May 2015

Sen Bob Corker (R-TN) suggested that a controversial National Security Agency surveillance program should be broadened, saying he was "shocked" at what he said was a limited amount of data being collected. "I think there was an ‘ah ha’ moment yesterday for people on both sides of the aisle when they realized how little data is being collected," Sen Corker said. "I think it's shocking to know this." Senators huddled with administration officials, including FBI Director James Comey, as part of a classified briefing.

Sen Corker, who said he couldn't discuss the details of the meeting or what he believes are the gaps in the current program, suggested it was a "potential game changer." Sen Corker, who opposes the USA Freedom Act, told reporters that the metadata program "needs to be ramped up hugely." "The way it's being implemented today, I don't see how it's much useful at all to the American people, and I'm shocked again by the small amount of data," he said. "The program is not the program I thought it was, not even close." He added that "it's almost malpractice. Malpractice is the best word I can use to describe the amount of data that is actually being collected in the metadata program. ...It's beyond belief how little data is a part of the program and type of data especially if the goal is to deal with terrorists."

[Commentary] Ted Cruz raises $1 million in the 24 hours after he announced his candidacy, and reporting highlights the “10 staffers who hold PhDs in behavioral science or analytics” who were behind the scenes trying to “maximize the output of their potential targets.” Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton’s campaign promises to “be staffed with more than 1,000 data geeks, techies and digital gurus.” In other words, the 2016 campaign is just beginning, and already “data,” “analytics,” “tech,” and “digital” seem even more prominent than in 2012. Much is said about the growing importance of these tools in modern campaigns. But less is said about the challenges inherent in using these tools. As John Sides and Lynn Vavreck argue, these tools require significant amounts of expertise and monetary resources.

In a paper that Christopher Jasinski and I will present at the upcoming American Political Science Association annual meeting, we examined the people who worked in digital media, data, and analytics on presidential primary and general election campaigns from 2004-2012. We built an innovative data set that marries Federal Election Commission and other data (from Democracy in Action) with LinkedIn data. This enabled us to chart the careers of 626 staffers that worked in digital, data, and analytics on these campaigns. Here is what we found:

First, we found very uneven levels of professionalization. Very few staffers work in digital, data, and/or analytics on multiple campaigns. Put differently, there are few career campaign staffers in these areas.

Second, we found a vast gulf between Democrats and Republicans. From 2004-2012, Democratic campaigns hired 503 staffers in digital, data, and analytics, compared with 123 Republican staffers. But the gulf goes beyond that. We also looked at the flow of staffers from the technology industry and commercial sector into politics. Campaigns that can attract talent from outside industry are likely to be more innovative and able to use the best practices of other fields. Here again, the Democratic Party was far more adept at attracting this talent from outside of politics than were Republicans.

[Daniel Kreiss is an assistnat professor at the University of North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication]

Growing acceptance over the past several years of Rentrak's TV viewing data as at least a complement to Nielsen's has resulted in tangible benefits for TV stations and media agencies. But challenges remain for the ratings upstart. TV station executives -- particularly those in small diary-only markets -- say the more detailed and immediate Rentrak numbers have improved their selling position, and media agencies say they like Rentrak's melding of viewership and product purchasing data. "There are benefits to us intrinsically and benefits that are specific to what we are able to generate as a better resource to our [advertising] customers,” says Tim Busch, executive vice president of Nexstar Broadcasting, a mid-size TV group that has been with Rentrak since 2010.

Bonten Media Group, which has used Rentrak since 2011, says its late evening newscasts -- especially on its Fox affiliates -- have seen sharp growth in ratings. “Typically the Fox affiliates get under-reported by Nielsen,” says Randy Bongarten, CEO of Bonten Media. “Before, the ratings with Nielsen were less than half." Looking at a wide range of TV station clients, Steven Walsh, executive vice president of local television for Rentrak, says generally two key time periods have seen higher results: late fringe and early morning. TV stations, which had been getting microscopic or no ratings at all for specific TV shows, now have competing data that can’t be ignored, Walsh says. “Now you can have a negotiation.” Challenges remain, however, including figuring out how to track mobile, tablet, online and over-the-top viewing.

AOL may have moved its headquarters from the Washington (DC) area long ago, but business leaders in the region say the media company has long been one of the chief forces that shaped the region’s technology ethos. The announcement that Verizon is set to buy the company that brought dial-up Internet to millions of Americans is the latest chapter in the online giant’s storied history.

The journey began in 1985, when co-founders Jim Kimsey and Steve Case set up a company named Quantum Computer Services in Northern Virginia to offer online services. Less than a decade later, Quantum had renamed itself America Online and the company grew rapidly, helping ordinary folks connect over the Internet. The “Welcome! You’ve got mail” chime became a cultural phenomenon, and millions used the company’s Instant Messenger service to chat back and forth. As AOL grew, it quickly gobbled up a host of upstarts until, in 2001, it made its biggest splash, taking over the venerable media giant Time Warner. AOL used its high-flying stock to purchase the media conglomerate, but the marriage between old and new media proved to be a troubled one. “AOL has been a transformational engine for technology and innovation throughout our region,” said Bobbie Kilberg, president and chief executive of the Northern Virginia Technology Council. Steve Case went on to found Revolution LLC, an investment firm whose mission is to find and support grass-roots entrepreneurs, including those in the Washington region. Revolution is an investor in 1776, the DC-based tech incubator. AOL alumni went on to fuel a new wave of businesses in the region. Former LivingSocial chief executive Tim O’Shaughnessy is an AOL veteran. So is Lisa Hook, who leads Sterling (VA)-based telecommunications company Neustar. AOL’s presence in the Washington region today is made up of about 1,300 employees who work primarily in the company’s engineering and technical divisions. Baltimore (MD) is home to AOL’s advertising division, a legacy of the company’s 2004 purchase of Advertising.com and a key asset in Verizon’s purchase of AOL.