For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
MARTIN ON THE HILL
Hill Pushes Martin on Indecency
FCC Chief Wants 911 Service for Internet Phones
FCC Chairman Martin's Testimony Before the Committee on Appropriations
BROADCASTING
Christian Radio Plan Doubted after Permits Sold for over $800,000
The End of Analog TV
McCain Intros Video-Description Bill
Anchors May Not be Only Change in TV News
Cable TV tells parents to =91Take Control'
Study Links TV Ads, Prescriptions
INTERNET
FTC Seeks Comment on Children=92s Online Privacy Rule
Judge Rejects Sanction Over Political E-Mails
The Gated Online Community
QUICKLY -- Why the Fuss over MCI?; A TV-turn-off Year; What can=20
progressives do to fix journalism?; Unions Press Comcast Shareholders;=20
Bunnie Riedel has a Proposal for Brian Roberts; Video-news Releases Hearing=
=20
Delayed; Old Computers Finding New Uses
MARTIN ON THE HILL
HILL PUSHES MARTIN ON INDECENCY
Nothing is as fun as your first Capitol Hill appearance as Chairman of the=
=20
FCC. That's what Kevin Martin learned Tuesday as he appeared before Members=
=20
of the House who decide how much money his agency will have to spend.=20
Lawmakers told Chairman Martin to more aggressively press for voluntary=20
TV-industry safeguards to protect children from inappropriate programming.=
=20
As FCC Commissioner Martin supported a an hour nightly prime time broadcast=
=20
block for family-friendly viewing (the so-called family hour) and has=20
called on cable operators to sell family-themed tiers of programming. He=20
promised to provide more leadership on the issue now that he is FCC=20
chairman. Rep. Frank Wolf -- chairman of the House Subcommittee on Science,=
=20
State, Commerce, Justice and Related Agencies -- encouraged Chairman Martin=
=20
to convene meetings with broadcasters and cable operators aimed at winning=
=20
commitments from the industry that would allow parents to know specific=20
timeslots (broaodcast) or programming packages (cable) that would be=20
suitable for all members of their families.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA527861?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
FCC CHIEF WANTS 911 SERVICE FOR INTERNET PHONES
In testimony before the House Committee on Appropriations, Federal=20
Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said on Tuesday he would=20
soon propose requiring Internet-based telephone providers to offer their=20
customers emergency 911 dialing services. After the hearing, Chairman=20
Martin told reporters he planned to offer a proposal to the other three FCC=
=20
commissioners so they could vote on it in May, possibly at the May 19 FCC=20
open meeting.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=3D8...
47
In a related story --
Verizon Communications, the largest of the Baby Bells, said it plans to=20
open its 911 emergency calling infrastructure to providers of Net-based=20
phoning.
http://news.com.com/Biggest+Bell+to+hand+911+access+to+VoIP+operators/21...
352_3-5685250.html?tag=3Dnefd.top
Also see --
* FCC to Take Up VoIP 911
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/26/AR200504...
638.html
* 911 Rule Weighed for VOIP Providers
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-help27apr27,1,5573183...
ry?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
FCC CHAIRMAN MARTIN'S TESTIMONY BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
The FCC is requesting spending authority of $304,057,000 for Fiscal Year=20
2006, with a direct appropriation of $4,823,000. The Commission will raise=
=20
the remainder, or $299,234,000, through regulatory fees. During the current=
=20
fiscal year, the Commission has a spending level of $281,098,000, with all=
=20
but one million dollars being raised through regulatory fees. To continue=20
to operate at its current level, the Commission would require $289,784,000,=
=20
or a 3%increase over the previous fiscal year, for nondiscretionary=20
operating increases. The FCC is requesting an additional $14,273,000 to=20
implement four program performance initiatives. First, $450,000 would fund=
=20
the E-Government Personnel Program to allow the FCC to participate in a=20
government-wide program to manage personnel data electronically. Second,=20
the Commission requests $1,350,000 for the Licensing Integration Initiative=
=20
to provide enhancements to the Commission=92s computer systems in order to=
=20
improve licensing resources and facilitate cross-bureau applications =ADa=20
program that will enhance consumer interaction with all of the Commission=92=
s=20
licensing systems at a time of increased convergence in telecommunications=
=20
services. Third, the Commission is requesting $9,300,000 for a special=20
Field Facilities Improvement Initiative at the Commission=92s offices in=20
Columbia, Maryland. The FCC=92s fourth special request is $3,173,000 to hire=
=20
26 limited term FTEs to increase Universal Service Fund audit and oversight=
=20
activities in Fiscal Year 2006.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-258333A1.pdf
BROADCASTING
CHRISTIAN RADIO PLAN DOUBTED AFTER PERMITS SOLD FOR OVER $800,000
Since 2003, Clark Parrish, a radio engineer, and two partners have received=
=20
FCC permits to build an eye-popping 1,026 =93translator=94 radio stations=20
nationwide. A translator rebroadcasts the signal of a full-power station to=
=20
reach communities outside the station's normal service area. Parrish says=20
he wants to retransmit non-profit Christian radio stations across the USA.=
=20
But a coalition of religious and public-interest groups contends that=20
Parrish's companies are illegally exploiting licenses by selling them=20
almost as quickly as they acquire them. Though Parrish's companies got the=
=20
permits free, they've sold or given away about 85 of them to other=20
broadcasters, both religious and secular, for more than $800,000. And=20
they've signaled plans to unload hundreds of other stations. =93This was=20
nothing but a scheme to traffic in commission licenses,=94 says Harold Feld=
=20
of the Media Access Project, which is representing the coalition before the=
=20
FCC. =93To let people come in under false cover, get a valuable federal=
asset=20
and resell it for a tidy profit is just wrong.=94 Feld says the practice is=
=20
especially harmful because the translators occupy valuable channels that=20
could be used by non-profit low-power radio stations to offer locally=20
oriented content. Congress is considering a bill to nearly double the=20
maximum number of low-power stations across the country.
When the papa, um the FCC, found out, it began to shout, and it started the=
=20
investigation.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR:Paul Davidson]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050427/b_translators27.art.htm
THE END OF ANALOG TV
If you heard it first at MSNBC I'm not doing my job very well...=20
[Commentary] If Detroit was selling cars that used a type of gasoline that=
=20
would soon no longer be available, consumers would expect to be informed.=20
But Americans are buying analog television sets at a rate of 20=20
million/year even though we may be a all-digital TV nation by January 1,=20
2007. Congress is considering subsidizing sets for low-income households so=
=20
they can go on enjoying Judge Judy, General Hospital and Elimidate. If=20
consumers aren't ready for the transition, and the government is going to=20
get stuck buying a billion dollars of converter boxes, why not put off the=
=20
transition indefinitely? The broadcasters don't seem to be in any hurry:=20
They have both their old analog channels plus the opportunity to experiment=
=20
with digital broadcasting. But consumer electronics manufacturers are=20
pushing Congress hard. Switching everyone to digital TV could be the=20
biggest bonanza the industry has seen since the mid-Eighties, when the=20
advent of audio CDs fueled an enormous upgrade market. In addition,=20
returned spectrum can be used by public safety officials and by high-tech=20
companies to provide powerful wireless broadband networks that could offer=
=20
seamless high-speed Internet service virtually everywhere in the U.S. Oh,=20
and there's the little deal of spectrum revenues helping cut the federal=
debt.
[SOURCE: MSNBC, AUTHOR: Michael Rogers]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7593620/page/2/
MCCAIN INTROS VIDEO-DESCRIPTION BILL
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has renewed his effort to mandate video=20
descriptions for the blind; he introduced a bill Tuesday a bill that would=
=20
require broadcasters to add video descriptions--of important plot points=20
and action that is seen but not heard--to at least 50 hours of prime time=20
or kids shows per quarter (that's about 2.5% of total programming).=20
Narration, which is received over a special TV frequency, is squeezed into=
=20
programming between the actual dialogue. The service was developed by=20
advocacy group Metropolitan Washington Ear and WGBH, Boston's public-TV=20
station, and first aired in 1987 on the PBS American Playhouse. In 2000,=20
the FCC required the four biggest broadcast networks and the five biggest=20
cable nets to narrate four hours of prime time and kid shows weekly. Judges=
=20
ruled two years later that the FCC had no authority to impose the mandate.=
=20
The bill would: 1) Reinstate the FCC=92s video description rules, 2)=20
Authorize the FCC to make additional changes to those rules, and 3)=20
"Require the FCC to consider whether it is economically and technically=20
feasible and consistent with the public interest to include =93accessible=20
information=94 in its video description rules, which may include written=20
information displayed on a screen, hazardous warnings and other emergency=20
information, and local and national news bulletins."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton & Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA527795?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
ANCHORS MAY NOT BE ONLY CHANGE IN TV NEWS
One anchor or two? Tie or no tie? A long discussion on saving nightly=20
network TV newscasts that focuses little on, well, the news. The key for=20
networks is =93to focus first and foremost on the content,=94 says ABC News=
=20
president David Westin. =93What are the news stories? What is the truth=
about=20
these stories? What can we bring to news stories that is valuable to the=20
audience and different from what others can bring? How can we tell the=20
stories most effectively? Then, having gotten the best and most distinctive=
=20
content, we will need to make sure that we're distributing it in every way=
=20
possible. We will continue to attract our audiences if we make our strong=20
and credible reporting available on as many platforms as possible,=94 he=
says.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Peter Johnson]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050427/1a_cover27.art.htm
CABLE TV TELLS PARENTS TO 'TAKE CONTROL'
In a bid to head off federal regulation, the cable industry today plans to=
=20
unveil an expanded campaign to make TV ratings more prominent and to inform=
=20
parents on how to block racy channels or programs. The industry campaign =97=
=20
called =93Take Control. It's Easy=94=97 features a year of public-service=20
announcements on more than 100 cable channels, informing parents of ways to=
=20
block channels or programs. Cable networks will donate airtime, valued at=20
$250 million, for the spots, which will begin May 1. [We'll check with the=
=20
NAB, but doesn't cable merit broadcast licenses for that kind of=
commitment?]
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR:Paul Davidson]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050427/1b_indecency27.art.htm
STUDY LINKS TV ADS, PRESCRIPTIONS
The drug industry spends $3.2 billion yearly advertising prescription drugs=
=20
directly to U.S. consumers. Published in this week's Journal of the=20
American Medical Association, a study that used actors to visit doctors and=
=20
pose as patients has found that television ads for prescription=20
antidepressants lead to both proper use but also overuse of such medicines,=
=20
researchers said.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111456118952517770,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_personal_journal
(requires subscription)
Also see --
* Doctors Influenced By Mention Of Drug Ads
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/26/AR200504...
624.html
* TV Ads for Drugs Help Boost Prescriptions, Researchers Say
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-sci-drugads27apr27,...
63571.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
INTERNET
FTC SEEKS COMMENT ON CHILDREN'S ONLINE PRIVACY RULE
The Federal Trade Commission is examining whether to retain five-year-old=20
rules aimed at protecting the personal information of children using the=20
Internet. The rules restrict how Web site operators and online services may=
=20
obtain personal information from children under 13. To help the FTC decide=
=20
whether to retain, eliminate or modify the rules, the agency is asking for=
=20
public comment on current practices for collecting and disclosing=20
children's information; children's ability to access information they want,=
=20
and the prevalence of child-targeted sites. Comments are due June 27.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA527651?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
For more information, see the FTC website:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/04/coppacomments.htm
JUDGE REJECTS SANCTIONS OVER POLITICAL EMAILS
Two government employees did not violate restrictions against partisan=20
politics in the federal workplace last fall when they sent politically=20
charged e-mails to more than 20 of their colleagues, an administrative law=
=20
judge ruled this month. The judge ruled that the e-mails amounted to the=20
electronic equivalent of a discussion of politics around the office water=20
cooler, something that is legal.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Christopher Lee]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/26/AR200504...
305.html
(requires registration)
THE GATED COMMUNITY
Would you want to be part of a club that wouldn't have you as a member? Now=
=20
you can find out online. An increasing number of sites are touting their=20
exclusivity -- including aSmallWorld.net, Catch27.com and FunHi which seeks=
=20
to emulate a club and "bounces" users who lack style, like "meatheads" and=
=20
people who "look homeless." The debate over how exclusive to be mirrors a=20
broader issue facing many Internet businesses: whether to attempt to=20
attract millions of eyeballs -- or to focus on a smaller but more devoted=20
group of users. While people in the latter category might spend more time=20
on the site or even be willing to pay a fee to use it, the former strategy=
=20
can yield the kind of mass that some advertisers are seeking.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jennifer Saranow=20
jennifer.saranow( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111455358049717577,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_personal_journal
(requires subscription)
QUICKLY
WHY THE TUG OF WAR BETWEEN QWEST AND VERIZON OVER MCI?
Why are Qwest and Verizon so intent on grabbing MCI? MCI's real plum is its=
=20
=93enterprise=94 business -- its big corporate and government customers.=
This=20
lucrative base is exceedingly loyal to MCI. Most of these customers stayed=
=20
put even when MCI -- then known as WorldCom -- was in bankruptcy=20
protection. Qwest, in a word, is desperate. The company, with one of the=20
worst financial profiles in telecom, is eager for a new business strategy.=
=20
It has a relatively meager $14.8 billion in annual revenue and a=20
gut-busting $17.5 billion in debt. Qwest had originally hoped to buy MCI,=20
in part, to gain access to MCI's $5.5 billion cash hoard. Qwest hoped to=20
use that to help pay off its debt.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20050427/mci27.art.htm
LIVING 'OUTSIDE THE BOX' -- ONE ESCAPEE'S TV-TURN-OFF YEAR
[Commentary] Millions of people in the United States and 10 other countries=
=20
are celebrating it April 25-May 1, according to the TV-Turnoff Network,=20
which promotes alternatives to excessive screen time. Here's the story of=20
someone who turned it off for more than a week.
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Stacy A. Teicher]
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0427/p09s02-coop.html
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Why is the news so bad? What can progressives do to fix it?
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Jessica Clark and Tracy Van Slyke]
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21872/
UNIONS PRESS COMCAST SHAREHOLDERS
The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of=
=20
Electrical Workers called on Comcast shareholders to adopt three proposals=
=20
that the unions say will improve corporate governance and management=20
accountability at the cable giant. The proposals call for: 1) one vote per=
=20
share for all company stock, 2) elimination of the poison pill provision,=20
and 3) independent, non-executive board chair.
[SOURCE: Communications Workers of America Press Release]
http://www.cwa-union.org/news/PressReleaseDisplay.asp?ID=3D498
MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER...
[Commentary] Like me, Bunnie Riedel loves 'Fiddler on the Roof' and she=20
thinks she's found the perfect husband for her daughter -- Comcast's Brian=
=20
Roberts. Next week Bunnie tells us what she'd do if she were as rich as a=20
Rothchild (probably do some consulting on the side).
[SOURCE: Riedel Communications, AUTHOR: Bunnie Riedel]
www.riedelcommunications.blogspot.com
The Senate Commerce Committee has postponed its hearing on video-news=20
releases until after next week's spring break.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA527773?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
OLD COMPUTERS FINDING NEW USES
More than half the old personal computers replaced by consumers last year=20
were put to productive use instead of being dumped or stored away,=20
according to a nationwide survey by MetaFacts, a San Diego research firm.=20
Businesses are recycling old computers at a 19.1 percent rate, six times=20
higher than households. Homes with small children were twice as likely to=20
keep and still use their older computers (43.3 percent) than single-person=
=20
households (20.9 percent). The survey found that lower-income families were=
=20
more likely to recycle discarded computers than wealthier respondents.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR:Karl Schoenberger]
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/11500206.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------