For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
MEDIA & POLITICS
Don't Blame the Networks
Tune In, Turn On and Decide
An 'Independent' Spending Blitz
CABLE
Cable MSOs, Small Operators Disagree on A La Carte
QUICKLY
Republican Senators Refusing to Sign Adelstein Letter
Study: Wireless Market set for Subscriber Surge
WebJunction Tech Planning Awards Due
Deployment of Wireless Broadband Services Report & Order Released
MEDIA & POLITICS
DON'T BLAME THE NETWORKS
Time and technology are passing the critics by. Complaints that the=20
commercial broadcast networks did not show enough of the Democratic=20
National convention in prime time seem hollow since people could pay to=20
watch it on cable TV or over the Internet. And ABC News, Westin writes, did=
=20
offer gavel-to-gavel coverage of the convention and made it available=20
simultaneously in a variety of ways -- from over-the-air digital television=
=20
to digital cable to the Internet to cell phones. "The idea is simple: For=20
those Americans who want to see the two conventions from beginning to end,=
=20
we want to make it available to them wherever they are and on any device=20
they choose to use. No longer does our audience have to come to us; we'll=20
come to our audience." [Except for the majority of ABC's audience that=20
receives its programming on an analog TV set.] Westin concludes: "The=20
challenge we face is how to take this new world of media and make it a new=
=20
world for great journalism. We're being given an opportunity. There are no=
=20
assurances of success. The splintering of the media has not, in the past,=20
always led to stronger journalism. With intelligence, daring and a bit of=20
luck, maybe we can do better this time. Maybe we can earn the audience's=20
attention through the strength of our reporting and presentation, even when=
=20
there are virtually unlimited choices."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David Westin, president of ABC News]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26135-2004Jul29.html
(requires registration)
TUNE IN, TURN ON AND DECIDE
Maher counters the idea that journalists shouldn't cover nor citizens=20
should pay attention to political conventions because they are "produced."=
=20
"We're picking the president, not the last comic standing. It's not a=20
reality show; if it were, they would have voted Al Sharpton off the first=20
night," Maher writes. The point of "producing" political conventions is to=
=20
make it easy for us to make a choice. They put on a pageant for you: "These=
=20
are our faces, these are our voices, this is our vision of America's=20
future" =97 like a car show, but instead of cars, they have ideas, ideas=20
about where our country is going and about how the people who take such a=20
huge chunk of our money are going to use it. The conventions are one of the=
=20
only times when the election isn't reduced to a war of sound bites and=20
attack ads, one of your last chances to form an opinion that means=20
something. He concludes: "So instead of downgrading the conventions, let's=
=20
elevate them so that campaigns are no longer reduced to just sound bites."
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Bill Maher, host of HBO's "Real Time=20
With Bill Maher."]
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-maher30jul30,1,3067...
story?coll=3Dla-news-comment-opinions
(requires registration)
For more on this year's TV convention coverage, see:
Much Ado, More Talk and Lots of Yelling -- but Right on Time
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR:Paul Brownfield]
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tv30jul30,1,6260716...
ry?coll=3Dla-headlines-nation
(requires registration)
AN 'INDEPENDENT' SPENDING BLITZ
Flush with more than $60 million in the bank, the Democratic National=20
Committee has set up a separate campaign operation with its own pollster,=20
television consultants and media buyer to run a full-scale "independent"=20
drive on behalf of Kerry. On Saturday, the first week's TV buy, worth $6=20
million, starts in 20 battleground states. Total spending by the DNC may=20
run up to $100 million for this election. Not to be left behind, the=20
Republican National Committee has similar plans and $77.8 million in the=20
bank. The new spending mechanisms highlight the difficulties of using=20
campaign finance laws to try to reduce the influence of money in politics.=
=20
As envisaged by Congress, the general presidential election would cost a=20
total of less than $200 million -- $75 million in federal grants to each of=
=20
the two candidates and $16.2 million in "coordinated" expenditures each by=
=20
the Democratic and Republican national committees. In practice -- with the=
=20
courts ruling that independent expenditures are legal, the spending of=20
millions more by the parties on field operations and the planned spending=20
by third-party groups, such as the pro-Democratic America Coming Together=20
and the pro-Republican organizations financed by the pharmaceutical=20
industry -- total presidential spending is likely to exceed $750 million,=20
according to a compilation of party and independent-group estimates.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Thomas B. Edsall]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25850-2004Jul29.html
(requires registration)
CABLE
CABLE MSOs, SMALL OPERATORS DISAGREE ON A LA CARTE
At the FCC's symposium on a la carte pricing for pay TV, Jon Mandel, the=20
CEO of advertising firm Mediacom Worldwide, said that the power of a large=
=20
bundle of cable channels is that many people will happen upon a cable=20
channel, only to find programming they can no longer live without. There=20
aren't enough viewers to carry every network if channels were sold=20
individually, he contended. In such a world, broadcast channels would=20
regain market share, but ultimately many viewers would leave TV for
computers or other media forms. Channels must acquire shelf space before=20
they can gain an audience. Executives of consulting firm Booz Allen=20
Hamilton presented findings from a study of a la carte produced for cable=20
lobby. The study showed, among other things, that, with mandatory a la=20
carte, 1/2-3/4 of emerging networks
would go out of business or be bought by larger networks, leading to=20
further industry consolidation. They said that after broadcast basic,=20
consumers could only pick up to 6 channels before their bill would top what=
=20
they pay today for a much larger bundle of channels. Consumers Union's Gene=
=20
Kimmelman and Consumer Federation of America's Mark Cooper disputed the=20
Booz Allen study, saying there would still be the same number of viewers --=
=20
just ones who were actually watching. Noting that
many channels get little viewership, Mr. Cooper said advertisers could=20
better target their ads. Mr. Cooper said independents have =93=94been=
squeezed=20
out of the marketplace.=94 Cooper and Kimmelman also said they weren't=20
talking about pure a la carte, but a mix of tiers and a la carte. They=20
proposed keeping a basic tier that would include
broadcast and public access channels and then making a la carte available=20
to those consumers who buy digital.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Brigitte Greenberg]
(Not available online)
QUICKLY
REPUBLICAN SENATORS REFUSING TO SIGN ADELSTEIN LETTER
Republican Senators Brownback (KS), Hutchinson (TX), Smith (OR), Ensign=20
(NV) and Fitzgerald (IL) will not sign onto a letter to President Bush=20
urging him to nominate FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein for a 2nd term.=
=20
Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee will sign the letter and be=20
joined by Committee Chairman John McCain (AZ), and fellow Republicans Lott=
=20
(MS) and Allen (VA). (Sens Sununu (NH) and Stevens (AK) may also sign the=20
letter.) The Republicans not signing are responding to the parliamentary=20
maneuvers of Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) which prevented a vote on President=20
Bush's nomination of Deborah Majoras to chair the Federal Trade Commission.=
=20
If Commissioner Adelstein is not renominated, he will lose his seat on the=
=20
FCC when Congress adjourns. The seat must be filled by a Democratic and in=
=20
such cases, the President usually nominates the choice of Congressional=20
leaders of the opposing party.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Terry Lane]
(Not available online)
STUDY: WIRELESS MARKET SET FOR SUBSCRIBER SURGE
In-Stat/MDR released a study earlier this week predicting that worldwide=20
wireless phone subscribership will grow from this year's 1.5 billion to 2.5=
=20
billion by 2009. India and China will fuel that growth as markets like=20
Western Europe mature. The study also predicts that Code Division Multiple=
=20
Access (CDMA), the cell phone standard that is popular in the Americas and=
=20
parts of Asia, will reach greater worldwide market share, especially from=20
2008 on.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Dinesh C. Sharma ]
http://news.com.com/Study%3A+Wireless+market+set+for+subscriber+surge/21...
039_3-5288873.html?tag=3Dnefd.top
WEBJUNCTION TECH PLANNING AWARDS DUE
Do you know of an organization that provides effective public access to=20
computers? Do you want to share with others the success of a public access
program and how it affects local communities? Did your library -- or=20
another you know of -- embark on a technology planning process, and then=20
pull it off
with great success? If you answered yes to any of the above, the=20
WebJunction Community wants to hear from you!
WebJunction is an online community for library staff "where minds meet" to=
=20
share ideas, solve problems, and take online courses. The awards program=20
highlights the extraordinary work of libraries that are committed to=20
providing public access to technology and information in their communities.=
=20
Winners are announced quarterly in one of
four categories: technology planning, innovative content and uses of=20
technology, building digital opportunities through community engagement,=20
and sustainability. The deadline for entries or nominations for the=20
Technology Planning category is August 13. Libraries will be judged in=20
categories of similar organizations, based on the number of individuals=20
served annually, so that contestants are awarded in light of their peer=20
organizations.
For more detailed information visit http://webjunction.org and select=20
Community Center Awards
[SOURCE: WebJunction]
http://webjunction.org
FCC released its Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking=
=20
concerning the Deployment of Wireless Broadband Services by Creating New=20
Rules for the 2495-2690 MHz Band While Protecting Educational Services. The=
=20
order was adopted June 10.
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-135A1.doc
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Set those watches for August... we'll be back Monday. Have a great weekend.
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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.
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