For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
Tomlinson Praises Lehrer; Pushes Balance
Ferree Champions CPB Balance
CPB Looks Under Bed, Finds No Dust Balls, Hires New Maid
Consumer Advocates and Media Reformers call for Nationwide
Hearings on Public Broadcasting
MEDIA
A Chance to Modernize Telecommunications
How US Consumers Spend Their Time
6 Ways TV is Changing Your Life
New Book -- Speak Softly and Carry A Big Stick: How Local TV
Broadcasters Exert Political Power
Willner: Self-Reg, Self-Promote...or Tiers
On Bloggers and Money
NEWS FROM DEPT OF EDUCATION
=91Buster' Flap gets Huge Response in Favor of Pulling Show
Bungling at top Sabotaged Worthy Education Goals
Congress Drops $6B in Ed Funds
TELECOM
Verizon Wins Bidding for MCI; Qwest Drops Out
QUICKLY -- Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act of 2005; Safety Spectrum;=20
Online Tax Collection; Reagan Official to CA PUC
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
TOMLINSON PRAISES LEHRER; PUSHES BALANCE
Praising The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer as a "model for broadcast=20
journalism," CPB Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson said Monday the service will=20
continue to "broaden support for public broadcasting," while "eliminating=20
the perception of political bias." Tomlinson remarks reported in=20
yesterday's NYTimes have helped create quite a stir (see stories below)=20
with Free Press, the nonpartisan media reform group, calling on him to=20
resign for failing to uphold CPB's nonpartisan mandate.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA528972?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
FERREE CHAMPIONS CPB BALANCE
At the Public Radio Leadership Forum in Washington, CPB chief executive Ken=
=20
Ferree said public broadcasting provides a nutritious alternative to the=20
=93fried foods and desserts=94 served up by commercial media. But he=
defended a=20
move to include more conservative voices on stations that are supported in=
=20
part by taxpayer dollars. =93I=92d urge you to think seriously about=
diversity=20
of opinion as you consider ways to serve your audiences,=94 he said. =93CPB,=
=20
funded as it is with taxpayer dollars and guided as it is by statutory=20
language, has special responsibilities to strive toward objectivity and=20
balance. Frankly, I don't think any of us should ever aim at a lower=20
standard. As public broadcasters, our goal should be to expand and=20
enlighten public discourse; offering a wide range of views is one way to do=
=20
that.=94
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA528949?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Right-wing Coup at PBS?
The new Public Broadcasting boss either has an inappropriate sense of humor=
=20
or he's the latest participant in what the FCC called a 'right-wing coup'=20
of PBS.
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Rory O'Connor]
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21914/
CPB LOOKS UNDER BED, FINDS NO DUST BALLS, HIRES NEW MAID
[Commentary] The Corporation for Public Broadcasting appears bent on making=
=20
PBS and NPR programming more "fair and balanced." But lost in the debate,=20
somehow, were two public opinion studies commissioned by CPB itself,=20
finding that Americans seem to like public broadcasting just the way it is.=
=20
A July 2003 poll of 1,008 adults found that public broadcasting garnered an=
=20
80 percent "favorable" rating, a 10 percent "unfavorable" rating and a 10=20
percent "unsure." More than half surveyed felt that PBS's news programming=
=20
was more trustworthy than news shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and CNN. A full=
=20
55 percent said that PBS programming was "fair and balanced," while a=20
whopping 79 percent said the same about NPR. Is CPB's appointment of two=20
ombudsmen to scour public broadcasting's content for bias little more than=
=20
the corporation's new leadership fishing for results that confirm its own=20
dark suspicions?
[SOURCE: Columbia Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Paul McLeary]
http://www.cjrdaily.org/archives/001479.asp
* CPB=92s =93Secrets and Lies=94: Why the CPB Board Hid its Polls Revealing=
=20
Broad Public Support for PBS and NPR
http://www.democraticmedia.org/news/washingtonwatch/CPBsurveys.html
CONSUMER ADVOCATES AND MEDIA REFORMERS CALL FOR NATIONWIDE HEARINGS ON=20
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
Free Press, Consumers Union, Common Cause and the Consumer Federation of=20
America today announced a plan to "take public broadcasting to the people,"=
=20
proposing a series of local hearings across the country where the public=20
will talk directly to broadcasters and policymakers about the future of=20
public broadcasting.
[SOURCE: Press Release]
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/002190.html...
e
* A New Standard: Building a Public Broadcasting System that Deserves=20
Public Support
http://www.hearusnow.org/fileadmin/sitecontent/pbs_report_4-28-05.pdf
* PBS Suffers the 'Fox Effect'
http://mediacitizen.blogspot.com/2005/05/pbs-suffers-fox-effect.html
* Common Cause letter cites concern about governance of public broadcasting
http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=3DdkLNK1MQIwG&b=3...
883&ct=3D783425
http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/{FB3C17E2-CDD1-4DF6-92BE-BD4429893665}/CPB=
GOVERNANCE4-28-05.PDF
MEDIA
A CHANCE TO MODERNIZE TELECOMMUNICATIONS
[Commentary] Behind closed doors, Congress has already started rewriting=20
one of the most important pieces of legislation you may never have heard=20
of. The 1996 Telecommunications Act was supposed to modernize U.S.=20
telecommunications and broadcasting industries, foster competition and=20
expand consumer choice. Nearly 10 years later, Congress is ready to try=20
again. Preecs doesn't pull any punches calling for 1) ending to free=20
broadcast licenses, 2) allowing municipalities to create wholesale=20
broadband networks, and 3) ending the distinction between=20
"telecommunication" and "information services" that currently encourages=20
phone companies to evade local regulation of their proposed TV services and=
=20
cable companies to evade regulations of their proposed telephone services.=
=20
Most importantly, Preecs calls for the light of day to shine on the process=
=20
of rewriting the law: "Congress should not write a single line of=20
legislative code until well-publicized public hearings are held in all four=
=20
of the nation's time zones."
[SOURCE: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, AUTHOR: Bart Preecs]
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/222265_firstperson02.html
* TELECOM REGULATORY REFORM ESSENTIAL
Telecom law is increasingly in conflict with marketplace realities and in=20
some cases is holding back new technologies, writes Progress & Freedom=20
Foundation senior fellow Adam Thierer. In "Four More Years... Of the Status=
=20
Quo? How Simple Principles Can Lead Us Out of the Regulatory Wilderness,"=20
Thierer spells out priorities for lawmakers in a Telecom Act rewrite.
[SOURCE: Progress & Freedom Foundation]
http://www.pff.org/news/news/2005/042905thiererfclj.html
HOW U.S. CONSUMERS SPEND THEIR TIME
Sleep. Work. Watching TV. Those three activities are 1-2-3 for the average=
=20
American. Consumers spend half their leisure time -- and effectively 11% of=
=20
their lives -- in front of the television. That=92s strong evidence of the=
=20
commanding role TV plays in the lives of consumers even as the ad industry=
=20
debates the future of the 30-second spot and the issue of slipping=20
broadcast ratings.
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Bradley Johnson]
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=3D44895
6 WAYS TV IS CHANGING YOUR LIFE
A look at how DVRs and video-on-demand will allow you to access your=20
favorite shows when you want them, how cutting-edge technology will allow=20
you to take TV with you wherever you go, how the Internet may one day=20
become television's secondary (or primary) home, and how advertising will=20
change in this brave, new TV world. From the home office in Chicago, the=20
Top 6 (we're a smaller market) ways TV is changing: 1) Viewers will be able=
=20
to watch where they want when they want. 2) Programming available on=20
demand. 3) Programming delivered via the Internet. 4) TV gives way to the=20
"home media ecosystem" which allows simple control and access their TV,=20
music and movies. 5) The future of TV advertising is in providing a gateway=
=20
to more comprehensive information. 6) 500 channels? Try 5 million.
(Gee, who knew there was so much info in my local paper?)
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR: Maureen Ryan]
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0505010466may01,1,4154979.s...
NEW BOOK -- SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK: HOW LOCAL TV BROADCASTERS=20
EXERT POLITICAL POWER
Speak Softly describes the Machiavellian strategies local TV broadcasters=20
have used to influence U.S. spectrum and media policy. As Congress gears up=
=20
to "fix" the disastrous broadcast spectrum policies it passed in the=20
Telecommunications Act of 1996, Speak Softly provides a timely reminder why=
=20
the same mistakes are likely to be repeated. AUTHOR: Jim H. Snider,=20
co-author of Future Shop (St. Martin=92s Press), is a Senior Research Fellow=
=20
at the New America Foundation, a Washington think-tank. His work has=20
appeared in numerous publications including The Washington Post, U.S.A.=20
Today, and Atlantic Monthly. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from=20
Northwestern University and an MBA from Harvard University.
Buy it at the bookstore of your choice:
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=3D0595347045
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0595347045/qid=3D111505340...
=3D1-1/ref=3Dsr_1_1/002-6882637-3928035?v=3Dglance&s=3Dbooks
WILLNER: SELF-REG, SELF-PROMOTE... OR TIERS
Saying cable's content woes were more than a political problem, Insight=20
Communications Chairman Michael Willner advised the industry that unless it=
=20
can better self-regulate, or self promote, it may have to create=20
family-friendly tiers or accept indecency regulations similar to those of=20
broadcasting. Willner called on all of the top 50 or 60 cable channels with=
=20
the widest distribution to do a better job of regulating their own content.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA528933?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
ON BLOGGERS AND MONEY
The Federal Election Commission, which has been considering issuing new=20
regulations on a range of political activities on the Internet -- and was=20
said by some to be contemplating taking a tough stance on the online=20
commentators -- revealed in late March that it intends to be much less=20
aggressive than many had feared. But now some observers are wondering=20
whether the FEC is not being aggressive enough when it comes to one=20
category of bloggers: those who take money from political campaigns. The=20
FEC requires candidates to disclose their expenditures, including any=20
payments to bloggers, in periodic reports to the government. Some bloggers=
=20
also disclose their financial relationships with candidates, but they are=20
not obliged to reveal those payments, and the agency recently said it is=20
not proposing requiring them to do so. Some election law experts want the=20
FEC to reverse that policy, saying it gives campaigns the opportunity to=20
use ostensibly independent blogs as fronts to create the illusion of=20
grass-roots support, mount attacks on their opponents and disseminate=20
information to which candidates do not want their names attached.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Faler]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/02/AR200505...
309.html
(requires registration)
* New data on blogs and blogging
9% of Internet users now say they have created blogs and 25% of Internet=20
users say they read blogs. Another way to render these numbers is to note=20
that 6% of the entire U.S. adult population (Internet users and non-users=20
alike) have created blogs. That=92s one out of every 20 people. And 16% of=
=20
all U.S. adults (or one in six people) are blog readers.
[SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project]
http://www.pewinternet.org/press_release.asp?r=3D104
NEWS FROM DEPT OF EDUCATION
'BUSTER' FLAP GETS HUGE RESPONSE IN FAVOR OF PULLING SHOW
In the two months after Education Secretary Margaret Spellings wrote to=20
express =93strong and very serious concerns=94 about an episode of Postcards=
=20
from Buster in which a cartoon bunny visits Vermont and meets children in=20
families headed by two mothers, Spellings heard from 197,610 people, and=20
81% supported her position, the Education Department says. Most of the=20
responses came from the American Family Association, which sent 157,537.=20
The Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights group, sent 36,233 responses. 35=20
members of the U.S. House of Representatives congratulated Sec Spellings=20
for her =93fiscally sound and pro-family decision.=94 64 members of the=
Vermont=20
Legislature, however, wrote that the show presented two =93typical Vermont=
=20
families=94 and complained that Sec Spellings made her criticism public even=
=20
after PBS agreed not to air the episode. 60% of the financing for Buster=20
came from a Department of Education Ready to Learn grant. Buster's=20
five-year federal grant expires this year; it is unlikely to be renewed.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Greg Toppo]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20050503/bl_bottomstrip03.art.htm
BUNGLING AT TOP SABOTAGED WORTHY EDUCATION GOALS
[Commentary] Education Secretary Spellings has reviewed the findings of the=
=20
inspector general audit and investigation of the Department of Education's=
=20
contract with Ketchum public relations and its subcontractor, Armstrong=20
Williams. She is not happy. The report clearly shows serious judgment=20
lapses and poor decision making by senior department officials. There were=
=20
numerous issues, such as a dearth of communication and information sharing=
=20
within the department, between the department and Ketchum as its prime=20
contractor, and between Ketchum and Williams.
[SOURCE: Houston Chronicle, AUTHOR: Margaret Spellings, Sec of Education]
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/outlook/3150287
CONGRESS DROPS $6 BILLION IN ED FUNDS
Moving one step closer to a federal education budget that lacks funding for=
=20
school technology or other key programs, Congress on April 28 passed a=20
budget resolution that does not include some $6 billion in additional=20
funding for the nation's schools and universities initially approved by the=
=20
Senate. Keith Krueger, chief executive officer of the Consortium for School=
=20
Networking, a nonprofit organization that helps the nation's schools make=20
judicious use of technology, said he isn't giving up the fight to persuade=
=20
Congress of the importance of more education dollars in the federal budget.=
=20
"While we are very disappointed that Congress moved away from the Senate=20
version of the FY06 budget, which would have added funds for education=20
generally, we recognize that this is only the first stage of a long=20
process," he wrote via eMail. "The ed-tech community will continue to keep=
=20
the heat on Congress and the [Bush] administration to support ed-tech=20
funding by making our case that educational technology is integral to=20
implementing the key provisions of No Child Left Behind and ensuring that=20
our students are prepared for the 21st century's highly competitive job=20
market."
[SOURCE: eSchool News]
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=3D5635
TELECOM
VERIZON WINS BIDDING FOR MCI; QWEST DROPS OUT
Finally, it is Verizon-MCI. Qwest has left the building and will not bid=20
anymore for the last major independent long-distance company. MCI's board=20
decided that Verizon's offer of $26 a share, or $8.44 billion, Qwest's=20
offer of $30 a share, or $9.74 billion. Qwest is likely to join with=20
consumer groups to fight the combined MCI and Verizon deal in Washington on=
=20
antitrust grounds. In total, Qwest bids for MCI helped raise what Verizon=20
had to pay for MCI; the original bid was $6.75 billion. The Verizon-MCI=20
combination isn't final until it is approved by MCI shareholders and state=
=20
and federal regulators. There is concern that the industry's consolidation=
=20
could lead to higher phone rates. If approved, Verizon's deal for MCI will=
=20
leave the telecom industry dominated by two giants: Verizon and SBC=20
Communications. The combined Verizon and MCI will be the nation's=20
second-largest phone company by revenue, with 53 million local lines=20
largely in the Northeast and the majority stake in Verizon Wireless. MCI=20
will extend its reach globally with one of the world's largest Internet=20
networks, comprising about 60,000 large corporate customers in 150=20
countries. SBC will rank as the nation's largest phone company by revenue=20
because of its acquisitions of AT&T Wireless and AT&T Corp.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jesse Drucker jesse.drucker( at )wsj.com=20
and Almar Latour almar.latour( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111502847456822029,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
* Qwest Withdraws Bid After MCI Accepts Verizon Offer
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/03/business/03phone.html
* Qwest Ends MCI Bid
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/02/AR200505...
254.html
* Verizon Is Winner in MCI Battle
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-mci2may03,1,6512514.s...
?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
QUICKLY
DIGITAL MEDIA CONSUMERS' RIGHTS ACT OF 2005
Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation of America and Public Knowledge=20
co-signed a letter to Members of Congress urging support of H.R. 1201, the=
=20
=93Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act of 2005=94 (DMCRA). They write that=
the=20
bill is "is a bipartisan measure that will help restore the historic=20
balance of copyright law =AD providing incentives to creators and broad=20
public access to creative works. The bill will also ensure that the public=
=20
is not the unintended victim of digital copyright laws and new copy=20
protection technologies."
[SOURCE: Consumers Union]
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_telecom_and_utilities/002191.html...
e
SAFETY SPECTRUM MUST BE USED EFFICIENTLY
The soundest approach for protecting public safety through spectrum is to=20
give public safety officials more flexibility with existing allocated=20
spectrum, including the ability to lease the spectrum to others, says=20
Progress & Freedom Foundation Senior Fellow Tom Lenard. In comments filed=20
with the Federal Communications Commission last week, Lenard, PFF's vice=20
president for research, urges the agency to ensure cost-effective,=20
efficient use of existing public safety spectrum before awarding more.
[SOURCE: Progress & Freedom Foundation]
http://www.pff.org/news/news/2005/042805fcc-comments-tl.html
MANDATED ONLINE TAX COLLECTION MISGUIDED
Requiring compliance with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement=20
(SSUTA) would be harmful to many states, yield little in additional tax=20
revenues, and undermine tax competition among states and jurisdictions,=20
says Progress & Freedom Foundation Senior Fellow Tom Lenard.
[SOURCE: Progress & Freedom Foundation]
http://www.pff.org/news/news/2005/050205milken.html
BOHN APPOINTED TO OPENING ON PUC
The five-member California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulates=20
utilities, telecommunications firms and railroads. Among its tasks is to=20
help find a new way to encourage power generation in California, help=20
decide whether to deregulate the electricity market for major customers and=
=20
whether to implement a telecommunications bill of rights. After Silicon=20
Valley entrepreneur Steve Poizner withdraw unexpectedly because his=20
financial holdings were too large to avoid conflicts of interest, CA Gov.=20
Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed John Bohn, the former head of Moody's=20
Investors Service and Reagan administration's Treasury Department official,=
=20
to the PUC. Michael Shames, director of the Utility Consumers' Action=20
Network in San Diego, criticized Schwarzenegger for appointing someone with=
=20
no apparent expertise in the complex world of utility regulation.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Nicholas Riccardi]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-puc3may03,1,7359897.s...
?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------