We'll be in Ithaca next week checking out the Bombers (see story below).=20
For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
NEWS FROM FCC
After Michael Powell
Powell Pushes Against Paxson DTV Petition
Cox Seeks FCC Help in Retrans Row
OWNERSHIP
Lee, Gannett Are Favorites to Win Pulitzer Bidding
EchoStar to Buy Voom's Assets From Cablevision
Maybe Murdoch Doesn't Watch TV on Sunday Nights
Fate of Irish Cellphone Duopoly Rings in Europe
CONTENT
Creative Commons Brings Copyrights into the Digital Age
Yellow and Porous and Outed
When Bloggers Make News
INTERNET
Cable Broadband to Lose Out Against Telcos -- Survey
Internet Service Launched by Progressive Nonprofit
QUICKLY -- Benton Road Show; Happy New Year for Media Reform?; 2005 Policy=
=20
Forum & Susan G. Hadden Pioneer Awards
NEWS FROM FCC
AFTER MICHAEL POWELL
[Editorial] "You read it here first," the WSJ staff writes, FCC Chairman=20
Michael Powell will resign today. He did not always realize his=20
deregulatory goals -- mostly because he did not have the backing of the=20
White House that "never fully grasped telecom's potential to drive economic=
=20
growth." The resignation affords President Bush "an opportunity to=20
re-evaluate [his] stepchild treatment of telecom policy" as he picks a new=
=20
chairman. Will it be current Commissioner and former Bush aide Kevin=20
Martin? Other names mentioned for the post include Becky Klein, a former=20
head of the Texas Public Utility Commission; Michael Gallagher of the=20
National Telecommunications and Information Administration; Janice=20
Obuchowski, a telecom consultant who served in the Commerce Department=20
under the first President Bush; former Interstate Commerce Commission=20
Chairman Darius Gaskins; and former Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jim=20
Miller. "We hope the Administration hasn't taken him for granted and is up=
=20
to the challenge of a worthy replacement," the editorial ends.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: WSJ Editorial Staff]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110627220789332234,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_opinion
(requires subscription)
POWELL PUSHES AGAINST PAXSON DTV PETITION
What is FCC Chairman Michael Powell up to. On Wednesday, he asked fellow=20
Commissioners to vote against a petition for full digital carriage rights.=
=20
If two more Commissioners vote his way, broadcasters will lose on one of=20
their major policy priorities -- gaining must-carry rights for all digital=
=20
signals on cable systems. But three of his colleagues and Mass Media Bureau=
=20
Chief Ken Ferree have openly voiced sympathy for expanding digital carriage=
=20
rights. Is Powell just trying to pressure broadcasters into supporting his=
=20
plan to accelerate the transition to all-digital TV broadcasting? Only The=
=20
Shadow knows. On Thursday, the National Association of Broadcasters let it=
=20
be know that the lobbying group will continue to fight for multicast=20
must-carry rights -- in the name of the American people. The National Cable=
=20
& Telecommunications Association announced its support for Powell's=20
proposal. The issue of so-called multicast must-carry refers to the small=20
percentage of commercial TV stations that elect mandatory cable carriage.=20
All public stations are required to elect must-carry and, thus, would be=20
hurt the most by Powell=92s proposal. Commissioners Michael Copps and=20
Jonathan Adelstein are expected to back broadcasters, but not before the=20
FCC has adopted a range of public interest obligations for digital-TV=
stations.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA497870.html?display=3DBreakin...
ws&referral=3DSUPP
NAB, Powell at Odds on Multicasting
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA497962.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA497843.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
COX SEEKS FCC HELP IN RETRANS ROW
Claiming that it could wind up losing carriage of 19 TV stations in systems=
=20
with 595,000 subscribers if a retransmission-consent fight spreads, Cox=20
Communications asked the Federal Communications Commission to require two=20
broadcasters to sit down immediately and negotiate. In a 43-page emergency=
=20
complaint filed Thursday, Cox alleged that both Nexstar Broadcasting Group=
=20
and Mission Broadcasting are violating their legal duty to engage in=20
=93good-faith=94 efforts to reach retransmission-consent deals for several=
=20
stations that the broadcasters have pulled from the cable operator. The=20
petition also asks the FCC to take measures to restore Cox=92s carriage of=
=20
the two stations, which it already had to drop, =93pending resolution of all=
=20
issues between the parties.=94
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Moss]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA497915.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
OWNERSHIP
LEE, GANNETT ARE FAVORITES TO WIN PULITZER BIDDING
Gannett, Lee Enterprises and Stephens Group, an investment firm, appear to=
=20
be the leading candidates in an auction of Pulitzer, the owner of the=20
Arizona Daily Star, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a dozen other daily=20
newspapers. The deal could reach the $2 billion neighborhood. Gannett, with=
=20
a market capitalization of more than $20 billion, has ample financial=20
muscle to do a deal the size of Pulitzer's expected price tag. Gannett=20
Chief Executive Douglas H. McCorkindale has described Pulitzer as a good=20
fit for Gannett, the publisher of USA Today and 100 other newspapers. But=20
Gannett might have to sell some properties to get regulatory approval:=20
Gannett and Pulitzer are equal partners in a joint operating agreement that=
=20
shares profits from the Arizona Daily Star and the Tucson Citizen; and=20
Gannett owns a television station in St. Louis, KSDK, whose license expires=
=20
in February 2006 -- without a change in the FCC's newspaper-broadcast=20
ownership ban, the company would be forced to sell either the local paper=20
or TV station.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Dennis K. Berman=20
dennis.berman( at )wsj.com and James Bandler james.bandler( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110626917283632149,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
ECHOSTAR TO BUY VOOM'S ASSETS FROM CABLEVISION
Cablevision will shut down its Voom satellite service and sell most of the=
=20
assets of the money-losing business to EchoStar Communications for $200=20
million in cash. EchoStar will purchase Voom's only satellite, launched by=
=20
Cablevision in 2003, and other equipment. Cablevision will continue trying=
=20
to sell Voom's other assets, including valuable slots for satellites to=20
orbit, which could fetch tens of millions of additional dollars. But the=20
cable operator is unlikely to come close to recovering its investment in=20
the business, estimated at more than $500 million.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Peter Grant peter.grant( at )wsj.com and=20
Andy Pasztor andy.pasztor( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110626286893131967,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
See also:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/21/business/media/21voom.html
MAYBE MURDOCH DOESN'T WATCH TV ON SUNDAY NIGHTS
[Commentary] Is Rupert Murdoch watching his own network? Why is he allowing=
=20
an artistically compelling ratings sinkhole to subvert his political agenda=
=20
on a weekly basis? Chait tells why "Arrested Development" is the funniest=20
show on TV and wonders if... "Maybe Murdoch isn't as grand or as evil as=20
liberals believe. Maybe he likes lowbrow fare and noxious right-wing=20
populism but he doesn't insist that it permeate every corner of his empire.=
=20
Maybe he doesn't want to be Citizen Kane after all."
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jonathan Chait]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-chait21jan21,1,19...
0.column?coll=3Dla-news-comment
(requires registration)
FATE OF IRISH CELLPHONE DUOPOLY RINGS IN EUROPE
Ireland's regulators found that Vodafone and mmO2 control 94% of its mobile=
=20
market, and that their revenue per customer is 50% higher than the European=
=20
Union average. The regulators then issued a proposal -- dependent on the=20
European Commission's approval -- that the companies open their networks to=
=20
competitors, which would be allowed to purchase and then resell airtime.=20
The EC has now decided to back the Irish regulators' proposal which, in=20
turn, should make it easier for regulators in other EU countries to=20
challenge collective dominance and force open their cellphone markets.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Mary Jacoby mary.jacoby( at )wsj.com and=20
David Pringle david.pringle( at )wsj.com ]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110625998127531886,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
CONTENT
CREATIVE COMMONS BRINGS COPYRIGHTS INTO THE DIGITAL AGE
Creative Commons, established in 2001, is based at Stanford University,=20
where it shares "space, staff and inspiration" with the Stanford Law School=
=20
Center for Internet and Society. This non-profit organization is dedicated=
=20
to building an alternative framework for copyright protection. A Creative=20
Commons license, which allows the creator of original work to specify how=20
it can be used, is both more faithful to the purpose of copyright than=20
current law and better suited to the realities of a digital age. Find out=20
how it works at the URL below.
[SOURCE: Online Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Linda Seebach]
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/050120seebach/
YELLOW AND POROUS AND OUTED
[Editorial] Forget prime-time raunchiness =97 Janet Jackson or Nicollette=20
Sheridanon "Monday Night Football." The real threat lurks in the morning=20
cartoons. SpongeBob SquarePants is gay. You think your small children, who=
=20
may be glued to the TV set this morning, were just enthralled by a talking=
=20
yellow sponge in suit pants. You'd be wrong. Actually, they are being=20
brainwashed by a vast network of gay cartoon characters bent on destroying=
=20
civilization as we know it. SpongeBob holds hands with his starfish pal=20
Patrick, and likes to watch the imaginary television show "The Adventures=20
of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy." Evidence enough, for conservative=20
Christian groups at any rate, that the guy's a menace. Bob also appears in=
=20
a video about multiculturalism. Of course, one person's definition of=20
tolerance is another's "pro-homosexual" agenda. A homosexuality detection=20
expert at the conservative Family Research Council called words like=20
"tolerance" and "diversity" part of a "coded language that is regularly=20
used by the homosexual community."
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-sponge21jan21,1,2...
28.story?coll=3Dla-news-comment
(requires registration)
WHEN BLOGGERS MAKE NEWS
At Harvard University this weekend, a small group of journalists, bloggers=
=20
and media thinkers are gathering in a conference, "Blogging, Journalism &=20
Credibility" to kick around the idea of a blogging code of ethics. Should=20
bloggers disclose their sources of income? Do journalists who also blog=20
face conflicting standards? some are asking: what are the rules of the=20
road? There is no exam to pass or society to join to become a blogger --=20
anybody can set up a "Web log" to publish his or her ideas. Some bloggers=20
don't want to be limited to the traditional notions of journalism.=20
"Bloggers should reject the traditional idea of objectivity," says Mickey=20
Kaus, a former New Republic and Newsweek writer whose blog Kausfiles=20
appears on Slate.com. "One of the virtues of blogging is that it's not=20
subject to the professional and bureaucratic restrictions of big media."=20
Mr. Kaus says a formal code isn't needed -- just honesty. He adds: "The=20
point of blogging is to say what you actually think -- opinion, not the=20
traditional ideal of journalism." Indeed, many bloggers see the blogosphere=
=20
-- a term some find ridiculous, by the way -- as a vast, open forum in=20
which many perspectives can coexist to create an overall picture that's=20
more accurate than the mainstream media.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jessica Mintz jessica.mintz( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110626272888531958,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
Learn more about the conference at:
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/webcred/
INTERNET
CABLE BROADBAND TO LOSE OUT AGAINST TELCOS -- SURVEY
A Forrester Research survey concludes that Europeans will get their=20
broadband Internet connections mainly through upgraded phone networks by=20
2010, while cable television operators will see their market share decline=
=20
to 15%. Forrester predicts that 41% of European households with have=20
broadband access by 2010. The Netherlands will top the 2010 country charts=
=20
with 54 percent penetration, Forrester predicts. Europe's big economies=20
Germany, Britain, France and Italy will see penetration between 35 percent=
=20
and 45 percent due to a mix of lower overall online penetration and higher=
=20
broadband prices. Portugal, Greece, and Ireland continue to lag with=20
penetration between 17 percent in Greece to 34 percent in Portugal.
[SOURCE: Reuters]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=3DZTEV2BST0F05WCRBAE...
A?type=3DtechnologyNews&storyID=3D7383280
INTERNET SERVICE LAUNCHED BY PROGRESSIVE NONPROFIT
A nonprofit nationwide Internet service has been launched to serve dial-up=
=20
Internet users who support media reform and the creation of a vigorous=20
independent media. Marketed under the name IndyLink, the service is aimed=20
at value-conscious Internet users who also want to avoid the commercial=20
clutter and privacy risks of corporate services. IndyLink is a service of=
=20
the North Carolina-based nonprofit Mountain Area Information Network=20
(MAIN), which has been providing dial-up Internet access since 1996.
[SOURCE: IndyLink Press Release]
http://www.indylink.org/
QUICKLY
Benton Foundation Leaders to Visit Ithaca College to Discuss Communications=
=20
and the Public Interest
Benton Foundation Chairman Charles Benton and former Clinton White House=20
Advisor Jim Kohlenberger will visit Ithaca College next week to lead public=
=20
discussions on US media policy. They will be joined remotely by fellow=20
media activists Harold Feld of the Media Access Project, Celia Viggo Wexler=
=20
of Common Cause and Free Press co-founder Josh Silver. In addition to their=
=20
public events, Benton and Kohlenberger will take part in a series of=20
informal meetings with faculty and students to spur interest in the issues=
=20
of media and policy in the digital age. The activities are part of the=20
College's yearlong lecture and film series, "Engaging Democracy and=20
Troubling the Water."
[SOURCE: Ithaca College Press Release]
http://www.ithaca.edu/news/article.php?id=3D1603
Happy New Year for Media Reform?
The January edition of CCVM's newsletter is now available online. Jonathan=
=20
Rintels explains why media advocates can be hopeful for the reform movement.
[SOURCE: Center for Creative Voices in Media]
http://www.creativevoices.us/cgi-upload/news/news_article/0105Newsletter...
2005 Policy Forum & Susan G. Hadden Pioneer Awards Luncheon is Friday,=20
February 11, 2005 at the National Press Club.
[SOURCE: Alliance for Public Technology]
www.apt.org
--------------------------------------------------------------
...and we are outta here. See you Monday and Friday next week. Go Bombers!
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------