MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Unlikely Alliances Forged in Fight Over Media Rules
Blethen Supports Media Regs Amid Controversy at Home
SPAM
Senate Commerce Committee to Hold Hearing on Spam
DIGITAL DIVIDE
At Last, E-mail From Baghdad
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
UNLIKELY ALLIANCES FORGED IN FIGHT OVER MEDIA RULES
Whereas past debates on media ownership have split predictably along party
and ideological lines, the current discourse has aligned some unlikely
bedfellows. Liberal government watchdogs such as CodePink, who have been
critical of FCC Chairman Michael Powell's deregulatory bent, find themselves
sharing views with conservative groups such as the NRA, who fear that
consolidation could allow anti-gun media companies to deny them ad space.
Right-wing groups concerned about family values have also opposed
deregulation, stating that media mergers tend to spawn more indecent,
family-unfriendly content. This has been especially troublesome for News
Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch, who wins praise from the right for his channels'
conservative news angle but criticism for the Fox network's racy prime-time
programming. Even legislators from opposite sides of the aisle have found
common ground on media ownership, prioritizing the goals of diversity and
localism.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post; AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12773-2003May19.html
BLETHEN SUPPORTS MEDIA REGS AMID CONTROVERSY AT HOME
Frank Blethen, publisher of The Seattle Times, said last week that the FCC's
proposed media ownership deregulation is likely to signal "the beginning of
the end of our democracy." Testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee,
Blethen implored members to lead where the FCC has failed to do so, adding
that he knew no business justification, "other than monopolization," for
relaxing current regulations. Blethen's paper is in a curious position even
without deregulation, however. The Times is seeking to sever a 20-year
services agreement with rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer in which the Times
handles printing and other non-news functions for both papers in exchange
for a higher percentage of their shared revenue. Severing the deal might
force the P-I out of business, making Seattle a one-paper town. P-I parent
Hearst Corp. has sued to prevent the Times from terminating the relationship
while Blethen states that the model was failing, losing money for three
straight years. "So the question becomes: Is (the surviving paper) going to
be owned by Hearst out of New York or by the Blethen family out of Seattle?"
he asked.
[SOURCE: PennLive.com; AUTHOR: The Associated Press]
http://pennlive.com/newsflash/national/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ss...
gi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a7004_BC_APIndustryNews&&news&newsflash-national
SPAM
SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE TO HOLD HEARING ON SPAM
The Communications Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science
and Transportation will hold a hearing on unsolicited commercial e-mail
messages. The hearing will be held this Wednesday, May 21, at 9:30 AM in
Room 253 of the Russell Building. Ted Leonsis of AOL is scheduled to
testify, among others. The witness list can be found via the link below.
http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?i
DIGITAL DIVIDE
AT LAST, E-MAIL FROM BAGHDAD
Despite losing half of its electrical capacity and virtually its entire
telephone infrastructure, Baghdad is sending and receiving e-mail. Thanks to
two electrical engineers and a former government employee, the Al-Thakira
Internet caf