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November 2009

Will Arbitron's Personal People Meter Silence Minority Owned Radio Stations?

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
2154 Rayburn House Office building
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 At 10:00 AM

Chairman Edolphus "Ed" Towns (D-NY) today announced that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is set to hold a hearing on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 to examine Arbitron's radio audience measurement device, the Portable People Meter (PPM), and its effect on diversity in radio broadcasting. Specifically, the Committee will examine whether the PPM technology and methodology accurately measure radio audiences and whether PPM has a disproportionately negative impact on radio stations owned by minorities or targeted toward minority listeners.

"With an unprecedented decline in ratings among popular minority television and radio stations, we must explore the possibility of methodological flaws in the implementation of the PPM," said Chairman Towns. "As it stands now, the current system jeopardizes the future of minority broadcasting."

The hearing will examine whether the PPM technology and methodology accurately measure radio audiences and look into the disproportionate impact PPM has had on radio stations owned by minorities or targeted toward minority listeners. Moreover, the Committee will address such factors as the effect of PPM as currency in a radio market; the importance of diversity in broadcast media; the impact of PPM on minority broadcasters and communities; and issues affecting sample quality in PPM technology.

As part of its monitoring protocol, Arbitron requires participants to carry the PPM. Since implementing this technology, minority broadcasters have expressed concerns with undercounting and underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic listeners. Chairman Towns opened an investigation in June 2009 into Arbitron's use of the PPM amid allegations that methodological flaws with the device are resulting in the underrepresentation of radio listening preferences of minorities and certain age groups.

Chairman Towns served a subpoena to the Media Ratings Council (MRC) in September 2009 for documents detailing its oversight of Arbitron's use of the PPM, after Arbitron forbid MRC from releasing documents related to the Committee's investigation. Although Arbitron promised full cooperation with the investigation, the company prohibited MRC from providing the Committee with any documents related to the PPM. Furthermore, Arbitron provided the Committee with insufficient documents that were either publicly available or biased toward the company. The combination of the actions by Arbitron prompted the Chairman to issue a subpoena to MRC for the PPM documents.

"I remain deeply concerned that increased use of the PPM may unfairly threaten the financial viability of minority targeted radio stations whose advertising revenues depend on the size of their rated audience," said Chairman Towns. "In addition, there is a serious risk that certain groups of minority listeners will continue to be undercounted, imperiling minority audience radio stations and decreasing the diversity of opinions in radio broadcasting."



Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
601 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
Agenda
More info:
http://www.oecd.org/site/0,3407,en_21571361_43348316_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

The Federal Trade Commission will host more than 250 government officials, business leaders, consumer advocates, and academics from around the world to discuss opportunities and challenges for consumers in electronic commerce at a conference organized by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) December 8-10, 2009. The event, , coincides with the ten year anniversary of the OECD's Guidelines for Consumer Protection in the Context of Electronic Commerce, which were adopted on December 9, 1999. The OECD is a 30-nation forum that promotes sustainable economic growth, trade, and development, and provides a setting for governments to compare policy experiences and coordinate domestic and international policies.

On December 8, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz will welcome conference participants, and U.S. Permanent Representative to the OECD, Karen Kornbluh, will deliver opening remarks. On December 9, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría will deliver keynote addresses. Later that day, John Donahoe, the President and CEO of eBay, Inc. will give a keynote address at an invitation-only luncheon at the Canadian Embassy.

More information on the conference, including registration materials, the conference program, a list of speakers, and a background report on e-commerce trends and the conference topics is available on the OECD's website at www.oecd.org/ict/econsumerconference.

The event, which is organized by the OECD, is free; however, there are space limitations and advance registration through the OECD is required. The conference will be held at the FTC's satellite building conference center, located at 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC. Overflow rooms will be available at the FTC Headquarters Building, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. All attendees will be required to display a current driver's license or other form of photo identification for entry. All sessions are open to the media.

There will also be live webcast of the event for those who wish to participate but cannot attend. The link for the webcast, which will begin at 9:00 a.m. on December 8 is http://htc-01.media.globix.net/COMP008760MOD1/ftc_web/FTCindex.html.

Questions may be made by the public, using the tool at: http://moderator.appspot.com/. These will be shared with the panelists at the conference. Discussion may also be followed via the OECD Twitter group, http://search.twitter.com. You must enter the hashtag (#ecom) as a keyword.

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via e-mail to: cmcglothin@ftc.gov or by calling Carrie McGlothin at 202-326-3388. Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodations needed and a way to contact you if we need more information.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,700 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC's Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2180

STAFF CONTACT:
Stacy Feuer,
Office of International Affairs
202-326-3072


Ronald Reagan Building
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004

Monday, November 30

4:00 p.m. Check-in begins

4:45 p.m. Welcome remarks by Walter Isaacson, President and CEO, The Aspen Institute

5:00 p.m. American Students in the Global Classroom: Are We Making the Grade?
A Conversation with Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
Moderator: Gwen Ifill, Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Moderator and Managing Editor, Washington Week

5:43 p.m. American Innovator Video: John Walter, Zenph Studios

5:45 p.m. Cocktail hour

6:45 p.m. Call to Dinner - Starter Video

7:00 p.m. Opening remarks by Paul Otellini, President and CEO, Intel Corporation Dinner begins

7:08 p.m. American Innovator Video: Michael Callahan, Audeo

7:10 p.m. American Innovation: Past, Present, and Future
John Kao, Innovation Expert and author of "Innovation Nation"
Sir Harold Evans, author, "They Made America"
Moderator: Jon Meacham, Editor, Newsweek

8:15 p.m. Innovation and Economic Growth
A Conversation with Larry Summers, Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy Moderator: Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

8:45 p.m. Closing remarks

Tuesday, December 1

7:45 a.m. Check-in & Continental Breakfast

8:55 a.m. Welcome remarks by Elliot Gerson, Senior Vice President, The Aspen Institute

8:58 a.m. American Innovator Video: Andrew Sutherland, Quizlet

9:00 a.m. Educating the Next Generation of Innovators

  • Michelle Rhee, Chancellor, District of Columbia Public Schools
  • Joel Klein, Chancellor, New York City Department of Education
  • John Hennessy, Stanford University President

Moderator: Ray Suarez, Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

9:45 a.m. American Innovator Video: Eric Morrow, Maendeleo Foundation, Mobile Solar Computer Classroom

9:47 a.m. Are We Doing Enough to Support Science in America?

  • Francis Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health
  • Brian Greene, Founder of World Science Festival, Physicist, Columbia University
  • Madeleine Jacobs, Executive Director and CEO, American Chemical Society

Moderator: Margaret Warner, Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

10:30 a.m. BREAK

11:00 a.m. Innovation, Competitiveness and the Future of the American Corporation
A Conversation with GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt and Intel CEO Paul Otellini
Moderator: Walter Isaacson, President and CEO, The Aspen Institute

11:30 a.m. American Innovator Video: Amy Norquist, Greensulate

11:32 a.m. Building the Infrastructure for Progress
Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

Noon Lunch and Presentation
Creativity, Innovation, and American Leadership
Walter Isaacson, President and CEO, The Aspen Institute

1:15 p.m. American Innovator Video: Matt Flannery, Kiva

1:17 p.m. Risk, Return and the Global Recession: Who Will Invest in Tomorrow's Big Ideas?

  • Sue Siegel, Mohr Davidow Ventures
  • Austan Goolsbee, Staff Director and Chief Economist, President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board
  • Alberto Ibargüen, President and CEO, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
  • Dr. Sophie Vandebroek, CTO of Xerox and President, Xerox Innovation Group
  • Justin Rattner, CTO of Intel

Moderator: Jeffrey Brown, Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

2:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions

1. Building the Innovation Workforce

  • Daniel Pink,, Author of the forthcoming, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us and A Whole New Mind
  • Gerhard Schmidt, Chief Technical Officer, Vice President Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford Motor Company
  • Sidney Harman, Founder/Chairman Emeritus, Harman International Industries, Inc.

Moderator: Paul Solman, Business and Economics Correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

2. Broadband -The Next American Frontier

  • Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
  • Blair Levin, Executive Director, The Omnibus Broadband Initiative

Moderator: Charlie Firestone, Director, The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program

3. Cradle to Cradle: Design and Sustainability
William McDonough, Founding Principal of William McDonough + Partners, Architect and Author, Cradle to Cradle

4. Thinking About Innovation: A Revealing Look at Attitudes in the U.S., China, and Beyond
A presentation of the Newsweek/Intel Global Innovation Survey.

  • Richard M. Smith, Chairman, Newsweek
  • Kathleen Deveny, Deputy Editor and Global Business Editor
  • Beth Lester, Vice President, Penn, Schoen & Berland

3:15 p.m. BREAK

3:30 p.m. TBA

4:35p.m. American Innovator Video: Elon Musk, Tesla Roadster

4:37 p.m. Leadership and the Innovation Economy: Finding the Political Will to Work Together

  • Shirley Ann Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • Robert Atkinson, President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
  • Steve Case, Co-Founder, America Online; Chairman and CEO, Revolution; Chairman, the Case Foundation
  • Foundation
  • U.S. Senator Mark Warner
  • U.S. Representative Bart Gordon
  • U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar

5:30 p.m. Closing Remarks
Walter Isaacson, President and CEO, The Aspen Institute Paul Otellini, President and CEO, Intel Corporation


CyberMonday Shopping: Celebrate Net Neutrality

[Commentary] Apparently, the first Monday after Black Friday is a big online shopping day, as Americans go back to work ... and shop online. Whether CyberMonday is hype or not for retailers, it's a good day to celebrate Internet openness. For years, a debate has raged in DC over whether phone and cable companies should be allowed to block, discriminate against, or otherwise interfere with users' access to everything online. The millions of people and hundreds of groups favoring Internet openness advocate for a network neutrality law, ensuring this openness. Many favor net neutrality because of free speech concerns. But let's not forget that an open Internet supports American business. Any company, or person, can sell any products online without permission. Any person can go to any site -- not one with a special deal with the phone or cable company -- to buy any gift for any loved one.

Comcast, AT&T fight Illinois broadband plans

Ambitious state and local plans to improve high-speed Internet access with federal stimulus dollars are running into staunch opposition from AT&T Inc., Comcast Corp. and other private Internet providers. About five dozen public and private entities, including the state, Chicago and Cook County, are vying for a slice of $7.2 billion in federal stimulus grants to promote broadband Internet service. With enough bandwidth, a government-subsidized Internet link also could provide telephone and television service, creating another threat for AT&T and Comcast, as well as smaller carriers. "They see the plug being pulled on their customer base," says Craig Clausen, executive vice-president of New Paradigm Resources Group Inc., a telecommunications research and consulting firm in Chicago. In fighting the proposals, the carriers argue that stimulus projects shouldn't duplicate services they already provide.

FCC Wants More Input On Spectrum

The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to ask for public comment on reallocating broadcast television spectrum for wireless broadband use. Blair Levin, head of the FCC's National Broadband Task Force, said, "There's been enough public debate where people have been asserting things. We'd like to get on the record real data and real ideas. We'll see where it goes."

Smart Turkey?

[Commentary] Why focus on the Smart Grid in the energy section of the national broadband plan? We have a climate crisis on our hands, and broadband and IT need to be part of the solution. In fact, smart electric grids, smart homes, and smart buildings -- sometimes collectively called the smart grid -- are the greatest opportunity for broadband and IT to reduce carbon emissions. One study recently concluded that smart grids, homes, and buildings could reduce over 800 million tons of annual carbon emissions by 2020. That's the equivalent of taking more than 100 million gasoline-fueled cars off the road. The responses to the public notice on Smart Grid issues have also made it clear that there are two issues that we need to address in a comprehensive plan to Congress. First, it's clear from the record that our electrical system-really a collection of systems-will require greater data connectivity across the entire grid, from generation to transmission to distribution to the meter, and within the home and building. As we have more distributed generation, plug-in electric vehicles, and retail prices that better reflect costs, we'll need to modernize the grid, with greater communications and IT throughout. Second, a lot of the expected benefits of the Smart Grid are really benefits we'll gain from smarter homes and smarter buildings. Consumers and building owners will be expected to interact with the grid in new ways, including the "Prius Effect", which refers to the way Toyota Prius drivers responded to the prominent display on the car's dashboard of real-time fuel economy by changing their driving behavior to get even better mileage. Similarly, exposure to better energy consumption information can help encourage energy savings behavior. But a lot of the benefits will be the automation of home or building systems to manage energy better - you won't have to lift a finger!

Surge to Merge

Companies that have been warring for years might soon get in the holiday spirit of togetherness. Among the mergers that industry insiders believe could come down the pipeline are a Time Warner-Viacom tie-up, a Discovery-Scripps marriage and a Verizon-Vodafone deal. The timing is right for mergers. Public companies have been sidelined for five years: first because buyout firms could outbid them, and then because they had to deal with falling earnings. But now, the recession has leveled off, and private equity companies, unable to arrange aggressive loans to finance deals, are hamstrung.

Media business at crossroads as deals pick up

The growing influence of the Web to distribute news, video and other content, combined with the lingering economic malaise, have left many media executives and investors uncertain about where to make their next bets. The dilemma boils down to whether a modern media company should focus on building content at scale, or if it also needs to own the pipes to deliver that content. What worries media companies is that Wall Street will rethink their stock valuations if content becomes widely available on the Internet for free, or close to free. "The media companies want to take control again of how people access their content," said Todd Dagres, a partner at Spark Capital, a venture capital firm that has backed companies like Twitter and Boxee. "They want to be the toll-takers for content on the Web in the 21st Century."

TV News directors invite viewers to virtual story discussions

While the typical station story meeting has six or eight people present to pitch ideas, WITI Milwaukee might have 60 or 80 at its daily 1:45 confab. That's because WITI opens up the editorial meeting to the public through live blogging and a live video stream, along with a Web program that allows users to toss in story ideas while commenting on others.

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