Oct 27, 2008 (Take TV off the air)
"Take TV off the air."
-- Michael Calabrese, New American Foundation's Wireless Future Program
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for MONDAY OCTOBER 27, 2008
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WHITE SPACES DEBATE
Rep Dingell questions White Spaces plan
'Take TV Off the Air,' Says NAF's Calabrese
OTA TV Under Attack, Time to Fight Back
Why We Need White Space Broadband
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
Does political TV advertising work?
Campaign Gravy Train at an End
Ad Firm Calls It for Obama
Sarah Palin: future media star?
THE ECONOMY
EU's Reding says credit crunch may hit new telcos
For tech, a tale of two downturns
Tech teeters on the brink of a recession
Bad economy good news for low-rated TV shows
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Telemedicine Could Save $197 Billion, But Only With 'Smart Networks'
Forrester: Social Web Now Mainstream
Sputnik Moment: The Call for a National Broadband Policy
Is surfing the Internet altering your brain?
Remembering Al Gore and government's tech role
JOURNALISM
Some Newspapers Shed Unprofitable Readers
Tribune's DC bureau faces cutbacks
ADVERTISING
SAG Again Urges FCC to Boost Disclosure on Product Placement
Russia blocks big Google ad deal
QUICKLY -- Reding to offer concessions to EU telecommunications regulators; Schools mull digital TV's implications; EBay Exec: New Congress Must Tackle Antitrust Issues; bgC3: Bill Gates' mysterious new company
WHITE SPACES DEBATE
REP DINGELL QUESTIONS WHITE SPACES PLAN
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Kim Dixon]
House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) joined a growing chorus asking Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin martin to explain his plan to open unused airwaves for wireless devices. Chairman Dingell has sent Chairman Martin a list of questions including whether an FCC engineering report was peer reviewed, and how the agency would deal with interference from broadcast signals if it occurs. "Why did the Commission decline to adopt a licensed approach to some of all of this spectrum?" Chairman Dingell, wrote, reflecting the concerns of the broadcasters and other opponents of the plan. Chairman Dingell is asking the FCC to respond to his questions by Friday, four days before the FCC is scheduled to vote on the proposal. Sen John Kerry (D-MA) sent Chairman Martin a letter Friday saying the FCC should vote on the proposal on Nov 4 as planned.
http://benton.org/node/18183
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'TAKE TV OFF THE AIR," SAYS NAF'S CALABRESE
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: ]
Michael Calabrese, director of the foundation's Wireless Future Program, said policymakers should "Take TV off the air" in a few years because smart radio technology is ready to provide wireless broadband without interference. To open all TV spectrum to wireless broadband, over-the-air broadcasts should be replaced entirely by cable, satellite and Internet viewing, he said. All channels should be available by broadband, with the government possibly subsidizing cable and satellite providers to deliver free Lifeline service, Calabrese said.
http://benton.org/node/18182
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OTA TV UNDER ATTACK, TIME TO FIGHT BACK
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: Harry Jessell]
[Commentary] Free, universal, over-the air television: It's an extraordinary service whose roots plunge nine decades deep into American history. Yet, there are folks who believe that this service has absolutely no value. And what's frightening is that they now have the ear of the Federal Communications Commission. Google, Microsoft and other well-heeled high-tech companies are pushing hard to get FCC permission to unleash countless unlicensed wireless devices into the broadcast spectrum that could disrupt the over-the-air service and lead to its eventual demise. And that is apparently what they are trying to do. They don't want to share the broadcast spectrum as they are telling the FCC commissioners. They want it all.
http://benton.org/node/18181
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WHY WE NEED WHITE SPACE BROADBAND
[SOURCE: PC Magazine, AUTHOR: Sascha Segan]
[Commentary] White-space wireless promises to fix one of rural America's big problems: a lack of broadband connectivity. Because it takes a lot of money to run miles of wires, plenty of people in rural areas are stuck with slow dial-up or unreliable satellite connections. Most exciting is the possibility that white-space wireless might be unlicensed: It might be open to anyone who can build a qualifying devicenot just to one big company that can buy up the rights. Unlicensed spectrum creates low prices, competition, and innovationjust look at Wi-Fi. The FCC already has approved white-space broadband for "fixed" devices like home modems; now it's debating "mobile" devices like phones and laptop air cards. Yes, we need to make sure that white space doesn't interfere with TV, our precious, precious TV. But we need to keep up pressure on our Members of Congress and the government to tell them we want unlicensed white-space access. Everyone deserves the Internet.
http://benton.org/node/18180
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ELECTIONS & MEDIA
DOES POLITICAL TV ADVERTISING WORK?
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: Brian Lowry]
Armed with an unprecedented $600 million war chest, Sen Barack Obama (D-IL) is flooding the zone with ads in the presidential campaign's home stretch, including a half-hour primetime political infomercial Oct. 29 that will air on multiple networks. Without putting too fine a point on it, if that aerial assault doesn't help the Democratic nominee close the deal, it would seem to be bad news for network sales operations, which have long clung to the pitch that their medium -- beleaguered and battered as it is -- remains the best marketing tool ever devised. The deflating message for television if Sen Obama loses will be that his advertising avalanche didn't yield the intended result -- raising new red flags about TV's ability to move a product, diluted as it is by digital video recorders, ad-skipping and overall fragmentation.
http://benton.org/node/18179
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CAMPAIGN GRAVY TRAIN AT AN END
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Carr]
For the last several months, local television stations, and to some degree TV networks, have been frolicking in all the money spilled by the Democratic campaign and the efforts of the Republicans to play catch-up. Given all of the bailing that the government has been doing in the private sector, perhaps it is only fitting that politics has been a lifesaver for a media industry. It is one of the certainties of democracy that America will never run out of hot air. Campaign advertising comes and goes in two-year cycles, with presidential years being a particular bonanza, and then it reliably goes away. But the bubble was bigger this year: In the last presidential election cycle, all political advertising spending was about $1.7 billion. This year it will be $2.5 billion, according to current estimates. The bullish year in broadcast political bull has served as something of a Band-Aid on a hemorrhaging ad market. Pulling that bandage off on Nov. 5 is going to hurt.
http://benton.org/node/18188
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MPG'S RESONANCE CALLS IT FOR OBAMA
[SOURCE: AdWeek, AUTHOR: Steve McClellan]
MPG, an agency owned by global advertising and communications services group Havas, is predicting that Sen Barack Obama will win the 2008 presidential election. OK, sure, a number of people are doing that, but MPG is even providing the margin of victory in the battleground states, as opposed to identifying which candidate is ahead at the present time, which is what most polls indicate. According to Joe Abruzzo, evp, research at MPG who oversaw the development of Resonance, the tool uses "agent-based" algorithm modeling to predict consumer behavior. The shop is rolling out the new tool to clients to help them predict behavior and consumer attitudes toward products and brands. For the election prediction, MPG tabulated the responses of 1,200 "likely" voters that were quizzed on a number of issues concerning the two presidential candidates such as trust, leadership and consistency of their stands. Also tossed into the mix: views being expressed across the blogosphere, as well as the media strategies and messages that the candidates are likely to use in the remaining weeks of the campaign.
http://benton.org/node/18178
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SARAH PALIN: FUTURE MEDIA STAR?
[SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter, AUTHOR: Andrew Wallenstein, Steven Zeitchik]
As campaign managers for Gov Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) plot last-minute tactics to get her elected, Hollywood bigwigs are convening strategy sessions of their own. Their goal: finding the ideal on-air vehicle for the VP candidate if and when she exits politics. Options range from an Oprah-style syndicated talk show to a Sean Hannity-like perch in cable news or on radio. "Any television person who sees the numbers when she appears on anything would say Sarah Palin would be great," said veteran morning-show producer Steve Friedman, citing the double-digit ratings gains her appearances on "Saturday Night Live" and "CBS Evening News" generated. "The passion she has on each side, love and hate, makes television people say, 'Wow, imagine the viewership.' " Although none of the execs has -- at least as far as anyone is admitting -- made direct overtures to the Alaska governor, they are readying their battle plans if she decides to give up her day job.
http://benton.org/node/18177
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THE ECONOMY
EU'S REDING SAYS CREDIT CRUNCH MAY HIT NEW TELCOS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Nicola Leske]
European Union Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said the global financial crisis may hit new telecommunications operators harder than the established firms and argued against calls for lighter regulation of the industry. Attending an event in Venice organized by the European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO), she told more than a dozen chief executives of European telco operators and suppliers, "Some of you also have come to me in the past weeks and told me that now, because of the financial crisis, it would be time to soften or even to abandon telecoms regulation." But she argued the financial crisis had strengthened the case of those who argued for closer regulation of that sector. "There is a very interesting lesson from the ongoing financial crisis for the overall perception of regulation. It is certainly not over-regulation that has caused the financial crisis," Reding said.
http://benton.org/node/18176
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FOR TECH, A TALE OF TWO DOWNTURNS
[SOURCE: Fortune, AUTHOR: Jon Fortt]
Is tech falling apart or not? Depends on what kind of company you are. A global economic tempest continues to is gather force, as businesses struggle to get credit, consumers fret about the job market, and spending slows. Tech is already feeling the effects; the younger and weaker companies are laying off workers and selling off assets while the stronger ones are taking a wait-and-see approach and pleading for calm. To use a sailing metaphor: Those on less-than-sea-worthy vessels are tossing the heavy stuff overboard to stay afloat. Those on sturdier ships hope to ride it out. Of course, if a deep global recession hits, no one will be totally immune; when customers spend less money, companies sell less stuff, and earnings and stock prices naturally suffer. "I think this downturn feels more like uncharted territory," said Sandy Carter, an IBM vice president who works on software that helps companies analyze their performance. "It seems more deep, more impactful and more global."
http://benton.org/node/18175
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TECH TEETERS ON BRINK OF RECESSION
[SOURCE: Fortune, AUTHOR: Scott Moritz]
The tech sector took another beating Friday as fears of a global recession fed a widespread market selloff. The pervasive selling mood has intensified after a string of third quarter earnings announcements. Citing concerns about the ailing economy and a sudden slump in orders, several big players offered bleak sales outlooks and lowered their financial targets. Tech's recovery hinges on the buying power of consumers and large businesses. Declining home values and rising unemployment have put consumers under pressure. And drooping sales in a tough credit market haven't exactly encouraged businesses to beef up IT spending. It's possible that "2009 could be a trough" where stocks hit a bottom and start to rally ahead of a recovery. But given how hard it is to predict the severity of the downturn, pegging the timing of the recovery could prove even harder to get right.
http://benton.org/node/18174
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BAD ECONOMY GOOD NEWS FOR LOW-RATED TV SHOWS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: James Hibberd]
Industry observers say the recent cluster of low-rated shows granted full-season orders might have something to do with network executives watching the plunging Dow rather than their shows' falling Nielsens. No execs would talk on the record, but the economic crisis, combined with the cost of marketing a new series, the lack of new programing inventory because of the Hollywood writers strike and the anticipated difficulty of locking down new advertiser commitments, has networks inclined to play it safe.
http://benton.org/node/18186
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
EXPERT: TELEMEDICINE COULD SAVE $197 BILLION, BUT ONLY WITH 'SMART NETWORKS'
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
Broadband-enabled improvements to health care could save $197 billion over 25 years, but only if carriers had the incentives and freedom to deploy so-called "smart networks," according a study financed by AT&T. Widespread broadband deployment would be necessary to achieve these savings, according to the study, report author Robert Litan, vice president of research and policy at the Kauffman Foundation. The 63-page report, "Vital Signs Via Broadband: Remote Health Monitoring Transmits Savings, Enhances Lives," was presented at a press briefing by Better Health Care Together. The group seeks comprehensive changes in the health care system. Senior citizens generally lag in technology adoption. But because they are likely to be the greatest beneficiaries of widespread broadband-enabled health monitoring, it may be necessary for the government to incentive broadband adoption if it wants to realize those savings, said Litan. Among the incentives that should be deployed, said Litan, are investments in Internet education, rural broadband infrastructure and "telecommunications policies that allow broadband providers to experiment with different offering that attract marginal users without sacrificing profits on other users," according to a summary of recommendations. In his remarks, Litan said: "We need not only a take-up of broadband, but a take-up of smart broadband, or smart networks."
http://benton.org/node/18173
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FORRESTER: SOCIAL WEB NOW MAINSTREAM
[SOURCE: AdWeek, AUTHOR: Brian Morrissey]
US consumers are flocking to use social networks and other participatory venues to the extent that the activity is now mainstream, according to Forrester Research. The company's polling indicates 2008 has marked significant growth for social media, with a decided majority of users now taking part. A consumer poll done in the second quarter found that 75 percent of Internet users participate in some form of social media, up from 56 percent in 2007.
http://benton.org/node/18172
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SPUTNIK MOMENT: THE CALL FOR A NATIONAL BROADBAND POLICY
[SOURCE: Strategy Analytics, AUTHOR: Ben Piper]
The Soviet Union's successful launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 served as a rude awakening for the United States. That single act catapulted the two nations into a space race, and the US came to realize that it was no longer the putative technology leader. Fifty years later, America finds itself in a similar situation—increasingly outpaced by other developed nations in terms of broadband deployment, penetration, availability and affordability. With broadband vital to so many aspects of our daily lives, can the US afford to fall behind? Has America reached yet another Sputnik moment?
http://benton.org/node/18171
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IS SURFING THE INTERNET ALTERING YOUR BRAIN?
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Belinda Goldsmith]
The Internet is not just changing the way people live but altering the way our brains work with a neuroscientist arguing this is an evolutionary change which will put the tech-savvy at the top of the new social order. Gary Small, a neuroscientist at UCLA in California who specializes in brain function, has found through studies that Internet searching and text messaging has made brains more adept at filtering information and making snap decisions. But while technology can accelerate learning and boost creativity it can have drawbacks as it can create Internet addicts whose only friends are virtual and has sparked a dramatic rise in Attention Deficit Disorder diagnoses.
http://benton.org/node/18185
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REMEMBERING AL GORE AND GOVERNMENT'S TECH ROLE
[SOURCE: FierceTelecom, AUTHOR: Doug Mohney]
[Commentary] Before he set out to save the planet, Al Gore played a key role in cultivating the Internet that is often forgotten today. With the Presidential election less than two weeks away, it is instructive to look back at how properly directed government leadership can stimulate meaningful change - without spending billions of dollars. Back in 1994, Vice President Gore issued marching orders to all executive branch agencies to get a web presence by that fall. There were no excuses or exceptions accepted - every federal agency from the Consumer Products Safety Commission to the Central Intelligence Agency had to get a web site up. The action ended up providing two benefits to the embryonic commercial Internet. First, it provided Internet startups with an array of "name" customers outside of the traditional university geeks and high-tech companies that had been using the 'net for email. Secondly, a lot of content appeared online that Joe Citizen could suddenly get for "free."
http://benton.org/node/18169
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JOURNALISM
SOME NEWSPAPERS SHED UNPROFITABLE READERS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Russell Adams, Shira Ovide]
Already struggling from the industry's worst stretch in decades, most of the largest U.S. newspapers saw a decline in print circulation in the six months through September, according to industry estimates of data the Audit Bureau of Circulations is releasing Monday. But the reality is in some ways less bleak than the latest numbers indicate: Some newspapers have raised newsstand prices, curtailed discounted copies and halted delivery to the least profitable customers. Also, while print circulation has been declining for years as readers continue their mass migration to the Web, many publishers point out they are reaching more readers than before through print and online. The problem for publishers is the printed paper commands higher ad rates than the Web so even as more people read newspaper content, the papers pull in less money.
http://benton.org/node/18187
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TRIBUNE'S DC BUREAU LOOKS TO CHICAGO
[SOURCE: Politico.com, AUTHOR: Michael Calderone]
With the Tribune Company cutting back across its various holdings, Washington (DC) staffers expect major changes to rock the bureau after election day. Fiery owner Sam Zell believes the Washington operation is bloated, and needs to be streamlined to avoid coverage overlap between the company's papers. During the conventions, Tribune papers worked more closely together than before, and there are meetings daily between bureau chiefs. But further consolidation is ahead.
http://benton.org/node/18165
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ADVERTISING
SAG AGAIN URGES FCC TO BOOST DISCLOSURE ON PRODUCT PLACEMENT
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Ira Teinowitz]
The Screen Actors Guild is reiterating its position that the Federal Communications Commission should take an in-between step on TV product placement: Heighten requirements for disclosure at each show's beginning and end, but not every time a product is seen. In comments filed at the FCC, SAG suggested that despite what advertisers and broadcasters say, "stealth messages" are blurring the line between programming and advertising. The FCC is examining whether its current requirements for product placement disclosure go far enough. Some critics of product placement have urged the FCC to require disclosures every time a paid product placement is seen on a show. Advertisers and broadcasters, meanwhile, have questioned whether consumers are really being misled and questioned the need for changes. SAG, which had earlier expressed its concerns, in its latest comments said there are problems with product placement, but the better answer was to require clear video and audio disclosure of the products' use at the beginning and end of each program.
http://benton.org/node/18170
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RUSSIA BLOCKS BIG GOOGLE AD DEAL
[SOURCE: TheDeal.com, AUTHOR: ]
Russia's antitrust regulators blocked Google's $140 million acquisition of contextual online advertiser ZAO Begun. On Thursday, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, or FAS, refused Google's application to buy the unit from search engine operator Rambler Media.
http://benton.org/node/18166
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QUICKLY
COMMISSIONER TO OFFER CONCESSIONS TO EU TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATORS
[SOURCE: International Herald Tribune, AUTHOR: Kevin O'Brien]
Facing opposition in Brussels, the European Union's telecommunications commissioner, Viviane Reding, is scaling back her proposal to create a new Europewide telecommunications agency with the power to intervene in national markets to mandate consumer-friendly changes in regulation and pricing. Reding may propose a compromise that would reduce the staff of the new agency to 20 from 50 and give the telecommunications regulators from the 27 EU countries - most of which do not want the new overseer - an effective veto over any decisions taken by the new agency.
http://benton.org/node/18168
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SCHOOLS MULL DIGITAL TV'S IMPLICATIONS
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: ]
US schools have less than four months to prepare for the switch from analog to digital TV broadcasting. But there is still a great deal of confusion about what, exactly, this switch will entail -- and whether schools and other institutions are ready. The impending switch has prompted many school technologists to consider "what-if" scenarios. One of their chief concerns is whether the coaxial radio-frequency cable networks that currently carry analog TV content in schools will be able to handle digital content adequately.
http://benton.org/node/18167
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EBAY EXEC: NEW CONGRESS MUST TACKLE ANTITRUST ISSUES
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Andrew Noyes]
eBay deputy general counsel Tod Cohen believes the 111th Congress should reverse a 2007 Supreme Court decision that overturned nearly 100 years of antitrust precedent. The 5-4 ruling allows manufacturers to set a minimum price below which a retailer cannot sell a manufacturer's product, which some believe threatens the existence of discounting and discount stores and could lead to higher prices for consumers.
http://benton.org/node/18164
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BGC3: BILL GATES' MYSTERIOUS NEW COMPANY
[SOURCE: TechFlash, AUTHOR: Todd Bishop, Eric Engleman]
Bill Gates is creating a new company -- called bgC3 -- described as a think tank that may serve as a vehicle to coordinate the software mogul's work on his business and philanthropic endeavors. However, bgC3 will also oversee Gates' personal pursuit of breakthrough ideas in science and technology.
http://benton.org/node/18163
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