Advertising
WSJ: Why Are School Kids Eating Dimitri's Fudge?
WSJ: Proof positive?
Television
NYT: Local TV Stations Look to a Digital Future
B&C: Channel surfing with new FCC
B&C: Pax Net: Can it fly?
WP: A Conservative Network's New Niche
Telephone
WP: Teligent Looks Poised to Strike
WSJ: Internet Phones Are Catching On as Global Experiment
Internet
NYT: Nations Struggle With How to Control Hate on the Web
NYT: Congress Remains in Touch on the Web
NYT: New Security System for Internet Purchases Has Its Doubters
WP: Filters and Free Speech
Encryption
NYT: White House May Tighten Data Exports
Arts
NYT: A Wedding of Theater and Social Issues
FCC
B&C: Kennard starts the process
** Advertising **
Title: Why Are School Kids Eating Dimitri's Fudge?
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B1)
Author: Bruce Orwall
Issue: Advertising
Description: Advertisers have been aggressively moving into US schools of
late causing concern for those who believe children shouldn't be barraged
with marketing messages in the classroom. The latest blitz comes from News
Corp's 20th Century Fox promoting its new animated feature "Anastasia." Fox
brought so much advertising this month that School Marketing partners, a
company that creates advertiser-supported lunch fliers, encouraged school
food-service directors to create special "Anastasia" menu items. In the Las
Virgenes (CA) Unified School District, today's menu includes Rasputin's
Rib-B-Cue and Dimitri's Peanut Butter Fudge.
Title: Proof positive?
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.34)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Paige Albiniak
Issue: Advertising
Description: Distiller Brown Forman has announced that it will spend $60
million over the next four years on advertising, marketing and raising brand
awareness in the vodka market. Brown Forman wants to spend some of that
money on radio and television ads. "Everyone in the federal government has
to acknowledge that alcohol is alcohol is alcohol. There is no reason to
differentiate between beer, wine, and spirits," says Phil Lynch, a spokesman
for the company. The FCC is considering an inquiry into broadcast liquor
ads. Major networks and most group owners have pledged to not accept liquor ads.
** Television **
Title: Local TV Stations Look to a Digital Future
Source: New York Times (D1,D12)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/112497hdtv.html
Author: Joel Brinkley
Issue: Digital Television
Description: Across the United States, local television stations are working
to be the first in their area to put digital, high-definition programming on
the air. "I'm really excited," said Douglas Adams, general manager of KXAS,
channel 5, a NBC affiliate. "By putting a superior picture into people's
living rooms, we can build on our audience. And there's a real advantage to
being first." There is some frustration in the industry as stations wait
for engineers and manufacturers to create and finish work on new digital
transmitters, recorders and the like; and consumers to buy the new digital
televisions to get the high--definition programming they are so eager to put
on the air. "I really want to get under way," said George J. Csahanin,
director of engineering for KXAS. "It's frustrating to me that I can't."
Despite all of the enthusiasm, many acknowledge that they still have a
variety of challenges to face before they can put digital programming on the
air.
Title: Channel surfing with new FCC
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.26)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Chris McConnell
Issue: Television
Description: A look at how FCC commissioners view regulating television
content. Chairman Kennard believes "Congress has made it clear that
[broadcasters] do have public interest obligations." Commissioner Ness
helped write the new children's television rules and says, "It is the role
of this commission to use this as a forum for what the public thinks of
television and radio." Commissioner Tristani had no comment on broadcasters'
First Amendment rights, but is concerned the potential impact of violent
programming on children. Commissioner Powell says, "The expansion of media
choices should mean that we have other ways to escape from programming that
offends us in some way." He adds that there are so many media options that
regulators should not restrict themselves to any one in evaluating its harm
or benefit. Commissioner Furchtgott-Roth, who does not have a television at
home, worries that government proscribing of speech produces a freezing
effect and adds that the burden of proof is on the government to show why
the broadcast industry's public interest charter should be expanded.
Title: Pax Net: Can it fly?
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.4)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Steve McClellan
Issue: Television
Description: Bud Paxson announced last week that Paxson Communications will
launch a new television network in August. The 73 UHF stations in the
network currently offer mostly infomercials, but will begin offering family
programming (like Touched by An Angel and Promised Land) and collecting
local ad dollars. The network is aiming to build an audience of adult women.
Paxson says the network will be profitable four months after start-up.
Title: A Conservative Network's New Niche
Source: Washington Post (B1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-11/24/061l-112497-idx.html
Author: Howard Kurtz
Issue: Television
Description: A conservative TV network known as NET, is now known as
"America's Voice". The networks plans to build kiosks in state capitals for
ordinary citizens to videotape their comments on various issues, which would
be transmitted over special phone lines and played on the air. Viewers with
computers will be able to download detailed information on congressional
votes and committee actions and fire off e-mail messages to lawmakers. VP
Joseph DelGrosso says the video kiosks should enable America's Voice to
forge partnerships with local cable outlets and advertisers. He described
the genre as "Sunday morning television seven days a week. Some people
might say 'yawn,' but...that's where we see our niche, more as news maker
than news reporter."
** Telephone **
Title: Teligent Looks Poised to Strike
Source: Washington Post (WashTech, p.17)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-11/24/011l-112497-idx.html
Author: Mike Mills
Issue: Wireless
Description: Teligent's game plan is to use wireless antennas to deliver
high-speed, high-capacity telephone, data and video communications to urban
and suburban buildings. They have what investors like: federal radio
licenses that it got for free, a former president of AT&T Corp. in
charge, and backing from two families that made fortunes in the wireless
communication business. With these assets, Teligent seems ready to grab a
piece of the growing $110 billion wireless market now dominated by the
Bells. According to CEO Mandl, downtown areas will be Teligent's key market, but
their biggest advantage will be the suburban areas. He said, "Ninety-seven
percent of all office buildings are not directly connected to fiber. A good
percentage will never be connected to fiber directly because the economics
simply are not there. That's where our technology is most effective. That is
clearly our sweet spot."
Title: Internet Phones Are Catching On as Global Experiment
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B6)
Author: Guatim Naik
Issue: Internet
Description: Around the globe, telecommunications companies are beginning to
offer Internet telephone service as a way to get around entrenched phone
monopolies. Internet calls and faxes are much cheaper than calls placed on
the current telephony system. The dilemma for the telephone giants: offer
their own discounted services using the Internet and cannibalize their
high-margin revenues or risk seeing their revenues cannibalized by other
companies.
** Internet **
Title: Nations Struggle With How to Control Hate on the Web
Source: New York Times (D11)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/112497racism.html
Author: Elizabeth G. Olson
Issue: Internet Regulation
Description: Earlier this month, a group sponsored by the United Nations
Human Rights Center met in Geneva to discuss how to apply European
countries' legal prohibitions against hate speech to the Internet.
Conference members expressed frustration at how to balance what one speaker
called, "the two most powerful revolutions of the 20th century, those of
human rights and information technology."
Title: Congress Remains in Touch on the Web
Source: New York Times (D8)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/sites/112497sites.html
Author: Eric Schmitt
Issue: Internet
Description: With Congress adjourned until late January, 422 of the 535
politicians are using the Internet to stay in touch with constituents,
lobbyist and reporters. On their sites, browsers can find everything from
their lawmaker's biographies, to news releases and floor speeches, with some
congressional committees even posting summaries or the full texts of bills.
Web addresses ranging from the Senate Appropriations Committee to the
Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report can be found on page D8 of today's New
York Times.
Title: New Security System for Internet Purchases Has Its Doubters
Source: New York Times (D1, D6)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/112497creditcards.html
Author: Seth Hansell
Issue: Internet Technology
Description: Secure Electronic Transaction is a new system developed to
improve the security of making purchases over the Internet. SET promises to
make it more difficult for someone to steal a credit card number sent over
the Internet while also making it easier for shoppers to verify that the
online merchants they are dealing with are legitimate. Some people, like
Cliff Conneighton, chief executive of Internet Commerce Services Corp.,
which runs shopping sites on the Web for Panasonic Consumer Electronics
Corp. and Random House Inc., question whether the extra security of SET is
needed when fraud on the Internet is already minuscule. "Credit-card
shopping on the Internet is going like gangbusters today," said Mr.
Conneighton. "The fear of shopping is diminishing rapidly. It's always
good to have truth on your side, and the truth is that it's not very risky."
However, credit card companies argue that the reason they are pushing SET is
so they can stay ahead of the criminals who will eventually find a way to
exploit the current system. SET is expected to be introduced early next year.
Title: Filters and Free Speech
Source: Washington Post (Op-ed,A24)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-11/24/023l-112497-idx.html
Author: WP Editorial Staff
Issue: First Amendment/Free Speech
Description: The fight over freedom of speech over the Internet is now
about the use of Internet "filters". This is software that, when used by
either computer users or producers of online material, screens out words or
categories of material deemed offensive. But filtering the 'Net at the
recipient's end is not considered censorship. Opponents of last year's
legislation relied heavily on the existence of such technologies as evidence
of a "less restrictive alternative" for protecting children. The act was
finally struck down on these grounds: first, that it was unacceptable to
constrain an entire new medium to a level suitable for children, and that
such "less restrictive alternatives" for protecting children did exist and
would multiply, which did happen. Even then, several lawmakers have declared
their intention to pass a new law that is more tightly drawn to criminalize
the (still probably undefinable) "material harmful to minors."
** Encryption **
Title: White House May Tighten Data Exports
Source: New York Times (D1, D6)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/112497encrypt.html
Author: John Markoff
Issue: Encryption
Description: The latest in an ongoing debate between American high
technology businesses and privacy advocates and law officials concerns the
Clinton Administration's debate on whether to further tighten controls on
the export of electronic data scrambling systems. "If the policy is
changed, it could narrow the range of financial institutions that are
allowed to use the most powerful encryption gear overseas to protect
electronic transactions." Many companies in the technology industry are
lobbying the Clinton Administration to keep from tightening the exemption.
Lobbyist argue that if the Administration does so, the growth of electronic
commerce would be curtailed. On the other hand, law officials say their
powers are increasingly threatened by criminals and terrorists who have the
ability to use increasingly sophisticated encryption technology. Officials
are concerned that the export exemption for financial companies could
provide a large loophole that they would not be able to track. Government
officials acknowledge this disagreement, saying that a group of officials
from several agencies plan to meet next week to address the differences.
** Arts **
Title: A Wedding of Theater and Social Issues
Source: New York Times (B1, B4)
http://www.nytimes.com
Author: Janny Scott
Issue: Arts
Description: Harvard University plans to announce today a new summer
institute devoted to finding ways in which the arts might enhance the public
discussion of social issues. The institute will probably resemble a "hybrid
between an artists' colony and a think tank." It is intended to serve as a
type of laboratory, where professional artists will come together each
summer for six weeks each summer to develop new work, also bringing in
academics, journalists and community leaders, to serve not only as sources
of information and ideas but also to help investigate ways of engaging the
interest of a broad and diverse audience. The institute will be initially
financed by a $1.5 million Ford Foundation grant and headed by Anna Deavere
Smith, the playwright and performer who invented her own form of theater and
has used it to explore matters like race and class.
** FCC **
Title: Kennard starts the process
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.34)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Chris McConnell
Issue: FCC/Regulation
Description: Last week, the FCC began a top-to-bottom review of the
commission's rules. "The idea is to do a serious look at the commission
rules across the board," said FCC Deputy General Counsel David Solomon who
will oversee the effort. Office and bureau chiefs will conduct a regulatory
review and will make recommendations to the commissioners. The
commissioners, in turn, will decide if the recommendations merit FCC action.
Recommendation to eliminate rules will appear as rulemaking proposals or
inquiries next year. At that time the public will be invited to comment. "I
want to do a lot of outreach," Chairman Kennard said of the effort.
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