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Television (And you thought there was nothing on TV in August)
NYT: A Gulf Develops Among Broadcasters on Programming Pledge
B&C: HDTV Falling Out of Favor
B&C: Crime spree on network news
NYT: In TV's Dull Summer Days, Plots Take Wing on the Net
NYT: Broadcasting: Two Would-Be TV Networks Battling It Out
B&C: TV finds more room for gays

Radio
NYT: A Keen Ear For Stories Behind Stories
B&C: C-SPAN buying Washington FM

New at the FCC
WSJ: Whose Side Is the FCC On?
B&C: Bill Kennard: The "Prince" Who Would Be Chairman
FCC: The Light at the End of the Tunnel vs.
the Fog: Deregulation vs. the Legal Culture

Internet
WP: Digital Flubs
WSJ: Netscape to Offer New Internet Software In Bid
to Head Off Inroads by Microsoft

Education Technology
WP: Wiring and Learning

Wireless
WSJ: Iridium Creates New Plan for Global Cellular Service

Publishing
NYT: Middling (and Unloved) in Publishing Land

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* Television *
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Title: A Gulf Develops Among Broadcasters on Programming Pledge
Source: New York Times (D1)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/081897hdtv.html
Author: Joel Brinkley
Issue: Digital TV
Description: Some broadcasters are going back on their pledge to air
high-definition TV (HDTV) on their second, "digital" license. The president
of ABC said last week, that the network is more interested in airing several
subscription channels than one HDTV program. CBS and NBC say they will show
some HDTV programming. But just a few months ago, ABC wrote to the FCC
pleading "The only way for the Commission to assure that enough HDTV
programs are in fact offered is for the Commission to require each
broadcaster to offer a minimum number of hours of HDTV." (This in the age of
de-regulation). [For more info see http://www.benton.org/Policy/TV/#digitaltv]

Title: HDTV Falling Out of Favor
Source: Broadcasting&Cable http://www.broadcastingcable.com/(p.4)
Author: John Higgins
Issue: Digital TV
Description: "This is a giant game of five-way chicken going on here," says
media analyst Tom Wolzien speaking of the HDTV vs SDTV debate. "Nobody's got
the model yet. I think it's going take a year for this to shake out." ABC
has announced that it is more interested in multiple standard definition
channels (SDTV) than in one prettier HDTV signal. (And if you had ESPN and
Disney programming to fill the extra stations, wouldn't you, too?) Fox and
NBC seem to be leading to a SDTV-HDTV mix and CBS seems the only network
interested going with all HDTV all the time. (But if you had a hunk like Dan
Rather to show off, wouldn't you?)

Title: Crime spree on network news
Source: Broadcasting&Cable http://www.broadcastingcable.com/(p.28)
Author: Steve McClellan
Issue: Journalism/Television Content
Description: Crime coverage on nightly network news has tripled since 1993,
a Center for Media and Public Affairs study reports. Coverage of murders is
up 700%. Excluding the OJ Simpson case, murder coverage is up 356%. Since
1993, these newscasts have also aired 50% more stories on entertainment than
on the environment.

Title: In TV's Dull Summer Days, Plots Take Wing on the Net
Source: New York Times (A1)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/081897fanfiction.html
Author: Amy Harmon
Issue: Old vs New Media
Description: Summer couch potatoes may find it maddening to wait for their
favorite shows to start their new seasons, but if they visit "fanzine" type
websites, they can read new storylines offered by other fans -- or even
write or submit their own. This "reflects the power of the Internet as a
grassroots publishing platform, making every viewer a potential
contributor." See Fanfic Resources
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bentley/fanfic/fanfic.html.

Title: Broadcasting: Two Would-Be TV Networks Battling It Out
Source: New York Times (D7)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/tv-upn-media.html
Author: Bill Carter
Issue: Ownership
Description: In Media column, Carter looks at the fight over station
affiliates for the two newest television networks UPN and WB. The industry
once thought that the most likely course would be for UPN and WB to merge
since there doesn't seem to be enough room in the country for five broadcast
networks. But the merger seems less and less likely so its a fight to the
death for the two upstarts. (No, CBS isn't going anywhere; they still have
Diagnosis Murder to keep them afloat). WB scored big lately by convincing
some UPN affiliates to switch. The deal still has to be settled in court,
though.

Title: TV finds more room for gays
Source: Broadcasting&Cable http://www.broadcastingcable.com/(p.27)
Author: Lynette Rice
Issue: Television Content/Minorities
Description: The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) reports
that the 1997-98 television season will be a banner year for gay roles.
Thirty gay, lesbian and bisexual characters will appear in prime time
broadcast TV shows. "This historic number of characters signals America's
increasing appreciation of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community as part
of their own lives," GLAAD says. On the other hand, Morality in Media says
the its just another sign in the trend of "turning over the public airwaves
to be little more than an instrument of propaganda to promote an agenda.
It's purposely intended to change public attitudes about homosexuality."

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* Radio *
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Title: A Keen Ear For Stories Behind Stories
Source: New York Times (B1)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/arts/think-radio.html
Author: Ralph Blumenthal
Issue: Radio
Description: A look at the wide variety of "think radio" pieces airing
lately. One reporter, Helen Borten, says that the story behind almost all
her stories have a common thread: "they are all, in one way or another,
about home."

Title: C-SPAN buying Washington FM
Source: Broadcasting&Cable http://www.broadcastingcable.com/(p.34)
Author: Elizabeth Rathbun
Issue: Radio
Description: C-SPAN will purchase WDCU from the struggling University of the
District of Columbia and offer simulcasts of its national public affairs TV
programming over the radio station. Salem Communications Corp had won with
it's $13 million bid, but many protested that the commercial Christian
broadcaster was buying a noncommercial license through a nonprofit spinoff.
The Media Access Project http://www.essential.org/map/ is still raising
concerns that C-SPAN will address local needs. "That won't be a problem,"
promises C-SPAN's Brian Lamb. "I think it's going to be a tremendous service
to this town."

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* New at the FCC *
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Title: Whose Side Is the FCC On?
Source: Wall Street Journal (A14)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Editorial Staff
Issue: Telephone/Internet Regulation
Description: Have you ever made an international telephone call...and
paid a quarter of what most long distance carriers would charge? You
will. No, this isn't an AT&T commercial, it's Internet telephony and if
the FCC supports it, it may just save you a bundle of money in the not
so distant future. The FCC has indicated that it will support such
technology, but there are some well-reasoned skeptics who warn us to
keep the champaign on ice for now. Under President Bush, the FCC was a
champion of what is called "call back." This allows callers from
countries with high calling rates, such as Italy, to call the United
States using U.S. carriers, which saved them $2-3 a minute. In 1995,
the FCC issued an order stating that U.S. carriers could no longer
provide such service in countries that had declared call back illegal.
The editorial suggests that the FCC make a statement that "The U.S. will
not enforce foreign laws antithetical to world wide competition" which
would deter foreign governments from passing laws against Internet
telephony.

Title: Bill Kennard: The "Prince" Who Would Be Chairman
Source: Broadcasting&Cable http://www.broadcastingcable.com/ (p.16)
Author: Chris McConnell
Issue: Federal Communications Commission
Description: B&C's cover story on President Clinton's choice to head the
FCC, current FCC General Counsel Bill Kennard. "He's the nicest guy
broadcasters may ever want to neutralize," the article begins. A Kennard
Commission will have to address broadcast ownership rules as well the public
interest obligations of digital broadcasters. The Commission will receive
recommendations from a Presidential advisory committee being assembled this
summer. Mr. Kennard is viewed as a more soft-spoken, more collegial version
of Chairman Reed Hundt.

At the FCC http://www.fcc.gov
Chairman Hundt's 8/14/97 Speech "The Light at the End of the Tunnel vs. the
Fog: Deregulation vs. the Legal Culture"
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Hundt/spreh741.htmlto the American Enterprise
Institute.
"A year-and-a-half after the President signed a law that replaced a hundred
years of monopoly in communications with a commitment to competition, we
should ask: is it working? Will Congress and the President see their
intentions come true? Will we get competition and deregulation in local
telephone markets -- perhaps the largest remaining monopolized markets in
our economy?"

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* Internet *
*********************************************
Title: Digital Flubs
Source: Washington Post (Washington Business p.15)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-08/18/013l-081897-idx.html
Author: WashTech Staff
Issue: Journalism
Description: The Hong Kong government "accidentally" posted the names,
passport numbers, and identity card numbers of around 1,000 journalists
on the Internet. The journalists were in town to cover the arrival of
Chinese army units in the former British Colony. Such personal
information is supposed to be protected under Hong Kong law, and people
are watching to see if the Chinese government will respect it.

Title: Netscape to Offer New Internet Software In Bid to Head Off
Inroads by Microsoft
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Nick Wingfield
Issue: Internet Business
Description: Netscape has changed course and decided to introduce a
stand-alone version of its new web browser. In its ongoing battle with
industry giant Microsoft the company had changed its tactics this year,
developing a "combination program," called Communicator, which included
its Navigator browser, e-mail, and other "groupware" functions that
would facilitate worker collaboration over networks. The new strategy,
which was developed to grab a larger share of the corporate software
market, put Netscape in competition with allies like IBM and Novell.
According to John McCarthy, and analyst at the Forrester Research
firm, the revised strategy should help appease the corporate customers
who disliked Communicator. Netscape's new Navigator 4.0 will include
Netcaster, which will provide news "using broadcast style techniques," a
scheduling program called Calendar express, and a simplified version of
Netscape's current e-mail program.

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* Education Technology *
*********************************************
Title: Wiring and Learning
Source: Washington Post (A19)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-08/18/028l-081897-idx.html
Author: WP Editorial Staff
Issue: Education Technology
Description: This editorial revisits the oft asked question "Does Ed
Tech work?" It sites a study published in the journal "Science," which
looked at how people develop motor skills. Apparently, motor skills
"consolidate" in your brain in the six hours after you first learn them,
leading some to believe that if you try to learn something else during
that time period, the consolidation will be impaired. The study doesn't
really draw these conclusions but one of its authors said that it might
be true. This intellectual roller coaster ride concludes with the warning
that "the search for great new ways to start kids off with computers"
should proceed with some respect for the mystery that is our brains.

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* Wireless *
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Title: Iridium Creates New Plan for Global Cellular Service
Source: Wall Street Journal (B6)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Quentin Hardy
Issue: Wireless
Description: Up until recently, most cellular phones worked on either an
analog or a digital network. In other words, the phone you bought in New
York would not work if you tried to use it in Tokyo. In order to solve
that problem, Iridium has developed phones with removable cards which
allow customers to easily adapt their phones to the different networks
around the world. All calls go through Iridium's network, which allows
the customer to pay a single bill and keep a single phone number.
Critics claim that Iridium has fundamental design flaws that make its
system more expansive compared to competitors Globalstar LP and
Qualcomm, Inc. One advantage that Iridium has is that it will be ready
to use before its competitors, with a scheduled start up date set on
September 23, 1998. Iridium plans to charge customers $50 a month plus
user fees, with satellite service costing $1.75 a minute, plus long
distance fees.

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* Publishing *
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Title: Middling (and Unloved) in Publishing Land
Source: New York Times (D1)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/midlist-authors-media.html
Author: Doreen Carvajal
Issue: Publishing
Description: "Midlist" authors -- an industry label denoting writers whose
books sell modestly and names lack the marquee value of a Tom Clancey or a
Stephen King -- are finding it hard get their works published. Major houses
are slowing their acquisitions and reducing their title lists -- squeezing
midlist authors out. Many of them are trying to get published by university
and small presses.
*********

Advertising
WSJ: Nipped in the Bud

Arts
NYT: Across U.S., Brush Fires Over Money for the Arts

Campaign Finance Reform
NYT: Advocacy Groups Near A Showdown With The Senate

Competition
TelecomAM: FCC's Local Competition Task Force Stirs Up Controversy

Information Technology
TelecomAM: Freedom Fantasy: IT "Has Failed to Fulfill Its Promise"
WSJ: Some Shopping Tips for Families Buying a Back-to-School PC

Old vs. New Media
WSJ: Judge Rules Against Free-Lancers In Lawsuit
Over Electronic Rights
WSJ: Web Journalists Are Finding Themselves Out of the Loop

Radio
WP: C-SPAN Buys Radio Station From UDC

Religion
WP: Disney Boycott Escalated by Baptist Group

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* Advertising *
*********************************************
Title: Nipped in the Bud
Source: Wall Street Journal (A1)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Sally Goll Beatty
Issue: Advertising
Description: While tobacco and liquor products are attacked, beer still
seems to a "feel-good" image for many Americans. Like RJR Nabisco's Joe
Camel, Anheuser-Busch has used warm, fuzzy characters that are appealing to
children: the "original party animal" Spuds McKenzie, ants, alligators,
penguins, and frogs. There has been no success to ban beer ads even though
surveys show it is more widely abused than distilled spirits. An
Anheuser-Busch spokesman said, "The public understands that beer is
different. Beer is the beverage of moderation" and can be part of a "healthy
lifestyle."

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* Arts *
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Title: Across U.S., Brush Fires Over Money for the Arts
Source: New York Times (A1)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/arts/nea-localgrants.html
Author: Judith Dobrzynski
Issue: Arts
Description: "It's the new battleground," says Meg Phee of Americans for the
Arts. The conflict over financing the National Endowment for the Arts has
spilled to local support arts institutions. Opponents are disturbed by the
content of art that receives local public financing. [For more on the arts
see Open Studio: The Arts Online http://www.openstudio.org/]

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* Campaign Finance Reform *
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Title: Advocacy Groups Near A Showdown With The Senate
Source: New York Times (A1)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/081497fundraising-subpoenas.html
Author: Katharine Seelye
Issue: Campaign Finance Reform
Description: Twenty-six nonprofit advocacy groups have been subpoenaed by
the Senate committee investigating campaign finance. Many are angry at the
scope of documents the committee is asking for and they are implying that
they may not fully comply. Documents requested include confidential strategy
memorandums, correspondence with candidates, and all material related to
publicly debated issues. Subpoenaed groups include the Christian Coalition,
the National Right to Life Committee, the Heritage Foundation, the Better
America Foundation, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the National
Education Association, the Sierra Club, and Emily's List. Some Congressional
staffers are calling the subpoenas a "fishing expedition," looking for
possible new abuses. [For more information on Campaign finance reform see
Destination Democracy
http://www.destinationdemocracy.org]

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* Competition *
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Title: FCC's Local Competition Task Force Stirs Up Controversy
Source: Telecom AM http://capitol.cappubs.com/am/
Issue: Competition
Description: The Federal Communications Commission has received comments on
its Local Exchange Competition task Force. Not surprisingly, long distance
carriers and other entrants into the local service market think its a good
idea. But incumbent carriers seem to think its the work of satan: GTE
contends that the task force's mission is well beyond the commission's
jurisdiction because Congress charged the state commissions with the
responsibility for monitoring local competition . "Its creation reflects a
'sentence first, verdict later' prejudgement of the issues," GTE said. [For
more on phone regulation see http://www.benton.org/Policy/96act/#phone]

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* Information Technology *
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Title: Freedom Fantasy: IT "Has Failed to Fulfill Its Promise"
Source: Telecom AM http://capitol.cappubs.com/am/
Issue: Information Technology
Description: "The productivity gains of the Information Age are just a
myth," says Stephen Roach of Morgan Stanley. "There's not a shred of
evidence to show that people are putting out more because of investments in
technology." Roach says a failure to re-design the workplace and educate
workers forms the crux of the problem. For computers to bring sustained
gains in productivity, he explained, they must allow employees to
concentrate more on value-added duties, such as product development,
customer relations, and corporate strategy. That hasn't happened.

Title: Some Shopping Tips for Families Buying a Back-to-School PC
Source: Wall Street Journal (B1)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Walter Mossberg
Issue: Info Tech
Description: Advice from Mossberg's Personal Technology column for people
looking for a decent mid-range PC that will last for at least three years.
Processor: Intel Pentium running at 200 MHz with MMX for games and video.
Memory: 32 megabytes. Cache: 512k. Hard disk: at least 2 gigabytes. Monitor:
17". Modem: 56kbps.

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* Old vs. New Media *
*********************************************
Title: Judge Rules Against Free-Lancers In Lawsuit Over Electronic Rights
Source: Wall Street Journal (B9)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Frances McMorris
Issue: Copyright/Old vs New Media
Description: A federal judge has ruled that publishers can put free-lance
articles on online and on CD-ROMs without first getting permission from the
writers. A lawyer representing writers said the decision "deprives writers
of a valuable property right that once enabled them to make a living."

Title: Web Journalists Are Finding Themselves Out of the Loop
Source: Wall Street Journal (B5)
http://www.wsj.com/
Author: Rebbecca Quick
Issue: Journalism/Old vs New Media
Description: Journalists working on the Web have trouble getting press kits
and press credentials to major events despite their growing readership. Many
PR people are waiting for press standards to improve on the Web before they
will give these journalists first-class treatment.

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* Radio *
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Title: C-SPAN Buys Radio Station From UDC
Source: Washington Post (D1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-08/14/155l-081497-idx.html
Author: Valerie Strauss
Issue: Radio
Description: C-SPAN, the cable network that covers Congress, will buy the
University of the District's all jazz station WDCU-FM for $13 million.
C-SPAN plans to change the format of the station to 24 hours/day public
affairs programming by October 1. "There won't be any commercials and there
won't be auctions and there won't be any on-air pitches for money," says
C-SPAN's chief executive Brian Lamb. The Media Access Project's Andrew
Schwartzman says, "This is not a satisfactory resolution." Currently, WDCU
has the fourth-largest black audience of any noncommercial radio outlet in
the country.

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* Religion *
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Title: Disney Boycott Escalated by Baptist Group
Source: Washington Post (A10)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Author: Reuter
Issue: Religion
Description: Protesting Disney's "Christian-bashing, family-bashing,
pro-homosexual agenda," a Southern Baptist Convention leader is asking its
15 million members to "refrain from spending at least $100 on Disney
products or services over the next 12 months."
*********

Media Campaigns
NYT: Unions Plan To Borrow Businesses Tool: Ad Campaign
WSJ: Campaign Buffs Image of Welfare Recipient as Worker

News Coverage
WP: A Crime Spree On Network News

Business News
NYT: Book Chains' New Role: Soothsayers for Publishers
NYT: A Word of Caution for Babes in Disney's Woods

New From Washington
FCC: Proceeding Regarding the Personal Attack and Political
Editorial Rules
FCC: FCC 1996 Annual Report Goes On-line
NTIA: The New Universal Service: NTIA's Guide for Users

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* Media Campaigns *
*********************************************
Title: Unions Plan To Borrow Business Tool: Ad Campaign
Source: New York Times (A12)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/labor-image.html
Author: Stephen Greenhouse
Issue: Advertising
Description: The AFL-CIO plans a $5 million ad campaign that shows workers
explaining what unions have done for them. Ads will air in Seattle,
Baltimore, Milwaukee, San Antonio, and St. Louis -- cities where
advertisements don't go for top dollar and where unions are gearing up for
organizing drives. The campaigns tag line: "You have a voice. Make it heard.
Today's unions."

Title: Campaign Buffs Image of Welfare Recipient as Worker
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (A16)
Author: Rochelle Sharpe
Issue: Media Campaigns
Description: Eli Segal of the Welfare to Work Partnership will begin a
campaign today to change the way welfare recipients are perceived. "Often
vilified as lazy and incompetent, they may soon be perceived as the
undiscovered gem of the labor market." In a poll of senior executives,
Wirthlin Worldwide found that one-third of those highly interested in
participating in the Welfare to Work Partnership are worried about welfare
recipients motivation and willingness to work. Of those who have little
interest to participate, 57% believed these people would have poor work
skills. But firms that have started to hire former welfare recipients find
that their retention rates are double those of other employees. The campaign
will kickoff in St. Louis today and the partnership will release Blueprint
for Business, a five-step process for companies to hire welfare recipients.
A public service announcement will also be unveiled, challenging companies
to hire workers "determined to prove themselves."

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* News Coverage *
*********************************************
Title: A Crime Spree On Network News
Source: Washington Post (D1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-08/12/053l-081297-idx.html
Author: Howard Kurtz
Issue: Television
Description: From 1993 to 1996, the homicide rate in the US dropped by 20%.
On network evening news, however, coverage of murders soared by an average
721%. One out of every 20 network news stories over the four-year period
ending last year was about a murder. These figures were compiled by the
Center for Media and Public Affairs which has studied ABC, CBS and NBC
nightly newscasts from 1990 through 1996. Crime coverage has moved from 6th
to first with 7,448 stories over four years -- 1,449 of which were about
yes, your favorite flying car renter. Says Dan Rather, "The O.J. story
convinced a lot of people that kind of story will put people in front of the
set...I felt the pressure strongly after that. We've changed, and not for
the better, in running stories that we in our journalistic heart of hearts
don't meet the standard to be on network news. We run it because we're
scared to death our competition is going to run it and beat us."

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* Business News *
*********************************************
Title: Book Chains' New Role: Soothsayers for Publishers
Source: New York Times (A1)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/bookchains-power.html
Author: Doreen Carvajal
Issue: Publishing
Description: Concerned about slowing sales and large book returns,
publishers are now turning to the dominant chains to decide what to publish,
how to title books, and how they should look. "I think all of us recognize
the common interest that we have. It isn't a sacrifice of our individuality
or an imposition on our time. It's necessary to cope with a marketplace that
has changed so dramatically," says the publisher of Random House. But
critics, like small, independent bookstores, say that the large chains may
ultimately dictate production and packaging like Wal-Mart does for toothpaste.

Title: A Word of Caution for Babes in Disney's Woods
Source: New York Times (C5)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/compcol/081297compcol-manes.html
Author: Stephen Manes
Issue: Online Services
Description: A review of Disney's Daily Blast, a website for kids. "Awash in
self-promotion, this Magic Kingdom, like the original, is a hermetically
sealed domain where nothing of the outside world intrudes except
advertising. Daily Blast costs $4.95/month or $39.95/year.

*********************************************
* New From Washington *
*********************************************
At the FCC http://www.fcc.gov
Commission Proceeding Regarding the Personal Attack and Political Editorial
Rules. The Commission has before it a pending rulemaking proceeding
regarding the possible repeal or modification of the personal attack and
political editorial rules, 47 C.F.R.

FCC Acts to Cut International Phone Call Costs
WSJ: International Phone Calls' Costs Are Cut
NYT: Calling Overseas May Get Cheaper
WP: FCC Moves to Lower Cost of Overseas Phone Calls
see also
TelecomAM: FCC Sets Cap On International Call Termination Rates
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
FCC: Commission Adopts International Settlement Rate Benchmarks
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/International/News_Releases/1997/nrin702
8.html

Microsoft/Apple Deal: Let the Spin Begin
WSJ: The Battle Beyond Apple
NYT: The Apple of Microsoft's Eye
WP: Microsoft May Be Real Winner in Apple Deal
see also
NewsWorks: Business Section
http://www.newsworks.com/NewsWorks/business/front/0,1011,,00.html

Mergers
TelecomAM: BT/MCI: The Engagement Ring Has Lost Its Sparkle

Television
WP: Public TV Wants Pay-Channel Option
TelecomAM: FCC Increases Level of Closed Captioned TV
*********************************************
* FCC/International Phone Calls *
*********************************************
Title: International Phone Calls' Costs Are Cut
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (A3)
Author: John Wilke & Gautam Naik
Issue: International/Phone Regulation
Description: The average international phone call may drop from the current
$.88/minute to $.20/minute over the next five years because of rules adopted
by the Federal Communications Commission. The rules call for long distance
carriers to negotiate new, lower rates with foreign carriers to complete
overseas calls. These "settlement charges" are now often three to five times
over actual costs. Long distance carriers applauded the new rules. There is
much opposition to the plan in the rest of the world.

Title: Calling Overseas May Get Cheaper
Source: New York Times(A1)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/phone-rates.html
Author: Mark Landler
Issue: Phone Regulation/International
Description: Yesterday the FCC issued new orders to reduce the amount
U.S. companies pay foreign carriers to complete overseas calls. As a
results, call costs could drop to 20 cents per minute from 88 cents per
minute according to FCC Chairman Reed "Call Em Like I See Em" Hundt.
Representatives from international phone companies argued that the FCC could
not regulate charges of foreign carriers.

Title: FCC Moves to Lower Cost of Overseas Phone Calls
Source: Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ (G1)
Author: Mike Mills
Issue: Phone Regulation/International
Description: The FCC established new phone regulations that could
dramatically drop consumers' costs for international calls. These
guidelines would lower what U.S. long distance companies pay foreign carrier
to complete international calls. Many foreign companies keep these charges
inflated to generate income for their governments. Some analysts argue that
the FCC does not have the jurisdiction to make such regulation. U.S.
callers spend about $14 billion a year on calls to other countries.
*********************************************
* Microsoft/Apple Deal *
*********************************************
Title: The Battle Beyond Apple
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (A12)
Author: George Gilder, Gilder Technology Report
Issue: Info Tech
Description: The big story in information technology, Gilder's editorial
says, is *not* Microsoft's investment in Apple. The central conflict in
economics is the battle between the past and the future -- "the war between
the existing configuration of industries and the industries that will soon
replace them." Today, the battle lines are drawn by those who are focusing
on the desktop computer and the television and those who focus on
overthrowing these establishments through the Internet. "WebTV is a dancing
dog." You are amazed not by how well it dances. "You are amazed it dances at
all. AppleOS and Windows are of the past -- Java is the future.

Title: The Apple of Microsoft's Eye
Source: New York Times (A28)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/editorial/08fri3.html
Author: NYT Editorial Staff
Issue: Mergers
Description: Microsoft will invest more than $150 million into Apple
Computer. And "odd or not, the bailout is good for both." The deal helps
Microsoft because it solidifies a demand for its software on Apple machines.
The agreement helps Apple financially. However, "With Microsoft now
moving to dominate software access on Apple machines as well, the Government
needs to make sure that Microsoft lives up to its legal obligations to make
it commercially easy for other software companies to write programs that
work effortlessly under Windows."

Title: Microsoft May Be Real Winner in Apple Deal
Source: Washington Post(G2)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-08/08/073l-080897-
idx.html
Author: Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Issue: Mergers
Description: The deal between Microsoft and Apple helps keep Apple going
but may give Microsoft more important gains. Microsoft promotes its
browsing software, lowers antitrust concerns, and calls more of the shots on
how Java standards are developed, and therefore some argue, how the future of
computing develops. Microsoft is going to invest money in Apple and Apple
is going to make Microsoft Explorer the choice of ease for Mac customers.

*********************************************
* Mergers *
*********************************************
Title: BT/MCI: The Engagement Ring Has Lost Its Sparkle
Source: Telecom AM http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Mergers
Description: MCI are British Telecommunications are conducting a "strategic
review" that may end the proposed merger of the two companies or, at least,
may get BT concessions from MCI. "It's fine by me if BT reverts to being a
U.K. cash cow," said one U.K. fund manager. "It's better than doing a deal
that fundamentally misvalues MCI, just to be a global player." Article
includes analysis of possible outcomes.

*********************************************
* Television *
*********************************************
Title: Public TV Wants Pay-Channel Option
Source: Washington Post (G1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-08/08/076l-080897-
idx.html
Author: Paul Farhi
Issue: Public TV
Description: Public broadcasters have requested that the government allow
them in the future to raise money by charging for noncommercial programs
like "Barney and Friends," "Nova," and "Barney and Friends are Shipped to
Outerspace: The Nightmare Ends." Because of the miracle of digital, a TV
station can offer 5 or 6 channels. Public stations could make some of their
channels money-raising vehicles by renting out stations to commercial
broadcasters or selling subscriptions for programming without fund-drives.
Federal funding for public TV has been shrinking and PBS is trying to find
ways to rely less on government support.

Title: FCC Increases Level of Closed Captioned TV
Source: Telecom AM http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Disabilities
Description: The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules that will
increase the amount of television programming that is accompanied by closed
captioning for the deaf or the hearing impaired. All new programming will
have to captioned after an eight-year transition period and 75% of pre-rule
programming must be captioned by 2008. "I think Congress gave us a tough row
to hoe on captioning," said FCC Commissioner Rachelle Chong. "This is one
of those striking the balance items" where the FCC needs to implement
regulations that don't put undue economic burden on the industry.
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Fare thee well, SG.