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FCC FLOODED WITH COMMENTS ON MEDIA OWNERSHIP
[SOURCE: Broadcast Engineering]
Before last week’s deadline, the FCC had received more than 122,000 comments on media ownership with the expectation of more to come. Consumer advocates and public interest organizations have united to pressure Republican commissioners, who hold a 3-2 majority, to retain current limits on broadcast ownership. The vast majority of Americans still rely on locally owned TV stations and newspapers as their most important sources for local news and information, according to Gene Kimmelman, vice president of the Consumers Union. “Cable and Internet are no substitutes,†he said. The groups argued that in markets with fewer dominant media companies, independent and local media competing against each other are more likely to air diverse opinions and provide more ownership opportunities for minorities. More consolidation and media concentration will likely result in fewer minority-owned stations and fewer stations airing local news content, said Ben Scott, policy director of the Free Press.
http://broadcastengineering.com/news/fcc-comments-media-ownership/index....
FCC Flooded with Comments on Media Ownership
TOO MUCH FRENZY AND NOT ENOUGH REFLECTION
[SOURCE: Digital Destiny, AUTHOR: Jeff Chester]
[Commentary] The New York Times business section column on why concerns over newspaper-broadcast ownership safeguards are “yesterday’s news,†illustrates how poorly informed too many media beat reporters are about their own industry. First, writer Richard Siklos fails to acknowledge that his own employer lobbied the FCC to sweep away such rules during the 2001-3 proceeding. In addition, Siklos, fails to address how the Internet, due to recent FCC decisions, may not be able to provide a meaningfully diverse array of information sources in the near future. Siklos also fails to meaningfully assess how the business models of so many publicly traded newspapers have helped bring the industry to its current crisis point. Diversity of media ownership is an serious topic. It’s about the First Amendment in the digital era; open broadband networks; local and national news operations with the resources and commitment to do a serious job covering private and public power; and ownership by people now largely left out -- namely everybody else other than white men. Cross-ownership is an important part of the “check and balances†the US has relied on to ensure the electronic media can serve the public interest. Granted, things are changing—but much is not in the short term. Whether we have a media system capable of doing the investigative reporting necessary so it can stand up to a future Administration wanting to go to war without real documentation is part of what’s at stake.
http://www.democraticmedia.org/jcblog/?p=127
http://www.democraticmedia.org/jcblog/?p=127
MEET THE NEW BOSS... A LOT LIKE THE OLD BOSS
[SOURCE: Miami Herald, AUTHOR: Edward Wasserman]
[Commentary] Can local ownership of newspapers -- by "hometown rich guys" -- save the industry and provide a stable business environment in which journalists can serve the public with quality work while returning a modest profit to owners? Wasserman is skeptical. These "hard-driving, fabulously wealthy individuals" made their money, after all, "by cutting corners, cutting costs and...cutting throats." True, Wall Street can be tough -- and stupid -- but the problems the news business faces aren't Wall Street's fault. They derive from the need to reformulate a business model that will enable news organizations to sustain themselves in the Internet age so they can continue to nourish the rest of us.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/edward_wasserman/15...
Meet the new boss . . . a lot like the old boss
UN PROPOSES CHANGES TO NET'S OPERATION
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
A top United Nations official on Monday called for changes in the way the Internet is operated, taking aim at "self-serving justifications" for permitting the United States to preserve its unique influence and authority online. Speaking during opening ceremonies at a four-day U.N. summit , Yoshio Utsumi criticized the current rules for overseeing domain names and Internet addresses, stressing that poorer nations are dissatisfied and are hoping that this week's meeting will erode U.S. influence. "Many of them are tired of hearing 'You just don't understand,'" said Utsumi, a lawyer and former government official who is the secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, a U.N. agency. "Many do understand." He added: "No matter what technical experts argue is the best system, no matter what self-serving justifications are made that this is the only possible way to do things, there are no systems or technologies that can eternally claim they are the best." Human rights groups, however, have warned that many of the nations most critical of the current arrangement -- Tunisia, Cuba, Iran, China -- rank among the world's most repressive. The worry: If those governments have their way, the current, virtually limitless amount of free expression on the Internet may come to an end.
http://news.com.com/U.N.+proposes+changes+to+Nets+operation/2100-1028_3-...
U.N. proposes changes to Net's operation
HEAVY COVERAGE AT MIDTERM FAVORS DEMOCRATS, STUDY SAYS
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Peter Johnson]
Network news coverage has favored Democratic candidates in the midterm election, and the page scandal involving former congressman Mark Foley has been the main story line, drawing almost as much coverage as Iraq and terrorism combined, a new study finds. An analysis by the Center for Media and Public Affairs of midterm election stories aired on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts Sept. 5-Oct. 22 found that 2006's coverage has been almost five times as heavy as in the 2002 midterm elections: 167 stories, compared with 35 four years ago. The study found that three out of four evaluations of Democratic candidates' chances of winning -- such as sound bites -- were positive, compared with one out of eight for Republicans. Coverage has been dominated by two major themes: the effects of the Foley scandal, and the impact the Bush presidency is having on the party's congressional candidates.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20061031/d_mediamix31.art.htm
Heavy coverage at midterm favors Democrats, study says
REPUBLICANS' DOUBLE NEGATIVES
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: EJ Dionne Jr]
[Commentary] This year Republican campaigners and their advocates in the conservative media have crossed line after line in sheer meanness, triviality and tastelessness. Conservative optimism and its promise of morning in America have curdled into the gloom of a Halloween midnight horror show. The reason is obvious: With the public turning against President Bush's policies in Iraq, most Republicans would prefer not to defend the war. Because most voters do not see the battle in Iraq as making us more secure, fear of terrorism has not worked as effectively for the GOP as it has in the past two elections. And the current majority can't exactly brag about, say, balanced budgets or its achievements in this Congress.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/30/AR200610...
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* Ad echoes GOP's ‘Southern strategy'
[Commentary] “I just think those criticisms of it are wrong,†said Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman of a television ad that was produced with money from his treasury and aired in Tennessee. In the 30-second spot, a scantily clad white woman appears to suggest that she and Harold Ford Jr., a black Democrat, have had an intimate relationship. The commercial plays to the fears of whites who think interracial relationships are taboo. It also conjures up memories of the awful fate that befell the Scottsboro Boys, Matt Ingram and Emmett Till -- blacks who were victimized for simply being accused of getting too close to white women.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061031/opcomtues.art.htm
Republicans' Double Negatives
CANDIDATES, PARTIES TARGET WEB AUDIENCE
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Will Lester]
The number of people who go online for political news is rising, with more than one-third saying they check the Internet for such information. This group is more likely to be younger, better educated and male than the population in general, an Associated Press-AOL News poll found. While 35 percent say they check the Internet for political updates about campaigns and candidates, that number grows to 43 percent of likely voters - and they tend to be more liberal than conservative. With the Nov. 7 elections nearing, the online audience is getting deluged with e-mail and election updates from news, campaign and political Web sites. People who use the Web point to the convenience, the variety of information and the range of intense emotion available online.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WEB_POLITICS?SITE=VTBEN&SECTION=H...
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WEB_POLITICS?SITE=VTBEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMP…
TO THE MEDIA, YOUTUBE IS A THREAT AND A TOOL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi and Sara Kehaulani Goo]
Media companies are of two minds about Internet video-sharing site YouTube, which rocketed to fame by letting users share homemade videos along with copyrighted clips from movies, TV shows and music videos. They are unsure of whether YouTube is a friend or a foe -- a threat that could siphon off their TV audiences and ad dollars or a powerful promotion machine that could generate buzz for the shows. While users have had virtually unfettered freedom to post and watch whatever clips they want, big media companies are starting to reassert control by seeking removal of some shows. If all or most of the bootlegged content disappears from YouTube, some users wonder whether YouTube can live up to the promise Google Inc. saw when it agreed to buy the site for $1.65 billion in stock this month.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/30/AR200610...
(requires registration)
YOUTUBE & MYSPACE PULL DOWN PROTECTED CONTENT
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com/Reuters, AUTHOR: Candace Lombardi]
YouTube is removing from its site all copyrighted content from the Comedy Central Network after receiving a request to do so. Meanwhile News Corp.'s MySpace.com on Monday said it had licensed a new technology to stop users from posting unauthorized copyrighted music on the social networking Web site and oust frequent violators of its policy.
* YouTube takes down Comedy Central clips
http://news.com.com/YouTube+takes+down+Comedy+Central+clips/2100-1030_3-...
* MySpace to block illegal use of copyrighted music
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story...
COMPANIES HAVE BROAD AIMS FOR TV ON WEB
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Brian Bergstein]
Eyebrows went up when Google recently agreed to spend $1.65 billion for YouTube, the most popular Web site for free video clips. But that figure could be blown away one day if some emerging companies achieve their much broader visions for the future of online TV. These companies -- like Brightcove and Maven Networks -- are building flexible online networks that can host content, serve up ads and dish out interactive features. While "viral" video-sharing sites like YouTube focus on individual clips - many pirated - these new Internet TV platforms are designed to host full-fledged channels that content creators can control.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/INTERNET_TV?SITE=VTBEN&SECTION=HO...
WIRELESS DRIVING PROFITS FOR BIG PHONE CARRIERS
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Wireless continues to be a saving grace for big phone companies, which face increased competition from cable companies adding voice communication to their bundles of services. Verizon Communications said Monday that revenue from its stake in Verizon Wireless helped boost profits during the third quarter of 2006. Meanwhile, Verizon dealt with increasing pressure from cable companies that ate into the company's profits. The news comes just days after AT&T and BellSouth, which jointly own Cingular Wireless, reported strong profit gains that they attributed to increased wireless revenue. Meanwhile, AT&T executives also acknowledged pressure on traditional phone and high-speed Internet growth from increased cable competition. In total, Verizon profits were up only slightly, 2.8 percent to $1.92 for the quarter ended Sept. 30. That compares with a profit of $1.87 billion during the same quarter a year earlier. Revenue increased 26 percent to $23.25 billion, up from $18.49 billion last year. Verizon Wireless, jointly owned by Verizon and European phone company Vodafone Group, increased revenue 19 percent to $9.87 billion. The mobile operator added 1.9 million new customers, bringing its total to 56.7 million. Cingular, its closest rival, finished the quarter with 58.7 million customers, and reported revenue of $9.55 billion in the third quarter.
http://news.com.com/Wireless+driving+profits+for+big+phone+carriers/2100...
VERIZON TOUTS BROADBAND, VIDEO GROWTH
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Glen Dickson]
Verizon posted revenues of $23.3 billion for the third quarter, a 25.8% jump from the previous year, and earnings of $1.9 billion compared with $1.9 billion in the third quarter 2005. The company pointed to the initial success of its fiber-based FiOS video and data network and said the FiOS additions are helping to offset its gradually eroding business in providing traditional phone service. The telco had 118,000 FiOS TV customers at the end of Q3, an average 10% penetration for the markets where it's available. It added 147,00 FiOS Internet customers in the quarter for a total of 522,000 customers using the fiber network for their data services.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6386703.html?display=Breaking...
PROGRAM ACCESS ON FCC AGENDA
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
The Federal Communications Commission is making plans to review its program-access rules, which generally require cable operators to sell their satellite-delivered networks to DirecTV, EchoStar Communications and other pay TV providers. The FCC last looked at the rules in 2002, one decade after program-access provisions were enacted as part of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. Congress imposed forced-sale mandates on cable to ensure that the satellite-TV providers could gain access to cable channels that were too expensive for new entrants to duplicate. Four years ago, the FCC examined the cable-programming market and concluded that it would not use its discretion to allow the cable-exclusivity ban to sunset. Instead, the commission extended the ban until October 2007, setting up the review it has nearing the launch pad. The Commission has two open meetings planned in November: the first is Friday followed by a second meeting November 9.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6386692.html?display=Breaking+News
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6386692.html?display=Breaking%20News