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BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
Old Friends in the Media See a New Side of McCain
McCain camp blames media for Palin controversy
Blurring of journalism lines in Palin story hurts public
Presidential Campaign Websites Fail Accessibility & Usability Tests
More Tune In for Republican Convention, and Gustav
Republican Convention Draws 21.5 Mil Viewers on Six Networks
McCain Resumes Ads With Palin Defense
Fiorina and Whitman embrace McCain at GOP convention
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
St Paul Mayor and Media Mum on Journalism Crackdown
Journalists Concerned About Convention Arrests
BROADCASTING
FCC Wraps Affiliation-Contract Review
Wilmington DTV Switch Is On
Professor to Document Wilmington Switch
36,000 Wilmington Households Request 67,000 TV Converter Box Coupons
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Internet traffic grows 53 percent from mid-2007
NebuAd Halts Plans For Web Tracking
Gap Widens in Online Advertising
There Is No Broadband 'Price War'
Illinois Plants 'Johnny Appleseed' Projects Promoting Broadband in State
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Tribune sells 10% stake in CareerBuilder to Gannett
Liberty Media to split off Liberty Entertainment
TELECOM
FCC Likely to Cut Back on Phone Data
Rural providers ask courts to repeal USF cap
QUICKLY -- Headline Highlights for August 2008; CPB taps Dr Susan Tave Zelman to head Education and Children's Content; A Social Network Where You Can Be Too Social; Clear Channel Set for Clearance; Study: Local News Among TV's Top Shows
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ELECTIONS & MEDIA
OLD FRIENDS IN MEDIA SEE A NEW SIDE OF MCCAIN
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jim Rutenberg]
Is Sen John McCain (R-AZ) really dissing his base to appease his party's base? The convention has already included some of the most intense attacks against journalists by a campaign in memory, with Mr. McCain's aides accusing them of biased, sexist and generally unfair coverage of his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. In the first three days here, Mr. McCain's aides have sent out news releases criticizing individual reporters for their coverage. They have canceled an interview with Larry King of CNN to protest what they viewed as unfair questioning of a spokesman by Campbell Brown. They have dismissed as "fiction" an article in The New York Times about the process of vetting Gov Palin. And McCain's chief strategist, Steve Schmidt, has accused journalists here of pursuing a "mission to destroy" Ms. Palin with "a new level of viciousness." If there is one mission Sen McCain wants to accomplish at his convention, it is to galvanize conservative voters who have shown signs of depression this year. Traditionally, one surefire way to do that has been to attack the "elitist," mainstream news media. And McCain's campaign has made its anti-news-media message central to the convention program.
http://benton.org/node/16542
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MCCAIN CAMP BLAMES MEDIA FOR PALIN CONTROVERSY
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Paul Gough]
The McCain campaign came out swinging Wednesday against the media over the controversy and coverage swirling around vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Republican National Committee Victory 2008 chair Carly Fiorina, former Massachusetts governor Jane Swift and several other high-profile GOP women accused media outlets, liberal bloggers and the Obama campaign of sexism. In a sometimes testy exchange with the assembled reporters, Fiorina and others criticized liberal Web sites and other unspecified media outlets for accusing the Alaska governor of faking a pregnancy, being part of "fringe groups" and for releasing her Social Security number on the Web. McCain campaign manager Rick Davis scolded the media for its initial reporting on Palin and her life. "Certainly, her record deserves scrutiny, but we ought to look at her record," Davis said. "The salacious nature of how these outlets have tried to throw dirt at our candidates has been inappropriate."
http://benton.org/node/16541
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BLURRING OF JOURNALISM LINES IN PALIN STORY HURTS PUBLIC
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James Rainey]
[Commentary] Although real questions have been raised about Palin, such as whether she meddled in the discipline of a state trooper once married to her sister, Us magazine already has satisfied itself that these are full-blown "scandals." And the magazine assures us the troubles are spreading "as fast as flies at a Labor Day picnic." It might be no surprise to regular readers that Us isn't taking the high road here. But one has to wonder whether the extra punch isn't somehow linked to the magazine's overlord, confirmed Barack Obama worshiper Jann Wenner. We heard it for the second day running Wednesday. The Republicans devoted much of their energy to knocking down the mythical, monolithic "media." A group of Republican women led by Carly Fiorina faced down a room full of reporters at the convention center here and demanded that the Palin "smears" stop. Former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift, in particular, railed about the unfairness of it all. I thought maybe I had missed something, so I followed Swift into the hallway. I asked her to name the legitimate news outlet that had smeared McCain's running mate. Swift looked crestfallen.
http://benton.org/node/16540
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PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN WEBSITES FAIL ACCESSIBILITY & USABILITY TESTS
[SOURCE: International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet]
The International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI) is disappointed that Presidential candidates Bob Barr, Alan Keyes, John McCain, Ralph Nader, and Barack Obama, have not made their web sites accessible to and usable by all Americans with disabilities. examples of accessibility issues from each campaign web site: 1) Obama Web Site -- Form Fields are missing labels. This can confuse users of Assistive Technology and prevent persons from disabilities from knowing what to type into the input fields. 2) McCain Web Site -- Alt Attribute Tags are missing. This means that users of Assistive Technology will not be able to tell what message the image or object is trying to convey. 3) Barr Web Site -- Multimedia presentations are missing captions or transcripts. This means that persons with hearing loss do not know what is being said. 4) Keyes Web Site -- Linked Images are missing Alt Tags or have inappropriate Alt Tags. This means that users of Assistive Technology will not be able to determine the destination of the linked image. 5) Nader Web Site -- Image Map Areas Missing Alt Text. This means that users of Assistive Technology will not be able to determine the destination of the linked image.
http://benton.org/node/16530
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MORE TUNE IN FOR REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, AND GUSTAV
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: John Rash]
Apparently, Americans are a bit more interested in hurricanes than windy speeches. That's one possible conclusion from Monday night's ratings race, which showed a cumulative 16% increase from ABC's, CBS's and NBC's Republican National Convention coverage from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST compared to the Democrats last Monday, according to the Nielsen fast-affiliate ratings. But with Hurricane Gustav blowing away most of the first day's deliberations, the anchors focused on the storm, which by nature (literally and figuratively) is a more visual, visceral story.
http://benton.org/node/16529
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REPUBLICAN CONVENTION DRAWS 21.5 MIL VIEWERS ON SIX NETWORKS
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Michele Greppi]
An estimated 21.5 million people watched the second night of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. on six television networks, according to preliminary local data from Nielsen Media Research. That measurement -- which includes ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC -- is down from the nearly 26 million people who watched New York Sen. Hillary Clinton urge unity for the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on night two of the Democrat's gathering last week in Denver. That 26 million figure took into account two additional networks, TV One and BET, which are not covering the Republican event. The 21.5 million also represents a drop from the 22.2 million watching the Republicans' event four years ago on Aug 31.
http://benton.org/node/16528
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MCCAIN RESUMES ADS WITH PALIN DEFENSE
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
After suspending its advertising during Hurricane Gustav, Sen John McCain's campaign is returning to the air to address Hurricane Palin. The ads defend the choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) for Vice President on the Republican ticket.
http://benton.org/node/16527
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FIORINA AND WHITMAN EMBRACE MCCAIN AT GOP CONVENTION
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jim Puzzanghera]
Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina were part of the Republican National Convention agenda on Wednesday night. Whitman, the former chief executive of EBay, spoke about the economy and energy. Then Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, spoke about what the first term of a McCain presidency would look like. Whitman and Fiorina are strong backers of McCain. Whitman is co-chair of McCain's campaign, while Fiorina is victory chairman for the Republican National Committee. Both have been mentioned as potential Cabinet secretaries in a McCain administration, and their names appeared on lists of potential running mates before Palin was selected. For Whitman, the 10-minute speech could help launch a political career. Fiorina has actively campaigned for McCain, touting his tech credentials, a task made somewhat harder by his admission that he was computer "illiterate."
http://benton.org/node/16526
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
ST PAUL MAYOR AND MEDIA MUM ON JOURNALISM CRACKDOWN
[SOURCE: Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Tim Karr]
[Commentary] In St. Paul this week, a new generation of media makers is under assault by the city's mayor and law enforcement officers. These local officials think free speech is a privilege that extends only to their allies in mainstream media. For the rest of us, it's is a crime. While reports of brutal police arrests and home invasions are still coming in, by Tuesday night the picture became clear. Dozens of journalists, photographers, bloggers and videomakers had been arrested in an orchestrated round up of independents covering the Republican National Convention.
http://benton.org/node/16532
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JOURNALISTS CONCERNED ABOUT CONVENTION ARRESTS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Society of Professional Journalists expressed "outrage" over arrests at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. SPJ President Clint Brewer said the group was not condemning the actions of police in maintaining public safety when the demonstrations became violent, but it was "disturbed" that the police "blurred the line between protestors and journalists" -- a line he suggested should not have been hard to distinguish. The SPJ said the incidents in Denver and Minneapolis "represent an unacceptable infringement of the rights of journalists and, ultimately, a disservice to the public." The National Association of Hispanic Journalists also denounced the arrest of journalists.
http://benton.org/node/16531
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BROADCASTING
FCC WRAPS AFFILIATION-CONTRACT REVIEW
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Federal Communications Commission Wednesday issued a declaratory ruling clarifying the do's and don'ts in affiliation contracts between networks and local TV stations -- officially ending a years-long review of those contracts. Those clarified rules of the road include the rights of stations to pre-empt shows they think are inappropriate and a prohibition on networks reserving space on station's digital channels for content they have not come up with yet. The FCC clarified that: affiliates retain ultimate control over programming, operations and critical decisions; contracts cannot allow the networks to hinder or prevent stations from rejecting programming they feel is "unsatisfactory, unsuitable or contrary to the public interest" or prevent them from pre-empting for "programming of greater local or national importance."
http://benton.org/node/16525
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WILMINGTON DTV SWITCH IS ON
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
"Everything is on for Monday," said Gary McNair, general manager of WECT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Wilmington (NC) even if a category 1 hurricane blows into town Friday or Saturday. Category one has winds of between 74 and 95 miles per hour and storm surges of 4-5 feet, with no anticipated damage to structures other than "unanchored mobile homes and shrubbery." The station is preparing to pull the plug on analog early (Monday, Sept. 8), along with four other Wilmington stations, as part of a market test of the national switch to digital Feb. 17, 2009. McNair said the plug will get pulled "unless there are lives at stake," and he doesn't expect that to be the case. Tropical storm Hanna is threatening the East Coast, but McNair said "go" status for the switch would only change "if there is a storm that was going to be here Monday. The only reason we would delay this is if we were in the thick of things right then, and I just don't see that happening."
http://benton.org/node/16524
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PROFESSOR TO DOCUMENT WILMINGTON SWITCH
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: ]
A team of students led by Elon University professor Connie Book will travel next week to Wilmington (NC) to document what happens when the first American media market transitions from traditional analog to all-digital television broadcast. The Elon team will have exclusive access to real-time reaction after the conversion is made on Sept. 8. Students will be on site at broadcast towers with digital video recorders to capture images of the moment when engineers shut down the analog signal transmitters. They will also assist local television stations with answering phones once the conversion takes effect at noon. They will survey local residents who call to complain, collecting from them demographic information, their prior knowledge about the conversion, and reasons for not buying a digital converter box. Prof Book, who has extensively researched the television industry, hopes to share data with the FCC and television networks in the lead-up to the national digital transition that takes place in February 2009.
http://benton.org/node/16523
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36,000 WILMINGTON HOUSEHOLDS REQUEST 67,000 CONVERTER BOX COUPONS
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration]
As Wilmington prepares to be the first market to transition from analog to digital television on September 8, the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that more than 36,000 Wilmington households have requested 67,000 coupons and redeemed 25,000 from the TV Converter Box Coupon Program. More than 17,000 of these households rely on television with an antenna, according to coupon applications.
http://benton.org/node/16522
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
INTERNET TRAFFIC GROWS 53 PERCENT FROM MID-2007
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Peter Svensson]
International Internet traffic kept growing in the last year, but at a slower rate than before, and carriers more than kept pace by adding more capacity, research firm TeleGeography announced Wednesday. The findings are important because some U.S. Internet service providers say they are struggling with the expansion of online traffic, and are imposing monthly download limits on heavy users. The figures from TeleGeography don't exactly correlate to average Internet usage by U.S. households, but give an indication of wider trends. TeleGeography said traffic grew 53 percent from mid-2007 to mid-2008, down from a growth rate of 61 percent in the previous 12 months. Growth on long-haul lines in the US was even slower, at 47 percent. The big increase came in regions where the Internet is less mature. Traffic between the U.S. and Latin America more than doubled.
http://benton.org/node/16538
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NEBUAD HALTS PLANS FOR WEB TRACKING
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen Nakashima]
Tech firm NebuAd has put on hold plans to widely deploy an online advertising technology that tracks consumers' every Web click while Congress reviews privacy concerns associated with the technique. The Silicon Valley company announced this week that founder and chief executive Bob Dykes was resigning. His departure comes as a number of Internet companies have suspended or canceled trials of NebuAd's controversial tracking technique, known as deep-packet inspection, marketed to companies seeking to target ads to Web users. Spokeswoman Janet McGraw said that NebuAd supports the companies "who have put their trial deployments on hold so that Congress can spend additional time addressing the privacy issues and policies associated with online behavioral advertising."
http://benton.org/node/16537
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Last Call For NebuAd? (MediaPost)
http://benton.org/node/16514
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GAP WIDENS IN ONLINE ADVERTISING
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jessica Vascellaro]
Spending on Internet advertising is climbing at a healthy clip -- rising 20% in the U.S. in the second quarter -- and growth forecasts are strong despite the weak economy. But that growth isn't being enjoyed by everyone. The gap is widening between spending on simple search ads, Google's core turf, and spending on flashier display ads, which companies such as Yahoo and Microsoft had hoped to use to gain ground on Google. Faced with a slowing economy, advertisers are sticking to what they view as the safest way to reach online customers directly: the plain text ads that appear on search-result pages.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122048683362597215.html?mod=todays_us_ma...
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THERE IS NO BROADBAND 'PRICE WAR'
[SOURCE: dslreports.com, AUTHOR: Karl Bode]
[Commentary] Yesterday the Wall Street Journal insisted there was now an erupting broadband "price war," simply because AT&T and Verizon were offering some relatively minor promotions to battle last quarter's dismal quarterly additions. The Journal's piece led to a flurry of articles that seemed to agree: yes, we're either in the midst of, or on the cusp of, a very exciting broadband industry price war -- which would be really very interesting, were it actually true.
http://benton.org/node/16521
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ILLINOIS PLANTS 'JOHNNY APPLESEED' PROJECTS PROMOTING BROADBAND IN STATE
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Drew Bennett]
In describing efforts to improve broadband in Illinois, Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn uses this analogy: "We have to be the modern-day, 21st century Johnny Appleseeds, planting good technology projects all over the state." Quinn already has a team full of "Johnny Appleseeds" working across Illinois as a part of his and Governor Rod Blagojevich's Broadband Deployment Council. Under the 2007 Illinois High Speed Internet Services and Information Technology Act (SB0766) -- which established the council -- these seeds will ensure "that all state residents and business will have access to affordable and reliable high speed Internet services." Broadband investment and policy engagement have been hallmarks of the Blagojevich administration since it first established its "Eliminate the Digital Divide" initiative. It used funds received as part of the state's settlement of the SBC/Ameritech merger. Their goal has been to expand Internet connectivity in the most underserved parts of the state. Efforts like this have been expanded and supplemented by investments in telecommunications infrastructure by municipal governments, public private partners, and universities. Today, the primary goal of Quinn's Broadband Deployment Council is to coordinate and support the seemingly endless efforts by various stakeholders in Illinois.
http://benton.org/node/16520
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
TRIBUNE SELLS 10% STAKE IN CAREERBUILDER TO GANNETT
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
Gannett Co. said Wednesday that it bought a 10 percent interest in CareerBuilder from Tribune Co. for $135 million, giving it a majority stake in the employment Web site. The deal bumps Gannett's interest in CareerBuilder up to 50.8 percent. Tribune now owns 30.8 percent of the Web site, with McClatchy Co.'s stake at 14.4 percent and Microsoft Corp.'s interest at 4 percent. The controlling interest gives Gannett, publisher of USA Today, three seats on CareerBuilder's six-seat board of directors. The other seats are held by Tribune, McClatchy and CareerBuilder.
http://benton.org/node/16519
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LIBERTY MEDIA TO SPLIT OFF LIBERTY ENTERTAINMENT
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Yinka Adegoke]
Liberty Media Corp will spin off its stake in DirecTV Group and other assets into a publicly traded company called Liberty Entertainment Group SA, taking the first step to simplify ownership of the satellite TV provider. Liberty's 50 percent stake in DirecTV will be the dominant asset in Liberty Entertainment, accounting for more than 80 percent of its value. Wall Street analysts said the long-anticipated move could eventually lead to Liberty Entertainment and DirecTV being merged into one trading entity, which would make it easier to trade the stock for acquisitions in the future.
http://benton.org/node/16518
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TELECOM
FCC LIKELY TO CUT BACK ON PHONE DATA
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amy Schatz]
On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission is expected to approve a request from AT&T to allow the company to stop filing yearly reports on service quality, customer satisfaction and infrastructure investment. Similar requests by Verizon and Qwest are also expected to be approved soon. The FCC will open up a related notice of proposed rulemaking that looks at how to improve the collection of data on complaints and other issues from phone companies, including wireless and Internet phone providers. The decision highlights a broader issue at the FCC, where data collection from phone and cable companies hasn't kept up with changes in the marketplace, as more consumers have switched to wireless and Internet phone services. Earlier this year, the agency revamped the information it collects from broadband providers and increased its definition of high-speed broadband to speeds of 768 kilobits per second or higher -- which is at the low end of what many consumers get from local cable or phone companies. A majority of the FCC's five commissioners, including Chairman Kevin Martin, agree it is time to stop requiring the reports and overhaul the reporting rules instead, according to people familiar with their thinking.
http://benton.org/node/16539
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RURAL PROVIDERS ASK COURTS TO REPEAL USF CAP
[SOURCE: RCRWireless, AUTHOR: Jeffrey Silva]
Rural wireless carriers asked a federal appeals court to review a Federal Communications Commission decision to impose an interim cap on high-cost universal service fund payments to eligible telecommunications carriers. The companies previously asked the FCC to reconsider and put on hold the controversial cap ruling in May, but they withdrew their petition for reconsideration in view of the new court appeal. The wireless providers claim the cap is based on inaccuracies, faulty assumptions, skewed legal reasoning as well as being at odds with congressional direction and the principle of competitive neutrality.
http://benton.org/node/16517
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QUICKLY
HEADLINE HIGHLIGHTS FOR AUGUST 2008
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
Ah, August. Time to relax, to vacation. Washington shuts down and heads to the beach. Presidents go to ranches. Nothing important happens in August. But not this year. With the only major test of the digital television transition waiting in the wings, the Federal Communications Commission did not take the month off and issued what may be the most important regulatory decision ever concerning the Internet. And there's no way to forget that this is an election year including telecom policy positions from Republicans and Democrats.
http://benton.org/node/16513
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CPB NAMES DR SUSAN TAVE ZELMAN SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EDUCATION AND CHILDREN'S CONTENT
[SOURCE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting]
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting named Dr. Susan Tave Zelman senior vice president for Education and Children's Content. Since 1999, Dr. Zelman has served as Ohio's Superintendent of Public Instruction. As SVP for Education and Children's Content, Zelman will develop and oversee the vision, focus and related strategy for CPB's education and children's content initiatives and manage CPB's administration of the Department of Education's Ready To Learn grant. Dr. Zelman's career in educational leadership and service spans more than 20 years.
http://benton.org/node/16515
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A SOCIAL NETWORK WHERE YOU CAN BE TOO SOCIAL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Kim Hart]
For many, Facebook has become an indispensable tool for managing their social lives. But all the friending, messaging and poking on the online social network has created a hazard: using it too much. Some people have been kicked off the popular site for adding too many friends at once; sending too many messages; joining too many groups; or "poking" too many friends, a casual greeting on the site. Shunned Facebookers said the punishment contradicts the site's core mission -- to help people connect and communicate.
http://benton.org/node/16535
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CLEAR CHANNEL SET FOR CLEARANCE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Cynthia Koons]
Investment bankers, anxious to unload $980 million of Clear Channel Communications junk bonds on their books, are preparing to sell them at a clearance-sale price, illustrating just how much the market for risky debt has deteriorated. If the deal were to sell at 75 cents on the dollar, such a discount would spell losses of about $245 million for the banks underwriting the deal.
http://benton.org/node/16534
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STUDY: LOCAL NEWS AMONG TV'S TOP SHOWS
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
Kathleen Keefe, Hearst-Argyle's vice president of sales, says that she and Research Director Matt Ross have prepared research to show that there is "more to local television than primetime and the network news." TV stations are "vibrant local businesses that produce programs that make the top 10 every day," Keefe says.
http://benton.org/node/16533
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