It is a week of media reform conferences. For these and other upcoming=20
media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
MEDIA ACTIVISM
Bill of Media Rights Introduced
The Fallout From the Telecommunications Act of 1996:
Unintended Consequences and Lessons Learned
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
Public TV and Radio to Receive Big Grants
CPB Takes Out a "Contract" on PBS: How the GOP-led CPB
Wants to Control Programming
POLICYMAKERS
Top Antitrust Official to Step Down
Belvin Joins Abernathy's Staff
QUICKLY -- Bertelsmann to Buy Columbia House; European Leaders Propose=20
Counter to Google; Over 50 and Out of Favor; Internet Attack
MEDIA ACTIVISM
BILL OF MEDIA RIGHTS INTRODUCED
A coalition of 116 media-activist groups [including the Benton Foundation]=
=20
unveiled a "Bill of Media Rights" Monday, which they insist must be=20
included in any major media- or telecommunications-overhaul legislation.=20
The provisions are aimed at turning back the effects of increasing=20
corporate ownership of broadcast stations, cable systems and newspapers=20
since media-ownership rules were deregulated by the 1996 Telecommunications=
=20
Act. The consequences of the resulting consolidation since 1996 include=20
escalating cable prices, diminished ownership of media outlets by=20
minorities, and a decline in the amount of political coverage and=20
children's programming. The groups are calling on Congress to enact 15=20
provisions they believe will lead to lower prices for pay-TV and other=20
services, more competition and greater diversity of viewpoints expressed in=
=20
major communications outlets. The provisions include requirements for=20
locally produced programming; restrictions on cross-ownership of broadcast=
=20
stations, cable systems and newspapers in the same market; requirements for=
=20
political and civic programming; more frequent and "rigorous" license=20
renewals; and media employment ranks that "reflect the presence and voices=
=20
of people of color, women, labor, immigrants, Americans with disabilities=20
and other communities often misrepresented." This coming weekend, 2,000=20
anti-consolidation activists will rally in St. Louis to build momentum for=
=20
upcoming legislation over ending the switch to DTV and rewriting=20
communications laws (see you there!).
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA600453?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
See the Bill of Media Rights at=20
http://www.creativevoices.us/php-bin/news/showArticle.php?id=3D100
See also --
* Coalition Plans to Fight Lax Telecom Law
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA600515.html?display=3DBreaking+New...
ferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* New Coalition Formed to Fight for Consumer Interests
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D7807
* Consumer Coalition to Press for =91Democratic=92 Telecom Legislation
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: ]
(Not available online)
* Former FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani joins the call for a new=20
telecommunications act to represent all Americans
http://www.ucc.org/ocinc/news/050905.htm
THE FALLOUT FROM THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996: UNINTENDED=20
CONSEQUENCES AND LESSONS LEARNED
Nearly a decade after Congress approved the Telecommunications Act of 1996,=
=20
and with Congress once again set to make major media and telecommunications=
=20
policy, Common Cause Monday released a report showing how the Act failed to=
=20
deliver on its promises of competition, increased diversity of viewpoints=20
and lower prices for consumers. The report details how consumers and public=
=20
interest groups were excluded from the process of writing the 1996 law=20
while media industry lobbyists were deeply involved. Media companies have=20
since increased their influence in Washington. Eight major companies alone,=
=20
their corporate parents and their three trade groups have spent more=20
than $400 million on lobbying and federal campaign contributions since=20
1997, raising fears about the media policies Congress will adopt this year.
[SOURCE: Common Cause, AUTHOR: Celia Viggo Wexler]
http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/{FB3C17E2-CDD1-4DF6-92BE-BD4429893665}/FAL=
LOUT_FROM_THE_TELECOMM_ACT_5-9-05.PDF
Press Release for report:=20
http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=3DdkLNK1MQIwG&b=3...
883&ct=3D842509
* Twenty million Americans demand a seat at the table when Congress makes=20
new telecomm policy
http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=3DdkLNK1MQIwG&b=3...
883&ct=3D842531
* Common Cause President Chellie Pingree on Media Bill of Rights
http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=3DdkLNK1MQIwG&b=3...
883&ct=3D842517
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
PUBLIC TV AND RADIO TO RECEIVE BIG GRANTS
The Ford Foundation, the main financial backer of public broadcasting in=20
its formative days, is undertaking its largest initiative to support=20
nonprofit media in more than 25 years. The initiative will funnel $50=20
million over five years to a baker's dozen of public television, radio and=
=20
other media organizations. A major focus of the effort will be to spur the=
=20
creation and distribution of public affairs programming, particularly=20
programs dealing with international affairs. The Public Broadcasting=20
Service and National Public Radio will receive the largest grants, $10=20
million and $7.5 million respectively. But less well-known entities will=20
also share in the wealth, including Link TV, a television network devoted=20
to explaining the rest of the world to the United States; the Sundance=20
Documentary Fund, which supports documentaries about human rights issues;=20
and New California Media, a consortium of more than 600 print, television,=
=20
radio and Internet outlets devoted to ethnic news. The official=20
announcement of the initiative, which is expected today, comes as public=20
broadcasting is being whipsawed by a leveling off of corporate=20
underwriting, a decline in state government support and growing political=20
pressure to correct what many conservatives view as a liberal bias.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Lorne Manly & Elizabeth Jensen]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/arts/television/10publ.html
(requires registration)
CPB TAKES OUT "CONTRACT" ON PBS: HOW THE GOP-LED CPB WANTS TO CONTROL=20
PROGRAMMING
[Commentary] The Corporation for Public Broadcasting wants to have greater=
=20
control over all PBS programming. Despite its statutorily limited role in=
=20
content, the GOP-dominated CPB board fashioned a =93National Programming=20
Service Agreement=94 that would have give it unprecedented influence and=20
power over PBS=92s programming schedule. CPB regularly provides modest=20
annual funding to PBS to help support its National Programming Service=20
(NPS). For the current contract period (FY 2005-2006), CPB has earmarked=
=20
slightly more than $26 million to help pay for some of the primetime and=20
children=92s shows on PBS. But for the first time in the 14-year history of=
=20
the NPS agreement, CPB made a series of legal demands designed to reshape=20
PBS programming to its own conservative and non-journalistic ideological=20
perspectives. According to the contract, CPB wanted PBS to agree that its=
=20
programming would be governed by its own sponsored research and=20
analysis=97called the =93CPB Needs Assessment Research and Analysis." CPB=
=92s=20
goal was to secure an ideological "straitjacket" over what should be the=20
editorial independence of PBS programmers.
[SOURCE: Center for Digital Democracy]
http://www.democraticmedia.org/news/washingtonwatch/CPBNPS.html
POLICYMAKERS
TOP ANTITRUST OFFICIAL TO STEP DOWN
R. Hewitt Pate, the assistant attorney general for antitrust, has told=20
Justice Department officials that he intends to step down next month and=20
won't be involved in deciding whether to approve two huge=20
telecommunications mergers the department is investigating (SBC-AT&T,=20
Verizon-MCI). Mr. Pate has been a senior official in the antitrust division=
=20
since 2001 and became chief in 2003. On his watch, enforcement priorities=20
shifted from a focus on marketplace conduct by individual firms -- such as=
=20
the Microsoft Corp. antitrust case -- to a less intervention-oriented=20
approach, emphasizing enforcement of laws prohibiting price fixing and=20
collusion by company executives. In merger enforcement, Mr. Pate has drawn=
=20
criticism from consumer advocates for allowing too many mergers -- creating=
=20
too much concentration in media, banking and other industries. At the same=
=20
time, several of the Justice Department's attempts to challenge mergers=20
failed in federal court under Mr. Pate's watch, including its case against=
=20
the largest-ever software merger, Oracle Corp.'s $10.6 billion acquisition=
=20
of PeopleSoft.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: John Wilke]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111569296855028994,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_page_one
(requires subscription)
BELVIN JOINS ABERNATHY'S STAFF
Lauren "Pete" Belvin is joining FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy's=20
office as acting legal advisor, with a primary focus on wireline=20
competition matters. Ms. Belvin has served as an advisor to several former=
=20
Chairmen and Commissioners at the FCC, in addition to holding senior=20
management positions in the Office of General Counsel, Office of=20
Legislative Affairs, and Cable Television Bureau. She also served at=20
Senior Majority Counsel to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and=20
Transportation. Ms. Belvin's private sector experience includes her work=20
as Vice President, Federal Law and Policy for Qwest Communications, Inc.=20
and at the law firm of Wilkinson Barker and Knauer. Most recently, Ms.=20
Belvin has served as Special Counsel in the FCC's Office of Strategic=
Planning.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-258596A1.doc
QUICKLY
BERTELSMANN TO BUY COLUMBIA HOUSE
In a $400 million deal, Bertelsmann will acquire Columbia House, the big=20
membership-based seller of DVDs and music. Bertelsmann plans to combine=20
Columbia House with BMG Direct, its U.S. music-club business, to create a=20
venture with about $1.5 billion in annual revenue and some 16 million=20
members in the U.S. and Canada. Bertelsmann grew up in the club business=20
and remains the world's biggest club operator, with a total of 32 million=20
members in 22 countries.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Matthew Karnitschnig=20
matthew.karnitschnig( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111568329787328746,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
s_marketplace
(requires subscription)
EUROPEAN LEADERS PROPOSE DIGITAL LIBRARY TO COUNTER GOOGLE VISION
Plans by Google to create a massive digital library have triggered such=20
strong fears in Europe about Anglo-American cultural dominance that one=20
critic is warning of a "unilateral command of the thought of the=20
world." So great is the concern that six European leaders have jointly=20
proposed creating a "European digital library" to counter the project by=20
Google Print, as the new venture is known. Other countries are expected to=
=20
come on board.
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-google10may10,1,65723...
tory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)
OVER 50 AND OUT OF FAVOR
[Commentary] More than half the nation's wealth is in the hands of people=20
over 50, who spend an estimated $2 trillion a year on products and=20
services. So why does network TV focus on the 18-to-49-year-old consumer?
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR:Meg James]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-fifty10may10,1,2923...
tory?coll=3Dla-headlines-frontpage
(requires registration)
INTERNET ATTACK CALLED BROAD AND LONG LASTING BY INVESTIGATORS
Investigators in the United States and Europe say they have spent almost a=
=20
year pursuing the case involving attacks on computer systems serving the=20
American military, NASA and research laboratories. The break-ins exploited=
=20
security holes on those systems that the authorities say have now been=20
plugged, and beyond the Cisco theft, it is not clear how much data was=20
taken or destroyed. Still, the case illustrates the ease with which=20
Internet-connected computers - even those of sophisticated corporate and=20
government networks - can be penetrated, and also the difficulty in tracing=
=20
those responsible.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: John Markoff & Lowell Bergman]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/technology/10cisco.html?hp&ex=3D111578...
&en=3Deeb27da2e75ec022&ei=3D5094&partner=3Dhomepage
(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.
--------------------------------------------------------------