Groups Strike an Agreement To Add TV Rating Specifics
Tie Vote Blocks F.C.C. Inquiry On Liquor Ads
Tying Schools to Internet Could Cost $2.1 Billion
Blah, Blah, Blah
FCC Votes Against Probing Hard-Liquor Ads on TV
Brought to Your by...
TV Executives, Parents Reach Pact on Ratings
TV Ratings Agreement Reached
The Attention Transaction
Good TV, Bad Law in Kansas City
UDC Chief Is Upbeat About Deal to Sell Radio Station
CC Rejects Inquiry on Liquor Ads
Off the Spectrum
Broadcast Advertisement of Distilled Spirits
Proposal to Reallocate Television Channels to Other Services
*********************************************
Title: Groups Strike an Agreement To Add TV Rating Specifics
Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/washpol/tv-ratings.html(A1)
Author: Lawrie Mifflin
Issue: V-Chip
Description: Negotiators for the television industry and family advocacy
groups reached an agreement last night. An expanded television ratings code
will include the letters V for violence, S for sexual content, L for vulgar
language, D for suggestive dialogue, and, on children's programs, FV for
fantasy violence. In the final negotiations, T for tofu and KLGHS for Kathy
Lee Gifford Holiday Special were dropped. Final accord was reached when a
number of members of Congress agreed on a moratorium on
television-programming legislation "for several years." NBC has decided not
to use the new system.
Title: Tie Vote Blocks F.C.C. Inquiry On Liquor Ads
Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/washpol/tv-liquor.html(A20)
Author: John Broder
Issue: Advertising
Description: A vote at the Federal Communications Commission to investigate
hard liquor advertising on television ended in a 2-2 tie. The inquiry would
have examined how many liquor ads are on television, what times they are on,
and how many children have seen them. "How can anyone justify curtailing
this legitimate inquiry?" asked FCC Chairman Reed Hundt. "No one disputes
that the issues are important. Indeed, the commissioners who oppose this
inquiry publicly proclaim that the introduction of hard liquor ads on
broadcast TV are troubling." The inquiry was blocked by Commissioner James
Quello, a former broadcaster, and Commissioner Rachelle Chong whose
re-nomination to the Commission was backed by the broadcasting industry.
They claim the FCC does not have the authority to investigate these ads and
that the FCC's efforts would duplicate those of the Federal trade Commission.
Title: Tying Schools to Internet Could Cost $2.1 Billion
Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/ny-school-computers.
html(A26)
Author: James Barron
Issue: Education Technology
Description: A report from New York City's Department of Education calls for
$2.1 billion in spending on computer hardware on repair to school buildings.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani proposed $150 million in spending on education
technology next year for NYC's public K-12 schools.
Title: Blah, Blah, Blah
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (A1)
Author: Cynthia Crossen
Issue: Lifestyles!
Description: With talk radio, TV talk shows, and the Internet, 20th
Century Americans have more ways than ever to express their opinions and
fewer reasons to listen. According to an instructor in conversation courses,
talking is seen as dominant and active and listening is considered boring.
Title: FCC Votes Against Probing Hard-Liquor Ads on TV
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (A6)
Author: Dow Jones Newswires
Issue: Advertising
Description: An evenly split Federal Communications Commission rejected
requests for an inquiry on TV advertisements for hard liquor. The Federal
Trade Commission is currently scrutinizing certain alcohol ads to determine
whether they are aimed at TV viewers younger than 21.
Title: Brought to Your by...
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (A14)
Author: Albert R. Gamper Jr.
Issue: Public Television
Description: This op-ed -- by the President of the CIT Group who serves on
the boards of two PBS Affiliates -- argues that former PBS President Larry
Grossman's suggestion for airing commercials on public TV isn't such a bad
idea. Since PBS programming is very good and government support is
shrinking, we've got to find alternatives. "With only 150 companies and
foundations providing support now for public broadcasting, corporate coffers
have hardly been tapped." Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and San
Francisco PBS stations have all been experimenting with corporate spots and
viewers have
not been up in arms about it.
Title: TV Executives, Parents Reach Pact on Ratings
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (B5)
Author: Kyle Pope
Issue: V-Chip
Description: TV Executives and parent organizations made a deal yesterday
to strengthen the country's TV-ratings system. NBC, however, does not
support the agreement. A program labeled TV-PG in the old system may now
have, with the new system, a S for Sex or a V for violence. Broadcasters
also gave the OK for a stronger oversight board to monitor the system. PBS
and the Black Entertainment Network (BET) so far haven't used the
ratings system.
Title: TV Ratings Agreement Reached
Source: Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/digest/ent1.htm(A1)
Author: Paul Farhi
Issue: V-Chip
Description: Yesterday, TV Industry representatives and parent advocacy
groups came
to an agreement on a revised ratings system which would include content
ratings for television programs. The new ratings, when appropriate, will
flash a S (sex), L (language), D (suggestive language or David Hasseloff),
and FV (fantasy violence) for violent kiddie shows. The ratings should start
October 1, but NBC, the number one network au moment,
has said that it doesn't support the system because it's concerned that "the
ultimate aim of the current system's critics is to dictate content," said
the network. The V-Chip will be included in new sets starting in February of
1998, and, with the technology, parents can block out shows by their ratings.
Title: The Attention Transaction
Source: Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-07/10/030L-071097-
idx.html (A19)
Author: George F. Will
Issue: Advertising
Description: In his op-ed, Will refers to the writings of James Twitchell
published in the Wilson Quarterly. Twitchell points out that Americans pay
twice for goods in this country: once with the cash to purchase and again
with our attention to the advertisements for the product. Will challenges
readers to find a time when their attention is not being "rented" -- from
athletes wearing certain brands of shoes, to announcements of what company
underwrote a museum exhibition. The Home Shopping Network and infomercials
may be the way of the future and advertising is "the democracy of the
marketplace." Maybe books will be next to hold advertisements. Twitchell
reminds us that Dr. Spock had to fight Pocket Books to take ads for
cigarettes out of his book.
Title: Good TV, Bad Law in Kansas City
Source: Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-07/10/026L-071097-
idx.html (A19)
Author: Richard Cohen
Issue: Cable/Content
Description: In his op-ed, Cohen critiques "John TV" a local government
run cable TV channel in Kansas City that, at the request of a city council
member, broadcasts photos of men around town who have been arrested for
soliciting prostitutes. On the one hand, shame is a good deterrent. On the
other, broadcasting pictures also punishes the man's wife or kids unfairly,
and these men are being punished after they've been arrested, but before
they've been found guilty.
Title: UDC Chief Is Upbeat About Deal to Sell Radio Station
Source: Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ (D.C.1)
Author: Valerie Strauss
Issue: Radio
Description: Julius F. Nimmons Jr., the acting head of the University of
the District of Columbia, is happy about selling the school's radio station
for $13 million. Nimmons said, "For the first time in years, the university
has no financial crisis."
Title: FCC Rejects Inquiry on Liquor Ads
Source: Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ (E3)
Author: Paul Farhi
Issue: Advertising
Description: FCC Commissioners deadlocked in a two to two vote yesterday
about whether to initiate an inquiry into ads for distilled liquor on TV.
The tie means that the investigation will not move forward. Since the two
commissioners who voted against the inquiry, James Quello and Rachelle B.
Chong, will be leaving soon, it is likely that the FCC will later move
forward on the issue. Currently, the Federal Trade Commission is
investigating TV advertising by Seagrams, Anheuser-Busch, and two other
alcoholic beverage producers. About 50 such ads have run on TV this year.
All the major commercial networks have declined to air them.
Title: Off the Spectrum
Source: Extra! http://www.igc.apc.org/fair/extra/
Author: Robert McChesney, associate professor of journalism and mass media, U of
Wisconsin/Madison
Issue: Digital TV/Television Regulation
Description: The President's Advisory Committee on Public Service
Obligations, to be appointed this summer, may be the only opportunity for
the public to weigh in on the nature of digital television. "The committee
should hold public hearings around the nation and attempt to determine what
the real technological possibilities are for digital broadcasting." The
public should be able to determine how huge communications corporations --
General Electric (NBC), Westinghouse (CBS), Rupert Murdoch's News Corp
(Fox), and Disney (ABC) -- use our public resource. McChensey believes the
President's Committee should examine 1) providing some spectrum for
nonprofit, noncommercial broadcasters, 2) eliminating commercials during
kid's TV shows, 3) eliminating commercials during news broadcasts, 4) taking
control of news divisions and children's programming out of corporate hands
and setting up independent, elected bodies controlled by viewers,
journalists, and programmers, and 5) taxing TV advertisements.
At the FCC http://www.fcc.gov
Statements on Proposed Notice of Inquiry on Broadcast Advertisement of
Distilled Spirits
FCC Seeks Comment on Proposal to Reallocate Television Channels 60-69
(746-806 MHZ) to Other Services
*********
Happy 50th Arlo!