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A HISTORIC EVENT FOR WOMEN, STILL LARGELY COVERED BY MEN
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Alessandra Stanley]
On a night that crowned Rep Nancy Pelosi as the highest-ranking woman in United States government and Hillary Rodham Clinton as the Democratic front-runner for the 2008 presidential race, Tuesday night’s tableau of men talking to men all across prime time was oddly atavistic, a stag party circa 1962. Rep Pelosi told Katie Couric of CBS that by breaking the “marble ceiling†on Capitol Hill she was sending a message to “all women.†And that was perhaps a tacit acknowledgment that on election night Ms. Couric stood out as the one anchor not wearing a necktie. The gender gap on election nights doesn't match the rest of television news, where female reporters cover every field. It could be that men still dominate because election night is like the NFL: it’s always two guys in the booth doing the play-by-play, while women cover the sidelines. Maybe it’s the women who avoid signing on to a lifetime of covering politics; the campaign trail is fattening and requires far too much math. More likely, the election night throwback to the days of Brylcreem and cigarette smoke comes from a confluence of overconfidence and insecurity. Women are now so well represented on television that executives no longer feel the need to prove their commitment to equality, particularly now that they feel pressure to disprove the common assumption that other news sources are equal to the networks. Viewers no longer turn to network election-night specials for instant results and off-the-cuff analysis; all that can be found at any time, more speedily, on cable and the Internet. Election night on the networks is increasingly a performance piece: for the hour or so of prime-time coverage, the networks project grandeur and authority, seeking to show that they still count for more than counting up precincts. To many, gravitas still comes in a necktie and cuff links. CBS is showing that sometimes pearl earrings and lipstick can also do the trick.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/us/politics/09watc.html?ref=politics
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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/us/politics/09watc.html?ref=politics
DEMOCRAT ADVANCES THROW OFF WIRELESS ISSUES
[SOURCE: RCRWirelessNews, AUTHOR: Jeffrey Silva]
Democrat gains in the midterm elections effectively ends prospects for passage of a telecom-reform bill with broader wireless federal pre-emption this year and possibly even in 2007, as the altered political landscape encourages political gridlock in a way that shifts greater spotlight to the Federal Communications Commission and the states. At the same time, the next Congress is expected to subject the FCC to greater oversight. “The oversight, particularly of the FCC, could complicate the Bell push for telecom/broadband deregulation and broadcaster campaign for media ownership liberalization,†stated investment banking firm Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Inc. in an investment note. “The congressional shift could also create more antitrust/regulatory static surrounding industry merger and acquisition activity in general at the Department of Justice or Federal Trade Commission and the FCC. The two Democratic FCC commissioners probably have a bit more leverage to demand additional conditions for the pending AT&T Inc.-BellSouth Corp. deal, while mindful that a third Republican could still be enlisted to break the current 2-2 impasse.â€
http://www.rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=27723
http://www.rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=27723
DEM'S VICTORY COULD BE GOOD FOR SCHOOLS
[SOURCE: eSchool News]
Among the many issues that could be influenced by the election results are college loan interest, workforce preparedness, funding for educational technology, and the reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Many education groups were encouraged by the ascension of what they viewed as a more favorable climate for education funding on Capitol Hill. Control of the House also means chairmanships of the various committees will fall to Democrats. Currently, the ranking Democrat on the influential House Appropriations Committee is Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, and the ranking member of House Committee on Education and the Workforce is Rep. George Miller of California. That could have a significant impact on the legislative priorities of the House, influencing issues down the road such as federal education funding, 21st century workforce preparedness, and the impending reauthorization of NCLB, which is expected to begin next year. Miller has been an outspoken critic of several aspects of NCLB, including what he views as its punitive approach to holding schools accountable. Federal funding for ed tech and other education programs also could see a boost. In recent years, the Republican-controlled House has passed an appropriations bill that mirrored President Bush's budget request, which in 2007 would cut education funding by more than $3 billion and eliminate ed-tech funding altogether. House Democrats have favored more education spending, however, which could bode well for schools. If Democrats take control of the Senate, West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd is in line to assume chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy would become chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6710
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6710
NEWSPAPERS KNOW NO END TO TURMOIL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]
It's no exaggeration to say that bad news comes every day for the embattled newspaper industry. Yesterday, the editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer became the second top editor of a major newspaper in two days to leave. Also yesterday, investors increased pressure on the New York Times Co. to scrap its venerated family-ownership structure, saying it has harmed the company's value and is no longer accountable to public shareholders. Facing declining circulation since 1987 and diminished revenue for the past few years, major newspapers and their owners are trying to remake themselves for the digital age. Most papers have moved aggressively into Internet -- and some, mobile -- delivery of their news and ad sales, as they attempt to follow their readers from paper to the Web and beyond. But the changeover has been costly, and even though online ad revenue has been rising, it is not enough to offset the loss of classified and display advertising in newspapers. Newspaper companies also are feeling pressure from Wall Street investors, who see an industry that shows little or no growth potential.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR200611...
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Newspapers Know No End To Turmoil
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER EDITOR TO EXIT JOB
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Joann Loviglio]
The editor of Philadelphia's largest newspaper will step down at the end of the year as the company's new owners seek contract concessions, including deep newsroom cuts, in response to falling circulation and advertising revenue. Philadelphia Inquirer editor Amanda Bennett will be replaced by Bill Marimow, a former Baltimore Sun editor and Inquirer city editor who is now ombudsman at National Public Radio, the paper announced Wednesday. He recently resigned as NPR's vice president for news and information.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PHILADELPHIA_INQUIRER_EDITOR?SITE...
* New Owner Changes Editor at Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/business/media/09philly.html
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PHILADELPHIA_INQUIRER_EDITOR?SITE=KPUA&SE…
MYSPACE FOUNDER TAKES ON RUPERT
[SOURCE: Sidney Morning Herald, AUTHOR: Asher Moses]
Brad Greenspan, the man who helped launch MySpace in 2003 but left to start a new company, has launched a legal campaign against the site's owner, News Corp, alleging "anti-competitive behavior". The suit was filed last week with the Federal District Court in Los Angeles, and alleges that MySpace has broken antitrust laws by censoring competitor services. Greenspan's new company, LiveUniverse, owns a number of Internet properties, including social networking site Stickam.com and YouTube competitor Vidilife.com. He alleges that MySpace blocks users from even mentioning Stickam.com and Vidilife.com in their profiles. He says that "any attempts by users to type the url of sites like 'stickam.com' or 'vidilife.com' into a [MySpace] blog or profile [are replaced] with '......' ". He also claims that MySpace has previously imposed the same "censorship" on other video sharing sites such as YouTube and Revver, but stopped this after a revolt from its users. However, the censoring of Vidilife.com and Stickam.com remains.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/myspace-founder-takes-on-rupert/2006/...
MySpace founder takes on Rupert
TV STATIONS' WEB ELECTION RESULTS SMASH RECORDS
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Katy Bachman]
Local TV stations drew record traffic to their Web sites on election day, according to Internet Broadcasting, which released traffic data for its national network of 79 TV station Web sites. A record 3.5 million unique visitors, the highest number of visitors in history, turned to local TV station sites to view election results. Stations experienced 50 to 150 percent traffic spikes above typical page view levels. Across the network, 24.8 million page views were recorded, nearly 50 percent higher than the 2004 Presidential Election.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10033...
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003379403
OLD MEDIA AND NEW MEDIA: FRIENDS, NOT FOES
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Scott Kessler]
Search and advertising services from Google and Yahoo! are helping traditional media companies extend their content online and generate revenue. Despite a growing population, TV and radio audiences have been declining in the U.S. Movie ticket sales peaked in 2002, and magazine and newspaper circulations have been trending lower for half a decade, with revenue and earnings growth stagnating. Conversely, from 2000 to 2005, the number of U.S. households with Internet access rose 31%, and the number with broadband access increased more than sevenfold, according to Forrester Research. Internet advertising revenues jumped 55% during the same period, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. From 2001 to 2005, spending on Internet content nearly tripled, according to the Online Publishers Assn.
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/nov2006/pi20061108_232958.htm
Old Media and New Media: Friends, Not Foes
DIRECTV: WE'RE NOT STALLING WIRELESS BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
DirecTV Group continues to work on its own broadband strategy, with management telling analysts Wednesday that while wireless-broadband technology seems to be the way to go, delays in deploying the technology have more to do with the slow development of wireless products than foot-dragging by the direct-broadcast satellite giant. “The reality is that there is a misperception that the Wi-Max businesses are waiting for us to grow,†DirecTV CEO Chase Carey said on a conference call with analysts to discuss third-quarter results. “Wi-Max today is more in a stage of technological development and infrastructure development,†he added. “Our real value to it is distribution. We’re not developing the Wi-Max -- it’s the Intels and the Qualcomms and the Motorolas and the Samsungs and the Ciscos. Those are the guys that are advancing wireless broadband today.â€
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6389577.html?display=Breaking+News
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6389577.html?display=Breaking%20News
TVU CHIEF GRAPPLES WITH COPYRIGHT QUESTIONS
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com 11/6, AUTHOR: Greg Sandoval]
Here's a disruptive technology: Paul Shen's TVUPlayer allows users to stream live TV broadcasts to one another via the Internet. Think Napster for TV broadcasts: a peer-to-peer streaming network without licenses and without limits on the length of the video. Once users download the TVUPlayer, they can upload and receive broadcasts over a network. The blogging community has been giving this thing rave reviews, apparently. One of the main ideas here is that broadcasting costs suddenly become exponentially lower than those of today's streaming technology. But is this legal? How does it plan to make money? In an interview with CNET, Shen said the TVUPlayer is nothing more than a way to demonstrate a technology he wants to sell to broadcasters. He wants to bring all TV channels to the masses--and for cheap--but he wants to work with the world's networks, not against them, and naturally, sell ads. Shen acknowledges that the content currently appearing on the TVUPlayer is ripped off, but he denied being a video pirate, claiming that his users are responsible for what they upload. However, given the Supreme Court's Grokster ruling, file-sharing networks can be found complicit in the illegal sharing of copyrights by empowering users to share content illegally. While YouTube is frantically trying to secure legal copyright deals, in comes TVU Networks allowing people to share their television content with one another. Expect a DVR service to be forthcoming, as well as a few cease and desist letters from media companies.
http://news.com.com/TVU+Networks+exec+grapples+with+copyright+questions/...
New Disruptive Technology: Napster for TV Broadcasts