January 2006

For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org

GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS
High-tech firms Fail to Justify Aid to Chinese Oppression
Google: China decision painful but right
Senator seeks Information on Subpoena of Google
In Case About Google's Secrets, Yours Are Safe

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Meet the New King of All Media
New CW Network: Who Wins, Who Loses
UPN Loss Opens Door for News Corp
There Isn't Enough Good Entertainment to Go Around
Anti-Piracy Proposal To Impact Digital Tuner Makers

TELECOM/INTERNET
Franchise Players
Broadband access creates jobs
Government study: VoIP, video can be taxed

JOURNALISM
At ABC News, Change Is Slow To Win Viewers
B-Roll Is on a Roll

ADVERTISING
Advertisers jump on board live TV
How Kellogg Ignored Warning Signs of Food Lawsuit
New Effort to Glamorize Cigarettes Launched

QUICKLY -- TV is the drug of choice for too many;=20
Congress catching on to the value of blogs;=20
'Citizens Media' Pioneer Dan Gillmor Leaving=20
Bayosphere; Music Gadget Wars; HD Radio

GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

HIGH-TECH FIRMS FAIL TO JUSTIFY AID TO CHINESE OPPRESSION
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Richard Cohen, Washington Post]
[Commentary] The Internet may be new, but not the=20
issue of whether an American corporation should=20
do business with bad people. Many an American=20
fortune was based on the slave trade or=20
exploitation of the Indians or some such=20
atrocity. According to allegations in a recent=20
book, IBM did business with Nazi Germany and,=20
more recently, a good number of U.S. corporations=20
helped the old apartheid regime in South Africa=20
with its security concerns. Still, the panting=20
willingness of American firms to do business in=20
China has produced a bumper crop of hypocritical=20
justifications. The first one, as noted, is that=20
silly stuff about adhering to local laws. The=20
second is the contention -- the slim hope,=20
actually -- that by helping China with its=20
Internet or whatever, we wonderful Americans are=20
also encouraging the growth of a middle class and=20
a concomitant interest in the writings of Thomas=20
Jefferson. In the meantime, the use of such terms=20
as "human rights" or "Dalai Lama" in the title of=20
a blog entry is not possible with the MSN blog=20
tool. In China, a typo can cost you plenty.=20
Clearly, if the Chinese market were tiny,=20
America's high-tech companies might not be=20
willing to snitch on their customers and help=20
send them to jail. But the market is vast -- an=20
astounding 1.3 billion people, 103 million of=20
them already on the Internet. (The United States,=20
with 203 million users, is about maxed out.) But=20
just as public pressure was brought on American=20
companies that helped South Africa subjugate its=20
own people, so should pressure be brought on the=20
current crop of moral dunces. Corporations are=20
legal fictions, an abstraction that lacks a=20
conscience. The people who run them, though, are=20
flesh and blood -- like Terry S. Semel, Yahoo's=20
CEO. This week he reported healthy gains. Alas,=20
he did not report the loss of a single night's sleep.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/13709126.htm
* Google=92s beautiful China paradox
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/b89f3cd0-8dd6-11da-8fda-0000779e2340.html
* Google's dilemma: privacy vs. police
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0126/p01s02-wogi.html
* Bloggers condemn Google=92s Chinese service
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/d47ae090-8dc6-11da-8fda-0000779e2340.html
* Not too evil
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-google26jan26,0,3...
784.story?coll=3Dla-news-comment
(requires registration)

GOOGLE: CHINA DECISION PAINFUL BUT RIGHT
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Ben Hirschler]
Google Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin said his=20
company's decision to self-censor its Chinese=20
search system followed a change of heart over how=20
best to foster the free flow of information. "I=20
didn't think I would come to this conclusion --=20
but eventually I came to the conclusion that more=20
information is better, even if it is not as full=20
as we would like to see," Brin said. The=20
voluntary concessions laid out on Tuesday by=20
Google parallel some of the self-censorship=20
already practiced there by global rivals such as=20
Yahoo and Microsoft, as well as domestic sites.=20
"There is no question. Google would tell you that=20
going into China is about making money, not=20
bringing democracy," John Palfrey, author of a=20
study on Chinese Internet censorship and a law=20
professor at Harvard Law School, on Google's action.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2006-01-25T200614Z_01_N25226161_RTRUKOC_0_US-GOOGLE-BRIN-INTERVIEW.xml

SENATOR SEEKS INFORMATION ON SUBPOENA OF GOOGLE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: James Vicini]
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asked Attorney General=20
Alberto Gonzales what steps are being taken to=20
protect Americans' privacy rights as the Justice=20
Department demands information about Internet=20
searches. In a letter sent Wednesday, Sen Leahy=20
asked about the types of information being=20
sought, how the department intends to use the=20
information while protecting individual privacy=20
rights and civil liberties and whether it will issue any additional subpoen=
as.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2006-01-25T180351Z_01_N2566995_RTRUKOC_0_US-GOOGLE-PRIVACY.xml&archived=
=3DFalse

IN CASE ABOUT GOOGLE'S SECRETS, YOURS ARE SAFE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Adam Liptak]
The Justice Department went to court last week to=20
try to force Google, by far the world's largest=20
Internet search engine, to turn over an entire=20
week's worth of searches. The move, which Google=20
is fighting, has alarmed its users, enraged=20
privacy advocates, changed some people's Internet=20
search habits and set off a debate about how much=20
privacy one can expect on the Web. But the case=20
itself, according to people involved in it and=20
scholars who are following it, has almost nothing=20
to do with privacy. It will turn, instead, on=20
serious but relatively routine questions about=20
trade secrets and civil procedure. The privacy=20
debate prompted by the case may thus be an=20
instance of the right answer to the wrong=20
question. As recently demonstrated by disclosures=20
of surveillance by the National Security Agency=20
and secret inquiries under the USA Patriot Act,=20
the government is aggressively collecting=20
information to combat terror. And even in=20
ordinary criminal prosecutions and in civil=20
lawsuits, Internet companies including Google=20
routinely turn over authentically private=20
information in response to focused warrants and=20
subpoenas from prosecutors and litigants.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/26/technology/26privacy.htm
(requires registration)

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

MEET THE NEW KING OF ALL MEDIA
[SOURCE: Smartmoney.com, AUTHOR: Monica Rivituso]
[Commentary] When you consider the ramifications=20
of a Disney/Pixar linkup, Steve Jobs will be=20
sitting smack in the crossroads of digital=20
convergence between entertainment and technology.=20
And if you've been following developments at all=20
in techland -- or are a consumer of, um, anything=20
-- you know there's no better place to be=20
sitting. And it's a powerful seat indeed if you=20
happen to be the person most adept at furthering=20
this marriage of technology and content. Now Jobs=20
has a position on Disney's board of directors,=20
and he's the largest individual shareholder,=20
which affords him an enormous amount of=20
influence. On top of all that, he'll still run=20
Apple. Mark my words: Jobs hasn't even gotten=20
started. As far as he's concerned, tech and=20
content haven't gone out on their first date yet,=20
let alone gotten hitched. He hasn't even begun=20
wrapping content and tech together, effectively=20
forging ahead where no one else has been able to.=20
And now he's a gazillionaire (his Disney stake is=20
estimated at $3.7 billion), so really, there's no stopping him.
http://www.smartmoney.com/Techsmart/index.cfm?story=3D20060124
* Change From Within at Disney
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/26/opinion/26thur3.html
(requires registration)

NEW CW NETWORK: WHO WINS, WHO LOSES
[SOURCE: CNN|Money, AUTHOR: Paul R. La Monica]
[Commentary] Who will be the big winner from the=20
creation of the new CW television network? Here's=20
a hint. It might not be CW or even the other=20
major TV networks. LaMonica thinks that even=20
though CW will get to cherry pick the best shows=20
from the WB and UPN, in the end some viewers are=20
going to feel left out when their shows don't=20
make it to the new network. That could drive them=20
to cable networks or Video on Demand. Some shows=20
that get dropped by the UPN or WB stand a chance=20
of getting picked up by cable as long as the=20
price is right, said Shari Anne Brill, vice=20
president of programming with Carat USA, another=20
media buying firm. As for the impact on the big=20
four networks -- CBS, ABC, FOX and NBC -- the=20
elimination of one competitor should, in theory,=20
make their own prime-time shows more attractive=20
vehicles for advertisers. There are some clear=20
losers to the merger, however. In markets where=20
both the UPN and WB are available, one of those=20
affiliate stations will be suddenly faced with a=20
big programming void to fill come September. This=20
could hurt companies ranging from media titans=20
like News Corp, which in addition to owning Fox=20
also owns some local UPN stations, to smaller=20
independent station owners such as Sinclair=20
Broadcasting. Industry watchers Schwartz said he=20
doubt that another major media company would try=20
and launch a sixth network to fill the=20
programming gap, which means that many local=20
affiliates will have to come up with content on their own.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/24/commentary/mediabiz/index.htm

UPN LOSS OPENS DOOR FOR NEWS CORP
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Joe Flint joe.flint( at )wsj.com]
In September, when UPN ceases broadcasting, News=20
Corp. will have the chance to usher in a new=20
programming strategy for its nine UPN affiliates.=20
Those stations, primarily in major markets such=20
as New York and Los Angeles, could form the=20
backbone of new TV network or some other type of=20
programming service. Options include=20
Spanish-language programs, news or reruns of Fox=20
programs. Figuring out the future of the stations=20
is the responsibility of Roger Ailes, the=20
chairman and chief executive of News Corp.'s Fox=20
News Channel and who was named last year to=20
oversee the company's TV-station group, which=20
includes the UPN affiliates, 25 stations carrying=20
the Fox network's programming and one station=20
that is independent. Mr. Ailes's background in=20
news suggests to some that he will choose to turn=20
the stations into news outlets. One option would=20
be to use news footage from Fox News Channel,=20
which would spread costs of producing the footage=20
over more outlets. But people close to Mr. Ailes=20
say there are no plans to use content from the=20
Fox News channel on the local television=20
stations. So far, News Corp. is mum on how it may=20
program the prime-time hours occupied now by UPN.=20
One possibility is using the stations as the=20
basis of a Spanish-language network, to tap the=20
expanding Hispanic market. A person close to Mr.=20
Ailes says he often tells the news divisions at=20
Fox stations in heavily Latino markets to try to=20
broaden their appeal to that group. Another=20
possible quick fix: Sibling division 20th Century=20
Fox Television is developing a large slate of=20
English-language soap operas modeled after=20
Spanish-language telenovelas. The soaps were=20
originally intended to run later at night or in=20
the early evening, but it is now likely that News=20
Corp. will slap them in prime time for fall.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113824002407356568.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)

THERE ISN'T ENOUGH GOOD ENTERTAINMENT TO GO AROUND
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Michael Hiltzik]
[Commentary] Buried not far beneath the surface=20
of Tuesday's media merger announcements was an=20
acknowledgment of two facts of life well=20
understood by oil drillers, pro sports managers,=20
and landfill operators: There are finite riches=20
in the world to be mined, and limited room to=20
dump your garbage. The expanding availability of=20
entertainment in myriad new formats has made it=20
even harder for also-rans to stay in the race,=20
but the phenomenon works differently on different=20
companies. New formats such as iPods, webcasts=20
and video game consoles make inroads against=20
traditional media such as broadcast TV; but they=20
haven't yet presented many opportunities for the=20
sale of new material by content providers like=20
Pixar and DreamWorks. Rather than expanding the=20
market for novel, niche or unheralded material,=20
the new tend to load up on material that has=20
already proven its popularity on the old.=20
Currently, the top 10 TV downloads from Apple's=20
iTunes Music Store for the new video iPod include=20
three episodes of ABC's "Lost" (which was ranked=20
No. 9 on the Nielsen ratings last week), two of=20
ABC's "Desperate Housewives" (Nielsen No. 5), and=20
three of NBC's "The Office" (No. 44, but with=20
desirably youthful and improving demographics).=20
Interestingly, the networks say that the on-air=20
ratings of these shows improve as downloads=20
increase, more evidence that as new viewing modes=20
proliferate, the rich merely get richer. As for=20
the Internet, as a breeding ground of new=20
entertainment talent, so far it's largely barren.=20
Companies from Ifilm to Amazon.com have tried to=20
make a commercial mark with Web-only film clips,=20
but it wouldn't be surprising to learn that the=20
most popular downloaded moving pictures on the=20
Web (outside of pornography) are snippets from=20
"The Daily Show" or "Saturday Night Live."
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-golden26jan26,0,439...
3.column?coll=3Dla-headlines-frontpage
(requires registration)

ANTI-PIRACY PROPOSAL TO IMPACT DIGITAL TUNER MAKERS
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
On Tuesday Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens=20
(R-Alaska) said he would push his committee to=20
impose the anti-piracy "broadcast flag"=20
technology upon makers of digital television=20
devices even if negotiations with public interest=20
groups fail. But Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) issued a=20
broadside against the whole concept. "I don't=20
know of a case where we were discussing such a=20
dramatic step, where the federal government would=20
mandate such a technology to be incorporated in=20
all this material," said Sununu. Referencing=20
studios' concerns about piracy, he said, "Maybe=20
the sky really is falling this time, but it is=20
worth suggesting a little bit of skepticism, a=20
little bit of doubt as we entertain this."
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-GQPV1138223974543.html
* Anti-Piracy Technology Raises Red Flags
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-KXBZ1138223142557.html

TELECOM/INTERNET

FRANCHISE PLAYERS
[SOURCE: Governing.com, AUTHOR: Christopher Swope]
[Commentary] The U.S. Conference of Mayors is=20
meeting in Washington this week. The big issue is=20
about how to handle local television franchises.=20
The Baby Bells, who aren't such babies any more,=20
are rolling out video services to compete with=20
cable TV. The telecoms don't want to pursue=20
franchise agreements with each city they serve,=20
as cable companies have done for years. Rather,=20
they'd like to see franchising on a statewide=20
basis (as Texas passed last year) or wrap a=20
national-level franchise agreement into a=20
re-write of the federal Telecommunications Act.=20
The mayors are irate about this, for several=20
reasons. First, cities collect a good bit of=20
revenue from their video franchises. Second, in=20
return for those franchises, cities often=20
negotiate public-interest perks such as public=20
access channels. But perhaps their biggest issue=20
is really a matter of regulatory control. Mayors=20
want some recourse when Big Telecom comes to town=20
and digs up roads to lay their fiber optic lines.=20
They don't want to have to go to the state=20
capitol or to Washington to get any resulting potholes fixed.
http://governing.typepad.com/13thfloor/2006/01/franchise_playe.html

BROADBAND ACCESS CREATES JOBS
[SOURCE: Ars Technica, AUTHOR: Nate Anderson]
[Commentary] A new study by researchers at=20
Carnegie Mellon and MIT provides strong empirical=20
evidence for the claim that broadband Internet=20
access drives economic growth. The report looks=20
at data from 1998 through the end of 2002 and=20
finds that there is a strong correlation between=20
residential and small business broadband access=20
(cable, DSL, and satellite) in any particular ZIP=20
code and that area's job growth, IT growth, and=20
rise in rates for rental housing (which are used=20
as a proxy for property values). The upshot of=20
the report is that broadband availability is good=20
for the economy, which begs the obvious question=20
of why the US government has done relatively little to promote it.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060124-6037.html
* Measuring Broadband's Economic Impact
http://www.broadbandproperties.com/2005issues/dec05issues/Measuring%20Br...
band%20Eco%20Impact,%20Lehr,%20Gilett,%20Sirbu.pdf

GOVERNMENT STUDY: VOIP, VIDEO CAN BE TAXED
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
State and local governments may be able to tax=20
certain aspects of Internet use under an existing=20
federal law designed to ban such fees, a=20
Government Accountability Office report concluded=20
earlier this week. The Internet Tax Freedom Act,=20
passed in 1998 and renewed in 2004, prevents=20
state and local governments from taxing "a=20
service that enables users to access content,=20
information, electronic mail or other services=20
offered over the Internet." Services like voice=20
over Internet Protocol (VoIP), traditional=20
telephone service and video offerings by Internet=20
service providers remain fair game for taxation=20
under the law, the GAO said. The scope of the=20
moratorium has nothing to do with sales taxes for=20
Internet purchases. At issue is the auditors'=20
finding that the tax ban doesn't apply to=20
"acquired services" -- in short, the actual=20
wires, cables, fibers and other hardware used to=20
carry Internet traffic to customers. That means=20
an Internet service provider that leases fiber=20
from a telecommunications company for its network=20
could theoretically be subject to taxes during that "wholesale" transaction.
http://news.com.com/Government+study+VoIP,+video+can+be+taxed/2100-1028_...
031256.html?tag=3Dhtml.alert
* GAO Report:
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-273

JOURNALISM

AT ABC NEWS, CHANGE IS SLOW TO WIN VIEWERS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Brooks Barnes brooks.barnes( at )wsj.com]
More than its rivals, ABC has tried to shake up=20
how television news is gathered and presented.=20
Earlier this month, ABC News tried officially to=20
step out of the old television news era and into=20
the new, with the installation of Elizabeth=20
Vargas and Bob Woodruff as co-anchors of "World=20
News Tonight." Instead of sitting behind a desk=20
reading headlines, the two would-be=20
globe-trotting correspondents run the evening=20
newscast from the field while filing daily=20
dispatches for video iPods and the Web. But the=20
bold approach hasn't paid ratings dividends yet.=20
The competition in TV news is such that even flat=20
ratings are considered a success: ABC notes that=20
"World News Tonight" is improving in certain=20
markets by double-digit margins, particularly on=20
the West Coast. ABC has made an effort to cover=20
more West Coast stories closely, and it now=20
provides a live broadcast for the West Coast=20
instead of re-airing the East Coast newscast, with news updates as needed.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113824520736556731.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)

B-ROLL IS ON A ROLL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The appetite for stock footage and video news=20
releases (VNRs) from major news outlets continues=20
to grow, according to The NewsMarket, which is an=20
online platform for delivery of clips and VNRs.=20
It had 128,000-plus requests for footage in 2005,=20
up 95% from the year before, with the large=20
majority of that stock footage. Those requests,=20
from outlets including CNN, CNBC, BBC, Fox News=20
and Bloomberg TV, were primarily for stock=20
footage--B-roll and sound bites. Companies=20
supplying the footage included AOL, Nissan,=20
Volvo, International Monetary Fund, ITT, Pfizer,=20
Medtronic, the U.S. State Department, U.K.=20
Ministry of Defense and Schering Plough.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6301763?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

ADVERTISING

ADVERTISERS JUMP ON BOARD LIVE TV
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Laura Petrecca]
Broadcast TV's biggest live events are bigger=20
than ever with advertisers. In a world of=20
ad-zapping digital video recorders, cable=20
video-on-demand and ad-free TV off the Internet,=20
the live Super Bowl and Oscars are among the last=20
examples of appointment TV. Such big sports and=20
award shows are =93TiVo-proof programming,=94 says=20
Sam Armando, TV research director at ad-buying=20
firm Starcom. People want to watch these=20
pop-culture events in real time =97 to be=20
in-the-know and to not spoil the ending, he=20
says. Like most network TV, the two have had=20
some viewership erosion: 4% for last year's Super=20
Bowl vs. 2004, 3% for the Academy Awards. Still,=20
just under 90 million viewers are expected for=20
the Super Bowl, more than 40 million for the=20
Academy Awards. That bulk plus DVR immunity means=20
ad rates aren't eroding. ABC is getting an=20
average $2.5 million for 30 seconds in the Feb. 5=20
Super Bowl, up from $2.4 million last year. For=20
30 seconds in the March 5 Oscars, ABC is pulling=20
in $1.7 million, up 6%. =93Mass TV audiences are=20
quickly becoming a rarity, so events like the=20
Super Bowl will always be important for=20
advertisers,=94 says Ben Macklin, an analyst at=20
trend tracker eMarketer. =93Live TV seems to be the=20
new prime time, with DVR users far less likely to=20
skip ads and record programs for later viewing.=94
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060126/1b_mustseetv26.art.htm

HOW KELLOGG IGNORED WARNING SIGNS OF FOOD LAWSUIT
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Stephanie Thompson]
The $2 billion lawsuit filed against Kellogg for=20
marketing junk food to children could have=20
targeted almost any food industry player, so why=20
Kellogg? Unlike other corporations in the=20
industry, Kellogg seemingly ignored warning signs=20
that the growing chatter over childhood obesity=20
would lead down a path to litigation. Kellogg has=20
stood by its existing products and strategies and=20
made few changes to adapt to the newly=20
nutrition-minded world. The irony is that Kellogg=20
was founded on principles of health and wellness,=20
and in the 1970s broke ground by pressing the=20
Food and Drug Administration to allow marketers=20
to use health claims. Today, it=92s drawing the ire=20
of the Center for Science in the Public Interest=20
and other special-interest groups.
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=3D47592

NEW EFFORT TO GLAMORIZE CIGARETTES LAUNCHED
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Rich Thomaselli]
In a controversial bid to revive the romance of a=20
habit that=92s costly, potentially deadly and=20
increasingly on the social fringes, R.J. Reynolds=20
is openly celebrating cigarette smoking. Its new=20
Chicago smoking lounge, critics fear, could set a=20
brazen tone for a new phase in the marketing of a=20
product that once plastered magazines, billboards=20
and sporting events with iconic images and bright=20
logos. While the focus seems to be on the core=20
customers who drive revenue -- existing smokers=20
-- there are fears that RJR=92s plan could make its=20
products appealing to teens, setting up a new=20
generation of consumers. Despite restrictions,=20
the Federal Trade Commission reported that the=20
industry spent $15.15 billion on advertising,=20
marketing, discounts and other promotions in=20
2003, the last year figures were available. That=20
was up 21.5% from 2002 spending.
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=3D47590

QUICKLY

TV IS THE DRUG OF CHOICE FOR TOO MANY
[SOURCE: Anchorage Daily News, AUTHOR: Chris Rose]
[Comentary] My concern is that people are letting=20
democracy slip though their fingers as they sit=20
glued to the tube. It's really not too far of a=20
stretch to liken people being "on" TV with people=20
being "on" drugs. In fact, a study by Rutgers=20
psychologist Robert Kubey concludes that millions=20
of Americans are so hooked on television that=20
they fit the criteria for "substance dependence"=20
as defined by the American Psychiatric=20
Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual=20
of Mental Disorders. Those symptoms include using=20
TV as a sedative; indiscriminate viewing; feeling=20
loss of control while viewing; feeling angry with=20
oneself for watching too much; an inability to=20
stop watching; and feeling miserable when kept=20
from watching. We all better start living just a=20
tiny bit more like we did before TV began to dominate us.
http://www.adn.com/opinion/guest_columns/story/7389253p-7301512c.html

CONGRESS CATCHING ON TO THE VALUE OF BLOGS
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Daniel Terdiman]
Members of Congress are slowly putting aside=20
mistrust of the Internet and starting their own blogs.
http://news.com.com/Congress+catching+on+to+the+value+of+blogs/2100-1028...
6031314.html?tag=3Dnefd.lede

'CITIZENS MEDIA' PIONEER DAN GILLMOR LEAVING BAYOSPHERE
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher, AUTHOR: Miki Johnson]
Dan Gillmor leaving the San Francisco-based=20
citizen journalism venture he started a little=20
over a year ago. Gillmor has already moved on to=20
a new project, the Center for Citizen Media, a=20
nonprofit online resource affiliated with the=20
University of California, Berkeley's Graduate=20
School of Journalism and the Berkman Center for=20
Internet & Society at Harvard University Law School.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
t_id=3D1001918492

A POLICY OF NEUTRALITY FOR NOW, IN THE MUSIC GADGET WARS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Leslie Walker]
[Commentary] Digital music, already in chaos for=20
several years, will change even more in 2006=20
thanks to the advent of a stunning variety of=20
mobile devices and services. Even the companies=20
that are releasing new products aren't making me=20
feel much better -- after all, it seems like=20
they're rolling the dice, hoping that the music=20
format or product line they offer will be the one=20
that consumers will fall in love with.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/25/AR200601...
2020.html
(requires registration)

HD RADIO
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: ?]
[Commentary] A look at the advent of digital radio broadcasts.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060126/b_baig_26.art.htm
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Communications-related Headlines is a free online=20
news summary service provided by the Benton=20
Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday=20
through Friday, this service provides updates on=20
important industry developments, policy issues,=20
and other related news events. While the=20
summaries are factually accurate, their often=20
informal tone does not always represent the tone=20
of the original articles. Headlines are compiled=20
by Kevin Taglang headlines( at )benton.org -- we welcome your comments.
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