Benton's Communications-related Headlines For Friday November 16, 2007

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Dingell, Markey Ask Martin to Slow Down on Cross-Ownership Loosening
Concentrated Media Leaves Competition Concerns
Behind the shadows of FCC's proposal
Clearing the air about radio and the community
News Corp. Close to TV Stations Sale to Oak Hill

CABLE
NCTA Board Members Lobby for Cable
Kevin Martin Doesn't Hate Cable, He Just Loves Ma Bell
Did Martin Flunk A Cable Math Quiz?
Enlisting The Power Of The Web For A Bit Of Research Help

INTERNET/BROADBAND
Video distributor to FCC: Stop ISP traffic 'throttling'
Inouye Pushes Senate to Move Broadband Mapping Bill
"Designated Entity" Eligibility Rules Waived for the Upper 700 MHz D Block
Bandwidth banter

TELECOM
Senate to Debate Telecom Firms' Immunity in Surveillance Role
FCC Approves AT&T's Purchase of Dobson Communications
Google Has Even Bigger Plans for Mobile Phones

BROADCASTING
For Low Power TV Stations, DTV is a Countdown to Disaster
San Diego City Attorney seeks more records from Public TV Station
FCC Rejects KLRT Challenge
ION Television Launches DTV Education Campaign

ELECTIONS & MEDIA
Clinton versus Obama on a 2009 Media Agenda

QUICKLY -- Senate Committee Joins House in Approving Expanded
Telecommuting; Web Sites Tear Down That Wall; USA Today Plans to Cut
45 Jobs from Newsroom; Fox News Channel Critic Opens Second Front for
a la Carte; TV sets a turn-off for South Korea's youth

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

DINGELL, MARKEY ASK MARTIN TO SLOW DOWN ON CROSS-OWNERSHIP LOOSENING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin
Martin, House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) said he
has "serious concerns" about the timeline Martin has allowed for
comment on his proposed lifting of the newspaper-broadcast
cross-ownership ban. Critics of the timetable, including several
Senate Democrats, have called for a 90-day comment period, as well as
a separate proceeding on localism and diversity with its own 90-day
comment period. Chairman Dingell made no mention of wanting a
separate proceeding, but he did say that he would be asking questions
at a hearing on the issue next month. In a statement, House Telecom
Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) added, "Chairman Martin's
media ownership proposal deserves the utmost scrutiny. Localism,
diversity and competition are critical values in our national media
policy. I urge Chairman Martin to ensure that the Congress and the
public have an ample opportunity to review and comment on how any
changes to FCC media ownership rules may affect these vital public
policy objectives."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6501515.html?rssid=193
* Dingell letter
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110-ltr.111507.FCC.ltr.pdf
* Markey statement
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3197&I...
* FCC Told Not to Rush On Ownership Rules
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119518144510595285.html?mod=todays_us_ma...

CONCENTRATED MEDIA LEAVES COMPETITION CONCERNS
[SOURCE: Competition Law 360, AUTHOR: Sara Stefanini]
The series of big takeovers announced this year in the media industry
has shed light on the consolidation taking effect across the
information services market and signaled that, if given antitrust
approval, the mergers could usher in an era in which few leading news
providers will dominate the news. Big name news providers Tribune
Co., Dow Jones & Co. and Reuters Group PLC have all given in to
acquisitions this past year in deals that would narrow the number of
competitors in several areas of the media industry, including local
and general news markets and the market for quick, high-end financial
information. While regulators are weighing distinct questions about
each transaction's potential impact on the consumers they serve, the
size and timing of these proposals does illustrate how traditional
news providers, like Tribune and Dow Jones' Wall Street Journal, have
struggled to adapt to an online news era, and how the emerging
real-time news providers are growing.
http://competition.law360.com/Public/Default.aspx

BEHIND THE SHADOWS OF FCC'S PROPOSAL
[SOURCE: The Seattle Times, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission's historically
weak enforcement of cross-ownership waivers is worrisome when laid
over a proposal from the chairman's office to encourage media
consolidation. This is a bad proposal set up to allow for media
consolidation in all markets.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2004014430_rulee...

CLEARING THE AIR ABOUT RADIO AND THE COMMUNITY
[SOURCE: Seattle Times, AUTHOR: Michele Grosenick, Clear Channel]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission was in Seattle
last week to hear our take on localism and the media-ownership
debate. The FCC has held hearings all across the nation designed to
get citizen input. These hearings are so important to the process
because they allow local citizens' voices to be heard. Unfortunately,
some hearings have attracted out-of-town activists with a preordained
viewpoint, and high emotions over ownership and local stewardship
have pushed reason right out of the room. In my industry, and in my
view, it's just common sense that radio stations serve their local
listeners or they go out of business, plain and simple. In fact, in a
digital age with countless global information and entertainment
sources, radio's role as a local news, information and entertainment
provider is even more important now than it has been in the past. The
fact that radio is local is nowhere more true than right here in
Seattle. Regardless of where our corporate headquarters are located,
our Seattle radio stations are every bit as much a part of Seattle as
the Space Needle and the Pike Place Market, ultimately enriching the
Emerald City and the local community in which all of us live.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004014425_clearchannel15....
* Sign of the times: Another local radio station gets gobbled up
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004014433_wenatchee15.html

NEWS CORP CLOSE TO TV STATIONS SALE TO OAK HILL
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Katy Bachman]
Oak Hill Capital Partners, the private equity firm that purchased the
New York Times TV stations to create Local TV LLC, apparently will
buy nine Fox TV stations put on the market in June. If the deal goes
through, Local TV would own 18 TV stations; Fox's 26-TV station
portfolio will be more focused on the nation's largest markets with
properties in 9 of the top 10 markets and 9 duopolies, five in the top 10.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10036...

CABLE

NCTA BOARD MEMBERS LOBBY FOR CABLE
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Kent Gibbons]
Brian Roberts of Comcast, Glenn Britt of Time Warner Cable, Tom
Rutledge of Cablevision Systems and Michael Willner of Insight were
in Washington Thursday to lobby at the Federal Communications
Commission, Capitol Hill and the White House, stating cable's case at
a time when FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants to clamp new regulations
on the industry. Programmers that took part include A&E Networks'
Abbe Raven, Fox Cable Networks' Tony Vinciquerra and Decker Anstrom,
the former NCTA chief who's president of Landmark Communications.
Among other things, the board members from operator and programmer
companies are "showing a unified front that this is the highest
priority for [National Cable & Telecommunications Association] and,
from a policy standpoint, for the industry right now."
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6501632.html?rssid=196

KEVIN MARTIN DOESN'T HATE CABLE, HE JUST LOVES MA BELL
[SOURCE: DSLReports]
[Commentary] For an agency that consistently toes the Milton Friedman
line on regulation when it comes to their friends at AT&T and
Verizon, the move to regulate cable more begs a few questions. It is
time to stop simplistically pretending that Martin's uneven treatment
of cable operators is because he's worried about what grandma pays
for MTV. The majority of real consumer advocates (and anybody running
a smaller ISP) will tell you that Martin has probably set this
industry back twenty-five years by relentlessly pandering to the
incumbent phone providers. A more reasonable and simple explanation
for Kevin Martin's inconsistency is that he simply follows the money,
and caters to the more powerful lobbying machine (shocking in
Washington, we know). You'd be hard pressed to find a more powerful
lobbying presence than the one fielded by AT&T and Verizon. Their
policy and PR tendrils run deep, utilizing everything from think
tanks to bogus consumer advocacy groups to get what they want. The
cable industry has simply never been as effective on K Street. The
Baby Bells employ a system of lobbyists, public relations and policy
gurus that are so influential, they recently turned the supposedly
impartial Department of Justice into a public relations mouthpiece on
network neutrality. These folks are so good -- that when their
employers face legal trouble -- they can have the law changed and
gain immunity from prosecution. Getting an FCC commissioner to clamp
down on cable competitors as the phone industry entered the TV
business was a much easier task.
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Kevin-Martin-Doesnt-Hate-Cable-He-Jus...

DID MARTIN FLUNK A CABLE MATH QUIZ?
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
In his haste to exert more authority over cable by invoking the
so-called 70/70 test, set out in 1984 legislation, Federal
Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin might have tripped
over some bad data. The source on which he relied for his results
says its data cannot be wholly relied on. Chairman Martin obtained
his 70% result by relying solely on data culled from the Television
and Cable Factbook, published annually by Warren Communications News.
In the past, the agency's analysis included not just Warren but two
other outside sources and its own annual cable price survey. But
Warren chairman and publisher Paul Warren said Wednesday that his
company's data is incomplete. Why? Not all cable operators agree to
disclose their subscriber and homes passed totals for its survey. "As
a result, even though we believe we have data representing more than
96% of all cable subscribers, this data is not well suited to
determining whether the [FCC's 70/70] threshold has been met," Warren
said in a statement. According to Warren data, cable penetration is
71.4%, more than enough to trigger FCC authority but higher than past
results that put cable penetration no higher than 68%. Last year, the
FCC's report on video competition put cable's penetration at 59.6% of
homes passed nationally, well under the threshold. The idea that
Chairman Martin is presenting -- that cable penetration rose in a
year when cable operators lost about 200,000 customers and satellite
TV providers gained 1.8 million -- did not sit well with his fellow
Republican FCC members Robert McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate. The
commissioners on Nov. 14 jointly sent a letter to Warren requesting
"any and all information" it provided to the FCC.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6501718.html?rssid=196

ENLISTING THE POWER OF THE WEB FOR A BIT OF RESEARCH HELP
[SOURCE: Tales from the Sausage Factory, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] Feld asks you, the reader, for help: he would like to
find out the quarterly basic subscriber statistics for the largest
cable operators (Comcast, Time Warner, Cablevision, Cox, and
Charter). If the largest operators enjoyed significant growth after
NCTA conceded 68.9% as a valid measurement, then we can have
reasonable assurance that findings above 70% are accurate. Can you
lend a hand?
http://www.wetmachine.com//item/933

INTERNET/BROADBAND

VIDEO DISTRIBUTOR TO FCC: STOP ISP TRAFFIC 'THROTTLING'
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Grant Gross]
A distributor of online video content has filed a complaint with the
Federal Communications Commission, asking the agency to stop
broadband providers from blocking or slowing peer-to-peer traffic.
The petition filed by Vuze, which uses the BitTorrent peer-to-peer
protocol to distribute Web content, asks the FCC to set rules for
network management by ISPs. Vuze's filing late Wednesday follows
reports last month that cable broadband provider Comcast slows some
peer-to-peer traffic, including BitTorrent. Vuze's FCC petition is
similar in some ways to calls by consumer groups and Internet-based
firms for the FCC or the Congress to pass Network Neutrality rules,
which would prohibit broadband providers from blocking or slowing Web
content from competitors. The FCC has had an open inquiry into net
neutrality rules since April, and a push to pass rules in Congress
has stalled. But the Vuze proposal is more focused than net
neutrality, BianRosa said. Net neutrality often includes other issues
in addition to content blocking, including requirements for broadband
and wireless providers to allow all legal devices to connect to their
networks. Vuze is asking the FCC to "dig deeper" than the net
neutrality debate, he said. Public Knowledge, a group promoting
consumer rights on the Internet, praised the Vuze filing. Vuze is a
good example of the harm caused by content blocking, said Gigi Sohn,
Public Knowledge's president.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/15/Video-distributor-FCC-stop-ISP...
* Vuze Seeks FCC Regulations on Network Management
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6501629.html?rssid=193
* Public Knowledge Supports Vuze FCC Petition To Ban Internet Discrimination
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1278

INOUYE PUSHES SENATE TO MOVE BROADBAND MAPPING BILL
[SOURCE: US Senate Commerce Committee]
Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) on Thursday
urged the United States Senate to adopt a bill that would improve the
quality of federal and state broadband data collection. The Broadband
Data Improvement Act (S. 1492) would also encourage initiatives that
promote broadband deployment. "For America to keep pace with the
rest of the world in the digital age, we need well-informed broadband
policy. But we cannot have good broadband policy based on bad
broadband data. This is why I call on the Senate to take up and pass
the Broadband Data Improvement Act," said Senator Inouye. "Following
the overwhelming support that lead the House to approve its broadband
mapping bill, I remain convinced that the Senate can adopt this
measure quickly. America's broadband policy cannot move at dial-up
speed. The world will not wait for us." A Pew Research Center study
released yesterday found there is "no systematically collected and
publicly available sources of data on adoption and deployment of
broadband" in America, especially at the local level. Pew researchers
cited the need for government to take the lead in collecting such
data. Senator Inouye's Broadband Data Improvement Act directs the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Census Bureau to
collect more granular broadband data.
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Det...

"DESIGNATED ENTITY" ELIGIBILITY RULES WAIVED FOR UPPER 700 MHZ D BLOCK
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
In an Order released Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission
waived one of its designated entity eligibility rules for the Upper
700 MHz D Block license. The single, nationwide Upper D Block license
will be part of the 700 MHz Public Safety/Private Partnership with
the 700 MHz Public Safety Broadband Licensee. This Partnership is
designed to enable the construction of a nationwide, interoperable
broadband communications network for public safety. With today's
action, the FCC decided that it will not apply its "impermissible
material relationship" rule when determining designated entity
eligibility for the Upper D Block license. Under this rule, except
for cases where specifically grandfathered, an applicant or a
licensee is considered to have an "impermissible material
relationship" if it has entered into arrangements with one or more
entities for the lease or resale (including wholesaling arrangements)
of more than 50 percent of the spectrum capacity, and is therefore
ineligible for designated entity benefits. Because the FCC is waiving
this rule for the Upper D Block license, entities that have entered
into an otherwise "impermissible material relationship" when applying
for the Upper D Block license can still qualify as designated
entities as long as they meet all of the FCC's other designated
entity eligibility requirements. In addition, if the Upper D Block is
licensed to a designated entity, the licensee will not be prohibited
from entering into agreements to, on a cumulative basis, lease or
resell (including wholesale agreements) more than 50 percent of its
spectrum capacity to other entities. The Upper D Block applicants and
licensee will remain subject to the FCC's other designated entity
provisions, including the "attributable material relationship" and
unjust enrichment rules.
http://www.fcc.gov/DE_700_MHz_nr.pdf
* Order:
http://www.fcc.gov/DE_700_MHz_order.pdf

BANDWIDTH BANTER
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] European Union Media Commissioner Viviane Reding plans
to open telecommunications markets by giving national authorities
stronger powers and creating a new super-regulator. Member states,
big industry operators, fellow commissioners and even the watchdogs
themselves have problems with it. Their reaction, while overblown, is
understandable. A shake-up of the rulebook is overdue. Telecoms has
undergone a revolution over the past decade. The era of fixed-line
telephony has given way to more versatile mobile phone technology and
Internet-based services dependent on fast, reliable broadband access.
Prices have fallen, benefiting consumers. But competition remains
patchy. In some member states, where former state-owned providers
dominate, smaller operators struggle. As a result, average EU
broadband penetration is just 18 per cent. A workable alternative
might be something closer to the Lamfalussy committees of national
regulators that cover securities markets, banking and insurance.
These bodies enable the regulators to offer legislative advice and
co-ordinate action among member states. Ms Reding will need to
compromise if she is to avoid a prolonged battle and win a much
bigger prize for consumers.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/7414a7a6-93b2-11dc-acd0-0000779fd2ac.html
(requires subscription)

TELECOM

SENATE TO DEBATE TELECOM FIRMS' IMMUNITY IN SURVEILLANCE ROLE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Dan Eggen]
A battle over legal immunity for telecommunication companies that
participated in a controversial Bush administration counterterrorism
surveillance program landed on the Senate floor yesterday, after the
Judiciary Committee voted to preserve protections for companies who
help the government. The outcome in the Senate represents a
procedural defeat for lawmakers and outside groups that opposed
giving the companies immunity from lawsuits alleging privacy
violations, but it leaves open the possibility of a bruising floor
fight on the provision. The Senate Intelligence Committee, with
support from key Democrats and approval from the administration, has
passed a proposal that includes retroactive legal immunity. During a
tumultuous day-long meeting yesterday, the Judiciary panel, which had
the Intelligence bill before it, voted 10 to 9 along party lines to
approve a bill that added new restrictions on government surveillance
powers. But this did not include language addressing the immunity issue.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/15/AR200711...
(requires registration)
* Panel Drops Immunity From Eavesdropping Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/washington/16nsa.html?ref=todayspaper
* House votes to strengthen oversight of surveillance; no immunity for telecoms
The House voted Thursday night to strengthen court oversight of the
government's surveillance of terrorist suspects but stopped short of
providing legal immunity to telecommunication companies that helped
eavesdrop on Americans.
The Democratic bill, approved 227-189, was a rebuke to President
Bush, who has promised to veto any legislation that does not shield
telecom companies from civil lawsuits. About 40 civil suits have been
filed alleging the companies broke wiretapping and privacy lawsuits
for monitoring phone calls and e-mails without permission of a secret
court created 30 years ago for that purpose. President Bush argues
that such lawsuits could bankrupt the telecoms, reveal classified
information and discourage cooperation with legal surveillance requests.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/latestheadlines/ci_7478947
* Under House bill, companies could face surveillance suits
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20071116/a_fisa16.art.htm
* NSA telecom immunity still unsettled in Senate
http://www.news.com/NSA-telecom-immunity-still-unsettled-in-Senate/2100-...
* Congress Keeps Telecoms on the Hook for Illegal Spying
"We are pleased that the House and a majority of the Judiciary
Committee's members have signaled that they want Americans to have
their day in court," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. "The
fight isn't over yet, however. We look forward to working with
Senators Leahy, Specter, and Feingold and other lawmakers in both
chambers of Congress to make sure that the bill eventually sent to
the president allows the people's lawsuits to go forward."
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2007/11/15-0

FCC APPROVES AT&T'S PURCHASE OF DOBSON COMMUNICATIONS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission approved with conditions the
transfer of control of licenses, authorizations, and spectrum leases
held by Dobson and its subsidiaries to AT&T. These licenses and
authorizations include Cellular licenses, Broadband Personal
Communications Service (PCS) licenses, Advanced Wireless Services
licenses, Common Carrier Fixed Point-to-Point Microwave licenses, and
three international section 214 authorizations. AT&T is required to
divest the licenses and related operational and network assets --
including certain employees, retail sites, and subscribers -- of one
of the two companies in four markets in order to complete their
merger. AT&T is also subject to a condition to have an interim cap on
its high-cost, competitive Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC)
support. This cap, like the cap established as a condition of the
ALLTEL-Atlantis transaction, is based on AT&T and Dobson's level of
competitive ETC support as of June 2007.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-278210A1.doc
* Copps: "I continue to have concerns about ever-increasing
concentration in the wireless sector."
http://www.fcc.gov/DOC-278210A3.pdf
* Adelstein: "[W]hile I appreciate the Commission staff's analysis of
the markets affected by the merger and fully support our decision to
require divestiture in the markets identified in our Memorandum
Opinion and Order, I am concerned that some markets have fallen
through the cracks."
http://www.fcc.gov/DOC-278210A4.pdf
* McDowell: "In today's order, the Commission adds 700 MHz band
spectrum to its market screen for spectrum suitable for provision of
mobile telephony services. While it is certainly important that we
update our analytical tools from time to time, this action is
decidedly premature and introduces an unnecessary level of complexity
into the Commission's market analyses. I also wonder how the new
framework will affect participation in the forthcoming auction of 700
MHz spectrum.... Once again, the Commission raises more questions
than it answers, and appears to bind future Commission action, and
dictate or bind government policy. I am concerned that we are
regulating unnecessarily without thinking through possible unintended
consequences. This is especially unfortunate given the critical need
for market certainty as we approach the 700 MHz auction."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-278210A2.doc

GOOGLE HAS EVEN BIGGER PLANS FOR MOBILE PHONES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Kevin J. Delaney
kevin.delaney( at )wsj.com and Amol Sharma]
Google made a big splash last week with its new software for
cellphones. But that's far from the limit of the Internet giant's
wireless ambitions -- which could include running its own mobile
network. The company is gearing up to make a serious run at buying
wireless spectrum, a chunk of the airwaves that can be used to
provide mobile phone and Internet services, in a Federal
Communications Commission auction in January. Google is prepared to
bid on its own without any partners, say people familiar with the
matter. It is working out a plan to finance its bid, which could run
$4.6 billion or higher, that would rely on its own cash and possibly
some borrowed money. Google, meanwhile, already is running a test
version of an advanced wireless network at its Mountain View, Calif.,
headquarters, gaining operating experience that could come in handy
if it wins the spectrum and decides to run a full-scale national
mobile carrier. The behind-the-scenes moves illustrate just how
serious the Internet giant is about trying to reshape the wireless
world. Its push could potentially expand the availability and
decrease the cost of high-speed mobile Internet access to consumers
and broaden the wireless applications they can use.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119517445580795065.html?mod=todays_us_ma...
(requires subscription)
* Google gearing up for wireless spectrum bid: report
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN1635157020071116

BROADCASTING

FOR LPTV, DTV IS A COUNTDOWN TO DISASTER
[SOURCE: tvnewsday]
For most full-power TV stations, the analog cut-off date of Feb. 18,
2009, is now no more than a big and sometimes costly chore. They are
already broadcasting digital signals so it's mostly a matter of
switching to the right channels and shuffling around antennas on the
tower. But for the far more numerous low-power TV stations and
translators, the cut-off date is an impending disaster. That's
because most haven't been given a chance to build digital facilities.
They will have to continue broadcasting analog signals long after the
cut-off date. The problem with that is that the government and
full-power broadcasters have launched an aggressive campaign to equip
millions of viewers with government-subsidized converter boxes that,
in essence, turns their old TV sets into digital receivers no longer
able to pick up analog signals. Compounding the problem is that few
low-power stations are carried on cable systems and, because they
don't have must-carry rights, they can't demand carriage. They will
be analog ignored by a digital world. Faced with this dire prospect,
the Community Broadcasters Association, which represents the 2,800
Class A and other low-power stations, is turning to the government
for help. They want it to require converter boxes that pass through
analog signals and they want limited must carry rights.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/11/15/daily.2/

SAN DIEGO CITY ATTORNEY SEEKS MORE RECORDS FROM PUBLIC TV STATION
[SOURCE: San Diego Union-Tribune, AUTHOR: Alex Roth]
San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre has expanded his
investigation into the city's public-television station three months
after the station canceled a public-affairs program that sometimes
featured him as a guest. In an Oct. 31 letter to KPBS, Aguirre asked
for internal e-mails, financial statements and other documents,
including information about recent contacts between the station's
journalists and the mayor's office. Aguirre's latest demand for
documents came several weeks after he issued a report accusing the
station of "abrogat(ing) its duty to maintain objectivity and balance
in its local public affairs television programming" by canceling
"Full Focus," a public-issues program. In recent months, Aguirre has
suggested the station might have committed civil or criminal
violations by canceling the show, on which Aguirre appeared as a
guest 15 times from July 2003 until it left the air Aug. 1. First
Amendment experts called Aguirre's investigation inappropriate. "Just
about the last thing you want in a free society is a government
official going in and mucking around in a newsroom and making
programming decisions," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of The
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. KPBS receives no
funding from the city. It receives its money from fundraising drives,
corporate sponsors, San Diego State University, and grants from the
federally funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting, among other
sources. KPBS-TV is a PBS affiliate; its radio station is a National
Public Radio affiliate. KPBS cited low ratings and high costs as the
main reason for canceling "Full Focus."
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071115-9999-1m15aguirre.html

FCC REJECTS KLRT CHALLENGE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission Thursday denied a petition
opposing the license renewal of KLRT-TV, a Clear Channel
Communications-owned Fox affiliate in Little Rock. A Little Rock
viewer cited the station's airing of the Billboard Awards broadcasts,
profanities from which had been found indecent by the commission, as
well as pending complaints against That 70s Show. In denying to
designate the license for hearing before an FCC judge, the commission
also dismissed the viewer's complaint about alleged reporting lapses
concerning its public file.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6501464.html?rssid=193

ION TELEVISION LAUNCHES DTV EDUCATION CAMPAIGN
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: ]
ION -- which comprises TV stations reaching 94 million households and
digital-multicast channels -- said it will air public-service
announcements in all dayparts, including primetime; make executives
available to speak to the community about the switch; and run crawls
and alerts about what it said has been termed the "broadcast triple
play" of better reception, more program streams and mobile TV.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6501616.html?rssid=193
* ION Launches DTV Education Campaign
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/11/15/daily.10/
* ION Rolls Out Educational Campaign on DTV Transition
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6501520.html?rssid=196

ELECTIONS & MEDIA

CLINTON VERSUS OBAMA ON A 2009 MEDIA AGENDA
[SOURCE: OpenLeft, AUTHOR: Matt Stroller]
[Commentary] The Internet and our media are not just issues, and they
are not just tech issues, they are organizing principles around which
we are shaping the very nature of our politics and culture. And
that's why I consider the next FCC a core fulcrum for the election.
The FCC can simply implement net neutrality by reclassifying cable
modems, DSL, and fiber as a telecommunications service, the way the
agency took net neutrality away by doing the opposite in 2002. The
FCC can also shift ownership requirements for media conglomerates,
even reversing media consolidation and mandating a certain number of
television and radio stations be owned by minorities, women, and
local groups instead of mega-death-corp-defense-contractor. The
reason I am leaning towards Obama is because in the area that I know
fairly well, with the FCC, he is far better than Clinton. Obama has
put out the right policies, now he needs to make them come
alive. Obama has alluded to a new world with his new and exciting
policy platform, but he has not yet spelled it out in more than
simply smart policy. He should tell these stories of radical
openness, because they are alive with potential and excitement, and
they are what he grasps.
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2386

QUICKLY

SENATE COMMITTEE JOINS HOUSE IN APPROVING EXPANDED TELECOMMUNTING
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Stephen Barr]
A Senate committee this week approved a bill that would make it
possible for more federal employees to become telecommuters, acting a
week after supporters of at-home work introduced similar legislation
in the House. The bills would encourage agencies to allow eligible
employees to telecommute four days a month, on average. The chief
sponsors in the Senate, Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Mary Landrieu
(D-La.), said that expanded telecommuting in the government would get
cars off the road, reducing energy costs and cutting pollution. About
6.6 percent of federal employees are regular telecommuters, according
to data collected in 2005. Under the bill, the determination of who
may telecommute would be left to agencies, which would have to tell
employees whether they were eligible to work at home or at a remote
site. Agencies would appoint telework management officers, draw up
telecommuting policies and provide training to employees and
managers, according to the bill. Each agency would "ensure that
telework does not diminish employee performance or agency
operations," the bill said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/15/AR200711...
(requires registration)

WEB SITES TEAR DOWN THAT WALL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]
Rupert Murdoch's announcement this week that he expects to stop
charging for access to the Wall Street Journal's Web site is the
latest example of a publisher giving up on the subscription-based
business model -- a significant shift in the evolution of online
content. In recent months, the Economist, the New York Times and the
Financial Times have all moved content out from "behind the wall," an
industry metaphor for the location of paid online content. The
lesson seems to be that online consumers will pay only for niche
content of intense interest to them -- such as specialized industry
news from trade publications, inside sports news, gambling tips,
pornography and so on. As Slate editor Jacob Weisberg put it: It's
all "pornography of one kind or another." But most consumers expect
free mainstream content, including news and mass-audience
entertainment, whether they find it on YouTube or washingtonpost.com.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/15/AR200711...
(requires registration)

USA TODAY PLANS TO CUT 45 JOBS FROM NEWSROOM
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
USA Today, the highest circulation newspaper in the country and the
flagship of industry leader Gannett Co., announced plans Thursday to
eliminate about 45 newsroom jobs. The job losses reflect a cut of
almost 9% to a current newsroom staff of about 500. They will be
scattered throughout news, money, sports and lifestyle sections. In a
memo to staff, USA Today Editor Ken Paulson said the paper hopes to
reduce the staff through voluntary buyouts, but layoffs are possible.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119515790461794641.html?mod=todays_us_ma...
(requires subscription)

FOX NEWS CHANNEL CRITIC OPENS SECOND FRONT FOR A LA CARTE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Veteran Fox News Channel critic Robert Greenwald (Outfoxed) opened a
second front in his campaign against the top-rated cable news
channel, this time aiming to get advertisers to drop their
sponsorships. Citing the viewership to his previous video broadside
against Fox News, which got more than 500,000 views, Greenwald is
launching another online video on YouTube Thursday called "Fox News
Porn." None of the content is actually explicit, but it does include
bikini-clad women and blurred nudity. It is similar to footage he
used in the first video, which called for Web surfers to petition the
Federal Communications Commission to impose a la carte.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6501364.html?rssid=193

TV SETS A TURN-OFF FOR SOUTH KOREA'S YOUTH
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jon Herskovitz and Jessica Kim]
In South Korea, peer-to-peer video services have exploded. Laptops
are the entertainment gateway. The Internet is the distribution
platform of choice and the content at his fingertips is a dizzying
array of pirated TV shows and movies. Lax enforcement of copyright
laws and South Korea's high broadband penetration rate have helped
fuel the popularity of these services.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1421636520071115
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