For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
DIGITAL TV CONVERSION
Congress Settles for DTV Resolution
Reps. Seek Digital-Decision Delay
BROADCASTING
Newspaper/Broadcast Cooperation
Ten Troublesome Trends in TV Health News
CBS Research Finds DVRs Less of a Threat to TV Advertising
QUICKLY -- Questionable Future Looms for Common Carriage Regulations;
Corporate America can't write
DIGITAL TV CONVERSION
CONGRESS SETTLES FOR DTV RESOLUTION
Congress is expected to approve a nonbinding resolution soon calling for
passage of legislation next year that would end the digital-television
transition as early as Dec. 31, 2006. The resolution -- contained in
intelligence legislation expected to gain final passage this week --
weakened Senate-approved legislation that called for the return of 24
megahertz of analog-TV spectrum by 2008 if certain conditions were met.
Congress wants to use the analog spectrum -- 108 MHz in all -- not just for
public safety but also for allocation to wireless-broadband companies in an
auction expected to raise billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA485900.html?display=Breaking+News
(requires subscription)
REPS SEEK DIGITAL-DECISION DELAY
A group of lawmakers representing mostly rural or African-American
districts Monday asked FCC Chairman Michael Powell to delay a vote on his
plan to accelerate the transition to all-digital TV. Despite the lawmakers'
worries, some FCC officials and industry lobbyists say no vote on the plan
is slated for this month, and even a vote in January is unlikely. But
staff for the lawmakers say rumors persist that Powell will attempt to
bring the matter to a vote with only a few days notice.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA485726?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
BROADCASTING
NEWSPAPER/BROADCAST COOPERATION
The majority of newspapers in the United States have not partnered with
television and radio stations in their local communities, according to a
Newspaper Association of America report (see
http://www.digitaledge.org/DigArtPage.cfm?AID=6511). Smaller-market papers
(50,000 daily circulation and under) were least likely to partner. Among
the biggies (250,000+), 32% formed a relationship with a TV station and an
equal percentage has not linked up with a media partner. Only 4% of
respondents work with a radio station, according to "Newspapers' Online
Operations: Performance Report 2004."
[SOURCE: Poynter Institute, AUTHOR: Rob Runett]
http://www.digitaledge.org/DigArtPage.cfm?AID=6511
TEN TROUBLESOME TRENDS IN TV HEALTH NEWS
A 2002 Gallup poll showed that many Americans consider television their
most important source of news and information on health. It also showed
that television is one of the least trusted sources of such news and
information. University of Minnesota Professor Gary Schwitzer studied each
of the 840 health news stories that appeared between February and May 2003
on four television stations (KARE, KSTP, KMSP, WCCO) in Minneapolis-St
Paul, Minnesota. Ten troublesome trends in televised health news coverage
became apparent in his research.
[SOURCE: BMJ.com, AUTHOR: Gary Schwitzer, University of Minnesota
schwitz( at )umn.edu]
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7478/1352
CBS RESEARCH FINDS DVRs LESS OF A THREAT TO TV ADVERTISING
CBS is telling advertisers that digital video recorders (like TiVo) are
less of a threat than -- um, well -- advertised. An internal CBS study of
734 DVR viewers found ad skippers recalled on average two commercials they
fast-forwarded through and one brand. That is about the same recall as live
TV viewers. The research also found that if time-shifting viewers were
added to the shows' live audience, it would nearly double the ratings for
most of the top 20 network series.
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Mercedes Cardona]
http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=42099
QUICKLY
QUESTIONABLE FUTURE LOOMS FOR COMMON CARRIAGE REGULATIONS
Over the next year, FCC Chairman Michael Powell will have an opportunity to
complete a mission he launched several years ago to free broadband Internet
services from the burden of being regulated as common carriers. As groups
opposed to deregulation see it, the stakes couldn't be higher: "For the
first time in the history of this country the dominant means of
communication, and some people think commerce, [could] be entirely in the
hands of private carriers with no public obligation whatsoever," says
consumer advocate Mark Cooper.
[SOURCE: Online Journalism Review, SOURCE: Mark Thompson]
http://209.200.80.136/ojr/stories/041202thompson/
CORPORATE AMERICA CAN'T WRITE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Sam Dillon]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/07/business/07write.html
(requires registration)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------