Benton RSS Feed
WHAT NEXT FOR MEDIA REFORM?
[SOURCE: Mediachannel.org, AUTHOR: Danny Schechter]
[Commentary] After the Media Reform Conference in Memphis, Schechter poses some questions: Shouldn't we debate what we are or are not accomplishing? Was the recent net neutrality compromise acceptable -- a guarantee on the part of AT&T's least used tier/platform and, then, only for two years? Was that really the big victory it was hyped as? Are we being deluded in hopes that a Democratic Congress will somehow save us? How do we get other issues more attention in the news -- especially Election reform? Are we building a movement or an e-mail list? Are we still trying to build bridges between media makers and media activists? Where were the criticisms of funders like the MacArthur Foundation which announced last week it was cutting off support for documentaries, pending another of those interminable internal "reviews?" Where were the demands on other funders to invest in progressive media the way the rightwing foundations have with generous long-term commitments. Why aren't we lobbying them and not just to promote one institution? There seems to be no shortage of funding for holding conferences but sustaining Indy media is not really on the agenda. Where were the U-Tube Kids, or My Space addicts or the leaders of citizen journalism initiatives? Where were the mainstream journalist organizations, and media freedom groups or were only radicals allowed? Where were the panels debating what’s really happening in the media -- the appeal of Jon Stewart and Comedy News and the failure of Air America and even concepts like media justice? Bill Moyers at least offered some ideas on how to bring PBS into the 21st Century. And what about the global media movement? Why no presence from the Al Jazeera English Channel that can't get on the air in the US? I was glad to see a rep from Britain's Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom but there were so few activists from abroad. What about publishing? How can we have 3000 plus people assemble in one place and leave with no clear focused plan of what we do next, how we work together, what's the next step? I felt the same way when I left earlier conferences in Madison and St. Louis. They were cool events -- and heady networking opportunities Â- but now what? Enough shmooze—its time to make some news!
http://www.mediachannel.org/
See also --
* What Does Media Reform Mean to You?
http://www.mediachannel.org/out.php?url=http://www.mediachannel.org/word...
What Next for Media Reform?
MARKEY PUSHES OWNERSHIP DIVERSITY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
New House Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) told attendees at the National Conference on Media Reform Saturday that Congress needed to explore ways to boost minority ownership of the media and took aim at loosened ownership rules he blamed for suppressing a diversity of views. Citing the appropriateness of holding the conference on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, Rep Markey called diversity of ownership "a proxy for diversity of viewpoints and diversity of content. Simply put, therefore, elimination of ownership limits eradicates an important tool we have to help ensure that the public has access to a wide array of viewpoints in local news and information." He slammed the remanded media ownership changes of 2003, saying they had been "rammed through the FCC" and, save for the court, would have "eviscerated the public interest" and been a "toxin to Democracy and the death knell for community control of the media."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6407479.html?display=Breaking...
MARKEY PLEDGES TO KEEP NET NEUTRALITY WAVE ROLLING
[SOURCE: MediaCitizen, AUTHOR: Tim Karr]
Rep Ed Markey, who now chairs the House Subcommittee that will oversee all telecommunications legislation, promised to protect Internet freedom in his elevated role within Congress. "We are going to, in Washington, have an historic debate over the next two years and I will chair the committee that is having those hearings," Rep Markey told the audience. "I can promise you this, that unlike the last two years it just won't be the CEOs of the telephone and cable companies who are there. You will be selecting witnesses to testify right next to them on the same day before the same Congressmen so that the voices of the American people will be heard as well." "Let me tell you something about Congress," Rep Markey said. "Congress is a stimulus response institution. There is nothing more stimulating than having 1.5 million people who say I don't think I want you to keep your job if you won't keep your hands off the Internet." Rep Markey blasted the phone and cable company assault on Net Neutrality, pledging to foster openness, innovation and neutrality during his tenure. But he indicated he can't safeguard Internet freedom on his own. According to Chairman Markey, the digital revolution has the potential to change our society only if we "animate these technologies with the human values that represent our highest aspirations for our society."
http://mediacitizen.blogspot.com/2007/01/markey-pledges-to-keep-net-neut...
* Text of Rep Markey's remarks
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/01/14/daily.1/
* Neutrality Backers Hope Climate’s Improved
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6407334.html?display=Breaking+News
LAYOFFS AT PAPER PROMPT UPROAR OVER DIVERSITY
[SOURCE: New York Times 1/15, AUTHOR: Maria Aspan]
The recent layoffs at the embattled Philadelphia Inquirer have resulted in a round of finger-pointing over their disproportionate impact on diversity in the newsroom. On Jan. 3, the Inquirer began laying off 71 newsroom employees, or 17 percent of its staff, based on seniority guidelines in the newspaper union’s contract. According to the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia, 17 of the 71 journalists laid off, or about 24 percent, are minorities. In a Jan. 3 letter to Brian P. Tierney, the publisher of The Inquirer and The Daily News, the National Association of Black Journalists protested the sharp decline in newsroom diversity. Mr. Tierney and union leaders expressed dismay at the impact on newsroom diversity -- and promptly blamed each other.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/15/business/media/15philly.html
(requires registration)
Layoffs at Paper Prompt Uproar Over Diversity
CHANDLERS MAY BID FOR TRIBUNE AS LAST RESORT
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James Rainey and Thomas S. Mulligan]
Tribune probably will attract few, if any, bids for the entire company by Wednesday's deadline, and any offers it does receive are expected to be close to the current share price. Some following the Tribune saga said they expected at least a few bids for the media giant -- perhaps including one from the Chandlers themselves. A successful Chandler bid would put the family back in control of The Times after a 118-year reign that ended in 2000 when the paper and other holdings were sold to Tribune. Those following the deal closely believe that the family would make such a bid as a fallback. Despite myriad potential pitfalls, they said the most consistent interest in a deal has been expressed by a group composed of three private equity firms -- Madison Dearborn Partners of Chicago, Apollo Management of New York and Providence Equity Partners of Rhode Island. The consortium has long been viewed as a contender for Tribune because of Madison Dearborn's Chicago roots and its reported interest in hometown assets such as the Cubs and WGN-TV. Former Tribune Chief Executive John W. Madigan was a Madison Dearborn partner until he took a leave of absence in the fall and later resigned. Tribune's control of the Cubs could be viewed as particularly attractive to Madison Dearborn CEO John Canning, a onetime college catcher and avid baseball man who has said he would like to own a major league team. Canning already owns several minor league clubs and has a minority interest in Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers. (So, yeah, Cubs fans... the upside may be that our team is run as well as the brewers soon.)
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-tribune15jan15,1,1692...
(requires registration)
See also --
* Odd Couple Ponder Bid for Tribune
Will there be a bid for Tribune from Eli Broad, the straight-talking billionaire whose art collection and philanthropic efforts to revitalize downtown Los Angeles have put him happily in the public eye, and Ronald W. Burkle, the supermarket mogul, Democratic fund-raiser and F.O.B. (friend of Bill Clinton) who tries -- usually unsuccessfully -- to avoid publicity?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/16/business/media/16tribune.html
* Newspaper Ownership Is Turning The Page
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]
A look at parallels between possible Trib sale and that of the orange County Register.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/15/AR200701...
(requires registration)
Chandlers may bid for Tribune as last resort
AMAZON.COM MEETS WITH FCC ON NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Lasar's Letter on the FCC, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
Amazon.com's Vice President for Global Public Policy Paul Misener started the work year off with a meeting with Federal Communications Commission Chair Kevin Martin on net neutrality. Misener met with Chairman Martin and his assistant Michelle Carey on Thursday the 11th. At the gathering the VP reiterated "Amazon.com’s continuing concern that network operators may impair and constrain American consumers’ access to lawful online services and information that otherwise would be available," according to the company's public filing. Misener urged continued FCC oversight on the issue "with respect to the network neutrality policy statement adopted by the Commission August 2, 2005." The latest Amazon.com visit may signify a wait-and-see attitude since the FCC approved the AT&T/BellSouth merger on December 29th, 2006. In exchange for the go-ahead, AT&T promised to "maintain a neutral network and neutral routing in its wireline broadband Internet access service." But several parties involved in the merger debate continue to file with the FCC, urging the Commission to exercise vigilance in holding AT&T to its promises on net neutrality and other commitments.
http://www.lasarletter.net/drupal/node/282
Amazon.com meets with FCC on network neutrality
DOCUMENTS BORNE BY WINDS OF FREE SPEECH
[SOURCE: New York Times 1/15, AUTHOR: Tom Zeller]
A showdown is scheduled for a federal courtroom in Brooklyn rthis week, where words like “First Amendment†and “freedom of speech†and “prior restraint†are likely to mix seamlessly with references to “BitTorrent†and “Wiki.†It is a messy plot that pits Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical giant at the center of several articles in The New York Times suggesting that the company tried to hide or play down the health risks of its leading antipsychotic drug, Zyprexa, and lawyers representing various individuals, organizations and Web sites -- all arguing that their online speech has been gagged. The case has attracted the attention of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the venerable digital rights group based in San Francisco, and one of its lawyers, Fred von Lohmann, who is now representing an anonymous Internet user caught up in the legal fracas. “One of the core missions of the foundation’s 16-year history has been to establish that when you go online, you take with you all the same civil rights with you had with you in prior media,†said Mr. von Lohmann. “But of course, you need to fight for that principle.â€
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/15/technology/15link.html
(requires registration)
Documents Borne by Winds of Free Speech
BLOGGERS TAKE ON TALK RADIO HOSTS
[SOURCE: New York Times 1/15, AUTHOR: Noam Cohen]
A San Francisco talk radio station pre-empted three hours of programming on Friday in response to a campaign by bloggers who have recorded extreme comments by several hosts and passed on digital copies to advertisers. The lead blogger, who uses the name Spocko, said that he and other bloggers had contacted more than 30 advertisers on KSFO-AM to inform them of comments made on the air and to ask them to pull their ads. The comments were also posted on Spocko’s Web site, spockosbrain.com. In response, ABC Radio Networks, which owns KSFO and which in turn is owned by the Walt Disney Company, sent letters to the site’s service provider, demanding the clips be taken down from its servers. The provider complied, raising the issue of what constitutes fair use of copyrighted material by a critic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/15/technology/15radio.html
(requires registration)
Bloggers Take on Talk Radio Hosts
SOMALIA'S TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN 3 RADIO STATIONS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jeffery Gettleman]
Somalia’s transitional government shut three of the country’s biggest radio stations on Monday, accusing them of broadcasting incendiary propaganda. Executives of the radio stations, however, said that was no excuse to force them off the air. “All we have done is voice different opinions,†said Mohammed Amiin, deputy chairman of Shabelle Media Network. “We never expected this to happen.†Abdirahman Dinari, spokesman for the transitional government, accused Shabelle, along with the other stations, of making false reports to stir up the people against the government. “They said our soldiers were looting the markets and harassing people, which was totally untrue,†he said. “They are using the media to undermine the government. They have been doing this for months.†Security officials have summoned station owners to a meeting on Tuesday, and Mr. Dinari said there was a possibility that the stations would soon be back on the air, after they were given a warning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/16/world/africa/16somalia.html
(requires registration)
Somalia’s Transitional Government Shuts 3 Radio Stations
AT&T TO OFFER $20 'NAKED' DSL SERVICE
[SOURCE: USAToday 1/12, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
Cheaper high-speed Internet service is coming. Within a few months, AT&T is expected to start charging $19.95 a month for "naked" DSL, meaning you don't have to buy any other AT&T service, including phone, to get that rate. It currently charges $45 for a stand-alone broadband subscription. AT&T also is developing $10 DSL for new subscribers who also buy AT&T-branded phone service. AT&T plans to offer both services for at least 30 months. The clock starts as soon as the media giant starts selling them in any of the 22 states where it is the incumbent local phone company, including California, Florida, Illinois and Texas. Why so cheap? Three words: Federal Communications Commission. The FCC, which has broad regulatory control over the U.S. telecommunications industry, recently approved AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth. To get needed votes from the FCC's two Democratic members, AT&T agreed, reluctantly, to offer these DSL bargains. AT&T is required to roll out the $19.95 offer within one year and the $10 rate within six months. Gene Kimmelman, public policy director of Consumers Union, says he expects AT&T to move faster. Under the terms of the FCC agreement, AT&T is required to offer naked DSL for $19.95 in markets that are at least 80% upgraded for broadband. That describes many of AT&T's biggest markets, says Kimmelman, who helped negotiate the settlement. Under the deal, AT&T's cheap DSL products will clock in at 768 kilobits per second. While that's slower than the 1.5 to 3 megabits popular with many U.S. consumers, "it's more than good enough" for Internet telephony, Kimmelman says. As such, he thinks the twin offers could help spur sales of Internet telephony across the USA. "This opens the door for consumers" to pick other local and long-distance providers," Kimmelman says.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2007-01-15-naked-dsl...
AT&T to offer $20 'naked' DSL service
CELL PHONE SUBSIDIES ENRICH TELECOMS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Bob Porterfield]
Cellular subscribers are paying hundreds of millions of dollars each year to subsidize landline telephone service, enriching big telecommunications companies while providing little or no benefit to cell phone users. The subsidies are intended to reimburse the companies for providing traditional phone service in rough terrain and rural areas where stringing lines can be costly. But rampant development has transformed some of these backwaters into booming subdivisions, with no real adjustment to the distribution formula; others, like the oceanfront celebrity playground of Malibu, are receiving subsidies simply because of their difficult topography. Outdated formulas for tabulating the surcharges - coupled with feeble government oversight - have meant a windfall for phone companies, which are fighting to preserve them.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CELLULAR_SURCHARGES?SITE=RIWOO&SE...
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CELLULAR_SURCHARGES?SITE=RIWOO&SECTION=HO…