Tomorrow the New America Foundation hosts a discussion -- The Politics of
America's DTV Transition: Will the Telecom Act Rewrite Repeat the Fiasco of
the 1996 Giveaway? For this and other upcoming media policy events, see
http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
BROADCASTING
DTV Bill Would Set 2008 Hard Transition, Newly Released Draft Says
Tough Road for Public TV
Networks Use Web in Debate on Indecency
OWNERSHIP
It's Not All In the Family
FCC Tackles Cable Reach
NAB Makes Further Ownership Filing at Supreme Court
How Old Media Can Survive In a New World
TELECOM
Slower Growth Hits Cellphone Services Overseas
TV Could Make VOIP Safer
QUICKLY -- News Media "Seriously Missing"; Ad Council Promotes PSA
Partners; Grow Up, TV Advertisers; Scholarly Journals' Premier Status Is
Diluted by Web
BROADCASTING
DTV BILL WOULD SET 2008 HARD TRANSITION, NEWLY RELEASED DRAFT SAYS
The House Commerce Committee released a draft of legislation intended to
quickly end analog TV broadcasts in the US. The bill targets Dec. 31, 2008
as the cutoff date. Starting January 1, 2009, most current TV sets would
have to be connected to a digital tuner, a digital-to-analog converter box,
or cable, satellite, or other multichannel video services. The bill calls
for warning labels on analog sets sold starting 45 days after the bill is
passed letting consumers know of the coming transition. The bill does NOT
include subsidies for households that currently rely on over-the-air
broadcasts. "Despite the good-faith negotiations with Chairmen Barton and
Upton on a digital television transition bill, we have important
outstanding issues that could not be resolved before the Chairmen concluded
the talks," said a joint statement by Reps Dingell (D-MI), ranking member
of the House Commerce Committee, and Rep. Markey (D-MA), ranking member of
the Telecom Subcommittee. "While we agree that a 'date certain' for the
digital transition advances several public policy goals, including
addressing vital public safety needs, we continue to believe we should not
take action to shut off millions of television sets without a workable
remedy for consumers," the statement said. The bill also directs the FCC to
conduct a public outreach program educating consumers about the digital
transition, which would include 2 60-sec. public service announcements to
air during the 8-9 a.m. and 8-9 p.m. hours from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2008.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Anne Veigle, Paul Gluckman]
(Not available online)
* DTV Draft Bill Sets 2008 Date
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA603039?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Republicans Release Draft DTV Bill
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-ROIQ1115856037000.html
** A hearing on the bill has been scheduled for Thursday **
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/05262005hearing1533/hearing...
** The NAB already has a reaction to the draft critical of the lack of
analog TV subsidies and silence on multicast must-carry; see: **
http://www.nab.org/xert/corpcomm/newsletters/tvtoday/2005/052305/DTVLegi...
* NAB Unveils Text for DTV Transition Ad
The National Association of Broadcasters on Friday released the copy for an
advertisement the association plans to run in Capitol Hill newspapers next
week urging lawmakers to proceed cautiously on a plan to force broadcasters
to make the switch to digital TV. "Don't give over 20 million American
homes a snow job," reads the ad's headline from a lobbying group better
known for bullshit than weather reports.
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Doug Halonen]
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=7869
TOUGH ROAD FOR PUBLIC TV
A Q&A with CPB Board Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson who is on a mission to get
out the truth about his involvement with public television. He says the
biggest problem facing public broadcasting today is that he economic model
for public television is broken. There's a need to find new sources of
support for public television -- or it won't continue. CPB is focusing on
cracking major donors. Tomlinson says, "We need to give people more of a
reason to support public broadcasting. We need to upgrade the educational
base of our children's programming so that the educational component is
seen as something very, very important to the future of the nation. We need
to support cultural programs. We need programs Americans want to support
because they enrich their lives."
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA602832?display=Technology&ref...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
See also --
* Wash. Post repeated baseless claim that CPB ombudsman is a "liberal,"
failed to question contradictory claims by Tomlinson
http://mediamatters.org/items/200505200005
NETWORKS USE WEB IN DEBATE ON INDECENCY
Hoping to defuse pressure for further government indecency crackdowns,
networks and cable companies are borrowing a Web page from the playbook of
their critics. A new coalition called TV Watch, bankrolled in part by CBS
parent Viacom Inc., Fox owner News Corp. and NBC Universal, recently
launched an Internet site, at televisionwatch.org. The move recognizes the
importance of the Web in the public relations battle by broadcasters to
blunt the growing influence of media watchdog organizations such as the
Parents Television Council. Those groups are aggressively shaping
Washington's indecency debate, successfully using the Internet to get their
message out publicly and to pressure legislators and regulators with
complaints.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jube Shiver Jr]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-tvwatch23may23,1,4637...
(requires registration)
OWNERSHIP
IT'S NOT ALL IN THE FAMILY
Last year, NBC became the last major broadcast network to marry a big
Hollywood studio, buying Universal. Such vertical integration of the TV
business assures studios a ready buyer for shows they develop and, for
networks, lets them control costs and locks in a piece of the upside if a
show becomes a hit in syndication. But of the six new series NBC is adding
to its schedule this year, just two come from NBC Universal Television
Studio (affectionately known as "NUTS"). The remaining orders were spread
across four rival producers. And of the shows NBC picked up from outsiders,
none are co-productions in which the network jointly finances a series and
participates in the profits. Other networks bought outside their corporate
families, too. No one is saying there isn't plenty of in-house dealing in
the vertically integrated shops. All of UPN's new series come from sibling
Paramount Television, as do two-thirds of CBS' rookie shows. Warner Bros.
will supply three-quarters of the new series on The WB.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA603031?display=News&referral=...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
Please see --
* The Death of "Synergy" -- Ad Infinitum
"[W]hile it's nice to see the broadcast nets are loosening up and looking
outside their own four walls, let's not declare victory yet. The nets are
only buying shows from each other. The number of shows on the fall
schedule made by anyone other than one of the five conglomerates that own
the nets is zero, as far as we can tell. Meaning the net new independent
voices added to the mix next fall -- bupkiss."
http://creativevoices.typepad.com/blog/
FCC TACKLES CABLE REACH
The FCC believes that the 1992 Cable Act still gives the Commission
authority to limit national cable ownership reach. In a notice of proposed
rulemaking released last week, the FCC is also examining whether to change
its vertical limits, including rules barring an operator from devoting more
than 40% of its lineup to programming it owns. The FCC is reexamining its
rules again now, in part, because of the proposed sale of Adelphia assets
to cable giants Comcast and Time Warner. Comcast, the largest cable
operator, reaches 28.2% of pay-TV homes in the U.S.; if the FCC approves
the plan to divvy up Adelphia's assets, Comcast would grow slightly to
28.9% of homes, an addition of 680,000 subscribers. Time Warner, the No. 2
operator, would add 3.5 million subscribers and reach 18% of pay-TV homes.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA603036?display=News&referral=...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* Ownership Rules Get a Revival
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA603053.html?display=Top+Stories&re...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
NAB MAKES FURTHER OWNERSHIP FILING AT SUPREME COURT
Last week, National Association of Broadcasters replied to the arguments of
the FCC and public interest groups, who had urged the Supreme Court not to
review a lower court's decision upholding the FCC's adoption of Arbitron
radio markets and retention of the top-4 restriction on TV duopolies. NAB
stressed that the high court needs to clarify the standard that the FCC
must meet to justify its regulation of local radio and TV station ownership
in its required periodic reviews of the broadcast ownership rules,
especially because different courts have disagreed on this question. The
Supreme Court will decide in June whether or not it will hear all the
appeals of NAB and other media entities arising from the FCC's last review
of its broadcast ownership rules.
[SOURCE: National Association of Broadcasters]
http://www.nab.org/newsroom/PressRel/Filings/OwnershipSupCtReply51605.pdf
HOW OLD MEDIA CAN SURVIVE IN A NEW WORLD
Newspaper publishers, book publishers, movie studios, music companies, ad
agencies, television networks -- they're all trying to figure out how they
fit into a new-media world. Their old way of doing business isn't as
profitable as it used to be, but they haven't found a new way that's as
profitable, either. So we decided to ask a wide group of media experts for
their suggestions. Concerning broadcast network news, one expert suggests
engaging viewers in a conversation. That means tearing down the facade of
how news is made. He suggests posting full, unedited video of interviews
online. Networks also might present behind-the-scenes clips showing the
creation of a news program from inception to broadcast, and let viewers
relay feedback to help further report the story. "The end result is more
accountability and more credibility," he says, "something the networks
could use." One expert suggests cutting the network primetime schedule to
improve the overall quality of offerings and replacing those shows with
cheaper, more profitable fare such as news, game shows or sitcoms in
syndication. The networks would save money on prime-time programming, and
the local stations they own would pump increased revenue. Ron Simon,
television curator at New York's Museum of Television and Radio, thinks the
government should force TV networks to set aside time for independent or
upstart production companies.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111643067458336994,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
* Media Giants' Big Broadband Push
CNN, ABC News, Scripps Networks and TV Guide are rolling out free video-
and audio-streaming products for broadband users, signaling a renewed
confidence in online advertising.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Ken Kerschbaumer]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA602847.html?display=Technolog...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
TELECOM
SLOWER GROWTH HITS CELLPHONE SERVICES OVERSEAS
Markets for cellphone services in Europe and Japan, where explosive growth
spearheaded the wireless revolution in the 1990s, are slowing substantially
and in some places contracting -- signaling big challenges for large
providers and a shake-up for the entire industry. cellphone voice services
are fast becoming a basic commodity distinguished primarily by price. Some
providers are introducing new services, such as picture messaging and video
downloads, but the revenue they generate is minuscule alongside the vast
sums spent on voice calls, and their growth is expected to be slow. In
Europe, there has been an influx of so-called no-frills service providers
basically run on a model similar to that of low-cost airlines. U.S. service
providers increasingly rely for growth on new services, such as news
headlines and sports scores, and lower-spending subscribers, such as
teenagers. Many big carriers let subscribers add a relative for just $10 on
certain plans.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: David Pringle david.pringle( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111679994892240122,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
TV COULD MAKE VOIP SAFER
Rosum, a Redwood, Calif. startup, has developed a technology that, imbedded
in Internet-based cell phones, can constantly monitor local TV signals,
each of which contains data identifying the geographic location of the
transmitter tower. During a 911 call, Rosum's technology would route the
call to the closest emergency communications center rather than the
caller's hometown. Rosum CEO Skip Speaks says he needs broadcasters in each
market to provide a little coordination for the whole thing to work and
hopes to convince them that the points they would score with the FCC is
reason enough to participate.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Bill McConnell]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA602826?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
QUICKLY
SERIOUSLY MISSING
[Commentary] After 9/11, we were promised, the news media would toughen up,
dig deeper, cover the world for us. What we seemed to have gotten was
softer coverage and a propensity to pull punches. How odd and dangerous it
is that, in these most perilous times, the news business has rarely seemed
more frivolous.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA603033.html?display=Opinion&r...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* AT CBS, Soft Side Gets a Voice in Hard News
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/23/business/media/23cbs.html?
AD COUNCIL PROMOTES PSA PARTNERS
A Who's Who of trade association chiefs will join legislators, nonprofit
execs, crash test dummies, Smokey the Bear, and McGriff (the crime dog),
for a Capitol Hill breakfast May 26 celebrating the power of PSA's.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA603035?display=Breaking+News&...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
GROW UP, TV ADVERTISERS
[Commentary] Last week, CBS announced the cancellation of four prime-time
shows simply because they appealed to a just-over-50 crowd. CBS is fighting
its reputation as the geezer network by dumping the baby-boomer demographic
bulge, though these graying heads will be alive and spending accumulated
wealth for decades to come. Why are television advertisers spurning this
demographic gold mine?
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-demo23may23,1,245...
(requires registration)
SCHOLARLY JOURNALS' PREMIER STATUS IS DILUTED BY WEB
For decades, traditional scholarly journals have held an exalted and
lucrative position as arbiters of academic excellence, controlling what's
published and made available to the wider community. These days, research
is increasingly available on free university Web sites and through start-up
outfits. Scholarly journals are finding their privileged position under attack.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Bernard Wysocki Jr.
bernie.wysocki( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111680539102640247,00.html?mod=todays...
(requires subscription)
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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