Stay connected:

days of FCC inaction on DTV PIOs

Day of the National Broadband Plan

April 14, 2009 (Cuba)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for TUESDAY APRIL 14, 2009

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Increasing the flow of Information to the Cuban People
Iraqi General Filing Suit to Close Newspaper and TV Channel Over Alleged Misquotes

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   FCC Launches Development of National Broadband Plan
   Congressman Massa Plans Bill Banning Internet-Usage Billing
   All Nations Agree: Fiber's The Global Standard
   CDT Says Broadband Stimulus Should Demand Openness
   71 Economists Urge Procurement Auctions to Allocate Broadband Stimulus Grants
   Nation's utility consumer advocates make stimulus spending recommendations
   NCTA Comments on FCC's Role in Broadband Stimulus Program
   PFF Pushes Government for Open Bidding on Broadband Grant and Loan Money
   Eyeing the broadband stimulus skeptically
   Broadband Helps Fort Wayne Go Green
   e-NC, facing drastic budget cuts, says broadband efforts in NC at risk
   Mobile Broadband Slows After Big Gains

OWNERSHIP
   FCC to Improve Its Collection of Data on Minority and Female Broadcast Ownership
   FCC Adopts Supplemental Notice of Inquiry for Fourteenth Annual Report to Congress on Video Competition
   FCC Approves Transfer of DirecTV's Station Licenses to Liberty Entertainment

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
How secure is the U.S. communications network?
FCC Trying to Enhance First Responders Use of 4.9 Ghz Broadband

BROADCASTING
Nielsen: 3.4% of Households Still Unready For DTV
Study: FCC Should Monitor Radio Playlists

POLICYMAKERS
   FCC Seeks Technological Advisory Council Nominations
   CDT's Morris Named to Online Safety and Technology Working Group
   New Leader Overhauls Ford Foundation

QUICKLY -- ASME Slams 'EW, 'ESPN'; What iPhone Apps Are Used Most?; Trib to pare newsroom 20%; Second Guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; Interim Guidance Regarding Communications With Registered Lobbyists About Recovery Act Funds; Disney Expert Uses Science to Draw Boy Viewers; Putting Twitter's World to Use; Amazon Says Error Removed Listings; On-location film and TV shoots in L.A. hit lowest levels on record; Global ad spending to fall by 7%; Tech earnings will show how Silicon Valley is faring in the downturn; EU starts action against Britain over data privacy; The Pirates of Somalia

back to top

GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

INCREASING THE FLOW OF INFORMATION TO THE CUBAN PEOPLE
[SOURCE: The White House]
On Monday, the Obama administration announced a series of changes in U.S. policy to reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely determine their country's future. In taking these steps to help bridge the gap among divided Cuban families and promote the freer flow of information and humanitarian items to the Cuban people, President Obama is working to fulfill the goals he identified both during his presidential campaign and since taking office. Specifically, President Obama directed the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to take such actions as necessary to: 1) Authorize U.S. telecommunications network providers to enter into agreements to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities linking the United States and Cuba, 2) License U.S. telecommunications service providers to enter into and operate under roaming service agreements with Cuba's telecommunications service providers. 3) License U.S. satellite radio and satellite television service providers to engage in transactions necessary to provide services to customers in Cuba. 4) License persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to activate and pay U.S. and third-country service providers for telecommunications, satellite radio, and satellite television services provided to individuals in Cuba, except certain senior Communist Party and Cuban government officials. 5) Authorize, consistent with national security concerns, the export or reexport to Cuba of donated personal communications devices such as mobile phone systems, computers and software, and satellite receivers through a license exception.
http://benton.org/node/24281
Recommend this Headline
back to top

IRAQI GENERAL FILING SUIT TO CLOSE NEWSPAPER AND TV CHANNEL OVER ALLEGED MISQUOTES
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Rod Norland, Sam Dagher]
The Iraqi military put local journalists on notice on Monday that their organizations could be shut down for misquoting officials, while the Iraqi government accused the news media of deliberately seeking to promote sectarian strife. The top military spokesman in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, said he was filing a lawsuit seeking to close the Baghdad office of Al Hayat, one of the most prominent newspapers in the Arab world, as well as the satellite signal of Al Sharqiya, a popular Iraqi television channel that has been a strong critic of the government. The lawsuit was announced on the Web site of the Baghdad Operations Command, which coordinates Iraqi security forces in the capital. The National Media Center of the Council of Ministers criticized local, Arab and international news media on Monday for recent reports about arrests of members of the Awakening Councils.
http://benton.org/node/24280
Recommend this Headline
back to top

INTERNET/BROADBAND

FCC LAUNCHES DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
On April 9, the Federal Communications Commission began the process of developing a national broadband plan that will seek to ensure that every American has access to broadband capability. The Commission must deliver the plan to Congress by Feb. 17, 2010. It will provide a roadmap toward achieving the goal of ensuring that all Americans reap the benefits of broadband. The Recovery Act requires the plan to explore several key elements of broadband deployment and use, and the Commission now seeks comment on these elements, including: 1) The most effective and efficient ways to ensure broadband access for all Americans, 2) Strategies for achieving affordability and maximum utilization of broadband infrastructure and services, 3) Evaluation of the status of broadband deployment, including the progress of related grant programs, and 4) How to use broadband to advance consumer welfare, civic participation, public safety and homeland security, community development, health care delivery, energy independence and efficiency, education, worker training, private sector investment, entrepreneurial activity, job creation, and economic growth, and other national purposes. Comments are due June 8; reply comments are due July 7.
http://benton.org/node/24279
Recommend this Headline
back to top

CONGRESSMAN MASSA PLANS BILL BANNING INTERNET-USAGE BILLING
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Todd Spangler]
Rep Eric Massa (D-NY) wants to make it illegal for Internet service providers to charge subscribers based on the amount of data they download. He is drafting legislation that would "prohibit unfair tiered price structures from Internet providers." The Massa Broadband Internet Fairness Act will also "address the importance of helping broadband providers create jobs and increase their bandwidth while increasing competition in areas currently served by only one provider." The proposed law is in response to Time Warner Cable's plans to expand its trials of metered broadband service to four markets, including in the Rochester, N.Y., area which includes Massa's district. The freshman congressman last week blasted the MSO's plans as "monopolistic" and alleged it would force consumers to pay more.
http://benton.org/node/24278
Recommend this Headline
back to top

ALL NATIONS AGREE: FIBER'S THE GLOBAL STANDARD
[SOURCE: App-Rising.com, AUTHOR: Geoff Daily]
[Commentary] Countries that have the highest average broadband speeds with the lowest price per Mbps all have one thing in common: they've all committed themselves to full fiber networks. So there's a direct relationship between building out fiber and not only realizing higher speeds but also lower prices, and that's in spite of fiber's higher upfront costs. So let us not shy away achieving great things, accept the reality that the rest of the world has chosen fiber as the global broadband standard, and start working towards bringing the best broadband to every last home in our great nation.
http://benton.org/node/24277
Recommend this Headline
back to top

CDT SAYS BROADBAND STIMULUS SHOULD DEMAND OPENNESS
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy and Technology, AUTHOR: ]
The Center for Democracy and Technology filed comments urging the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to ensure that broadband services supported with stimulus funds will be open to the full range of current and future Internet uses. CDT argued that the broadband stimulus program's interconnection and nondiscrimination obligations should be interpreted to preclude grantees not just from blocking access to selected online content, services, applications, or protocols, but also from impairing the quality or speed of selected communications. Reasonable security management and congestion management techniques should be permitted, CDT said.
http://benton.org/node/24276
Recommend this Headline
back to top

71 ECONOMISTS URGE PROCUREMENT AUCTIONS TO ALLOCATE BROADBAND STIMULUS GRANTS
[SOURCE: 71 Concerned Economists, AUTHOR: ]
Piled on top of eachother, 71 economists finally reached a conclusion. While they may still disagree about the stimulus package, they believe that it is important to implement mechanisms that make stimulus spending as efficient as possible. To that end, they have come together to encourage the National Telecommunications Information Agency (NTIA) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to adopt auction mechanisms to allocate broadband stimulus grants. The filing has three parts: First, it explains why the traditional grant application process is unsuitable for this task and why procurement auctions are better suited. Second, it sketches out a procurement auction plan. This plan is intended to be a starting point from which auction design experts would proceed to build and implement a fully functional auction. Finally, we explain that even if policymakers are skeptical of procurement auctions, one could be implemented quickly as part of an initial tranche of stimulus funding in order to test its efficacy relative to traditional approaches. This approach would allow TIA/RUS to quickly expand upon or modify the procurement auction program in subsequent funding rounds.
http://benton.org/node/24275
Recommend this Headline
back to top

NATION'S UTILITY CONSUMER ADVOCATES MAKE STIMULUS SPENDING RECOMMENDATIONS
[SOURCE: National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, AUTHOR: ]
In comments filed at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Utilities Service, the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates said areas that lack broadband availability should receive first priority in allocating funding under broadband investment provisions of Congress' economic stimulus package. "All consumers deserve the availability of broadband at an affordable price," said David Springe, Consumer Counsel for the State of Kansas and President of NASUCA. "In an effort to stimulate the economy, states should serve as a vital resource to help determine how to dedicate public funding to do what the private sector has been unable or unwilling to do: Provide all Americans with reasonable access to modern broadband access, even in areas or among populations that are less profitable to serve."
http://benton.org/node/24274
Recommend this Headline
back to top

NCTA COMMENTS ON FCC'S ROLE IN BROADBAND STIMULUS PROGRAM
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In comments to the Federal Communications Commission on the FCC's consulting role in the broadband stimulus grant program, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association reiterated that the money should be focused on areas that currently do not have broadband service and if there is money left over after unserved areas are taken care of, the grant and loan money should go toward improving the adoption rate in underserved areas to make use of the broadband already available--computer training or subsidies, for example. And third, if there is any of the $7.2 billion in grant money left over, enhance broadband facilities in underserved areas, defined as lacking current-generation broadband. NCTA also argues that the nondiscrimination conditions Congress stipulated be put on the grants be confined to the FCC's existing four principles. Cable operators don't want the government to subsidize competitors, or to set a broadband speed threshhold that will classify areas already served by current-generation broadband as underserved.
http://benton.org/node/24273
Recommend this Headline
back to top

PFF PUSHES GOVERNMENT FOR OPEN BIDDING ON BROADBAND GRANT AND LOAN MONEY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) has told the government that to achieve its goal of ubiquitous broadband, it should make sure companies are free to bid on broadband grant and loan money without worrying about delivering "super-fast" service initially, being bound by new nondiscrimination rules, or being held to an "ill-defined" concept of "underserved" areas. PFF President and former Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau Chief Ken Ferree made that argument in comments to the FCC, National Telecommunications & Information Administration, and the Ag Department's Rural Utilities Service, which must combine to quickly dole out $7.2 billion in economic stimulus funds for broadband deployment. PFF argues that the priority should be to square the program with the economic stimulus package's goal which it says is "to quickly provide economic stimulus that leads to immediate job creation." Given that charter, says Ferree, the program needs to focus on "carefully targeted funding of sustainable projects that bring the most per buck per job created."
http://benton.org/node/24272
Recommend this Headline
back to top

EYEING THE BROADBAND STIMULUS SKEPTICALLY
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Carol Wilson]
Not all telecom service providers are eager to get broadband stimulus funds, given the uncertainty that still surrounds the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. At last week's MetaSwitch Forum 2009, in fact, a number of service providers expressed concerns about what accepting federal stimulus money might mean for them. High on the list of worries was whether accepting federal money would subject a privately owned telecom operator to increased government scrutiny. More than one telecom exec cited the firing of the CEO of General Motors as having a chilling effect on their interest in getting involved with the feds in the first place. Despite the efforts of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Utility Service to open up the process, through a series of forums held in March, there also is still a lot of confusion about what broadband projects will be acceptable in the eyes of the government and whether service providers might find themselves working with new partners, such as municipalities or utility companies.
http://benton.org/node/24271
Recommend this Headline
back to top

BROADBAND HELPS FORT WAYNE GO GREEN
[SOURCE: Nation Cities Weekly, AUTHOR: Sue Reynard]
Not long into his first term as mayor of Fort Wayne (IN), it was clear to Graham Richard that radical change was needed if his Midwest city was to move beyond the problems typical of the rust belt, including a steep decline in manufacturing jobs and higher demand for city services. His goal was to help Fort Wayne join a new global economy, attracting high quality jobs and offering a high quality of life. The two areas that he believed would have a simultaneous impact on both the economy and environment were helping Fort Wayne go green and enabling community-wide high speed broadband access.
http://benton.org/node/24270
Recommend this Headline
back to top

E-NC, FACING DRASTIC BUDGET CUTS, SAYS BROADBAND EFFORTS IN NC AT RISK
[SOURCE: WRAL, AUTHOR: ]
e-NC, the organization tasked by the North Carolina General Assembly to spread broadband access across the state, is in big-time budget trouble. How ironic, e-NC backer say, is this? Just as the Obama administration and the Federal Communications Commission prepares to spend billions to spread broadband across the US the group that has worked for years to accomplish that same mission in NC could be rendered ineffective. The group, led by longtime Gov. Jim Hunt tech advisor Jane Patterson, faces more than a 50 percent cut in funding if the current budget recommended by Gov. Bev Perdue and the North Carolina Senate is endorsed by the House. If so, e-NC insiders warn, the group will have to cut staff and cease offering matching funds to private companies to "incent" the Internet providers to expand high-speed services into rural and other areas lacking high-speed access.
http://benton.org/node/24269
Recommend this Headline
back to top

MOBILE BROADBAND SLOWS AFTER BIG GAINS
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Mark Walsh]
Mobile broadband subscriber growth slowed dramatically in the fourth quarter of 2008 as consumers cut back on discretionary spending, according to new data from comScore. After six consecutive quarters of double-digit growth, the number of mobile broadband users slowed to 5% in the fourth quarter. That marked a steep drop from the 22% gain in the prior quarter. Adoption of PC mobile data cards has surged in the last two years, more than tripling in 2007 and 2008. "That said, we've observed a significant deceleration in subscriber growth during Q4 2008 coinciding with the economic downturn, an indication that mobile broadband service may still be seen by many as a luxury rather than a necessity," said Serge Matta, comScore senior vice president.
http://benton.org/node/24268
Recommend this Headline
back to top

OWNERSHIP

FCC TO IMPROVE ITS COLLECTION OF DATA ON MINORITY AND FEMALE BROADCAST OWNERSHIP
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
On April 8, the Federal Communications Commission issued an Order and a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNRPM) to improve its collection of data on minority and female broadcast ownership to be able to more accurately assess and effectively promote diversity of ownership in the broadcast industry. In its Order, the Commission adopted changes to reporting requirements on FCC Form 323, "Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations," which is currently filed by certain full power commercial AM, FM and television broadcasters to identify their organizational and ownership structures and to provide information on owners' race, ethnicity, and gender. In so doing, the Commission addressed and corrected deficiencies in its data-gathering methods that were identified by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, researchers, and commenters. Changes include: 1) Removing the filing exemptions currently applicable to full-power commercial stations owned by individuals or partnerships of natural persons. 2) Adding LPTV and Class A television stations to the class of stations required to file ownership information. 3) Broadening the scope of reportable interests to include not only all interests in the licensee that are attributable but also minority interests in a corporation with a single majority shareholder. 4) Setting a uniform biennial filing date for stations filing ownership information. The Order established November 1, 2009, as the first uniform filing date for all filers, and every two years thereafter. Data must be current as of October 1.
http://benton.org/node/24267
Recommend this Headline
back to top

FCC ADOPTS SUPPLEMENTAL NOI FOR 14TH ANNUAL REPORT ON VIDEO COMPETITION
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
On April 8, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a Supplemental Notice of Inquiry for its Fourteenth Annual Assessment of the Status of Competition in the Market for the Delivery of Video Programming, as required by Congress. [more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/24266
Recommend this Headline
back to top

FCC APPROVES TRANSFER OF DIRECTV'S STATION LICENSES TO LIBERTY MEDIA
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
On April 9, the Federal Communications Commission approved the transfer of DirecTV's satellite and earth station licenses to Liberty Entertainment. Liberty announced in September it planned to split off into a separate company Liberty Entertainment, the tracking stock that includes its Starz Entertainment premium network, its stake in satellite TV giant DirecTV, and other interests. The FCC said Thursday that the transfer of licenses from Liberty properties DirecTV, California Broadcast Center and Game Show Network to Liberty Entertainment Inc. (LEI), was in the public interest and that the new company--including DirecTV--would be held to the same conditions it applied when it approved Liberty's purchase of DirecTV. [more at the URL below]
http://benton.org/node/24265
Recommend this Headline
back to top

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

HOW SECURE IS THE US COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK?
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
A simple snip of a few fiber-optic communications cables left thousands of people in Silicon Valley and throughout parts of the San Francisco Bay Area without phone, Internet, or wireless service for more than 12 hours last week. The San Jose Police Department is investigating the incidents, which took place in two different locations in San Jose and San Carlos and classified as acts of vandalism. Now that the network is up and running again, people are asking how difficult is it to take down the nation's communications network? And should we be more worried about the fiber optic cables that ring our communities and crisscross the country carrying all of our communications? "A couple of well-placed attacks could do a lot of damage to the communications network," said Sam Greenholtz, co-founder and principal of Telecom Pragmatics, a consulting and research firm specializing in the telecommunications market. "And it's not really that hard to figure out where the fiber optic cables are laid and to get access to them."
http://benton.org/node/24264
Recommend this Headline
back to top

FCC TRYING TO ENHANCE FIRST RESPONDERS USE OF BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
On April 9, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules that will help expand and enhance first responders' deployment of broadband communication technologies across the nation in the 4.9 GHz band, thereby helping to stimulate the economy. The new rules will also better enable first responders to more easily share time-sensitive data and streaming video footage in emergencies or life-threatening incidents. Under the Order, the Commission granted primary status to (1) 4.9 GHz stand-alone, permanent fixed links that are used to deliver broadband service (such as a fixed video surveillance link used to monitor high-risk facilities or environments), and (2) permanent fixed links that connect 4.9 GHz base and mobile stations used to deliver broadband service (for such uses as supporting broadband communications at "hot-spots" and other fixed public safety broadband networks), as well as connect other public safety networks using spectrum designated for broadband use.
http://benton.org/node/24263
Recommend this Headline
back to top

BROADCASTING

NIELSEN: 3.4% OF HOUSEHOLDS STILL UNREADY FOR DTV
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Alex Weprin]
On April 7, Nielsen estimated that 3.8 million (3.4%) US households are still unprepared for the DTV transition, which will happen June 12, 2009. In the past month, 610,000 households moved into the "prepared" column. African Americans and those under 35 are still the groups most affected by the transition, with 6.2% and 6.3% unprepared, respectively. Hispanics are at 5.6% unprepared, down nearly a full percentage point in March alone.
http://benton.org/node/24262
Recommend this Headline
back to top

STUDY: FCC SHOULD MONITOR RADIO PLAYLISTS
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
Two years after being fined $12.5 million by the Federal Communications Commission as part of an anti-payola settlement and agreeing to boost airtime for independent label and local artists, major radio broadcasters have not changed their tune when it comes to composing their music playlists, according to a forthcoming report by the Future of Music Coalition. The results of the nonprofit's yearlong analysis will be released the week of April 20, and the group hopes it will spur the FCC to act.
http://benton.org/node/24261
Recommend this Headline
back to top

POLICYMAKERS

FCC SEEKS TECHNOLOGICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL NOMINATIONS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission is seeking nominations to serve on its Technological Advisory Council. The purpose of the TAC is to provide technical advice to the FCC and to make recommendations on the issues and questions presented to it by the FCC. The TAC will address questions referred to it by the FCC Chairman, the FCC Chief Technologist, the Chief of the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, or the TAC Designated Federal Officer. The questions referred to the TAC will be directed to technological and technical issues in the field of communications. Among the potential topics that the TAC may consider are spectrum policy, broadband technology and deployment, communications technology that enhances and supports public safety, Internet security, and communications technology required to support emerging systems such as the smart grid and tele-health applications. The FCC will accept nominations for the Council through May 8, 2009.
http://benton.org/node/24260
Recommend this Headline
back to top

CDT'S MORRIS NAMED TO ONLINE SAFETY AND TECHNOLOGY WORKING GROUP
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy and Technology, AUTHOR: ]
The Center for Democracy and Technology's John Morris has been appointed to the "Online Safety and Technology Working Group," run by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The working group was created under the "Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act." The 30-member working group will report on industry initiatives to promote online safety through educational efforts, as well as study the effectiveness of various safety tools and practices. The group will issue a report to the Commerce Department within a year of its first meeting. Morris was a member of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force in 2008 that convened at Harvard, following an agreement between state Attorneys General and MySpace. That Task Force also looked at online child safety issues.
http://benton.org/node/24252
Recommend this Headline
back to top

NEW LEADER OVERHAULS FORD FOUNDATION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephanie Strom]
The Ford Foundation, the nation's second-largest philanthropic institution, has begun unveiling the results of a two-year overhaul undertaken by its new leader, Luis A. Ubiñas. The changes define the foundation's work and objectives more clearly, streamline its sprawling operations and place greater emphasis on demonstrating the impact of its programs. The foundation settled on eight issues, including access to education, natural resources and sustainable development, that will be its focus. It has worked in all of those areas in the past, but they were less clearly delineated. Ubiñas went to Ford in January of last year from McKinsey & Company, a consulting firm, without previous experience in institutional philanthropy, though he had worked with several nonprofit groups.
http://benton.org/node/24250
Recommend this Headline
back to top

ASME SLAMS EW, ESPN
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Erik Sass]
With more magazines integrating advertising into their covers, last week the American Society of Magazine Editors finally felt compelled to voice its disapproval of the practice, which violated ASME editorial guidelines. ASME singled out two particularly egregious offenders, Entertainment Weekly and ESPN the Magazine, but the rebuke was clearly intended to send a message to other titles that have tried similar ad placements.
http://benton.org/node/24259
Recommend this Headline
back to top

WHAT IPHONE APPS ARE USED MOST?
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Mark Walsh]
When it comes to the type of applications iPhone owners use most, ones for checking the weather trump games, music, news and everything else. According to an upcoming report on smartphone usage by online market research firm Compete, 39% of iPhone users cited weather-related apps as one of the three kinds of applications they use most frequently. A quarter of iPhone users said Facebook's was one of three apps they accessed most often, followed by game apps, at 20%. More than 10% pointed to music-related apps. After that, the more than 100 individual apps or types of apps cited by users fell to single-digit percentages, with most less than 2%.
http://benton.org/node/24256
Recommend this Headline
back to top

TRIB TO PARE NEWSROOM 20%
[SOURCE: Crain's Chicago Business, AUTHOR: Ann Saphir]
The Chicago Tribune plans to cut another 20% of its newsroom staff in yet another bid to reduce expenses amid continuing advertising declines. Staffers were told of the impending layoffs last week, according to three people who attended a meeting on the topic. The cuts will take place over the next several weeks, the sources said. The expected cuts are the latest attempt to reduce expenses at the paper, whose parent Tribune Co. filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors in December.
http://benton.org/node/24255
Recommend this Headline
back to top

2ND GUIDANCE FOR RECOVERY ACT
[SOURCE: Office of Management and Budget, AUTHOR: Director Peter Orszag]
On April 3, the Office of Management and Budget issued the second installment of government-wide guidance for carrying out programs and activities enacted in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The 175-page memo reminds agency and department heads to: 1) develop transparent, merit-based selection criteria that will guide their available discretion in committing, obligating, or expending funds under the Recovery Act for grants and other forms of Federal financial assistance; 2) support projects that have, among other things and to the greatest extent, a demonstrated or potential ability to deliver programmatic results; optimize economic activity and the number of jobs created or saved in relation to the Federal dollars obligated; and achieve long-term public benefits by, for example, investing in technological advances in science and health to increase economic efficiency and improve quality of life; investing in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits; fostering energy independence; or improving educational quality; and 3) support projects that ensure compliance with equal opportunity laws and principles, support small businesses including disadvantaged business enterprises, engage in sound labor practices, promote local hiring, and engage with community-based organizations.
http://benton.org/node/24254
Recommend this Headline
back to top

INTERIM GUIDANCE REGARDING COMMUNICATIONS WITH LOBBYISTS ABOUT RECOVERY ACT FUNDS
[SOURCE: Office of Management and Budget, AUTHOR: Director Peter Orszag]
On April 7, the Office of Management and Budget issued a sample interim guidance memorandum for departments and agencies to be used as a template for the guidance these heads distribute to their employees. On March 20, 2009, the President issued an Executive Branch-wide Memorandum which mandates, on an initial basis, specific protocols for oral communications between agency officials and Federally registered lobbyists. The purpose of the President's Memorandum is to promote transparency in communications with Federally registered lobbyists and facilitate Federal agencies' merit-based decision-making in awarding Recovery Act funds.
http://benton.org/node/24253
Recommend this Headline
back to top

DISNEY EXPERT USES SCIENCE TO DRAW BOY VIEWERS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brooks Barnes]
Kelly Peña, or "the kid whisperer," as some Hollywood producers call her, was digging through a 12-year-old boy's dresser drawer on a recent afternoon. Her undercover mission: to unearth what makes him tick and use the findings to help the Walt Disney Company reassert itself as a cultural force among boys. Peña, a Disney researcher with a background in the casino industry, zeroed in on a ratty rock 'n' roll T-shirt. Black Sabbath? "Wearing it makes me feel like I'm going to an R-rated movie," said Dean, a shy redhead. Peña and her team of anthropologists have spent 18 months peering inside the heads of incommunicative boys in search of just that kind of psychological nugget. Disney is relying on her insights to create new entertainment for boys 6 to 14, a group that Disney used to own way back in the days of "Davy Crockett" but that has wandered in the age of more girl-friendly Disney fare like "Hannah Montana." Children can already see the results of Peña's scrutiny on Disney XD, a new cable channel and Web site.
http://benton.org/node/24251
Recommend this Headline
back to top

PUTTING TWITTER'S WORLD TO USE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Claire Cain Miller]
Individually, many of those 140-character "tweets" seem inane. But taken collectively, the stream of messages can turn Twitter into a surprisingly useful tool for solving problems and providing insights into the digital mood. By tapping into the world's collective brain, researchers of all kinds have found that if they make the effort to dig through the mundane comments, the live conversations offer an early glimpse into public sentiment — and even help them shape it.
http://benton.org/node/24249
Recommend this Headline
back to top

AMAZON SAYS ERROR REMOVED LISTINGS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Motoko Rich]
In response to nearly two days of angry online commentary, particularly on Twitter, Amazon.com said on Monday that "an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error" had caused thousands of books on its site to lose their sales rankings and become harder to find in searches. Most of the company's online critics complained that the problem appeared to have a disproportionate effect on gay and lesbian themed books, leading to cries of censorship. The titles that lost their sales rankings during the weekend included James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room," the gay romance novel "Transgressions" and "Unfriendly Fire," a recently published book about the government's policies on gays in the military. But in an e-mailed statement that came late Monday, Amazon said 57,310 books in several broad categories had been affected, including books on health and reproductive medicine.
http://benton.org/node/24248
Recommend this Headline
back to top

ON-LOCATION FILM AND TV SHOOTS IN LA HIT LOWEST LEVELS ON RECORD
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Richard Verrier]
According to Film LA, the recession and incentives from other states have caused movie location work in the Los Angeles region to fall to the lowest levels on record. Since the collapse of Southern California's aerospace industry a decade ago, the labor-intensive entertainment industry, in which hundreds of people are needed to make a single movie or TV commercial, has picked up the slack in the local economy. But as Hollywood and Madison Avenue respond to lower consumer spending by reining in production of movies and commercials, the pullbacks are having a dire effect on workers in the industry. Despite a strong start to the year at the box office, studios are reducing the number of movies they produce and laying off thousands of employees in response to weakening DVD sales, declining local TV ad revenue and diminishing sources of financing. Adding to the pain, advertisers, which have provided steady work for many actors and jobs for production workers, are making fewer commercials. They are trimming marketing budgets as consumers cut back purchases of both household and big-ticket items.
http://benton.org/node/24246
Recommend this Headline
back to top

GLOBAL AD SPENDING TO FALL BY 7%
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Tim Bradshaw]
Declines in global advertising will be much worse than expected, says a leading media buyer , which will on Tuesday unveil the grimmest forecasts yet seen for the advertising market and traditional media companies. Worldwide advertising spending, a barometer for economic confidence, will fall 6.9 per cent in 2009 to $453bn, compared with 1 per cent growth last year, predicts ZenithOptimedia, the media buying unit of Publicis, the world's fourth-largest advertising group. The forecasts outstrip rivals' figures released last month. Group M, owned by WPP, expects a 4.4 per cent decline this year and Carat, owned by Aegis, expects a 5.8 per cent drop. The outlook is gloomiest for newspapers. Spending is projected to fall 12 per cent. Radio and magazines are also grappling with double-digit declines. Television is expected to perform relatively well, with ad spending down 5.5 per cent, due to its vastly reduced prices, marketers' familiarity with the medium and evidence that consumers are also watching more television, rather than going out. In contrast, the Internet's share of advertising continues to grow, reaching a projected 12.1 per cent of overall spending.
http://benton.org/node/24245
Recommend this Headline
back to top

TECH EARNINGS WILL SHOW HOW SILICON VALLEY IS FARING IN THE DOWNTURN
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Steve Johnson]
Some of Silicon Valley's largest and most important tech companies are about to unveil earnings reports this month that will be eagerly scrutinized by analysts and investors, looking for signs about the future economic health of this region's dominant industry. Many of the profit and sales figures for the first three months of this year are bound to be unimpressive, if not downright dismal. After all, the previous quarter, by and large, was horrendous. More critically, investors and Wall Street experts will be looking at how companies describe future quarters, on the watch for any signs that the recession has bottomed out — or at least eased a bit for tech. And the fate of these companies has profound implications for Silicon Valley, which until recently has been less battered by the recession than other parts of the country, primarily because of the tech industry's strength. Few reports will be checked more closely than the one to be issued Tuesday by Intel, the world's dominant maker of chips.
http://benton.org/node/24244
Recommend this Headline
back to top

EU STARTS ACTION AGAINST BRITAIN OVER DATA PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Huw Jones]
The European Commission started legal action against Britain on Tuesday for what the EU executive called a failure to keep people's online details confidential. EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said the action related to how Internet service providers used Phorm technology to send subscribers tailor-made advertisements based on websites visited. Reding said Internet users in Britain had complained about the way the UK applied EU rules on privacy and electronic communications that were meant to prohibit interception and surveillance without the user's consent.
http://benton.org/node/24243
Recommend this Headline
back to top

THE PIRATES OF SOMALIA
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: Mark Jurkowitz]
After weeks of being fixated on grim economic news, the mainstream media narrative shifted dramatically last week to a mix of dramatic international events. Coverage of the economic meltdown fell to 15% of the newshole the week of April 6-12, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. That is the lowest level of attention to that subject since the week of President Obama's inauguration. As recently as the last week in March, the story had accounted for 41% of the coverage examined by PEJ's News Coverage Index. Not only was the faltering economy a smaller story last week, but for much of the year, other major weekly stories often intersected with the financial health of the nation. That was not the case last week. Four of the five biggest stories were unrelated to the financial crisis and together, they filled nearly one third of the overall newshole. The No. 2 story, just behind the economy at 14%, was the Somali pirates who targeted a U.S. merchant ship and triggered a high-stakes hostage drama. Next (at 8%) was Obama's overseas trip, where the media focus was on his visit to Turkey and continued outreach to the Islamic world. And two foreign crises of a very different nature rounded out the week's top-five list—the deadly earthquake in Italy (6%) and the North Korean launch of a long-range missile in defiance of much of the international community (4%).
http://benton.org/node/24242
Recommend this Headline
back to top

Email this page