The Senate Commerce Committee is holding a hearing today on CPB=20
Reauthorization=20
(http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=3D1265) while the=
New=20
Millennium Research Council is hosting a discussion on the practicalities=20
and risks associated with the Internet-based =91layers model=92 proposed by=
MCI=20
as a basis for
rethinking U.S. telecommunications regulation=20
(http://www.newmillenniumresearch.org/news/event_062404.pdf).
For these and other upcoming media policy events, see=20
http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
BROADCASTING & POLITICS
Each Convention to Get 3 Hours of Prime Time on TV Networks
NBC Not Worried About Content Issues, Wants Parity With Cable
VOA Changes Prompt Staffer Protests
Wyoming Pols Get Free Time
Pappas Makes Campaign Pledge
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
PBS Pledges Spending Cuts, Reforms
PubCasters Divided on FCC's Tape Retention Proposal
QUICKLY
Seattle: Surveys Support a la Carte Mandates
Powell: New Phone Competition Rules Soon
BROADCASTING & POLITICS
EACH CONVENTION TO GET 3 HOURS OF PRIME TIME ON TV NETWORKS
ABC and CBS said on Monday that they planned to broadcast three hours each=
=20
of the Democratic and Republican conventions in prime time, matching a=20
schedule that NBC announced on Thursday. The coverage corresponds to the=20
highest-profile speakers. For the Democrats, that means former President=20
Bill Clinton on Monday; Senator John Edwards on Wednesday; and Senator John=
=20
Kerry as he accepts the presidential nomination on Thursday. For the=20
Republicans, the prime-time coverage aims to show Gov. Arnold=20
Schwarzenegger of California on Tuesday, Vice President Dick Cheney on=20
Wednesday and President Bush on Thursday. For more coverage of the=20
conventions, viewers must turn to cable stations CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, or=20
CNBC. Spanish speaking Americans can tune into Telemundo. ABC, NBC and CBS=
=20
are also offering additional coverage in the digital TV format.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Michael Janofsky]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/13/politics/campaign/13tube.html
(requires registration)
PBS plans three hours of prime-time broadcast coverage each night of both=20
conventions. PBS anchor Jim Lehrer said the network viewed extended=20
coverage as "an important public affairs function." Analysts noted that TV=
=20
coverage of the conventions remained a crucial part of the election year.=20
"These are times when Americans sit up and listen and learn at a level that=
=20
they don't ordinarily do," said Thomas Patterson of Harvard University's=20
John F. Kennedy School of Government. "These are still important events=20
even if some of their newsworthiness has dimmed in time." Thomas Hollihan,=
=20
associate dean of the USC-Annenberg School for Communication, said, "The=20
convention is the second most viewed event of the general election campaign=
=20
=97 behind the presidential debates=85. People do tune in."
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Nick Anderson]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-coverage13jul13,...
38844.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
(requires registration)
NBC NOT WORRIED ABOUT CONTENT ISSUES, WANTS PARITY WITH CABLE
Speaking to TV critics over the weekend, executives from NBC responded to=20
Washington's indecency crackdown this year. New NBC Entertainment President=
=20
Kevin Reilly won't be looking over his shoulder: =93The Washington situation=
=20
is tricky, but there=92s a long history at NBC of being in those waters. You=
=20
know, I harken back to... some of what we've gone through on ER over the=20
years, Seinfeld, Will & Grace -- quality is always defensible, and that=92s=
=20
the game we=92re in. I'm not even thinking about it... Honestly, we=92re=20
looking for the best show we can and if there is some content issue at the=
=20
time we=92re ready to program it, we'll consider that.=94 Mr. Reilly said=
the=20
bigger challenge may be competition from cable, which faces less FCC=20
scrutiny. =93It=92s an uneven playing field, and I frankly think it=92s=
unfair...=20
I think everybody should be held to the same standard.=94
The executives faced criticism from critics over the minimal prime time=20
coverage on the network planned for the upcoming political conventions. NBC=
=20
Universal TV Group President Jeff Zucker suggested the network is meeting=20
broadcasting public interest obligations through its cable networks, "The=20
fact is we will have hundreds
and hundreds of hours of coverage. People will be able to find more=20
coverage than they've ever been able to find of both conventions throughout=
=20
all the networks of NBC. And I think that the amount of coverage that we=20
will have with both conventions is actually completely in line with what we=
=20
did 4 years ago. So I actually think we've got exactly the right amount of=
=20
coverage... If there was any real news going on there, we might look=20
differently... We=92re covering what we think are the newsworthy events: An=
=20
important speech at the Democratic convention on Monday night and one at=20
the Republican convention Tuesday night. I think that for anybody who wants=
=20
to watch gavel-to-gavel coverage of the convention, there are many outlets=
=20
in which they can do so."
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Valerie Milano]
(Not available online)
VOA CHANGES PROMPT STAFFER PROTESTS
Nearly half of Voice of America's (VOA) 1,000 staffers have signed a=20
petition protesting what they call the "piece-by-piece" dismantling of the=
=20
62-year-old service, which reaches 87 million people in 44 languages. The=20
petition asserts that the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees=20
U.S taxpayer-funded broadcast outlets, has been funneling money into new=20
radio and TV stations that are not subject to the same journalistic=20
standards and monitoring as VOA. The new broadcast outlets are directed=20
primarily at the Middle East, where the U.S. image is at a historic low.=20
'As broadcast professionals . . . we call on the U.S. Congress to conduct=20
an immediate inquiry into the actions of the Broadcasting Board of=20
Governors,'' the petition says. It goes on to accuse the board of "killing=
=20
VOA" by closing its Arabic radio service, reducing English-language=20
broadcasting and launching services with "no editorial accountability" and=
=20
limited breaking news.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR:Barbara Slavin]
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040713/6359181s.htm
WYOMING POLS GET FREE TIME
KCWY, Sunbelt Communications's NBC affiliate in Casper, has offered 10 free=
=20
minutes of airtime apiece to the eight candidates for Wyoming's single seat=
=20
in the House in advance of the August 17 primary. Each will get five=20
minutes in the 5 p.m. news, repeated in the next day's morning newscast.=20
They will be encouraged to stay positive, rather than attack their=20
opponents, but the station will not censor the messages, says the station's=
=20
general manager. He also says the time will be promoted so that viewers=20
will know to tune in.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA435454?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)
PAPPAS MAKES CAMPAIGN PLEDGE
Pappas Telecasting stations KMPH Fresno, KUVR Reno, KSWT Yuma, KHGI=20
Lincoln, KPTM, Omaha, and KBBC El Paso are committed to airing at least=20
five minutes of candidate-centered speech per day for the 30 days preceding=
=20
the general election. The six stations are the only ones in the group that=
=20
produce local news. All 25 of the stations the group owns will air "get out=
=20
the vote" public-service announcements starting now and ending on Election=
Day.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA435550?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)
See more about "get out the vote" public service announcements:
Getting Out the Vote, With Style
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Nat Ives]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/13/business/media/13adco.html
(requires registration)
And see an article on the limits of PSAs:
Activists Cry Censorship in Fight Over Ad
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Anne-Marie O'Connor]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-billboard13jul13...
462845.story?coll=3Dla-news-a_section
PUBLIC BROADCASTING
PBS PLEDGES SPENDING CUTS, REFORMS
Responding to a petition signed by 95 public station leaders which said=20
that stations are receiving a "declining return on [National Program=20
Service] investments," PBS has cut $5.85 million from proposed annual=20
assessments to be paid by member stations -- and pledged to move quickly on=
=20
reforms to make its decision-making more visible and accountable to=20
stations. "We're going to do this or otherwise we are the caretakers=20
presiding over the beginning of the end," said PBS President Pat Mitchell=20
during the PBS Board meetings. Budget cuts included some programing, but=20
also $2 million of the promotion budget -- cutting significantly into=20
spending for the "Be More" institutional positioning campaign, ending the=20
Share a Story promotion and an advertising grant program for stations. PBS=
=20
Interactive will reduce the number of websites it will refresh and produce=
=20
this year. The PBS Board opened its meetings to include station=20
representatives and the network will use more rigorous criteria for program=
=20
performance and reform its decision-making processes to make them more=20
transparent to member stations.
[SOURCE: Current, AUTHOR: Karen Everhart]
http://www.current.org/pbs/pbs0412budget.shtml
PUBCASTERS DIVIDED ON FCC=92S TAPE RETENTION PROPOSAL
The Association of Public TV Stations (APTS), which represents more than=20
350 stations, has said it would oppose the FCC's proposal to require all=20
stations to keep recordings of all broadcast programming for 60-90 days.=20
But some stations, realizing the needed technology is fairly cheap and=20
cognizant of their responsibilities to follow FCC rules, plan to support=20
the proposal. But seemingly forgotten is a 1978 court decision which=20
overturned a similar FCC requirement for public broadcasters to keep=20
recordings of programs in which =93any issue of public importance is=20
discussed=94 for 60 days and make it available to the FCC on request. The=20
rule was challenged on the 1st and 5th Amendments and a US Appeals Court=20
found that the rule would have a chilling effect on political speech. The=20
new proposal could also face a legal challenge which could 1) come to the=
=20
same 1st Amendment interpretation or 2) be viewed differently because all=20
programming and all stations would be subject to the rule.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Dinesh Kumar]
(Not available online)
QUICKLY
SEATTLE SURVEYS SUPPORT A LA CARTE MANDATES
Seattle (WA) cable regulators sponsored a pair of surveys a found that 46%=
=20
of people there would pay =93a little extra=94 for more a la carte options=
=20
while 66% said they would opt for a la carte if given the chance by the=20
cable company. =93Because cable operators have not been responsive to the=20
demand for customized programming, the FCC should establish regulations=20
that facilitate consumers=92 choice, whether this is accomplished by=20
requiring cable companies to offer a la carte programs, theme-tiered=20
programs, or some other options,=94 said Tony Perez , who signed the FCC=20
comments filed by Seattle=92s Office of Cable Communications. Seattle's=
cable=20
market is dominated by Comcast (117,000 subscribers) which opposes a la=20
carte. A second cable company, Millennium Digital Media, has about 17,000=20
subscribers.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA435434?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)
POWELL: NEW PHONE COMPETITION RULES SOON
FCC Chairman Michael Powell said that his fellow commissioners are=20
reviewing now draft temporary telephone competition rules. If adopted, the=
=20
rules would be in place for six months while the Commission craft permanent=
=20
rules. Chairman Powell did not "feel it prudent right now" to provide any=20
details about what the rules suggest.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Ben Charny]
http://news.com.com/Powell%3A+New+phone+competition+rules+soon/2100-1037...
266582.html?tag=3Dnefd.hed
--------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------