The Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust will hold a hearing today on the=20
SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI Mergers. For this and other upcoming media policy=
=20
events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm To learn more about=20
opposition to the SBC deal in California, see=20
http://zerodivide.org/pdf/merger/mergerprotest.pdf
JOURNALISM
Columnist Group Prez Criticizes Armstrong Williams Probe
How Companies Pay TV Experts For On-Air Product Mentions
Watergate Journalist Says Media Losing Public's Trust
TELEVISION
Barton Readies Hard-Date Bill
Don't Delay Tuners, NAB Tells FCC
Verizon CEO Calls for Pay-TV Rule Changes
Cablevision Raises Bid for Adelphia To $17.1 Billion
'Decency' Group Lifts P&G Boycott
FROM THE BLOG-O-SPHERE/COMMENTARY
Back To Mayberry (Barton Threatens Kids Computer Skills)
Innovative Use of Digital Media
The Mess of Mass Entertainment
QUICKLY -- Anti-Piracy Bill Sweet, Sour for Hollywood; Finding a .job;=20
Indian TV Channel Finds Little Appetite for the Naked Truth
JOURNALISM
COLUMNIST GROUP PREZ CRITICIZES ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS PROBE
National Society of Newspaper Columnists President Suzette Martinez=20
Standring is not impressed with a U.S. Department of Education probe of=20
government money that went to conservative commentator Armstrong Williams.=
=20
Standring wrote, "Government and journalistic wordsmiths seem to be at odds=
=20
regarding the inspector-general's investigation of the Armstrong Williams=20
controversy. I laughed out loud when Education Secretary Margaret Spellings=
=20
suggested the $240,000 payoff to Williams might have begun as a hint by=20
senior officials, later misread by minions that, in turn, may have led to a=
=20
'chain reaction within the building to carry out the request." Standring=20
added: "The report comes across as a chagrined 'oopsie!' It describes=20
Armstrong's hiring to shill for No Child Left Behind policies as 'poor=20
judgment.' We maintain 'ethical lapse.' They say 'mistake,' we say 'abuse.'=
=20
In our dictionary, the Department of Education's 'public relations minority=
=20
outreach' is better defined under 'covert propaganda.' You say potahto, I=20
say payola.'"
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher, AUTHOR: Dave Astor dastor( at )editorandpublisher.com]
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
_id=3D1000884855
HOW COMPANIES PAY TV EXPERTS FOR ON-AIR PRODUCT MENTIONS
A look at a little-known network that connects product experts with=20
advertisers and TV shows. The experts pitch themselves to companies willing=
=20
to pay for a mention. Next, they approach local-TV stations and offer=20
themselves up to be interviewed. Appearances frequently coincide with trade=
=20
shows, such as the Consumer Electronics Show, or holidays including=20
Christmas or Valentine's Day. Interviews typically air during regular news=
=20
programming in a way that's indistinguishable from the rest of the show.=20
One reviewer may conduct dozens of interviews with local stations over the=
=20
course of a day in what the industry calls a "satellite media tour." While=
=20
this circuit is predominantly focused on the local television market, the=20
big prize for marketers is a mention on national television shows, which=20
carry far more clout with viewers. A longstanding principle of journalism=20
holds that reporters cannot have financial relationships with the people or=
=20
companies they cover. TV shows present these gurus' recommendations as=20
unbiased and based solely on their expertise. But that presentation is=20
misleading if the experts have been paid to mention products on network or=
=20
local TV.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: James Bandler at=
james.bandler( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111386025685009961,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
WATERGATE JOURNALIST SAYS MEDIA LOSING PUBLIC'S TRUST
Carl Bernstein, the former Washington Post reporter who, along with Bob=20
Woodward, broke and covered the Watergate scandal, said, the=20
ever-escalating quest for profits has replaced journalism's obligation to=20
seek "the best obtainable version of the truth." Though the nation's=20
newspapers are hardly faultless, Bernstein said television news had been=20
taken over by an "idiot culture" that spends more time chasing celebrities=
=20
than explaining life-changing events. Bernstein said the media's race to=20
embrace this "idiot culture" has weakened its resolve to pursue truth and=20
relevance. It's a weakness, he said, that's come to threaten the public=20
good more than secrecy. Bernstein challenged the nation's media to=20
rediscover its obligations to inform the public and to promote the "public=
=20
good" rather than agendas driven by political spite.
[SOURCE: Lawrence Journal-World, AUTHOR: Dave Ranney]
http://www.ljworld.com/section/citynews/story/202103
See also --
TV news just isn't what it used to be
[SOURCE: The Arizona Republic, AUTHOR: Bill Goodykoontz]
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0417cronkite17.html
TELEVISION
BARTON READIES HARD-DATE BILL
House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) said legislation=20
setting a hard date for the end of the digital television transition should=
=20
be ready in two or three weeks. Rep Barton said the date may not be his=20
preferred 12/31/06, but will not be as late as 2009 as some have suggested.=
=20
Still under discussion with other committee members is a possible provision=
=20
that would expand broadcasters' digital cable carriage rights. Auction=20
revenues generated by returned analog TV spectrum may go to subsidize DTV=20
convertor boxes for low income households. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) and=20
other lawmakers in Las Vegas expressed some concern about ending the=20
transition too soon, resulting in a lot of obsolete television sets.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA525792?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Lawmakers Concerned About 2006 DTV Bill
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA525870.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
DON'T DELAY TUNERS, NAB TELLS FCC
The National Association of Broadcasters and the Association of Maximum=20
Service Television (MSTV) will ask the Federal Communications Commission to=
=20
reject an effort by the consumer-electronics industry to delay the July 1,=
=20
2005 deadline for having digital-TV tuners in at least one-half of all TV=20
sets shipped. Currently, all DTV sets 13-inches and larger must have the=20
tuners by July 1, 2007; the Consumer Electronic Association says it now=20
favors accelerating the deadline, saying it could go all-tuner by March=20
2006 if the FCC drops this summer's 50% deadline.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell & John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA525788?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
VERIZON CEO CALLS FOR PAY-TV RULE CHANGES
During a speech at the National Association of Broadcasters conference in=20
Las Vegas on Monday, Verizon Communications CEO Ivan Seidenberg told an=20
audience made up largely of those in the TV industry that Verizon should=20
not be required to pay fees to local governments for offering pay-TV over=20
fiber. The issue stems from current "franchise" fees that allow local=20
municipalities to bill cable companies for using their public facilities,=20
such as light poles and sewers, to deliver television. Telephone companies=
=20
such as Verizon must pay separate fees to stretch their own copper wires to=
=20
offer phone and DSL services. Seidenberg said requiring the Bells to pay=20
video fees on top of their existing fees would hurt Verizon's video=
ambitions.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Jim Hu]
http://news.com.com/Verizon+CEO+calls+for+pay-TV+rule+changes/2100-1037_...
75359.html?tag=3Dnefd.top
Also in:
Multichannel News:=20
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA525893.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
CABLEVISION RAISES BID FOR ADELPHIA TO $17.1 BILLION
Cablevision has raised its bid for Adelphia Communications to $17.1=20
billion, intensifying its bidding war with Time Warner and Comcast for the=
=20
fifth-largest cable operator. Adelphia, which has more than five million=20
subscribers, has been operating under bankruptcy protection since 2002.=20
While Cablevision's bid is still valued at less than Time Warner and=20
Comcast's offer, it likely has a larger cash component, which some=20
creditors might find to be more attractive. Time Warner and Comcast's bid=20
consists of $12.5 billion in cash and roughly $5.1 billion in stock, and=20
some creditors are concerned that the stock may wind up being valued less=20
than that, once it starts trading. Creditors so far have been unsuccessful=
=20
in persuading Time Warner and Comcast to include a guarantee in their offer=
=20
that the stock wouldn't fall below a certain value.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Peter Grant peter.grant( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111387113169510184,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
'DECENCY' GROUP LIFT P&G BOYCOTT
The American Family Association (formerly the National Federation for=20
Decency) has suspended its boycott of Procter & Gamble over what it had=20
charged was the company's sponsorship of television programming and=20
Internet sites promoting a "homosexual lifestyle." AFA targeted P&G because=
=20
it purchased ad time during "Will & Grace" and "Queer Eye for the Straight=
=20
Guy."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA525858?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
FROM THE BLOG-O-SPHERE/COMMENTARY
BACK TO MAYBERRY
It is crystal clear Rep Joe Barton, Chairman of the House Energy and=20
Commerce Committee, is completely opposed to America=92s children learning=
=20
how to use computers, email and the web. Rep Barton has fixed his sights on=
=20
evaporating the E-rate.
[SOURCE: Riedel Communications, AUTHOR: Bunnie Riedel]
http://www.riedelcommunications.blogspot.com/
INNOVATIVE USE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Three examples of innovative use of digital media to cover news events.=20
Each won the a Digital Edge Award.
[SOURCE: CyberJournalist.net, AUTHOR: Jonathan Dube]
http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002397.php
THE MESS OF MASS ENTERTAINMENT
[Commentary] While headlines herald the box-office dominance of =93family=20
films=94 and marvel at the new muscle of anti-indecency crusaders in the TV=
=20
business, few parents feel reassured by current offerings from the=20
entertainment industry. In the midst of ongoing debate about media=20
standards, the general public seems unable to decide whether we should fear=
=20
too much censorship =97 or too little. In part, the prevailing confusion=20
about where we stand in the struggle over pop culture indecency reflects=20
the limited focus of recent efforts to =93clean up=94 mass entertainment.=
While=20
concentrating on a few high-profile events on TV, activists and officials=20
have done little to address the omnipresent edginess and raunch on cable=20
TV, in the music business or in video games. While attempts to expand FCC=20
supervision into these arenas would prove unpopular, impractical and=20
ill-advised, a meaningful extension and adjustment of content ratings could=
=20
equip parents with information to enhance empowerment. In providing more=20
comprehensible and uniform content ratings, show-business companies could=20
simultaneously encourage those who say they seek more wholesome,=20
family-friendly alternatives, and those who worry that restrictive puritans=
=20
have already gone too far.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Michael Medved, radio host and film critic]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050419/oplede19.art.htm
QUICKLY
ANTI-PIRACY BILL SWEET, SOUR FOR HOLLYWOOD
Congress is poised to pass a bill ratcheting up the penalties for movie and=
=20
music bootlegging, handing Hollywood a long-sought victory in its drive to=
=20
prosecute pirates. But the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005,=
=20
which the House is expected to approve today, includes a bitter pill for=20
the studios: It would legalize products that electronically snip offensive=
=20
scenes or words from DVDs.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jon Healey]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-camcorder19apr19,1,36...
8.story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)
WEB-SITE SUFFIX .JOB IS ADDED IN HOPE IT IS EASIER TO FIND ONE
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved the suffix=
=20
".jobs" earlier this month. Employers can use the suffix to create=20
dedicated job-postings Web sites that end in ".jobs" rather than ".com."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Erin White erin.white( at )wsj.com and=20
Kris Maher kris.maher( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111387642952910352,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
INDIAN TV CHANNEL FINDS LITTLE APPETITE FOR THE NAKED TRUTH
Sexual disclosures bring public criticism, not acclaim for India TV, an=20
upstart television channel.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Rama Lakshmi]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64602-2005Apr18.html
(requires registration)
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------