For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org
OWNERSHIP
Public Interest Groups Tell Congress: Keep Close Eye On FCC Media Review
New Beginning for Newspapers?
The News Hounds
Big Media a Tough Sell to Jittery Investors
Google Opens Its Online Library
Weighing Webcasters' Rights to Content
BROADCASTING
McCain Advances 2008 Analog Cutoff
Music Promoter to Abandon a Radio Policy He Developed
TELECOM/CABLE
Senate Panel OKs Rollback Of FCC's E-911 Regulations
Cable Companies, Sprint Nextel in Wireless Pact
If you Believe in Broadband, free IPTV
Telco Video Is Cable, Says NCTA
Cable Modem Service, Digital Cable TV Critical To Cable Industry Growth
FCC Gets It (Mostly) Right
Reliable Connections Broaden Demand For Satellite Phones
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Technology and the new Class Divide
The Lives of Teenagers Now: Open Blogs, Not Locked Diaries
ADVERTISING
Liquor Ads Move to Satellite Radio
Consumer Group: Ban Drug Ads
The Google Future
Alito Nomination Expected to Spark Ad War
QUICKLY -- Online Freedom of Speech Act Defeated; VoIP providers band=20
together; FCC Chairman's Wife May Testify In Libby Trial; Britain Fails to=
=20
Wake Up to DTV Switch
OWNERSHIP
PUBLIC INTEREST GROUPS TELL CONGRESS: KEEP CLOSE EYE ON FCC MEDIA REVIEW
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
The FCC early next year plans to conduct a court-ordered review of its=20
rules that limit media ownership -- and public interest groups are seeking=
=20
strong congressional oversight of the effort. "This is going to be a big=20
fight," said Andrew Schwartzman, president and chief executive officer of=
=20
the Media Access Project. "Congress and the public are going to have to=20
weigh in as heavily as they did [in 2003] to make a difference in an FCC=20
that is going to be dominated by three Republicans." A key priority of the=
=20
Media Access Project and other watchdogs is changing the so-called UHF=20
discount. The discount tabulates UHF television stations -- channels 14 to=
=20
67 -- as being half the size of VHF stations -- channels 2 to 13 -- when=20
calculating the national cap on the audience reach of network=20
owned-and-operated TV stations. "This is archaic," Schwartzman said of the=
=20
UHF discount -- noting that UHF stations once were difficult to receive via=
=20
broadcast, but that cable has put them on a par with VHF. "This 50 percent=
=20
discount allows vastly greater ownership than would otherwise be the case,"=
=20
he said. In particular, he noted that the UHF discount benefits Paxson=20
Communications and the Sinclair Broadcast Group. Schwartzman said changing=
=20
the UHF discount is important because UHF stations are less expensive to=20
own than VHF ones, creating more opportunities for minorities.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-PGHI1130969465069.html
NEW BEGINNING FOR NEWSPAPERS?
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Joseph T. Hallinan=20
joe.hallinan( at )wsj.com and Joe Hagan joe.hagan( at )wsj.com]
A potential sale of Knight Ridder might be the first shoe to drop in the=20
long-talked-about consolidation of the newspaper industry. Newspapers still=
=20
dominate local news and advertising in many markets. That could attract a=
=20
company such as Yahoo, which has moved increasingly into original content=
=20
and would like to develop its local reach. Meanwhile, Google has expressed=
=20
interest in entering the classified-ad market, where newspapers have deep=
=20
relationships and continue to play a dominant role. Knight Ridder is=20
part-owner of CareerBuilder, the online classified Web site that competes=
=20
with Monster.com. Lately, some of the most successful newspaper companies=
=20
have stayed in the newspaper business by getting out of it. Washington Post=
=20
Co. and E.W. Scripps Co., for instance, have both diversified into other=20
industries. The Post bought the Kaplan Inc. educational-preparation=20
business, and Scripps got into cable television with HGTV and other venture=
s.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113098763894087103.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ey_and_investing
(requires subscription)
THE NEWS HOUNDS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]
To the list of challenges faced by newspapers -- declining circulation,=20
rising newsprint costs and increased competition from more up-to-the-minute=
=20
media -- add another: rising pressure from investors to make more money and=
=20
reverse sliding stock prices. Some within the industry think newspapers are=
=20
better suited to private rather than public ownership. Private companies=20
attempt to minimize earnings, which are taxable, and maximize cash flow,=20
which can be used to pay down debts. Public companies, however, are=20
pressured to maximize earnings to appease shareholders.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR200511...
3201.html
(requires registration)
BIG MEDIA A TOUGH SELL TO JITTERY INVESTORS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Geraldine Fabrikant and Richard Siklos]
Investors cannot figure out just how technological changes will affect=20
audience behavior and how the growing competition from online media,=20
including Google and Yahoo, as well as ad-skipping devices like TiVo and=20
other digital video recorders, will affect traditional media companies.=20
Beyond those concerns, they worry that with slower advertising growth, the=
=20
profitability of media properties like television and radio stations could=
=20
be affected. And even if the ad market were to become robust again, just=20
how many of those dollars might flow to the Internet and away from=20
traditional media is an open question.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/03/business/media/03funk.html
(requires registration)
GOOGLE OPENS ITS ONLINE LIBRARY
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Kevin J. Delaney=20
kevin.delaney( at )wsj.com and Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg=20
jeffrey.trachtenberg( at )wsj.com]
Google is making available thousands of public-domain works through its=20
search engine today, the first large-scale results of a program to scan=20
books and documents at several university and public libraries. Google said=
=20
the works it is making available include Civil War regimental histories,=20
government documents, books by Henry James and biographies of wealthy New=
=20
Yorkers. The company said it won't display advertisements on public domain=
=20
book pages or any book pages Google scans from a library. See print.google.=
com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113098792137387114.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
sonal_journal
(requires subscription)
WEIGHING WEBCASTERS' RIGHTS TO CONTENT
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jonathan Krim]
If television broadcasters and webcasters have their way in international=
=20
treaty talks, they would gain new, 50-year rights to virtually any video=20
they beam out, even if no one owns the rights to the content. So, for=20
example, say ABC or Yahoo offers a broadcast or webcast of a movie no=20
longer under copyright protection, historical footage of a news event or a=
=20
live feed of a breaking story -- no one could make a copy of that program=
=20
and rebroadcast it to others. The result, according to digital rights=20
advocates, is that the viral power of the Internet to expose millions (or=
=20
billions) of people to news or unprotected creative works will be in=20
jeopardy. The seemingly instant, online cycle of people posting=20
information, seeing it, linking to it or retransmitting it -- as happened=
=20
with the amateur tsunami videos -- could be dragged into a morass of new=20
ownership questions. "This new layer turns every distributor into yet=20
another owner," argues James Love, head of the Consumer Project on=20
Technology, which is fighting the treaty. When it comes to content in the=
=20
public domain, Love contends, there should be no restrictions on who can=20
use the work. That's a bunch of alarmist hooey, responds Benjamin F.P.=20
Ivins, senior associate general counsel of the National Association of=20
Broadcasters. Ivins argues that users could still make copies of such=20
broadcasts for private use; they simply could not turn around and=20
redistribute them commercially. When a broadcaster spends money to prepare=
=20
and distribute footage of an event or a historical work, it should be=20
assured that somebody else can't benefit from that investment by copying=20
the program and retransmitting it, he says.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR200511...
3187.html
(requires registration)
BROADCASTING
MCCAIN ADVANCES 2008 ANALOG CUTOFF
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
During a debate on the Senate floor on the budget bill, Sen John McCain=20
(R-AZ) offered an amendment designed to end analog television April 7,=20
2008, one year sooner than the cutoff date approved by the Senate Commerce=
=20
Committee two weeks ago. Sen McCain wants to speed delivery of broadcast=20
spectrum to emergency officials. In his floor comments, Sen McCain lashed=
=20
out at the National Association of Broadcasters, saying that he was =93sick=
=20
and tired=94 that the trade group continued to put the interests of=20
=93television viewers=94 ahead of the lives of first responders. The Senate=
=20
will vote on the amendment today or tomorrow.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6280636.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)
MUSIC PROMOTER TO ABANDON RADIO POLICY HE DEVELOPED
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jeff Leeds]
Payola just isn't what it used to be. Jeff McClusky, a music entrepreneur=
=20
who emerged as an influential behind-the-scenes player in the 1990's by=20
devising a technique to curry favor with radio programmers while=20
sidestepping laws against bribery, said this week that he was dumping the=
=20
business model he pioneered. The move by Mr. McClusky comes three months=20
after the New York attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, stunned the music=20
business with revelations that the nation's second-biggest music=20
corporation, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, bribed radio station personnel=
=20
and engaged in other improper promotion practices. In a settlement with Mr.=
=20
Spitzer, Sony BMG agreed to a series of changes -- including severing ties=
=20
to certain independent promoters - and to pay $10 million. Federal law=20
prohibits broadcasters from accepting cash or anything of value in exchange=
=20
for play of a specific song unless the transaction is disclosed to=20
listeners. But since the late 1980's, the major record companies have used=
=20
a tactic honed by Mr. McClusky. In the structure he engineered, Mr.=20
McClusky provided "budgets," or annual fees, to radio stations, which could=
=20
use the money to pay for T-shirts, contests and other promotions - but=20
which were not supposed to be tied to airplay of specific songs. He would=
=20
then bill record companies for each song added to a station's playlist.=20
Major radio corporations and record labels embraced the system for years.=
=20
But Mr. McClusky said yesterday that amid radio industry consolidation,=20
shrinking music sales, and most recently, the chilling effect of Mr.=20
Spitzer's inquiry, it was time to switch gears.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/03/business/media/03music.html?pagewanted...
all
(requires registration)
TELECOM/CABLE
SENATE PANEL OKs ROLLBACK OF FCC'S E-911 REGULATIONS
[SOURCE: National Journal's Insider Update, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
The Senate Commerce Committee approved, by a 13-9 vote, legislation=20
requiring Internet telephone companies to provide location-specific=20
emergency 911 responses. But the panel also voted to roll back a looming=20
FCC deadline -- while granting firms four years to implement the=20
technology. Voice over Internet Protocol -- VoIP -- companies currently=20
face a November deadline to provide "enhanced," or location-based, 911=20
response to customers. The legislation, S. 1063, would waive that deadline=
=20
and require revised FCC rules within 120 days of the bill's enactment. The=
=20
bill also grants Internet telephony providers a special waiver of E-911=20
rules for up to four years. Under the text of the bill, the FCC "shall=20
waive the 911 and E-911 requirements" if the VoIP provider meets a=20
three-part test: 1) Companies would have to warn subscribers that 911 and=
=20
E-911 service is unavailable. 2) Subscribers would have to separately=20
acknowledge receipt of such warnings. 3) The companies must demonstrate=20
"that it is not technically or operationally feasible" to comply with the=
=20
FCC rules. The bill also grants public safety officials immunity from=20
lawsuits when then accept emergency calls from VoIP providers.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-QQJQ1130971728555.html
* 911 Internet Bill Advances in Senate
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR200511...
2884.html
* Senators back Net phone reprieve
http://news.com.com/Senators+back+Net+phone+reprieve/2100-7352_3-5929173...
ml?tag=3Dnefd.top
US CABLE COMPANIES, SPRINT NEXTEL IN WIRELESS PACT
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Justin Hyde and Kenneth Li]
Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse=20
Communications announced a $200 million mobile phone service joint venture=
=20
with Sprint Nextel Corp., giving them another weapon in a growing battle=20
with telephone companies. The move will allow them to sell a package of=20
products -- cable TV, high-speed Internet, telephone and wireless phone=20
services -- to compete against "Baby Bells" Verizon Communications and SBC=
=20
Communications as they launch pay TV services. The four companies and=20
Sprint Nextel also said the venture, which may reach up to 75 million U.S.=
=20
homes, will develop new services by making devices work together -- such as=
=20
allowing customers to program digital video recorders or watch stored shows=
=20
through their cell phones. The coalition adds a new competitive contingent=
=20
seeking a spot in the mobile media market, pitting the cable industry and=
=20
wireless industry against telephone companies, consumer electronics makers=
=20
and global communications hardware makers. Multichannel News reports that=
=20
this is 20-year deal with cable operators putting up about $100 million=20
(another $100 million will be provided by Sprint Nextel) to fund the=20
development of services such as integrated wireless and cable-telephony=20
voice mail and e-mail, national marketing initiatives and back-office=20
integration.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2005-11-02T234801Z_01_MAR246802_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEDIA-SPRINT.xml
* Sprint Nextel Service to Cross Platforms
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6280415.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)
* 5 Firms to Link Cable, Cell Phones
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR200511...
0609.html
* TV Makes a Big Move To the Small Screen
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113097962714186911.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
sonal_journal
* Sprint cuts =91next frontier' deal with cable giants
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20051103/1b_cablecell03.art.htm
* Sprint, Cable Firms Form Partnership
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-cable3nov03,1,1435247...
ory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
See also:
* Nokia Sees New Mobile TV Network by 2006
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Lucas van Grinsven]
Mobile phone giant Nokia expects that by mid-2006 there will be mobile TV=
=20
networks up and running, allowing people to watch TV on their cellphones.=
=20
The company's system -- Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) -- is=20
being tested in 40 markets around the world.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2005-11-02T153254Z_01_SCH253787_RTRUKOC_0_US-NOKIA-MOBILE-TV.xml
IF YOU BELIEVE IN BROADBAND, FREE IPTV
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Bruce Mehlman and Larry Irving, Internet=
=20
Innovation Alliance]
[Commentary] Mehlman served in President Bush's administration and Irving=
=20
did the same for President Clinton: what do these two guys have in common?=
=20
They agree on the vital importance of broadband to America's future.=20
Broadband, or high-speed Internet connectivity, is proving increasingly=20
critical to how citizens around the world work, live, play and learn.=20
Broadband has helped businesses become more productive, governments become=
=20
more accessible, students become better prepared and citizens become more=
=20
involved with their entertainment, community and even family lives. But why=
=20
isn't broadband penetration rising quicker? For anyone seeking more rapid=
=20
broadband adoption, the "silver bullet" is made of better content and new=
=20
services. No new service or technology offers more promising content and=20
services than IPTV, video offerings provided over Internet Protocol. IPTV=
=20
offers rich video programming (like digital cable TV) and two-way=20
interactive options, allowing a compelling and differentiated experience.=
=20
But IPTV faces policy hurdles. Because some state, local and federal policy=
=20
makers misperceive new broadband video offerings as identical to the cable=
=20
television services deployed by monopolies more than a decade ago, they=20
seek to regulate them identically. Specifically, they demand that IPTV=20
providers negotiate franchise agreements separately and individually with=
=20
more than 33,000 municipal governments for the right to send content over=
=20
the Internet. Mehlman and Irving say they have a simple message for=20
policymakers: Hands off IPTV! The new content and services needed to=20
accelerate broadband adoption and encourage investment in next-generation=
=20
networks, especially IPTV, are ready, willing and able to deploy--that is,=
=20
if government gets out of the way.
http://news.com.com/If+you+believe+in+broadband%2C+free+IPTV/2010-1034_3...
28655.html?tag=3Dfd_carsl
TELCO VIDEO IS CABLE, SAYS NCTA
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In a filing with the FCC Tuesday, the National Cable & Telecommunications=
=20
Association (NCTA) reiterated its argument that telco video should be=20
treated as a cable video service subject to the same regulation as NCTA's=
=20
members are bound by. "The 'switched' nature of [SBC's] proposed service=20
does not take it outside of the [FCC's] definition of cable service, which=
=20
includes 'subscriber interaction...required for the selection or use' of=20
video programming," NCTA argued, "nor does the proposed 'integration' of=20
services to be offered by SBC change the fact that it will be offering=20
cable service as at least one of those services....SBC's potential=20
[incorporation] of IP technology into its system architecture, and its=20
bundling of video with other products, does not alter the regulatory=20
treatment of the underlying video programming service," NCTA said. NCTA=20
points out that if Congress wants to change the regulatory landscape in=20
light of new competition, it is free to do so, but should do so for=20
everybody, not just telcos.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6280411?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
CABLE MODEM SERVICE, DIGITAL CABLE TV CRITICAL TO CABLE INDUSTRY GROWTH
[SOURCE: In-Stat press release]
With the number of analog cable TV subscriber households either flat or=20
declining in many developed countries, the cable TV industry=92s future=20
depends more and more on cable modem service and digital video services,=20
reports In-Stat. There are currently 44 million digital cable TV households=
=20
around the world, and it further projects that the total number of=20
worldwide digital cable TV subscribers will rise to over 108 million by the=
=20
end of 2009. At the same time, In-Stat notes that worldwide cable modem=20
subscribers are projected to reach 50 million at the end of 2005, and rise=
=20
to 99 million by 2009.
http://www.in-stat.com/press.asp?ID=3D1489&sku=3DIN0502141MB
FCC GETS IT (MOSTLY) RIGHT
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission made the right call this=
=20
week in unanimously approving the acquisitions of AT&T and MCI by SBC and=
=20
Verizon, respectively. We're not thrilled by the anticompetitive conditions=
=20
imposed by regulators, but they're relatively minor. Moreover, they're a=20
function of the Bush administration's failure to fill an open seat at the=
=20
five-member agency, which means Chairman Kevin Martin doesn't have a=20
working majority. Two "anticompetitive conditions" are highlighted -- the=
=20
temporary freeze on the rates SBC and Verizon charge competitors to use=20
their networks and the provision of "naked DSL." Both provisions were=20
pushed by the FCC's two Democratic Commissioners, and Chairman Martin, a=20
Bush appointee, had to pay them more heed than would normally be necessary=
=20
because only one other Republican serves with him on the panel. The White=
=20
House can correct this problem by appointing another free-marketeer to fill=
=20
the current vacancy, which has been open since March, and it's passing=20
strange that this doesn't seem to be a priority. Then again, this=20
administration has had a blind spot toward any number of regulatory=20
agencies that can do economic damage. Still, the editorial concludes, the=
=20
good news is that the mergers are one more step in reversing two decades of=
=20
wrongheaded telecom policy initiated by the forced breakup of Ma Bell. In=
=20
1984, the local and long-distance sectors of the phone industry were=20
separated, only to have new technologies eventually render the distinction=
=20
obsolete. "Dramatic changes in the technology, the economics, and the=20
structure of the market have mooted prior concerns" about monopolies, said=
=20
Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy, Chairman Martin's lone ally. It's about=20
time the FCC noticed.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113098739177187091.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
nion
(requires subscription)
RELIABLE CONNECTIONS BROADEN DEMAND FOR SATELLITE PHONES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sarmad Ali sarmad.ali( at )wsj.com]
What a change a Category 4 hurricane makes. A few years ago, demand for=20
satellite phones was so tepid that the two largest U.S. manufacturers,=20
Iridium and Globalstar LP, were forced to seek bankruptcy-court protection.=
=20
But today satellite phones are among the hottest products in the telecom=20
industry. Manufacturers have been deluged with orders since Hurricane=20
Katrina revealed the weaknesses in the country's land-line and cellphone=20
systems. Demand for the phones used to be limited mostly to government=20
agencies, emergency workers and the U.S. military. In fact, the military=20
has been one of the key drivers. Today, the Defense Department has about=20
25,000 satellite phones, according to an Iridium spokeswoman. But now=20
demand is also coming from a broad range of businesses, nonprofits and=20
individuals. Satellite-phone companies say they are getting orders from=20
banks, construction companies, insurance companies and even hotels.=20
Satellite phones are among the most reliable forms of communications in a=
=20
disaster. Cellphone service is vulnerable to downed towers and the loss of=
=20
commercial power. While phone companies have built land-line networks with=
=20
backup power, Katrina demonstrated how vulnerable they are to flooding,=20
wind damage and the dependence of backup power sources on constant fuel=20
deliveries. Even some fire- and police-department systems that were built=
=20
to withstand hurricanes succumbed to Katrina's fury. Satellite service is=
=20
more durable because handsets send signals directly to satellites, which=20
beam them back into the telephone network. They work in most weather=20
conditions on batteries that can keep some units operating as long as 30=20
hours of standby time, depending on usage. Iridium has 66 satellites=20
orbiting the earth, and Globalstar has 48, so it's almost always possible=
=20
to get a signal as long as the phone's antenna is unobstructed by a=20
structure or ground cover.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113098729897487086.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)
INTERNET/BROADBAND
TECHNOLOGY AND THE NEW CLASS DIVIDE
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Paul Lamb, Community Technology Foundation=
=20
of California]
[Commentary] Although Americans have quickly adopted computer and Internet=
=20
technology, the Digital Divide still exists. Children from higher income=20
families (annual income of more than $75,000) are twice as likely to have=
=20
access to a computer at home as those in very low income families (annual=
=20
income of $15,000 or less). For Internet access the figures are 93 percent=
=20
for upper income families versus 29 percent for lower income families, and=
=20
51 percent for broadband access versus 7 percent. The truth is that the=20
promise of a digital utopia where all are more or less equal has not yet=20
come to pass. More broadly, income disparities in the United States are=20
greater than they have been in 30 years, and some suggest that income=20
inequality is growing to levels not seen since the 1880s. Recent studies=20
have also suggested that social mobility is stagnating and possibly even=20
reversing. That means very few people are moving out of the class they were=
=20
born into. Despite all our technology gains, it appears that class gaps are=
=20
widening. Could it be that technology is actually exacerbating the class=20
divide rather than helping to address it? Lamb sets out some goals: 1)=20
Bringing every community online by 2010. 2) Establishing standards for=20
digital literacy and offering curricula for technology training from public=
=20
preschool all the way through public college, and in the workplace. 3)=20
Launching a dialogue between communities, business and government to help=
=20
forge appropriate short- and long-term community technology policies. 4)=20
Establishing digital empowerment zones. DEZs would offer tax and other=20
incentives for the establishment of tech businesses, innovation centers and=
=20
next-generation broadband access services outside of traditional high-tech=
=20
sectors and already well-connected communities.
http://news.com.com/Technology+and+the+new+class+divide/2010-1028_3-5924...
.html?tag=3Dfd_carsl
THE LIVES OF TEENAGERS NOW: OPEN BLOGS, NOT LOCKED DIARIES
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Tom Zeller, Jr]
According to the Pew survey, 57 percent of all teenagers between 12 and 17=
=20
who are active online -- about 12 million -- create digital content, from=
=20
building Web pages to sharing original artwork, photos and stories to=20
remixing content found elsewhere on the Web. Some 20 percent publish their=
=20
own Web logs. That reality is now inextricable from the broader social,=20
cultural and sometimes deeply personal experience of being a teenager. And=
=20
it is one that will undoubtedly have profound implications for the=20
traditional managers of content, from big media companies and libraries to=
=20
record labels, publishers and Hollywood. From school libraries and living=
=20
rooms, millions of teenagers are staking out cyberterritory in places like=
=20
MySpace.com, Xanga.com and Livejournal.com, where they matter-of-factly=20
construct their individual online presence, often to the chagrin of parents=
=20
and schoolteachers who have belatedly discovered whole nations of teenagers=
=20
churning out content under their noses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/03/business/media/03teens.html
(requires registration)
* Teen Content Creators and Consumers
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/166/report_display.asp
ADVERTISING
LIQUOR ADS MOVE TO SATELLITE RADIO
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stuart Elliott]
Under voluntary policies that dated to the start of radio and television,=
=20
liquor makers refrained from running commercials on broadcast media. But in=
=20
1996, when Seagram began to defy the ban, some stations and networks=20
started taking liquor spots with some stipulations like requiring=20
entreaties to drink responsibly. Liquor makers, in turn, adopted=20
stipulations as they arrived on television and radio -- like having=20
commercials to appear only on programs where 75 percent or more of the=20
listeners were 21 or older. Now satellite radio is joining the growing=20
ranks of media outlets that accept liquor advertising, as it begins running=
=20
musical commercials for Tanqueray gin. The commercials consist of a hip-hop=
=20
song titled "Get Your Ice On," which can also be heard on several Web sites=
=20
sponsored by Tanqueray. The spots, at two and a half minutes long, are=20
running on Sirius channels like Cracked Up Comedy, Maxim Radio, OutQ Radio=
=20
and Sports Byline.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/03/business/media/03adco.html?pagewanted=...
ll
(requires registration)
CONSUMER GROUP: BAN DRUG ADS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In testimony prepared for a Food & Drug Administration hearing on=20
direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug ads Wednesday, Consumer Alert=20
Executive Director Gary Ruskin called for a ban on all such TV and radio=20
ads. Ruskin said that DTC print advertising should continue only if it=20
includes the "full FDA-approved label." He also said such ads should not=20
make emotional appeals. Ruskin said it would be impossible for TV and radio=
=20
ads to meet those criteria, and thus they should be prohibited entirely.=20
Ruskin says that drug companies have inherent conflicts that prevent them=
=20
from presenting unbiased information, primarily that they are out to make a=
=20
buck, which means to sell more medicine, which means their financial=20
interest is in direct conflict with the public interest in unbiased=20
information. The same holds, he says, for ad agencies, which he called=20
"institutionally incapable of fairly presenting the risks and benefits of=
=20
their clients=92 drugs. Responding to Ruskin's testimony, the Association o=
f=20
National Advertisers' Dan Jaffe Wednesday called Commercial Alert's=20
proposal "radical, misguided and unconstitutional."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6280523?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
THE GOOGLE FUTURE
[SOURCE: Forrester Research, AUTHOR: George Colony]
[Commentary] Google will revolutionize the software business by making it=
=20
all advertising-supported. Forrester has predicted that Web pages will get=
=20
replaced by programs -- we call this executable Internet (X Internet). In=
=20
the future, when you click on your bank's site, servers will download a=20
program to your computer, not static pages. Once that program is installed,=
=20
you will be able to "converse" with your bank, run financial models,=20
analyze your net worth =97 do much more than you could have with old Web=20
pages. Google will be the company that leads this revolution. It is already=
=20
writing programs like Google Toolbar and Google Desktop Search that run on=
=20
your computer but blur the divide between your desktop and the Internet.=20
And they are very powerful programs. So here's Google's playbook: 1) have=
=20
the best search; 2) have more of the world to search than anyone else=20
through the digitization of university libraries, earth images, maps, etc.;=
=20
3) attract the most advertising and syndication; enabling the company to 4)=
=20
give all of its software away for free; which enables it to 5) change the=
=20
rules and economics of the software business and define the future through=
=20
its pioneering work in X Internet. What does this mean? Find out at the URL=
=20
below.
http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/0,7211,38143,00.html
ALITO NOMINATION EXPECTED TO SPARK AD WAR
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
No sooner did President Bush nominate Appellate Court Judge Samuel Alito=20
for the Supreme Court than political groups began rolling out advertising=
=20
supporting or protesting the choice. Before President Bush appointed John=
=20
Roberts to the Supreme Court, ad spending by groups weighing in on a new=20
nominee was expected to hit $30 million to $40 million. But Judge Roberts=
=20
had bipartisan support, leading to less than $3 million actually spent by=
=20
political groups on the nomination. A new flood of spending was expected=20
when White House counsel Harriet Miers was nominated, but that, too, never=
=20
came to fruition.
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=3D46578
QUICKLY
ONLINE FREEDOM OF SPEECH ACT DEFEATED
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
The Online Freedom of Speech Act was defeated in the House by a vote of 225=
=20
to 182 -- the legislation needed a two-thirds supermajority because House=
=20
leaders had put it on a fast track. The bill would have exempted the=20
Internet from campaign fiance laws. The bill may eventually receive another=
=20
vote under a slower, normal procedure that requires only a majority.
http://news.com.com/Democrats+defeat+election-law+aid+for+bloggers/2100-...
8_3-5929587.html?tag=3Dnefd.top
VOIP PROVIDERS BAND TOGETHER
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
A handful of voice over Internet providers will announce on Thursday that=
=20
they are banding together to promote the use of Internet telephony. The=20
group, called the Internet Voice Campaign, is a part of the VON Coalition,=
=20
a group that aims to increase adoption and use of voice over IP. EarthLink,=
=20
Google, Pulver.com, Sonus Networks and Skype, which was recently bought by=
=20
eBay, are all founding members of the group.
http://news.com.com/VoIP+providers+band+together/2100-7352_3-5929200.htm...
ag=3Dnefd.top
FCC CHAIRMAN'S WIFE MAY TESTIFY IN LIBBY TRIAL
[SOURCE: Billboard, AUTHOR: Bill Holland]
Catherine Martin, former Assistant to the Vice President for Public Affairs=
=20
and wife of FCC chairman Kevin Martin, might be called to testify in the=20
case involving I. Lewis =93Scooter=94 Libby, Vice President Cheney=92s chie=
f of=20
staff.
http://www.billboardradiomonitor.com/radiomonitor/news/business/leg_reg/...
icle_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=3D1001393519
BRITAIN FAILS TO WAKE UP TO SWITCH-OFF
[SOURCE: Media Guardian, AUTHOR: John Plunkett]
In Britain, nearly two-thirds of the population is still unaware that=20
analog TV broadcasts will end there in three years.
http://mediachannel.org/blog/node/1683
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------