have dug into the Labor=20
Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration, which under the Bush=20
administration was run by a former Utah mine manager until last year? About=
=20
as many as did pieces, before Hurricane Katrina, on why a former Arabian=20
horse official was running the dysfunctional bureaucracy of the Federal=20
Emergency Management Agency.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/08/AR200601...
1225.html
(requires registration)

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NSA WIRETAPPING AND THE TELEPHONE INDUSTRY
[SOURCE: O'Reilly Media, AUTHOR: Andy Oram]
[Commentary] The NSA wiretapping scandal represents one of the largest=20
conspiracies in recent years: a conspiracy between telephone companies and=
=20
the government to defraud Americans out of our Fourth Amendment rights. All=
=20
the warrantless wiretapping we've recently heard about required help from=
=20
the telephone companies and Internet service providers. These companies=20
knew they were not only aiding the government in breaking the law, but were=
=20
themselves violating terms of service for their customers--and in the case=
=20
of telephone companies, also breaking the law.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/8924

STATE LAPTOP PLAN PROMPTS MIXED REACTION
[SOURCE: eSchool News]
As part of his 2010 Education initiative, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds (R)=
=20
unveiled a proposal in his budget address to the Legislature last month to=
=20
use $13 million in state funds to help school districts buy or lease laptop=
=20
computers for students in grades 9-12. But some South Dakota educators say=
=20
they'd rather make their own decisions about technology spending. In other=
=20
states where similar initiatives have been implemented in the past,=20
educators generally have become supporters of the laptop programs.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=3D6056

IRAN CLERIC STRUGGLES TO GET ALTERNATIVE VIEW TO TV SCREENS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Nahid Siamdoust]
Saba TV aspires to provide an alternative voice, in Persian and from Iran,=
=20
to programming monopolized by hard-liners. It is financed by one of the=20
Islamic Republic's oldest revolutionaries, Mehdi Karroubi. Since the=20
Islamic Revolution in 1979, the government has deemed national broadcasting=
=20
the privilege solely of the state. Satellite dishes are illegal in Iran,=20
but enforcement is lax, and swaths of urban and rural landscapes are dotted=
=20
with large, metal plates. Although state television promotes strict Islamic=
=20
mores, the approximately two dozen Persian-language stations broadcast via=
=20
satellite from exile communities in the West, mostly Los Angeles, offer=20
anti-regime political talk as well as music videos and films that Iran's=20
ayatollahs consider licentious.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-saba9jan09,1,153...
2.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
(requires registration)

CARMAKERS FIND A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE FOR ENTERTAINMENT
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Nick Zieminski]
Nissan is unveiling a car that doubles as a video game.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2006-01-09T102026Z_01_FOR878029_RTRUKOC_0_US-AUTOS-SHOW-ENTERTAINMENT.x=
ml
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=
=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=
=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
headlines( at )benton.org -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------