May 2008

Though it’s late in the Bush administration, it’s still a bit too soon to discount Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and cable-industry nemesis for the past three years. Chairman Martin, who probably exits office in early 2009, can't be called a lame duck just yet. That’s because his agency still has some big issues to decide, including some worth hundreds of millions of dollars to cable. Presidential election years have a tendency to slow activity at the FCC, which is run by five White House political appointees confirmed by the Senate. But this year could be different. Chairman Martin's agenda includes the merger between XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, re-auction of public-safety spectrum and the smooth execution of the digital TV transition test in Wilmington (NC) on Sept. 8. And no one in cable can ignore the possibility that Martin might try to force cable operators to make more of their video channels available to competitors, or require cable operators to carry multiple digital-programming services beamed by local TV stations. Predicting Martin’s departure date has become something of a parlor game among the telecommunications elite inside the Beltway. If Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) or Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is elected president in November, the new Democratic president could replace Martin immediately after taking office in January. A victory by prospective GOP nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) could give Martin a few extra months in the job to allow the McCain administration to line up its appointees and get them confirmed by the Senate. A McCain campaign insider — who declined to be named — said to expect a new FCC chairman in a McCain administration.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6561970.html?nid=4262

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected Comcast's challenge of the Federal Communications Commission's decision not to grant it a waiver of its rule requiring the unbundling of security and surfing functions of its set-top boxes. Comcast had argued that it qualified for a waiver; that it needed a waiver to help deliver new digital services and migrate customers to digital; and that the FCC's decision to deny the waiver was arbitrary and capricious given that the commission granted similar waivers to others. The FCC said Comcast didn't need the waiver, adding that it was already offering digital services in all of its markets and was likely to do so absent a waiver. The court found the FCC's explanation "quite reasonable." It said, "With or without a waiver, Comcast has a strong incentive to make as many services available as possible, and to continue introducing new high-value (and high-cost) features."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6561742.html?rssid=193

[Commentary] With a preponderance of sales managers becoming TV station general managers, the pressure to squeeze more money out of understaffed stations and the flood of veterans leaving the industry -- leaving younger executives with less grounding in ethics. Here's a list of rules -- old school TV news vs new school -- to illustrate how much things have changed. Old rule: news is news. New rule: news is marketing. Old rule: news is never old New rule: news has an expiration date.
Old rule: live shots compliment the story New rule: live IS the story. Old rule: weather gets the attention it deserves New rule: rain is a lead story. Old rule: Cover the issues New rule: cover the emotions. Old rule: Staff experience is valuable New rule: 1 year is experience. Old rule: Cover breaking news New rule: make up breaking news. Old rule: Build credibility and you'll gain a bigger audience New rule: Reach more people through the Internet. Old rule: Be good storytellers New rule: more stories, less telling. Old rule: Report the facts New rule: report what people say. Old rule: Follow the news director's lead New rule: Who's the news director? Old rule: Consultants suggest New rule: Consultants control. Old rule: Ratings rule New rule: Demos dominate. Old rule: Know your community New rule: know your research. Old rule: Bad staff behavior is not tolerated New rule: address your questions to our attorneys.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2008/05/old-school-tv-n.html

[Commentary] In a world of almost unlimited viewing options, the broadcast networks need to reestablish themselves as the premier showcase of programming with the best viewer experience. Fox's "Remote-free TV" experiment is a good first step.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2008/05/16/daily.6/