FCC HEADS TO SOUTH DAKOTA
Early this week, South Dakota is the place to be for communications policy=
=20
making. Here's a quick look at FCC-related events in the Mount Rushmore=
State.
* Chairman Powell, Commissioner Adelstein and South Dakota Governor Michael=
=20
Round to Headline Presentation of WISP Technologies, May 25, 3:30-5:30 pm.
Several representatives of wireless Internet service providers (WISP) will=
=20
demonstrate how small, entrepreneurial WISPs are serving rural communities=
=20
and using wireless broadband services to bring opportunities for greater=20
economic development. There will also be discussions of how the challenges=
=20
in serving rural communities can be overcome.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-247478A1.doc
* FCC to Hold Second Indian Telecommunications Initiatives Regional=20
Workshop and Roundtable in Rapid City, SD, May 26 and 27.
FCC officials and Tribal leaders will address telecommunications issues=20
facing Indian Country with the goal of providing clear, practical=20
information that Tribal decision-makers can use to prioritize their=20
economic goals and telecommunications development agendas.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-247473A1.doc
* FCC Localism Task Force Announces Procedures to Facilitate Public=20
Participation At Its Rapid City, South Dakota Hearing on Broadcast Localism
The FCC is asking the people of South Dakota to help answer five questions:=
=20
1) How do your broadcasters use radio and television to respond to the=20
community's needs and interests? What are they doing well? 2) Are there=20
certain kinds of local programming that you believe should be available but=
=20
that are not being provided by local broadcasters? If so, what are they? 3)=
=20
Are broadcasters well informed about important issues and events in the=20
community? 4) Are there any segments of the local community that you=20
believe are not being adequately served? How could broadcasters meet the=20
needs of such groups? 5) What, if anything, should the FCC do to promote=20
more localism in broadcasting?
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-247489A1.doc
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov)
For additional upcoming media policy events, see=20
http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
TELEVISION
Advertising: Fall TV Season's Offerings Are Escapist Brain Candy
Independent PTV Stations Say PBS programming Causes Centralization
China Takes Aim at Racy, Violent TV Shows
Time May Have Come for Ordering Channels a la Carte
Disney=92s In Indecency Mix
Border Dispute
Satellite Act Down to Wire
Contentious Foe of Finance Reform
TELECOM
Dial 'M' for Morass
SBC, Union Report Progress In New Contract Talks
Nextel Lobbies For Bigger Share Of Cellular Space
The Administration's Ear to Telecom
Universal Community Access from Thin Air?=09
Rural America Expects Fewer Bumps in Switching Cellphone Numbers
JOURNALISM
Bottom-Line Pressures Now Hurting Coverage, Say Journalists
Democracy At Risk
TELEVISION
ADVERTISING: FALL TV SEASON'S OFFERINGS ARE ESCAPIST BRAIN CANDY
Many advertisers prefer to buy commercial time in shows that accentuate the=
=20
positive, to help put viewers in an upbeat, consuming mood. So to give=20
their customers what they want, the six broadcast TV networks unveiled=20
schedules for next year that include a lot of brain candy. "Reality" shows=
=20
have become the new sitcoms. "Maybe that's because to younger viewers who=20
grew up watching 'The Real World' on MTV, who have Webcams and camera=20
phones, the idea of watching other people instead of sitcoms seems very=20
appealing," says one advertiser. "In 1997, NBC alone had 18 sitcoms," said=
=20
Brad Adgate, senior vice president and research director at Horizon Media=20
in New York. "This year, NBC, CBS and ABC combined have 18." There's more=20
about how advertisers see the new TV lineup -- including expected hits and=
=20
flops -- at the URL below.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stuart Elliott]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/24/business/media/24adcol.html
(requires registration)
INDEPENDENT PTV STATIONS SAY PBS PROGRAMMING CAUSES CENTRALIZATION
Just 8% of noncommercial stations are independent. =93There is media=20
centralization going in the commercial and noncommercial world and the=20
thing that=92s getting lost -- and most people are worried about it being=
=20
lost -- is local production and local content,=94 said Frederick Thomas of=
=20
MHZ Networks, which operates 2 independent public TV stations in the=20
Washington area -- WNVC and WNCT. Non-PBS stations insist they=92re the last=
=20
bulwarks against centralization and consolidation taking hold across the=20
media world. =93The relationship between local stations and PBS national is=
=20
going to continue to change and change in ways that I don't think are=20
necessarily to the benefit of the local stations," says Thomas. =93PBS=20
requires member stations to carry a minimum amount of programming and they=
=20
require a huge fee for it. So it=92s a closed system in a lot of ways and=20
it=92s built on the old centralized, affiliate type of relationship.=94 With=
=20
commercial stations only providing local news, who else but public TV will=
=20
do local programming? Asked if he agreed centralization was creeping into=20
the noncommercial world as well, Association of Public Television Stations=
=20
President John Lawson said he agreed that =93it=92s a real struggle to=
provide=20
quality local programming. It is because of the economics of it.=94 But with=
=20
the digital conversion, all public TV stations =97 PBS and independent --=20
were looking for ways to expand local programming. Mr Lawson said: =93They=
=20
are buying cameras and upgrading studios and they are upgrading the talent=
=20
of their producers, and I think we just may be on the brink of a resurgence=
=20
of local programming.=94
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Dinesh Kumar]
(Not available online)
CHINA TAKES AIM AT RACY, VIOLENT TV SHOWS
While Beijing has kept a tight grip over news content, it has in recent=20
years allowed more leeway to broadcasters, particularly in nonsensitive=20
areas like entertainment and sports programming. Broadcasters have come to=
=20
rely on racy and sometimes violent content to attract viewers and boost=20
bottom lines. But China's propaganda czars are turning their policing=20
efforts to pop culture and slapped new restrictions on television show=20
hosts who sport orange-tinted hair, wear "too little or too weird clothes,"=
=20
or speak in trendy local dialects or Western slang. The restrictions are=20
part of a rash of new regulations issued by the State Administration for=20
Radio, Film and Television aimed at toning down the sex, violence and racy=
=20
content that are the hallmark of broadcast media everywhere -- and,=20
increasingly, in China.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Kathy Chen kathy.chen( at )wsj.com &=20
Leslie Chang leslie.chang( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108535107991019064,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
The Washington Post has a story on how China tried to control content on=20
the Web as well. See "Webmaster Finds Gaps in China's Net"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50496-2004May23.html
TIME MAY HAVE COME FOR ORDERING CHANNELS A LA CARTE
USAToday recaps the a la carte debate. In 2003, the monthly bill for=20
"expanded basic," the option selected by 95% of customers, averaged a=20
record $36.59. The package includes broadcast channels plus a fixed basket=
=20
of up to about 60 cable channels. But research shows that the average=20
subscriber regularly watches, at most, about 14 channels. A recent poll=20
commissioned by the conservative Concerned Women for America found 66% of=20
consumers would prefer to choose their channels -- and 80% don't want to=20
pay for channels they don't watch.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR:Michael McCarthy]
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040524/6226831s.htm
DISNEY'S IN THE INDECENCY MIX
As a major media conglomerate, Disney has a foot in both the cable and=20
broadcasting camps. It owns the ABC Television Network and 10 TV stations,=
=20
as well as cable networks ESPN, Disney Channel and ABC Family, as well as a=
=20
stake in Lifetime Television. As indecency legislation makes it way through=
=20
Congress, the company is supporting cable indecency legislation while=20
fighting proposals that would require cable operators to sell cable=20
networks a la carte. Disney is apparently supporting indecency legislation=
=20
in an effort to drain momentum from a la carte, which some consider a=20
potentially devastating blow to ESPN=92s business model.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA420345?display=3DTop+Stories
(requires subscription)
BORDER DISPUTE
As many as 50 million Americans may be suffering through radio broadcasts=20
with interference because Mexico has allowed three AM stations in Tijuana,=
=20
Tecate, and Ensenada switch channels and ramp up their power by as much as=
=20
80 times their previous levels. The move violates an 18 year-old treaty=20
between the US and Mexico and could mean there will be problems untangling=
=20
interference issues as TV stations in both countries switch to all-digital=
=20
operation. DTV stations in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas could=
=20
face years-long bureaucratic disputes over interference, warns David=20
Donovan, president of the Association for Maximum Service Television, the=20
U.S. DTV trade group.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA420260?display=3DWashington
(requires subscription)
SATELLITE ACT DOWN TO WIRE
Time is growing short for the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA)=
=20
which needs to be reauthorized by Congress or millions of rural satellite=20
subscribers with access to out-of-town feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox will=
=20
lose network programming after December 31, 2004. With the summer's=20
political conventions coming and time off needed to campaign, there's not=20
many days left for this Congress. SHVIA is one of the few "must get done"=20
bills of the year and to get passed and signed, the legislation will=20
probably have to avoid controversy. Because of that Senate Judiciary=20
Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has proposed a straight five-year=20
reauthorization. He would like to fix some problems, but does not have the=
=20
jurisdiction to do it all. One potential "fix" Sen Hatch and others would=20
support is a requirement that all broadcast stations in a local market be=20
delivered on one dish at the consumers home. EchoStar currently relegates=20
some broadcast channels to a second dish that is free for requesting=20
consumers, but many fail to request it. A compromise may be in the making,=
=20
however. Andrew Halataei, legislative director for House Judiciary=20
Committee member Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), floated the idea that a two-dish=
=20
solution could be acceptable if EchoStar automatically installed a second=20
dish when consumers signed up for the local-signal package. =93I think in=
the=20
end there=92s probably going to be something in the bill that=92s going to=
=20
require EchoStar to make sure they have everything on one dish or always=20
install two dishes when they go to install it the first time,=94 Mr.=
Halataei=20
said. Satellite operators also want the right to deliver distant digital TV=
=20
signals into local areas where local broadcasters are not. The National=20
Association of Broadcasters opposes this provision.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA420235?display=3DPolicy
(requires subscription)
CONTENTIOUS FOE OF FINANCE REFORM
Bradley Smith, the Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, may be the=
=20
biggest obstacle to true finance reform. The FEC recently delayed any=20
decision on the flow of "soft money" to "527" organizations until August,=20
ensuring that these organizations will play a major role in this year's=20
election. The chairman of the Republican Party, Ed Gillespie, called=20
Chairman Smith's latest actions "irresponsible." Sen. John McCain (R-AZ),=20
the best-known proponent of campaign-finance reform, labeled him "bullying=
=20
and cowardly." For his part, Chairman Smith believes that if there's any=20
loophole in the campaign finance system, it is there because Congress put=20
it there. "The idea that donors' giving money to candidates is corrupting"=
=20
is misguided, he says. He argues that providing money to support a campaign=
=20
is an essential element of democracy in the TV age and isn't bribery, as=20
his critics often contend.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA420245?display=3DTop+of+the+Week
(requires subscription)
TELECOM
DIAL 'M' FOR MORASS
The WSJ calls on Solicitor General Ted Olson to announce that the=20
Administration won't seek a Supreme Court appeal of the March court ruling=
=20
invalidating the FCC's phone competition rules. The uncertainty of this=20
looming court action and the meddling of state regulators, the editorial=20
states, is what is holding back the telecom sector. Like any other market,=
=20
the editorial concludes, telecom responds to incentives. Nearly a decade of=
=20
micro-management and endless litigation have depressed capital spending and=
=20
left the U.S. trailing Asia and Europe in broadband deployment. Removing=20
those barriers is an essential first step in reversing these trends.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: WSJ Editorial Staff]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108535247611819074,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_opinion
(requires subscription)
SBC, UNION REPORT PROGRESS IN NEW CONTRACT TALKS
The Communications Workers of America and SBC reported "considerable=20
progress" in their negotiations over the weekend. A strike of 100,000 CWA=20
members against SBC, in its third day, is scheduled to end Tuesday. The=20
union is pushing SBC to agree that CWA workers in fields with declining=20
manpower be given priority for positions in their hometowns. The company=20
says it will give each surplus worker a guaranteed job offer somewhere in=20
the same state, which the CWA finds inadequate.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108523790132518630,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
NEXTEL LOBBIES FOR BIGGER SHARE OF CELLULAR SPACE
The debate over moving cellphone company Nextel to a different spectrum=20
band is front page news in Washington. It "is becoming one of Washington's=
=20
most intense lobbying clashes, with the company's future and the shape of=20
the cellular phone industry in the balance." Nextel is the smallest=20
national wireless operator and the only one that does not have a large,=20
deep-pocketed phone company for a parent. Nextel has hired lobbyists to=20
help win approval of its plan to move to spectrum that would allow it to=20
compete better with larger carriers and fix interference problems with=20
public safety officials. But rivals say Nextel is underpaying for the new=20
spectrum it wants -- by about $1 billion.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jeffrey Birnbaum & Yuki Noguchi]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50329-2004May23.html
(requires registration)
THE ADMINISTRATION'S EAR TO TELECOM
A interview with Michael D. Gallagher, head of the Commerce Department's=20
National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Bush=20
administration's principal advisor on telecommunications policy. He is a=20
graduate of UC Berkeley and UCLA's law school, entered government from the=
=20
wireless industry, where he worked for AirTouch before it was acquired by=20
Vodafone and eventually merged into Verizon Wireless. He sees wireless=20
technology as a way to get around the chokehold the Bells have on local=20
access lines, called loops. The interview covers phone competition,=20
negotiations to lease phone lines and affordable high-speed Internet access.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James S. Granelli]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-gallagher24may24,1,59...
6.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
UNIVERSAL COMMUNITY ACCESS FROM THIN AIR?
Media analyst Tom Wolzien estimates that the spectrum used for broadcasting=
=20
in the US is worth $367 billion. Broadcasters get to use that spectrum free=
=20
of charge, agree to public interest obligations aimed at delivering=20
important programming to audiences. But new players would like access to=20
spectrum to deliver public benefits. In congested unlicensed bands of=20
spectrum, more than 2,500 Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPS) and=20
nonprofit Community Access Networks are using modified Wi-Fi equipment to=20
provide high-speed Internet access for entire communities. This activity is=
=20
great news, the New America Foundation's Calabrese and Barranca write, for=
=20
communities, but the success of unlicensed spectrum to provide last-mile=20
connectivity reinforces the reality that the vast majority of spectrum is=20
off-limits to citizens for direct access. The truth is, they add, that much=
=20
of the spectrum represents an enormous untapped public resource that could=
=20
be used by communities to solve broadband Internet access problems quickly,=
=20
efficiently and for themselves.
[SOURCE: Community Media Review, AUTHORS: Michael Calabrese & Matt Barranca]
http://www.alliancecm.org/
RURAL AMERICA EXPECTS FEWER BUMPS IN SWITCHING CELLPHONE NUMBERS
Starting today, cellphone users in rural America will be able to switch=20
carriers and take their numbers with them.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Ken Belson]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/24/technology/24phone.html
(requires registration)
See statement from FCC Chairman Michael Powell
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-247463A1.doc
JOURNALISM
BOTTOM-LINE PRESSURES NOW HURTING COVERAGE, SAY JOURNALISTS
Journalists are unhappy with the way things are going in their profession=20
these days. Many give poor grades to the coverage offered by the types of=20
media that serve most Americans: daily newspapers, local TV, network TV=20
news and cable news outlets. In fact, despite recent scandals at the New=20
York Times and USA Today, only national newspapers =AD and the websites of=
=20
national news organizations =AD receive good performance grades from the=20
journalistic ranks. Roughly half of journalists at national media outlets=20
(51%), and about as many from local media (46%), believe that journalism is=
=20
going in the wrong direction, as significant majorities of journalists have=
=20
come to believe that increased bottom line pressure is "seriously hurting"=
=20
the quality of news coverage. This is the view of 66% of national news=20
people and 57% of the local journalists questioned in this survey.
[SOURCE: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press]
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=3D214
See coverage of the survey in the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50403-2004May23.html
DEMOCRACY AT RISK
The authors ask if concentrated media ownership is good for a free,=20
democratic society. Over the last two decades there's been a massive=20
disinvestment in news and journalism and a loss of independent journalistic=
=20
voices. Journalistic outlets have been transformed into cogs in the immense=
=20
portfolios monopolistic public companies and mega-chains. Behind closed=20
doors at the FCC and without much press coverage, "the major media company=
=20
CEOs and their lobbyists have turned the FCC into their handmaiden for=20
extending their control in pursuit of greater stock prices and short-term=20
profit." The battle over new media ownership rules, the authors write, is a=
=20
battle for democracy's survival versus rapacious capitalism. The grassroots=
=20
effort to block the FCC rules is having some effect in Congress. "Every=20
American needs to be a warrior for democracy. Every American needs to speak=
=20
up loud and often on this issue."
[SOURCE: Community Media Review, AUTHORS: Wade Henderson (Leadership=20
Conference on Civil Rights) and Frank Blethen (The Seattle Times)]
http://www.alliancecm.org/
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------