February 2009

Chinese Learn Limits of Online Freedom as the Filter Tightens

It was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek alternative to the stultifying variety show beamed into hundreds of millions of living rooms on the eve of each Lunar New Year holiday. But the program, called "Shanzhai," which roughly translates as "knockoff" or "underground" gala, was not to be. After television stations withdrew their promised slots, the extravaganza's producers turned to the Internet. Those who tried to download the three-hour program on Jan. 25, however, were disappointed. The show had been quashed by censors, presumably for its mockery of a hallowed state-molded institution. The incident has provoked howls among China's so-called netizens, who say it is another example of the Communist Party's heavy-handed oversight of the Web. Since early January, the government has been waging a decency campaign that has closed more than 1,500 Web sites found to contain sex, violence or "vulgarity." Numerous other sites, including Google, have responded by removing any pages that might offend puritanical sensibilities. But indecency is often in the eye of the beholder.

Media Coverage of Obama Gets Mixed and Partisan Reviews

As President Barack Obama led a media blitz Tuesday to push for his economic stimulus plan and mitigate the damage caused by the fresh exit of two high-level nominees, a sizable minority of Americans may have been watching with skeptical eyes. More than one-third (38%) do not think the media have been tough enough in their coverage of Obama, while nearly half (48%) say media coverage has been about right.

Can social networking fix U.S. image?

Is social media diplomatic window dressing or can the US Twitter its way into the hearts and minds of other countries? While the answer is somewhere in between, the U.S. cannot afford to wait while these channels are perfected in order to direct them in service of President Barack Obama's priority of renewing America's global leadership. Indeed, Mr. Obama can use the themes and technologies that helped him generate huge grass-roots support in his presidential campaign to build support for America on the world stage. There is a lot of ground to cover.

Alms for the Press?

[Commentary] We've finally reached the point at which some of the finest minds doing the biggest thinking about the battered news business believe the best eraser for red ink is ... charity. Although they weren't the first to make the pitch for newspapers on the dole, financial pros David Swensen, the chief investment officer at Yale, and his colleague Michael Schmidt gave the idea a boost last week in a New York Times op-ed. They posit that the best way to maintain the quality journalism of, say, the New York Times, would be to retool it as a nonprofit and run it from the proceeds of a $5 billion endowment. Missing from the nonprofit debate is any mention of why enough paying customers can't be found to support these news-gathering institutions if they are so vital to our "democratic constitutional system" (Coll) and "our democracy" (Swensen and Schmidt). The implication seems to be that political coverage, foreign dispatches, and investigative work are inherently noncommercial. If that's the case, has the publication of thousands of foreign, political, and investigative news stories ("quality coverage," to put it in shorthand) over the decades been an act of philanthropy by newspapers? Shafer would rather see Rupert Murdoch publish the New York Times than see it turned over to a foundation, and that's saying a lot.

Beijing launching a 'Chinese CNN' to burnish image abroad

Something was missing from Chinese state television's live coverage of President Obama's inaugural speech two weeks ago. As he recalled how "earlier generations faced down fascism and communism," viewers here were suddenly returned to the studio, where flustered presenters stumbled to fill the unexpected airtime. As officials plan to launch China's own international TV news channel in the next year or two, burnishing the country's image abroad while challenging CNN, BBC, and other broadcasters, the incident illustrates how hard it will be for Beijing to realize that dream. "China's image is very important, but the first question is the image of the medium itself," cautions Gong Wenxiang, journalism professor at Peking University. "If the medium lacks credibility, it is unthinkable that it will improve the country's image." Such reservations do not appear to be restraining official ambitions.

Rockefeller Urges TV Stations To 'Put Consumers First'

Sen Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) is encouraging broadcasters not to rush en masse to pull the plug on analog before June 12: "While broadcasters are still permitted to move forward on February 17, and some will do so, I hope that many will think of the needs of their customers and carefully weigh their options. This bill gives them an opportunity to stay the course through to June 12 until more help can be put in place." One of the Republican's arguments against moving the date was that, according to acting Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps, a majority of stations 61%, would probably move early. However, what Chairman Copps said was that 61%, or a little over a thousand stations, could move without causing interference, not that all those stations would move. Still, several hundred stations have already moved or indicated they would before or by Feb. 17, though the FCC points out some of those may decide not to now that the date has changed.

CEA Warns of Possible Converter Box Shortage

The Consumer Electronics Association said Wednesday it will update consumer education to reflect Congress's decision to move the DTV transition date from Feb. 17 to June 12, but also warned of uncertainty and possible equipment shortfalls. "CEA again pledges full support for a successful transition to digital television," said CEA President Gary Shapiro, who has long championed holding to the Feb. 17 hard date. But he added a warning: "As CEA has repeatedly cautioned, this date change will inject uncertainty into the market and may result in a shortage of converter boxes." He said that was because manufacturers and retailers had planned their inventory based on the Feb. 17 date. "CEA urges Congress and the Administration to take the necessary steps to ensure converter box availability and to urge consumers to act immediately to enjoy the benefits of DTV," said Shapiro.

House Votes to Delay Switch to Digital TV

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to extend the transition to digital television by four months, ending a debate about whether to allow consumers more time to make the switch. Broadcasters were scheduled to cease analog broadcasts on Feb. 17, as part of a long-awaited move to digital broadcasting that will make the analog spectrum available for other applications, including for use by wireless companies and public safety agencies. The new deadline is June 12. Most television owners, including those with cable or satellite connections, will not be affected by the signal change. But viewers with old antennas will lose service unless converter boxes are installed to translate the digital signals. Last month The Nielsen Company estimated that 6.5 million households are completely unprepared for the switch, meaning that no televisions in those homes are equipped to receive digital signals. President Obama supports the delay, sharing concerns that 20 million mostly poor, elderly and rural households were not ready for the congressionally mandated switch. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps said, "I welcome Congressional passage of the DTV Delay Act. It has long been clear to me--and it's even clearer since I became Acting FCC Chairman two weeks ago--that the country is not prepared to undertake a nationwide transition in twelve days without unacceptably high consumer dislocation."

Almost Everyone Had Heard About DTV Transition Date

On the same day Congress voted to move the analog cut-off date from to June 12, the Pew Research Center's weekly survey of news consumers found that almost everybody had heard at least something about the former Feb. 17 date. According to that survey, 97% of respondents had heard at least a little about the analog cut-off, and 81% said they had heard a lot. Only 3% knew nothing about the switch to digital. According to the Pew survey, 77% of households say the switch will not affect TVs they use in their households, with higher income households less likely to think the conversion will affect them than lower income households.

Finding a Converter Box Before the Big Switch

Local retailers are playing a key role in the great television switchover. They are on the front lines of the education effort, using in-store displays and public presentations. The government has certified 2,300 retailers with 34,000 locations to sell the analog-to-digital converter boxes that you will need to keep watching TV after the transition - if you have an older television set and use rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna. Only certified retailers can accept the government-issued $40 coupon towards the purchase of a converter box. At the neighborhood level, though, some retailers may be more of a hindrance than a help. The coupons expire after 90 days, putting pressure on recipients to get to the stores and make their purchase. But many stores are out of stock or offer limited choice, few - if any - carry the most economical or best models, and a number give out incorrect information. Some are even demanding unnecessary information from consumers, throwing further obstacles onto an already-rocky transition process.

Benton

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