SPECTRUM
TV Broadcasters at High End of Dial Win New Incentives to Sell
Airwaves (WSJ)
BROADCASTING
Nation Returns To Traditional News Outlets For Information (USA)
Radio Sings Self-Censorship Tune (WIRED)
PRIVACY
Privacy vs. Safety: Terrorist Threat Shifts Priorities in Online
Rights Debate (CNET)
SPECTRUM
TV BROADCASTERS AT HIGH END OF DIAL WIN NEW INCENTIVES TO SELL AIRWAVES
Issue: Spectrum
Paxson Communications and other broadcasters operating in the upper reaches
of the conventional television dial won new incentives Monday to sell their
channel allotments to wireless communications providers. Wireless providers,
however, remain skeptical about paying broadcasters billions for airwaves
they were granted for free. In 1997, Congress gave most broadcasters a
second television frequency for the digital conversion, with the
understanding that the second frequency would be returned to the government
for auction by 2006. However, that transition has been slow, and
broadcasters are likely to take advantage of a loophole allowing them to
keep both frequencies until 85% of the viewing public has digital receivers.
Under the new rules, the FCC will allow the stations to broadcast in analog
on the channel that was intended for digital. The new rules also push back a
May 2002 deadline for construction of digital facilities to Dec. 31, 2005.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Mark Wigfield]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB1000756073605482560.htm)
(requires subscription)
BROADCASTING
NATION RETURNS TO TRADITIONAL NEWS OUTLETS FOR INFORMATION
Issue: Journalism
Early ratings and poll results show that in response to last Tuesday's
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, a surprisingly
large number of Americans flocked to the outlets that many analysts thought
the Internet had made pass