January 2006

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OWNERSHIP
NBC Affiliate Drops Daniel
Washington Post to Launch Radio Station

POLICYMAKERS
Tate Announces First Hiring
Zaina Resigns as Head of USAC

FUTURE OF MEDIA
Gates Sees 2006 as the Year For 'The Digital Lifestyle'
Is PBS.org ready to earn its keep?

QUICKLY -- Government Web sites follow visitors' movements; Networks Try
Crafting Their Own Spanish-Style Soaps; A Free-Speech Case Creates Unusual
Allies

OWNERSHIP

NBC AFFILIATE DROPS DANIEL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Allison Romano]
WTWO, the Nexstar Broadcasting-owned NBC affiliate in Terre Haute (IN),
says that "due to emails and calls from viewers," it will not air the debut
of NBC's new drama, The Book of Daniel, which premieres Friday. The Book of
Daniel stars Aidan Quinn as an Episcopal priest with an addiction to pain
killers and a stressful relationship with his church superiors. He is
guided by a contemporary Jesus who appears only to him. The American Family
Association has been attacking the show, urging affiliates not to air the
series and calling on advertisers to boycott. The AFA says several major
advertisers have pulled out, but will not name them. The AFA says NBC is
promoting the show as a serious drama about Christians, but calls Quinn's
character "a drug-addicted Episcopal priest whose wife depends heavily on
her midday martinis." In a statement, AFA Chairman Donald E. Wildmon said,
"We are tired of NBC's anti-Christian bigotry." The group also points to a
gay character as another problem with the show. AFA has been urging
supporters to call their local affiliate and circulate petitions at
churches. NBC has described the show as "a fictional drama about an
Episcopalian priest's family and the contemporary issues with which they
must grapple." They go on to say that, "We're confident that, once
audiences view this quality drama themselves, they'll appreciate this
thought-provoking examination of one American family."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/CA6296765.html&referral=SUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Two NBC affiliates throw book at 'Daniel'
KARK-TV in Little Rock, also owned by Nexstar, will not air The Book of Daniel.
http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=televisionNews&story...

WASHINGTON POST TO LAUNCH RADIO STATION
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
Washington Post Co. said Wednesday it is launching a new radio news station
that will begin broadcasting in the nation's capital in March, saying the
move could boost interest in its flagship newspaper. The radio station is a
joint project with Bonneville International Corp., a Salt Lake City-based
media firm that owns radio stations around the United States. Washington
Post Radio will draw on content from the Post, with the paper's editors,
reporters and columnists providing more context on their reporting. The
station will also broadcast news and commentary from journalists and others
outside the Post.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060104/washington_post_radio.html
* Z-104 Silenced; Post Radio To Debut in Station Shuffle
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR200601...
(requires registration)

POLICYMAKERS

TATE ANNOUNCES FIRST HIRING
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate announced that Aaron Goldberger will
serve as one of her Legal Advisors. Goldberger most recently served as
Acting Deputy Director of the FCC's Office of Legislative Affairs. Prior
to that position, he served as Special Counsel and Legal Advisor to the
Wireless Telecommunication Bureau Chief, advising the Bureau Chief on
public safety and critical infrastructure matters. Before joining the
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Mr. Goldberger served as a Senior
Attorney-Advisor in the Wireline Competition Bureau's Competition Policy
Division, where he worked on a variety of local competition and broadband
matters, and as an Attorney-Advisor in the Common Carrier Bureau's Network
Services Division. Aaron Goldberger received his B.A. with honors from
Michigan State University. He received his J.D. from the Indiana University
School of Law-Bloomington, where he served as Senior Managing Editor of the
Federal Communications Law Journal.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-263065A1.doc
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6296753.html?display=Breaking+News

ZAINA RESIGNS AS HEAD OF USAC
[SOURCE: Universal Service Administrative Company]
Lisa Zaina, CEO of the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC),
announced her resignation last week, effective December 31, 2005. USAC
General Counsel Scott Barash has been named acting CEO. USAC's board plans
to search for a replacement. Zaina was appointed to the post by
then-Chairman Michael Powell in January 2004.
http://www.universalservice.org/_res/documents/about/pdf/USAC12-30-05Rel...

FUTURE OF MEDIA

GATES SEES 2006 AS THE YEAR FOR 'THE DIGITAL LIFESTYLE'
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Mike Musgrove and Arshad Mohammed]
Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates outlined his vision for the future of
consumer technology in a major speech Wednesday night at the International
Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas as he unveiled an array of new
products aimed at the growing appetite for digital entertainment. During
his speech, Gates painted a picture of a digital world in which many
devices, including cell phones, computers and televisions, seamlessly
complement one another. He demonstrated a computerized wall easel for the
home that can show television images, keep track of family members and
interact with an office computer. He also showed a phone that can make
calls over standard phone lines and calls using voice over Internet
protocol technology.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR200601...
(requires registration)
* Tech Show Has Eye on High-Def TVs, IPod
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-ces5jan05,1,4415355.s...
(requires registration)

IS PBS.ORG READY TO EARN ITS KEEP?
[SOURCE: Current, AUTHOR: Louis Barbash]
Despite successes in its first 10 years, PBS's award-winning website has
seen its budget and staff shrink, prompting new network plans to bring back
online advertising and begin charging for video downloading. Does this
violate public TV's "noncommercial nature" and "universal service?"
http://www.current.org/web/web0520pbsdotorg.shtml
* Podcasts: For free or not for free?
http://www.current.org/web/web0523podcasts.shtml
* It's time to become more than a radio station
http://www.current.org/radio/radio0517serviceexpansion.shtml

QUICKLY

GOVERNMENT WEB SITES FOLLOW VISITORS' MOVEMENTS
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh and Anne Broache]
Dozens of federal agencies are tracking visits to U.S. government Web sites
in violation of long-standing rules designed to protect online privacy.
From the Air Force to the Treasury Department, government agencies are
using either "Web bugs" or permanent cookies to monitor their visitors'
behavior, even though federal law restricts the practice. The practice of
tracking Web visitors came under fire last week when the National Security
Agency was found to use permanent cookies to monitor visitors, a practice
it halted after inquiries from the Associated Press. The White House also
was criticized last week for employing WebTrends' tracking mechanism that
used a tiny GIF image.
http://news.com.com/Government+Web+sites+follow+visitors+movements/2100-...

US NETWORKS TRY CRAFTING THEIR OWN SPANISH-STYLE SOAPS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Brooks Barnes brooks.barnes( at )wsj.com]
ABC, CBS and News Corp. are developing English-language versions of
"telenovelas," the over-the-top, sex-drenched soap operas that have long
been the hallmark of Spanish-language networks abroad and have commanded
growing audiences in the U.S. The networks hope the steamy genre will help
win younger audiences, boost summer ratings and convince viewers to watch
when the shows air, rather than record them and fast-forward through
commercials. The networks' interest in the format is also a nod to the
exploding Hispanic population in the U.S. According to the Census Bureau,
48 million Hispanics will live in the U.S. by 2010, a 37% increase from 2000.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113642727815538240.html?mod=todays_us_ma...
(requires subscription)
* Networks See Telenovelas as Maybe the Next Salsa
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/business/media/05adco.html
(requires registration)

A FREE-SPEECH CASE CREATES UNUSUAL ALLIES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Judy Sarasohn]
Coalitions often gather up strange bedfellows when lobbying Congress on
this tax or that public policy. But perhaps there are no stranger
bedfellows than the antiabortion Wisconsin Right to Life group and the
liberal Alliance for Justice, which are teaming up to try to persuade the
Supreme Court to rule against a provision of the McCain-Feingold campaign
finance law.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR200601...
(requires registration)
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
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policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
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