For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org/calendar.htm
POLICYMAKERS
White House Picks Russell, Tate for FCC Slots, Sources Say
LEGISLATION
Ensign Takes Tiller on Telecom Measure
City Officials Concerned That Ensign Bill Would
Gut Communications Act
Franchise Reform Stalls in Texas
MERGERS/OWNERSHIP
Supreme Court Nominee John Roberts' Views on Media Ownership and
Telecom Policy Must Be Raised by Senate
Comcast Foes Are Lining Up at FCC
Weigh Conditions on Phone Deals, Lawmakers Say
Sprint-Nextel's Sideshow Battle
Can Anyone Answer Vodafone?
At News Corp, a Bitter Battle Over Inheritance Splits Family
CABLE
After 'Brand X,' New Challenges
NCTA: Broadcasters Want a Free Ride
Alarming Deadline
Cable's Wake-Up Call
BROADCASTING
You Can't Avoid the Commercials
PUBLIC-SUPPORTED MEDIA
Independent Media Development Abroad: Challenges Exist in Implementing
U.S. Efforts and Measuring Results
Crusaders at the CPB
QUICKLY -- More People Turn to the Web to Watch TV; DVD Tests DTV Captions;=
=20
DHS Extends Digital Emergency Alert Pilot; Armstrong Williams is making a=
=20
comeback
POLICYMAKERS
WHITE HOUSE PICKS RUSSELL, TATE FOR FCC SLOTS, SOURCES SAY
The White House is expected to announce the nomination of White House aide=
=20
Richard Russell and Tennessee state regulator Deborah Tate as new FCC=20
Commissioners. The two were chosen Thursday in a White House meeting from a=
=20
slate of about six candidates, according to a source familiar with the=20
proceedings. An announcement was expected late Friday, but could come this=
=20
week. FCC Commissioner Copps also is expected to be reappointed to another=
=20
term. =93If nominated and confirmed, they [Russell and Tate] would likely=
=20
give FCC Chairman Martin a working majority,=94 said telecom analyst Blair=
=20
Levin, a Chief of Staff under former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt. Both=20
candidates should aid Martin with his deregulatory agenda, particularly in=
=20
liberalizing media ownership rules, Levin said. They also are likely to=20
back his policies on broadband parity with cable and finalizing FCC=20
decisions on the two Bell mergers. Levin said the candidates likely would=
=20
be inclined favorably toward telco and cable but =93problematic=94 for=20
telephony competitors. Russell could prove =93challenging=94 for broadcasti=
ng=20
on spectrum issues, though =93we have no reason to think he would be an=20
opponent of media ownership deregulation that could help broadcasters,=94=
=20
Levin said in an analyst=92s note.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Anne Veigle]
(Not available online)
* Source: Russell, Tate Heading to FCC
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA630893.html?display=3DBreaking+News
* Russell, Tate Poised For FCC Nods
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA630888?display=3DBreaking+News
* Sources: Bush Aide, Tenn. Official Likely Nominees For Vacant FCC Slots
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-WPJI1122669087672.html
LEGISLATION
ENSIGN TAKES TILLER ON TELECOM MEASURE
The first major piece of telecommunications legislation emerged in the=20
Senate last week, and the cable industry did not come out a winner.=20
Probably the best thing going for cable right now is that it is much easier=
=20
to stall a bill than to pass one. Going to bat for the Baby Bells and other=
=20
wireline cable rivals, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) last Wednesday introduced a=
=20
sweeping telecommunications-deregulation legislation (S. 1504) along with=
=20
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Key provisions would allow phone companies to=20
offer video without a franchise and to gain access to all cable-affiliated=
=20
programming. How far Sen Ensign=92s bill will advance depends on his abilit=
y=20
to negotiate details with Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens=20
(R-Alaska).
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA630934.html?display=3DPolicy
(requires subscription)
CITY OFFICIALS CONCERNED THAT ENSIGN BILL WOULD GUT COMMUNICATIONS ACT
City officials announced their strong opposition last week to a bill just=
=20
introduced by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) to rewrite the Communications Act,=
=20
which appears to gut the role that local and state government plays in=20
protecting the rights of citizens. =93This bill takes away most controls a=
nd=20
protections that local governments need to monitor and ensure that the=20
communications industry is responsible and responsive to our citizens,=94=
=20
said Arvada (CO) Mayor Ken Fellman, and lead spokesman for the National=20
League of Cities (NLC) on telecommunications issues. =93This bill eliminat=
es=20
local cable franchising altogether. It cripples our ability as local=20
governments to manage our public rights-of-way and it blocks our efforts to=
=20
ensure that communications services are available to anyone, not just the=
=20
chosen few.=94 NLC will be working with state leagues and local elected=20
officials to educate Congress about the strong opposition of local=20
governments to this bill. The chairs of both the Senate and House Commerce=
=20
Committees, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) are=
=20
expected to introduce their own rewrite bills later this year.
[SOURCE: National League of Cities Press Release]
http://www.nlc.org/Newsroom/Nation_s_Cities_Weekly/Weekly_NCW/2005/07/25...
43.cfm
FRANCHISE REFORM STALLS IN TEXAS
As of early Friday, virtually identical bills are lined up in the Texas=20
state House and Senate that would create statewide cable franchising for=20
newcomers, but would also deregulate local phone rates and authorize=20
broadband-over-powerline (BPL) service, among other things. But because of=
=20
the state's debate over school funding, the bills are stalled.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA631101.html?display=3DTop+Stories
(requires subscription)
MERGERS/OWNERSHIP
SUPREME COURT NOMINEE JOHN ROBERTS' VIEWS ON MEDIA OWNERSHIP AND TELECOM=20
POLICY MUST BE RAISED BY SENATE
The Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) called on members of the Senate=20
Judiciary Committee today to investigate the views of Judge John Roberts on=
=20
media and telecommunications issues. Among the areas that require intense=
=20
vetting include the role that Roberts played in developing the legal=20
arguments for the TV networks claiming that limits on national ownership be=
=20
eliminated (Fox Stations v. FCC). In Fox, where Judge Roberts served as a=
=20
counsel for the petitioners, TV networks News Corp./Fox, GE/NBC, and=20
Viacom/CBS made many of their familiar arguments for sweeping away FCC=20
rules that ensure diversity of viewpoint and ownership (and limit their=20
overall national holdings). Among the most troubling claims was that=20
=93[T]he National Television Station Ownership Rules Abridges the Free Spee=
ch=20
Rights of Broadcasters=85.=94 They argued that =93[T]he rules directly res=
trict=20
speech by prohibiting broadcasters from exercising their editorial=20
discretion to select and provide the video programming of their choice in=
=20
the localities of their choice and to the audience of their choice.=94 Doe=
s=20
Judge Roberts believe that federal rules designed to ensure diversity in=20
the U.S. communications system violate the =93First Amendment=94 rights of=
=20
media and telecommunications corporations? As a defender of the =93free=20
speech=94 rights of media corporations, what are Judge Roberts views on the=
=20
role of ownership policy to protect and enhance the First Amendment rights=
=20
of the public?
[SOURCE: Center for Digital Democracy ]
http://www.democraticmedia.org/news/JudgeRoberts.html
COMCAST FOES ARE LINING UP AT FCC
Whenever a big cable merger needs to get through the regulatory gauntlet,=
=20
marketplace disputes have a way of rising up and becoming matters that, at=
=20
least to cable critics, must be resolved before the deal can be approved.=
=20
The Comcast-Time Warner deal to buy Adelphia is no different as The America=
=20
Channel (TAC), DirecTV, EchoStar Communications and an array of=20
public-interest groups have asked the Federal Communications Commission to=
=20
apply conditions to the deal. Federal Trade Commission approval is also=20
required. This week, TAC is planning to file documents with the FCC=20
intended to show that Comcast has a pattern and practice of providing=20
carriage terms and conditions to affiliated networks that are seldom doled=
=20
out to independent programmers. TAC is expected to say that Comcast=20
affiliates not only get carriage commitments but also land spots on widely=
=20
penetrated analog tiers. Meanwhile, DirecTV is demanding guaranteed access=
=20
to regional sports networks to ensure that Comcast and Time Warner can't=20
obtain exclusive rights. The public-interest groups demanded several=20
conditions from the FCC if the merger were not denied, including=20
application of federal program-access rules to cable video-on-demand=20
content and a requirement that the MSOs provide consumers with multiple=20
Internet-access providers or adhere to network-neutrality rules with regard=
=20
to Internet-content providers. Media Access Project, a public-interest law=
=20
firm, filed on behalf of the groups. MAP's clients are: Free Press, Center=
=20
for Creative Voices in Media, Office of Communication of the United Church=
=20
of Christ Inc., U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Center for Digital=20
Democracy, CCTV, Center for Media & Democracy, Media Alliance, National=20
Hispanic Media Coalition, the Benton Foundation and Reclaim the Media.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA631090.html?display=3DTop+Stories
(requires subscription)
WEIGH CONDITIONS ON PHONE DEALS, LAWMAKERS SAY
On Friday, Sens. Mike DeWine and Herb Kohl, the Republican chairman and=20
ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee,=20
respectively, recommended Department of Justice antitrust authorities and=
=20
the Federal Communications Commission consider attaching conditions on two=
=20
large telecommunications acquisitions (SBC-AT&T and Verizon-MCI), including=
=20
a requirement that they offer stand-alone high-speed Internet service. They=
=20
said they did not see the deals substantially lessening competition, but=20
still suggested authorities weigh some conditions. The Senators also=20
suggested the FCC and Justice Department consider: 1) making Verizon and=20
SBC commit to allowing data traffic to pass unfettered over their networks=
=20
to consumers, 2) whether the two acquiring companies should be required to=
=20
provide competitors with access to their emergency 911 networks on=20
non-discriminatory terms, and 3) ordering Verizon and SBC to sell=20
overlapping local telephone facilities they acquire, where necessary.
[SOURCE: Reuters]
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2005-07-29T221653Z_01_N29460064_RTRIDST_0_NET-TELECOMS-MERGERS-DC.XML
SPRINT-NEXTEL'S SIDESHOW BATTLE
The $35 billion merger of Sprint and Nextel may become more expensive if=20
they are forced to buy some, or perhaps even all, of their affiliates.=20
Sprint revealed on July 11 that it would buy one of its affiliates, US=20
Unwired, for $1 billion in cash and the assumption of about $300,000 in=20
debt. US Unwired claimed that the Sprint-Nextel merger would undermine a=20
non-compete agreement. Nine other affiliates, including publicly held=20
Alamosa Holdings, Ubiquitel, and iPCS, face similar issues. So do a group=
=20
of smaller, privately held companies, including IWO, Northern PCS, Shentel,=
=20
Gulf Coast Wireless, Enterprise, and Switel. Nextel faces similar problems=
=20
with its sole affiliate, Nextel Partners.
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Steve Rosenbush]
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2005/tc20050725_5208_t...
4.htm
CAN ANYONE ANSWER VODAFONE?
On July 27, France Telecom said that it would pay $7.7 billion to acquire=
=20
an 80% stake in Amena, the No. 3 wireless operator in Spain, from telco=20
Grupo Auna. The deal reflects widespread consolidation in the European=20
wireless sector, where companies are racing to keep up with giant Vodafone=
=20
Group. With 165 million subscribers, Vodafone is the largest player by far.=
=20
That has put particular pressure on rivals in Europe. With its enormous=20
scale, Vodafone has been able to cut costs and pass savings along to=20
customers. Big national cellular carriers in Europe have no choice but to=
=20
create a platform that can rival Vodafone. More deals are on the way. The=
=20
big consolidators are likely to be France Telecom and Telefonica Moviles.=
=20
With the acquisition of wireless carrier Orange behind it, France Telecom=
=20
is already gaining power. Telefonica especially needs to find a way to=20
reverse a decline in operating profit margins. Deutsche Telekom, which=20
appears to be angling to grow its T-Mobile brand in Eastern Europe and the=
=20
U.S., looks to be playing a different game. But the biggest consolidator on=
=20
the Continent may yet be Vodafone, though. With a market cap of $167=20
billion, the company has the means to control its own destiny. And should=
=20
it ever decide to sell its 45% stake in U.S. giant Verizon Wireless to its=
=20
partner Verizon Communications, the deal would put tens of billions of=20
dollars into its war chest. Its position as a strong No. 2 in many markets=
=20
around the world puts it at the top of the heap overall, exerting unrivaled=
=20
influence in the market. To catch up, the big players in Europe's wireless=
=20
market must find a way to break down the national borders that have defined=
=20
their businesses for so long.
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Steve Rosenbush]
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2005/tc20050728_7414_t...
4.htm
AT NEWS CORP, A BITTER BATTLE OVER INHERITANCE SPLITS FAMILY
The Murdoch family controls nearly 30% of News Corp., one of the world's=20
biggest media conglomerates. Its far-flung properties include the New York=
=20
Post and Times of London newspapers, the Fox broadcast TV network, Fox News=
=20
Channel, control of satellite-TV services such as BSkyB in the United=20
Kingdom, Sky Italia and DirecTV in the U.S., as well as the 20th Century=20
Fox film studio. For the first time in 50 years, Rupert Murdoch's control=
=20
has come under threat. Liberty Media Corp., controlled by media titan John=
=20
Malone, disclosed late last year it had boosted its voting stake in News=20
Corp. to 18%, fewer than a dozen percentage points below the Murdoch=20
family's 29.5% stake. Last week, Lachlan Murdoch, who was once seen as his=
=20
father's heir apparent, said in a written statement last week he will=20
relocate to Australia, which he considers home, with his wife and young=20
baby. He will retain a seat on News Corp.'s board. In a written statement=
=20
Friday, Mr. Murdoch, 74, said he was "saddened" by his son's decision. The=
=20
departure is the most public sign of a rift between Rupert Murdoch's adult=
=20
children and his third wife and mother of his two toddler children. The=20
battle will decide who gets control of the media empire after Mr. Murdoch.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Martin Peers martin.peers( at )wsj.com,=20
Julia Angwin julia.angwin( at )wsj.com and John Lippman john.lippman( at )wsj.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112263384067799790,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_page_one
(requires subscription)
* Behind Murdoch Rift, a Media Dynasty Unhappy in Its Own Way
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/01/business/media/01murdoch.html
* James Murdoch Begins to Cast His Own Shadow From BSkyB
The resignation of his older brother, Lachlan, from News Corp. executive=20
roles last week leaves James Murdoch as the leading family candidate to=20
take control of the media giant when Rupert Murdoch steps down or dies.=20
Still, people familiar with News Corp. caution that it could be many years=
=20
before Rupert Murdoch will want turn over the reins, and family dynamics=20
could easily change before then. In the near term, News Corp. President and=
=20
Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin appears best poised to take the top=
=20
spot should the elder Mr. Murdoch step down.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112285255424901006,00.html?mod=3Dtoda...
us_page_one
CABLE
AFTER BRAND X, NEW CHALLENGES
Despite winning the Brand X case, cable operators and their legal teams are=
=20
bracing for a whole new set of challenges from some of the same groups that=
=20
pushed for open access. Having lost the multiple-ISP fight, these groups=20
have a new cause -- it's called nondiscrimination, a rather open-ended=20
concept generally meaning that network owners have to behave like common=20
carriers even if not recognized as such by law. =93A cable company that has=
=20
complete control over its customers' access to the Internet could censor=20
their ability to speak, block their access to disfavored information=20
services, monitor their online activity, and subtly manipulate the=20
information sources they rely on,=94 said Jeff Chester, executive director =
of=20
the Center for Digital Democracy, a group on the losing side in Brand X.=20
Non-discrimination also goes by the name network neutrality, or net=20
neutrality. Its supporters assert a simple premise: Because cable operators=
=20
possess broadband access market power, regulation is justified until that=
=20
power dissipates to a point where the costs of discrimination (subscriber=
=20
loss) outweigh the benefits (profit maximization). Their thinking is that=
=20
if market forces unleashed by multiple ISPs can't protect consumers and Web=
=20
merchants, then government ought to -- by barring the few companies that do=
=20
provide network access from harming rivals in the marketplace.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA631098.html?display=3DTop+Stories
(requires subscription)
NCTA: BROADCASTERS WANT A FREE RIDE
Current law, as interpreted by the Federal Communications Commission,=20
entitles a must-carry station to one programming service on cable systems.=
=20
Otherwise, TV stations are entitled to negotiate cable carriage for as many=
=20
programming services as the market will bear. No bill with a serious chance=
=20
of passing has emerged that includes a multicast must-carry mandate. But=20
Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who is working=
=20
on ending the transition to digital-only transmission in 2009, supports a=
=20
multiple-carriage requirement for channels that have a public-service=20
focus, such as news and weather reports. In a paper released last week, the=
=20
National Cable & Telecommunications Association accused broadcasters of=20
seeking government carriage largess no matter what the impact on operators'=
=20
channel capacity or cable programmers' ability to gain or retain access to=
=20
cable homes.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA630927.html?display=3DTop+Stories
(requires subscription)
Link to NCTA paper:=20
http://www.ncta.com/press/press.cfm?PRid=3D614&showArticles=3Dok
ALARMING DEADLINE
Cable operators would have to disconnect phone customers by Aug. 30 if they=
=20
can't document that the customers had been informed about circumstances in=
=20
which emergency 911 calls won't function, the Federal Communications=20
Commission announced last Tuesday. The FCC's original deadline for MSOs to=
=20
contact every VoIP sub had been July 29, but the agency extended it by 30=
=20
days. The FCC is promising to take enforcement action for failure to comply=
=20
with its two-month-old notification rules. Cable operators have about 1=20
million VoIP customers.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA631092.html?display=3DTop+Stories
(requires subscription)
CABLE'S WAKE-UP CALL
The rollout of sophisticated products such as video-on-demand has stumped=
=20
cable operators in the marketing department and cable operators are still=
=20
suffering from decades-old customer-service problems.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA631110?display=3DNews&referral=
=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
CABLE INDUSTRY WARY OF INTERNET PROTOCOL TV
Will IPTV upend cable=92s distribution equilibrium? Or is it the Rosetta=20
Stone that turns cable operators into phone companies? Could be both, as it=
=20
turns out. But what does that mean for advertisers -- and why should they c=
are?
[SOURCE: AdAge, AUTHOR: Abbey Klaassen]
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=3D45667
BROADCASTING
YOU CAN'T AVOID THE COMMERCIALS
Beware: Television more and more is shill-o-vision, where commercial breaks=
=20
still come and go but the commercials never end. Foiling ad-aversive TiVo=
=20
users, TV honchos burn with gold-rush fever as they stake out a zap-proof=
=20
advertising gold mine: the programming itself. In 2004, the value of=20
television product placements (a product or brand name inserted for=20
marketing purposes into entertainment fare) increased by 46.4 percent over=
=20
the year before, to $1.88 billion. Not that "advertainment" is limited to=
=20
television. Video games, novels, movies, pop songs, music videos, Broadway=
=20
plays -- every nook and cranny of the culture, it seems, comes preinstalled=
=20
with product plugs. Or soon will. But TV is a little different. Its=20
broadcast channels are carried on public airwaves and regulated by the=20
Federal Communications Commission, which lately has been taking a new look=
=20
at embedded advertising -- and its potential for catching the audience=20
off-guard. "I think product placements can be deceptive, because most=20
viewers don't realize they're really advertisements," says FCC Commissioner=
=20
Jonathan S. Adelstein. "That's why there's a law that requires disclosure.=
=20
The question is: How well are we enforcing it?"
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/28/apontv.productplacement.ap/
See also:
* Payola: The Next Big Storm?
[Commentary] Like the =93perfect storm=94 that led to the strongest indecen=
cy=20
crackdown in FCC history, recent events could produce a wave of aggressive=
=20
FCC enforcement of payola and related sponsorship-identification rules.=20
Broadcasters ought to take protective action, and the FCC needs to be=20
careful not to interfere with broadcasters' editorial discretion and First=
=20
Amendment rights.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: David H. Solomon]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA631113?display=3DOpinion&refe...
l=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
PUBLIC-SUPPORTED MEDIA
INDEPENDENT MEDIA DEVELOPMENT ABROAD: CHALLENGES EXIST IN IMPLEMENTING US=
=20
EFFORTS AND MEASURING RESULTS
Independent media development led by the Department of State and the U.S.=
=20
Agency for International Development (USAID) supports the national security=
=20
goal of developing sustainable democracies around the world. Independent=20
media institutions play a role in supporting commerce, improving public=20
health efforts, reducing corruption, and providing civic education.=20
According to the Freedom House=92s Freedom of the Press 2005 survey, despit=
e=20
important gains in some countries, the overall level of press freedom=20
worldwide continued to worsen in 2004. GAO was asked to examine 1) U.S.=20
government funding for independent media development overseas; 2) the=20
extent to which U.S. agencies measure performance toward achieving results;=
=20
and 3) the challenges the United States faces in achieving results. The=20
Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development=20
obligated at least $40 million in fiscal year 2004 for the development of=
=20
independent media, including activities such as journalism and business=20
management training and support for legal and regulatory frameworks. About=
=20
60 percent of the fiscal year 2004 USAID and State obligations we=20
identified supported independent media development projects in Europe and=
=20
Eurasia. However, precise funding levels are difficult to identify due to a=
=20
lack of agency-wide budget codes to track media development obligations,=20
differing definitions of independent media development, and complex funding=
=20
patterns. (GAO-05-803)
[SOURCE: US Government Accountability Office]
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-803
Highlights: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05803high.pdf
CRUSADERS AT THE CPB
A decade after the Gingrich revolution, public broadcasting is again under=
=20
pressure, but this time the threat comes not primarily from Congress --=20
which recently voted down a proposal to gut the annual budget of the=20
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, an entity that provides essential=20
funding for public radio and TV stations -- but from an activist CPB board=
=20
brimming over with conservatives.
[SOURCE: The Nation, AUTHOR: Scott Sherman]
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=3D20050815&s=3Dsherman
QUICKLY
MORE PEOPLE TURN TO THE WEB TO WATCH TV
For two decades, media company executives and advertisers have been talking=
=20
about creating fully interactive television that would allow viewers to=20
watch exactly what they want, when they want it. It looks like that future=
=20
may well be by way of the computer, as big media and Internet companies=20
develop new Web-based video programming and advertising that is truly under=
=20
the command of the viewer. As Americans grow more comfortable watching=20
programs online, Internet programming is beginning to combine the=20
interactivity and immediacy of the Web with the alluring engagement of=20
television. Investing in new Internet video programming is a way to cash in=
=20
on the demands of advertisers who want to put their commercials on computer=
=20
screens, where new viewers are watching. And on many Web sites, viewers=20
can't skip the video commercials, the way they can when using TiVo and=20
other video recorders.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/01/technology/01video.html
(requires registration)
DVD TESTS DTV CAPTIONS
TV-set makers interested in finding out how closed captioning will be=20
displayed on their digital sets can now use a new DVD test from the=20
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). Digital TVs can decode captions=20
based on the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)=20
digital-television transport stream. The bitstreams test several=20
closed-captioning features and functions, such as various character sets,=
=20
multiple fonts within a window, language options and window commands.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Ken Kerschbaumer]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA630943?display=3DBreaking+New...
eferral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
DHS EXTENDS APTS-LED DIGITAL EMERGENCY ALERT PILOT
The Homeland Security Department (DHS) has extended the Association of=20
Public TV Stations (APTS)-led digital emergency alert system (DEAS) pilot=
=20
by 6 months after the =93resounding success=94 of the first phase, APTS=20
President John Lawson said. DHS and APTS signed an agreement for a DEAS=20
pilot in the D.C. area to show how public TV=92s digital infrastructure cou=
ld=20
be used to send EAS messages to the public and TVs, radios, personal=20
computers, phones and wireless networks.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Dinesh Kumar]
(Not available online)
WITH A NEW BOOK, RADIO PROGRAM, WILLIAMS IS MAKING A COMEBACK
Nearly seven months after his controversial contracts with the federal=20
government came close to destroying his career, Armstrong Williams says the=
=20
experience has prompted him to make adjustments in his life. The former=20
press secretary for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas admits he made a=
=20
huge error in accepting Department of Education contracts to promote=20
President Bush=92s No Child Left Behind initiative. Williams says that he=
=20
should have disclosed the existence of the Education Department contracts=
=20
in his weekly column. But he notes that there was a disclaimer about=20
federal funding in the television and radio spots that touted No Child Left=
=20
Behind.
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Bob Cusack]
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/072905/will...
s.html
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Way to go, Ryno!
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provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=
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Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=
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policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
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tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
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