February 2006

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BROADCASTING/TELEVISION
FCC Plans Fines in Broadcast Indecency Cases
Selling Junk Food to Toddlers
News Corp. Unveils My Network TV

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
War in the Information Age
Limit freedom to do evil abroad

SPECTRUM POLICY
Tech CEOs urge U.S. find more wireless airwaves

QUICKLY -- Gulf Coast educators reveal tech needs; Domaschko Elected
to PBS Board; Comcast, Oakland Still Sparring Over CWA; Stronger Laws
Needed to Protect Privacy; Entercom, Passion for Community; DC TV
Station Settles Captioning Complaint; Mark Burnett Plans "Hip" News
Show; Americans work more, seem to accomplish less; New Shoes or
HDTV?; Phoney Baloney

BROADCASTING/TELEVISION

FCC PLANS FINES IN BROADCAST INDECENCY CASES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Steven Levingston and Arshad Mohammed]
Sources, who spoke on condition that they not be named because the
decisions are not yet public, are indicating that the FCC will levy
fines against broadcasters or their affiliates for violating decency
standards in about a half-dozen cases. As part of its action, the FCC
will uphold a 2004 decision to fine CBS stations a total of $550,000
for showing Janet Jackson's exposed breast during the Super Bowl
halftime show in February of that year. In one case, the FCC is
expected to rule against News Corp.'s Fox for an incident in which
actress Nicole Richie uttered the vulgar term for excrement, a
finding that may dissuade broadcasters from airing the term even in
isolated instances.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR200602...
(requires registration)
* Decency Rulings by FCC Expected
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-fcc23feb23,1,7011454....
(requires registration)
* FCC seen near action on decency case backlog
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID...

SELLING JUNK FOOD TO TODDLERS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] The Federal Trade Commission decided last year that the
food industry should police itself on marketing low-nutrient foods to
increasingly fat children. Some companies, like Kraft Foods, appear
to have gotten the word. The company has agreed to stop marketing
such sweets as Oreos to children under 12. And networks that televise
cartoons, including Nickelodeon, are trying to add more advice to the
young on how healthy food and outdoor exercise can make you feel
good, too. But progress has been so slow that the Center for Science
in the Public Interest, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
and two Massachusetts parents have announced plans to sue Viacom,
which owns Nickelodeon, and the Kellogg Company. These advocates of
healthy food have accused both companies of "unfair and deceptive"
junk-food marketing to children under the age of 8. They have argued
that high-powered ads aimed at children as young as 2 years old is
"creepy and predatory." It is not clear that a lawsuit like this can
prevail, even in consumer-friendly Massachusetts. But the message
should be clear. Americans pride themselves on protections for the
young, but they're ignoring an issue that may be as important as car
seats. With more than nine million obese youngsters over 6 in this
country, it's time to stop encouraging another generation to eat wrong.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/23/opinion/23thu3.html
(requires registration)

NEWS CORP UNVEILS MY NETWORK TV
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins & John Eggerton]
Faced with programming stations that were once affiliated with the
UPN broadcast TV network, News Corp announced plans for a new
broadcast channel/network/service, My Network TV. Nine News Corp
stations will anchor the network which will launch on September 5.
News Corp. executives are rushing to sign up orphans or even snag
strong stations that might otherwise have signed up with The CW. At
launch, My Network TV will consist of 12 hours of original content
per week, airing at 8-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Programming
will be English-language telenovelas Desire and Secrets. The shows
will be stripped (five days a week), with 13-episode arcs. The
network will reach 24% of the country.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6309484?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* News Corp to Launch My Network TV
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=47994
* News Corp. Creates Weblet My Network TV
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10020...
* Fox Prime-Time Net To Launch Sept. 5
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9432
* New Network Will Showcase Greed, Lust, Sex
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114063597424180374.html?mod=todays_us_ma...
(requires subscription)
* UPN Stations Get Cleansed With Soaps
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR200602...
(requires registration)
* Fox plans TV network aimed at young adults
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060223/1b_fox23.art.htm
* News Corp. Fights Back With New Network
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-mynetwork23feb23,1,...
(requires registration)

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

WAR IN THE INFORMATION AGE
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld]
[Commentary] In the global war on terror, some of the most critical
battles may not be in the mountains of Afghanistan or the streets of
Iraq but in newsrooms in New York, London, Cairo and elsewhere. Our
enemies have skillfully adapted to fighting wars in today's media
age, but for the most part we -- our government, the media or our
society in general -- have not. The standard U.S. government public
affairs operation was designed primarily to respond to individual
requests for information. It tends to be reactive, rather than
proactive, and it operates for the most part on an eighthour,
five-days-a-week basis, while world events -- and our enemies -- are
operating 24/7 across every time zone. That is an unacceptably
dangerous deficiency. We have become somewhat more adept in these
areas, but progress is slow. In Iraq, for example, the U.S. military
command, working closely with the Iraqi government and the U.S.
Embassy, has sought nontraditional means to provide accurate
information to the Iraqi people in the face of an aggressive campaign
of disinformation. Yet this has been portrayed as inappropriate: for
example, the allegations of "buying news." The resulting explosion of
critical media stories then causes all activity, all initiative, to
stop. Even worse, it leads to a "chilling effect" among those who are
asked to serve in the military public affairs field. Although the
enemy is increasingly skillful at manipulating the media and using
the tools of communications to its advantage, it should be noted that
we have an advantage as well. And that is, quite simply, that truth
is on our side. Ultimately, the truth wins out. I believe with every
bone in my body that free people, exposed to sufficient information,
will, over time, find their way to the right decisions. We are
fighting a battle in which the survival of our free way of life is at
stake. It is a test of wills, and it will be won or lost with our
public and the publics of free nations around the world. We need to
do all we can to correct the lies being told, shatter the appeal of
the enemy and attract supporters to our noble and necessary efforts
to defeat violent extremism around the globe.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-rumsfeld23feb23,1...
(requires registration)
See also --
* WOODWARD WARNS OF SECRECY TREND
[SOURCE: San Antonio Express-News, AUTHOR: Tracy Idell Hamilton]
The greatest threat to America's democracy is not terrorism but
governmental secrecy, said Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob
Woodward, whose reporting 35 years ago pierced the veil of secrecy
behind Richard Nixon's presidency. The Bush Administration has
cloaked its decision-making in "an immense amount of secrecy," he
said, "too much, in my view." He also faulted a round-the-clock news
cycle that emphasizes speed over accuracy and demands that
journalists not just report but predict the future.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA022206.01B.woodward.1...

LIMIT FREEDOM TO DO EVIL ABROAD
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Jacob Weisberg, Slate.com]
[Commentary] Bill Gates recently suggested, an other tech companies
seem to be interested in, a legislative fix to the problem of
censorship and doing business in China. Such a law would enjoin US
companies from assisting in the violation of human rights in China
and elsewhere. American companies would not be prevented from selling
equipment and services in unfree countries, but rather stopped from
tailoring their products to work as tools of tyranny. Well-drawn
restrictions could ease the predicament of US companies by, as Mr
Gates says, making clear what they cannot do. An anti-repression law
would give Yahoo a ready answer the next time Chinese officials
demand evidence against cyber-dissidents. We must obey your laws, the
American representatives would be able to respond. But we must obey
our laws as well.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/54eaa1ee-a3d8-11da-83cc-0000779e2340.html
(requires subscription)
See also --
* China shuts conservative Web sites amid reform debate
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID...

SPECTRUM POLICY

TECH CEOs URGE US FIND MORE WIRELESS AIRWAVES
[SOURCE: Reuters]
The Technology CEO Council said on Wednesday it will issue a report
urging Congress to order the Bush administration to analyze which
airwaves are not being used best, and how they might be re-allocated.
Additionally, the organization plans to urge the Federal
Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration to consider allowing government airwaves
that are underutilized to be used for other purposes. The executives
also plan to suggest the FCC ease restrictions on wireless licenses
so companies have more flexibility to use the airwaves for new
services. They also will recommend making more unlicensed spectrum
available that could be used for a variety of purposes. The
organization also plans to recommend Congress and regulators ensure
that public safety organizations have the airwaves they need. Safety
officials have complained about poor communications during disasters
like the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story...
For more on the Technology CEO Council see:
http://www.techceocouncil.org/
See also --
* DirecTV Moves on Wireless Broadband
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Tom Steinert-Threlkeld]
DirecTV is willing to invest as much as $1 billion in a company that
would create a third alternative in the United States to cable
companies or telephone companies in providing high-speed access to
the Internet. CEO Chase Carey said the company would make the
investment in a broadband company that would build a network --
DirecTV , in turn, would buy capacity from the company, paying
monthly fees at wholesale rates.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6309483.html?display=Breaking+News
(requires subscription)

QUICKLY

GULF COAST EDUCATORS REVEAL TECH NEEDS
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: Laura Ascione]
As Gulf Coast school leaders grapple with how to rebuild educational
infrastructures in an area of the country that ranks near the bottom
in terms of student achievement, many in the devastated region are
asking how educational technology can play a role to make sure their
schools are rebuilt for 21st-century teaching and learning. In an
effort to answer that question, members of the Hurricane Education
Leadership Program (HELP), an Intel-led coalition of educational
technology companies and nonprofit organizations, traveled to New
Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Plaquemines Parish late last month to
witness firsthand the scope of the destruction and the efforts to recover.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6128

DOMASCHKO ELECTED TO PBS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
[SOURCE: PBS press release]
John Domaschko, President of the consulting firm MC Squared Inc., and
a Board member and past Chair of PBS member licensee Kentucky
Educational Television, has been elected to the PBS Board as a
General Director. His four-year term begins immediately.
http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20060217_domaschko.html

COMCAST, OAKLAND STILL SPARRING OVER CWA
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
Despite threats by Comcast Corp. that it will withdraw a pending
agreement that will provide Oakland (CA) with $17.4 million in cash
and services, the City Council there approved an ordinance Tuesday
that will compel the company to ease its rules on unionizing.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6309944.html?display=Breaking+News
(requires subscription)

STRONGER LAWS NEEDED TO PROTECT PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy & Technology]
A new report by CDT details a widening gap between the technology
that collects sensitive personal data and the laws designed to
protect that data against government misuse. The National Security
Agency's domestic spying program, the Justice Department's efforts to
obtain millions of Internet search records, the government's use of
cell phones to track suspects, and other developments highlight the
law's failure to keep pace with technological advances, according to
"Digital Search & Seizure: Updating Privacy Protections to Keep Pace
with Technology." Stronger laws are needed to ensure that Americans
retain their constitutional privacy protections, the report finds.
CDT Report: Digital Search and Seizure:
http://www.cdt.org/publications/digital-search-and-seizure.pdf
CDT Press Release: Digital Technology Makes Surveillance Easier;
Stronger Laws Needed, Report Finds:
http://www.cdt.org/press/20060222press.php
Fourth Amendment Basics:
http://www.cdt.org/security/dss-terms.php

ENTERCOM, PASSION FOR COMMUNITY
[SOURCE: Berkshire Eagle, AUTHOR: Tony Dobrowolski]
Entercom Communications of Pennsylvania, the fourth-largest broadcast
group in the nation, plans to petition federal regulators to move the
transmitter for a recently purchased radio station, subtracting a
radio voice in a Western Massachusetts community.
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/localnews/ci_3534111

WRC SETTLES TORNADO COVERAGE COMPLAINT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
WRC-TV Washington parent NBC Universal has agreed to pay $12,000 and
institute captioning procedures to ensure that emergency information
the station broadcasts is accessible to hearing-impaired viewers.
That was part of a consent decree NBC entered into with the FCC to
settle a complaint that it had failed to make warnings visually that
it had provided aurally during coverage of a thunderstorm/tornado
watch in Washington May 25, 2004. Broadcasters aren't required to
closed-caption all emergency information but they have to make sure
it is relayed in some accessible form, including crawls or graphics,
or something as simple as "handwriting on a blackboard."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6309951?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

MARK BURNETT PLANS "HIP" NEWS SHOW
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Ben Grossman]
The king of reality TV has found a new frontier -- the news. He is
developing an idea for a newsmagazine show targeted to a young, hip
audience. "I do believe there is a vacuum and a big opportunity in
news," he told the audience. "The network news business still
requires advertising, but their viewers are very old. Young people
are interested in watching some form of news, if presented in the right way."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6309953?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

AMERICANS WORK MORE, GET LESS ACCOMPLISHED
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Ellen Wulfhorst]
You're not alone. Most US workers feel rushed on the job and feel
that they get less done in the average day. "Technology has sped
everything up and, by speeding everything up, it's slowed everything
down, paradoxically," said John Challenger, chief executive of
Chicago-based outplacement consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas
Inc. "We never concentrate on one task anymore. You take a little
chip out of it, and then you're on to the next thing," Challenger
said on Wednesday. "It's harder to feel like you're accomplishing something."
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID...

NEW SHOES OR HDTV?
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
A Scripps Networks lifestyle research survey finds that most women
would pick a new HDTV over a toaster, a day off or a new pair of
shoes. (Maybe because they are smart enough to know the price of
each?) The survey found that the top programming category respondents
were interested in seeing in HD was documentaries, with dramas and
sports next at 69% and lifestyle programming at 62%.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6309409?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

PHONEY BALONEY
[SOURCE: National Cable & Telecommunications Association ]
The cable industry is shocked to find astroturf lobbying going on in the US!
http://www.phoneybaloney.net/
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While the summaries are factually accurate, their often informal tone
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