BROADCASTING
CBS and Viacom in Talks on TV Stations (NYT)
AT&T, Fox Program Deal Includes Digital TV Shows (WSJ)
Speech: A New Tomorrowland (FCC)
LEGAL ISSUES
Texas Committee Fights Spread of Electronic Legal Advice (NYT)
BROADCASTING
CBS AND VIACOM IN TALKS ON TV STATIONS
Issue: Television/Ownership
Viacom and CBS have been negotiating a possible deal that might involve a
merger of their television stations. The companies are seeking ways to take
advantage of new Federal Communications Commission rules that will allow a
firm to own two broadcast stations in the same market under certain
circumstances. Nevertheless, CBS and Viacom could not combine all their
stations, because FCC rules still prohibit any one company from owning
stations that reach more than 35% of the total U.S. TV market. Other
broadcast companies are also exploring possible mergers and alliances that
are now feasible under the revised ownership rules. "If you took the 10
leading media companies since the Federal Communications Commission
decision, everybody has talked to everybody more than before because there
is so much more opportunity for deals," said one industry expert.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: Geraldine Fabrikant]
(http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/viacom-cbs.html)
AT&T, FOX PROGRAM DEAL INCLUDES DIGITAL TV SHOWS
Issue: Digital TV/Cable
AT&T has agreed to carry Fox's broadcast programming, including shows in
high-definition television, on its cable systems. AT&T will carry the
digital signals of Fox's 22 major-market TV stations in systems being
upgraded to handle digital broadcast signals. The companies agreed to work
together to send high-resolution, digital programs to AT&T customers using
both traditional and digital TV sets. Despite pressure from the Federal
Communications Commission, some cable operators have shied away from
carrying digital TV signals from the big networks, arguing that they chew up
too much space on their systems. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Staff Reporter]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB936318591348813730.htm)
SPEECH: A NEW TOMORROWLAND
Issue: Broadcasting
Chairman Kennard's Speech before the National Association of Broadcasters
Radio Show. "[Disney's] Home of Future Living has arrived. Interactive TV,
ordering on-line, and
distance education are now part of our lives. And now it's mom on the PC
having a business meeting, while dad's ordering dishes. Tomorrowland is now
Todayland. Even in Disney World - the home of dreams and fantasy - they have
to constantly keep apace of our changing vision of the future....Think about
what broadcasting looked like thirty years ago when Walt Disney World was
being built. Back then, there were three TV networks; cable was still a
novelty; and, at least in my house, interactive television was when my mom
yelled at me to turn down the TV set. Most people listened to the radio by
tuning their handheld transistor to a local AM station. And there
were still homes where you could find a large wooden console radio sitting
in the living room. Today, there are seven networks, and cable systems serve
almost 65 million TV households. Although the transistor radio has not
disappeared, now, we listen in stereo, on FM, through headphones, and often
to nationally-syndicated programs. And some people are even listening on
their PC's linked to the Internet to ballgames, news, and music broadcast
from around the
country and around the world. The Internet is changing every facet of
communications as we know it, and now that includes radio. It is a
fundamental paradigm shirt." Chairman Kennard discussed the changes in
broadcast ownership in light of this paradigm shift -- as well as reviving
the tax certificate program and low power radio.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/spwek929.html)
LEGAL ISSUES
TEXAS COMMITTEE FIGHTS SPREAD OF ELECTRONIC LEGAL ADVICE
Issue: Legal Issues
The Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, a group of Texas lawyers
deputized by the state to protect citizens against unauthorized legal
advice, say citizens need to be protected against Nolo Press and its
self-help legal advice software package known as Quicken Family Lawyer
'99. The Committee decided that do-it-yourself legal materials oversimplify
the law, endanger consumers, and is a form of malpractice. The software
publishers however, say the lawyers have a self-interest to make the legal
processes seem difficult. Nolo Press says that in seeking to ban software or
books, the committee of lawyers is effectively engaging in censorship.
Originally, a Texas judge banned the sale of the software after concluding
that the software went beyond merely providing information and "ventured
into the unauthorized practice of law." In response to publicity surrounding
the software ban, the State Legislature in Texas passed a bill that
redefined "the practice of law." Under the legislation, publishing or
distributing software, books, Internet sites and similar materials "that
clearly and conspicuously state (they) are not a substitute for the advice
of an attorney" are not considered to be an attempt to "practice" law. So if
a software package includes the proper disclaimer, it cannot be banned. The
software is published by the Parsons Technology unit of Broderbund and is
sold for $30. The software allows users to draft wills, living trusts,
prenuptial agreements and documents authorizing power of attorney.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Matt Richtel]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/cyber/cyberlaw/03law.html)
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...and we are outta here. Enjoy the long weekend -- we will be back on Tuesday.