For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
MEDIA
Report Acknowledges Inaccuracies in 2004 Exit Polls
Will the Inaugural Protests Be Covered?
PR Firm Admits Pundit's Deal Broke Rules
FCC Boss Opposes Broadcasters on Digital Multicast
Conservatives Pick Soft Target: A Cartoon Sponge
Media Leadership Nears Changing of the Guard
Katie Couric, CBS Anchor? It's Like Night And 'Today'
TELECOM
Rural Phone Service Fund Under Siege
Cell Tower Case Beamed to High Court
INTERNET
Internet and Phone Companies Plot Wireless-Broadband Push
Firms Bid to Control .net Addresses
How Seniors Use the Internet for Health
PRIVACY/PROPERTY
In Age of Security, Firm Mines Wealth Of Personal Data
Electronics Firms Form Digital Media Rights Accord
MEDIA
REPORT ACKNOWLEDGES INACCURACIES IN 2004 EXIT POLLS
A report from Joe Lenski of Edison Media Research and Warren Mitofsky of=20
Mitofsky International on exit polling on election day finds that: 1)=20
Interviewing for the 2004 exit polls was the most inaccurate of any in the=
=20
past five presidential elections as procedural problems compounded by the=20
refusal of large numbers of Republican voters to be surveyed; 2) the flaws=
=20
did not produce a single incorrect projection of the winner in a state on=20
election night, but "there were 26 states in which the estimates produced=20
by the exit poll data overstated the vote for John Kerry . . . and there=20
were four states in which the exit poll estimates overstated the vote for=20
George W. Bush;" 3) the analysis found no evidence of fraud resulting from=
=20
the rigging of voting equipment. Their investigation identified other=20
factors that contributed to errors in the 2004 exit polls. Interviewing in=
=20
precincts where polltakers were required to stand farther away from the=20
polls were less accurate than those where interviewers had easier access to=
=20
voters leaving the polling places. Poor weather conditions also pushed down=
=20
cooperation rates. They suspected that there were more young people working=
=20
as interviewers in 2004, which they said was another potential source of=20
error. Adding to the confusion, programming errors were discovered and=20
corrected in the afternoon of Election Day, and a technical problem=20
severely disrupted access to the system for nearly two hours late on=20
election night.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Richard Morin and Claudia Deane]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22188-2005Jan19.html
(requires registration)
Also see:
USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050120/1a_offlede20.art.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050120/edtwo20.art.htm
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/20/politics/20exit.html
WILL THE INAUGURAL PROTESTS BE COVERED
[Commentary] In 2001, the media largely ignored the biggest inaugural=20
protest in history. Will it do so again today?
[SOURCE: MediaChannel.org, AUTHOR: Danny Schechter]
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/affalert315.shtml
PR FIRM ADMITS PUNDIT'S DEAL BROKE RULES
The public relations firm that arranged for pundit Armstrong Williams to=20
promote the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind education program=20
admitted Wednesday that the deal with Williams violated =93the guidelines of=
=20
our agency and our industry.=94
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Mark Memmott and Greg Toppo]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050120/a_williams20.art.htm
Also in --
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/20/business/media/20ketchum.html
FCC BOSS OPPOSES BROADCASTERS ON DIGITAL MULTICAST
FCC Chairman Michael Powell has proposed rejecting a request that cable=20
companies be required to carry all the digital signals offered by a=20
broadcast television station. In 2001, the FCC ruled that cable had to=20
carry the digital television signal but it only had to carry one video=20
stream of the broadcaster's choosing. Paxson Communications Corp. and=20
others petitioned the agency to reconsider. Chairman Powell has circulated=
=20
a proposal that would uphold that decision and has scheduled to complete=20
the voting at the FCC's next open meeting on Feb. 10. However, he could=20
modify or withdraw the proposal at any time and he must convince two of the=
=20
four other FCC commissioners to support the item.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=3DindustryNews&storyID=3D7...
85
CONSERVATIVES PICK SOFT TARGET: A CARTOON SPONGE
As Karen Menichelli'll tell ya, kids and grown-ups alike adore Sponge Bob=20
Squarepants. But the loveable little cartoon character is the newest target=
=20
for conservative Christians. It may have something to do with Bob becoming=
=20
a well-known camp figure among adult gay men, perhaps because he holds=20
hands with his animated sidekick Patrick and likes to watch the imaginary=20
television show "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy." bob also=
=20
appears is a music video that teaches children about multiculturalism.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Kirkpatrick]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/20/politics/20sponge.html
(requires registration)
MEDIA LEADERSHIP NEARS CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Some of the top executives who shaped business and popular culture in the=20
past 20 years or so as they built entertainment behemoths are preparing to=
=20
move on. The ripples are likely to alter everything from corporate customs=
=20
to the movies, TV shows, music, publications and technologies that the=20
companies promote. On the way out are Eisner, Redstone, and, perhaps,=20
Murdoch. The next generation of leaders includes Iger, Freston, Moonves,=20
Chernin and another Murdoch. One thing that seems certain about the=20
generation that's preparing to move up is that it probably won't put as=20
vivid a stamp on media or culture as the current crop of larger-than-life=20
CEOs have. Most in the new class succeeded by working within the system,=20
not by shaking it up. Most cut their teeth in traditional media,=20
particularly broadcast and cable TV. And most are white men. Additionally=20
they all seem 1) less prone to cutthroat competition, 2) more fiscally=20
restrained, 3) more prone to delegation and decentralized decision making,=
=20
and 4) more comfortable, but not entranced by technology.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: David Lieberman]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050120/mediabench.art.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050120/b_mediabench_chart20...
.htm
KATIE COURIC, CBS ANCHOR? IT'S LIKE NIGHT AND 'TODAY'
[Commentary] More on the fallout of Memogate and the plans of Viacom's Les=
=20
Moonves to revamp CBS News after anchor Dan Rather departs. The Memogate=20
story isn't over by a long shot. Joe Hagan reported yesterday in the New=20
York Observer that producer Mary Mapes, considered most responsible for the=
=20
Sept. 8 report -- on George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National=20
Guard during the Vietnam War -- issued a statement insisting she had done=20
"nothing wrong" in preparing it. The three other staff members, told by CBS=
=20
to resign, have so far declined to do so, Hagan reported, and are=20
considering "legal action" against CBS News.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Tom Shales]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22649-2005Jan19.html
(requires registration)
TELECOM
RURAL PHONE SERVICE FUND UNDER SIEGE
The federal universal service fund, which makes telephone service in rural=
=20
areas more affordable, is under siege from critics who say it amounts to an=
=20
unwarranted windfall for wireless companies. The$3.5 billion fund, financed=
=20
by a 10.7% fee on every long-distance bill, goes mostly to rural phone=20
incumbents to keep basic home service affordable. That's because it's=20
costly for companies to string wires to rural areas with few customers. But=
=20
to spur competition, the 1996 Telecommunications Act also lets the=20
incumbents' rivals =97 most of which are wireless carriers =97 receive some=
of=20
the money if state or federal officials find it's in the public interest.=20
The sum received by wireless providers soared to about $230 million last=20
year, from $2.6 million in 2000. Rural phone companies complain that those=
=20
payments are unnecessary and a big reason the fund is under strain. The FCC=
=20
is listening. It's set to rule next month on a proposal that could sharply=
=20
cut universal-service funding for wireless providers.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR:Paul Davidson]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050120/ruralfund20.art.htm
CELL TOWER CASE BEAMED TO HIGH COURT
In the last decade, 140,000 cell towers have sprouted up around the nation,=
=20
the cellphone industry says, and more are needed to eliminate "dead spots."=
=20
But in many cities, officials contend the towers are unsightly. And, on=20
occasion, officials have blocked wireless phone companies from erecting=20
more towers. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court took up a case to decide=20
whether cities can be sued in federal court and forced to pay damages if=20
they stand in the way of creating a wireless phone network. The outcome of=
=20
the legal battle could affect communities across the nation. The court's=20
decision would give either city officials or wireless companies the upper=20
hand in disputes over the building and location of towers.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: David G. Savage]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-scotus20jan20,1,...
374.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
(requires registration)
INTERNET
INTERNET AND PHONE COMPANIES PLOT WIRELESS-BROADBAND PUSH
Several big Internet and phone companies are moving to provide wireless=20
high-speed access to the Internet. If successful, these efforts have the=20
potential to yet again shift the balance of power in the rapidly changing=20
U.S. telecommunications industry, giving consumers a potentially cheaper=20
and more flexible alternative to phone and cable lines for Internet access=
=20
and many other services. More competition could be introduced to the=20
broadband market and given relatively cheap deployment, could mean lower=20
prices and more options for consumers and businesses.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jesse Drucker jesse.drucker( at )wsj.com=20
and Almar Latour almar.latour( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110617646006230682,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
FIRMS BID TO CONTROL .NET ADDRESSES
The bidding is closed as now the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names=20
and Numbers (ICANN) will review proposals and choose the next administrator=
=20
of the .net Internet domain. A domain operator's job is to maintain the=20
registry containing information that Internet switching systems need to=20
direct traffic to intended recipients. If the .net list had errors or=20
became unavailable, parts of the Internet could become inaccessible. The=20
.net domain facilitates $700 billion annually in Internet commerce and the=
=20
winning applicant will take in roughly $30 million a year in registration=
fees.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: ]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22605-2005Jan19.html
(requires registration)
See commentary at News.com:
http://news.com.com/Why+we+should+get+to+operate+.net/2008-1028_3-554230...
ml?tag=3Dnefd.ac
HOW SENIORS USE THE INTERNET FOR HEALTH
A national Kaiser Family Foundation survey of older Americans found that as=
=20
the Internet becomes an increasingly important resource for informing=20
decisions about health and health care options, less than a third (31%) of=
=20
seniors (age 65 and older) have ever gone online, but that more than=20
two-thirds (70%) of the next generation of seniors (50-64 year-olds) have=20
done so. The differences among seniors and 50-64 year-olds are striking and=
=20
indicate that online resources for health information may soon play a much=
=20
larger role among older Americans. Twenty-one percent of seniors have gone=
=20
online to look for health information compared to 53% of 50-64 year-olds;=20
8% of seniors get "a lot" of health information online compared to 24% of=20
50-64 year-olds; the Internet is 5th on a list of media sources of health=20
information for seniors compared to first among 50-64 year-olds; and 26% of=
=20
seniors trust the Internet =93a lot=94 or =93some=94 to provide accurate=
health=20
information, compared to 58% of 50-64 year-olds. The survey is a nationally=
=20
representative, random digit dial telephone survey of 1,450 adults age 50=20
and older, including 583 respondents age 65 and older.
[SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation]
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia011205pkg.cfm
PRIVACY/PROPERTY
IN AGE OF SECURITY, FIRM MINES WEALTH OF PERSONAL DATA
It began in 1997 as a company that sold credit data to the insurance=20
industry. But over the next seven years, as it acquired dozens of other=20
companies, ChoicePoint Inc. became an all-purpose commercial source of=20
personal information about Americans, with billions of details about their=
=20
homes, cars, relatives, criminal records and other aspects of their lives.=
=20
Now the little-known information industry giant is transforming itself into=
=20
a private intelligence service for national security and law enforcement=20
tasks. ChoicePoint and other private companies increasingly occupy a=20
special place in homeland security and crime-fighting efforts, in part=20
because they can compile information and use it in ways government=20
officials sometimes cannot because of privacy and information laws. No,=20
dear, that's not Jack Frost you fell -- its the chill of lost privacy. See=
=20
the URL below.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Robert O'Harrow Jr]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22269-2005Jan19.html
(requires registration)
ELECTRONICS FIRMS FORM DIGITAL MEDIA RIGHTS ACCORD
The world's four biggest consumer electronics companies have agreed to=20
start using a common method to protect digital music and video against=20
piracy and illegal copying. Japan's Sony and Panasonic-brand owner=20
Matsushita Electric Industrial, South Korea's Samsung Electronics and Dutch=
=20
Philips Electronics formed the alliance because they want buyers of their=20
products to watch or listen to "appropriately licensed video and music on=20
any device, independent of how they originally obtained that content," they=
=20
said in a joint statement.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Lucas van Grinsven]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=3D7...
38
See also
Bertelsmann Settles With Small Music Company in Suit Over Napster
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/20/business/media/20napster.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
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