September 2008

A Social Network Where You Can Be Too Social

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.

Clear Channel Set for Clearance

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.

Study: Local News Among TV's Top Shows

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.

St Paul Mayor and Media Mum on Journalism Crackdown

[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.

Journalists Concerned About Convention Arrests

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.

Presidential Campaign Websites Fail Accessibility & Usability Tests

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.

More Tune In for Republican Convention, and Gustav

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.

Republican Convention Draws 21.5 Mil Viewers on Six Networks

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.

McCain Resumes Ads With Palin Defense

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.

Fiorina and Whitman embrace McCain at GOP convention

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."

Benton

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