MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Island Radio Stations to Be Sold
News Corp. Posts 4Q Profit After Yr Ago Loss
21st CENTURY SKILLS
Rural Kids to Burst Into Cyberspace
INTERNET
The Myth of Generation N
EDTECH
Classroom Webcams Offer Cheap, Uneasy Surveillance
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
ISLAND RADIO STATIONS TO BE SOLD
Eight Hawaiian radio stations currently owned by Big Island Radio, including
some that offer local musical content, are set for sale to Pacific Radio
Group Inc. pending FCC approval. Pacific CEO Chuck Bergson said that some
formatting changes might be required based on demographic research into
"what the public wants," on which he did not elaborate. The FCC, who put a
freeze on such transfers on June 2nd when it approved changes to the rules
governing media ownership, has delayed the deal. It is unclear for how long
the freeze will last. "It could be next week, it might be months," Bergson
said. The deal will bring Pacific's total statewide ownership to 18
stations, some of which it will have to immediately sell off in order to
comply with FCC rules. Pacific is the largest locally owned radio company in
Hawaii, claiming no affiliation with any other entity and owning 6 of the 13
stations serving Maui.
SOURCE: West Hawaii Today; AUTHOR: Maile Cannon
http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/daily/2003/Aug-13-Wed-2003/news/news1.html
NEWS CORP. POSTS 4Q PROFIT AFTER YR AGO LOSS
In yet another example of how major TV networks are suffering under the
current media ownership rules, News Corp. posted a fourth quarter profit of
24 cents/share, beating analyst predictions by 50%. Chairman and CEO Rupert
Murdoch noted that the company had its "best year ever" this year, with last
quarter's revenue boosting 20%. Murdoch also said that he was unconcerned
about the potential regulatory environment in the next 12 months, stating
that efforts to roll back the FCC's 45% ownership cap on TV broadcasters
were "based on a lot of ignorance." Fox Broadcasting revenues increased by
$91 million, thanks mostly to heavy primetime viewership, and FoxNews saw a
93% increase in its operating income due to advertising sales.
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance (Singapore); AUTHOR: Janet Whitman (Dow Jones
Newswire)
http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/030813/15/3ddr3.html
21st CENTURY SKILLS
RURAL KIDS TO BURST INTO CYBERSPACE
South African students in rural Mpumalanga will begin what many hope will be
long relationship with math, science and technology on Monday, when 200
computers are delivered to 10 impoverished schools. The Absa Foundation,
Penryn College and Microsoft SA will donate the used or refurbished
machines, along with Microsoft software. Absa is also providing schools with
funding for teacher training. "There's no use in providing schools with
computers if the teachers themselves are unable to use them as a teaching
tool," said education department spokesman Thomas Msiza. The education
department's IT Programme is also helping to bridge the gap between urban
and rural schools, purchasing roughly 500 computers last year and projecting
to put another 774 computers in schools this fiscal year. The program also
calls for teacher training in areas such as computer literacy, Web
publishing and Internet research. The department hopes that the computers
will also assist schools in automating their administrative tasks.
SOURCE: AllAfrica.com; AUTHOR: Thandee N'wa Mhangwana, African Eye News
Service
http://allafrica.com/stories/200308140705.html
INTERNET
THE MYTH OF GENERATION N
[Commentary] Columnist Simson Garfinkel challenges what he calls the myth of
"universal computer competence among young people." While Generation "Net"
is more tech-savvy than its predecessors, millions of kids are still not
"wired." According to Garfinkel, these kids risk falling behind much faster
than their elders. He cites research from
the Pew Foundation, which found that 26 percent of young adults do not have
Internet access. The educational divide is even more striking: Only 23
percent of people who did not graduate from high school have access,
compared with 82 percent of those who have graduated from college.
Garfinkel is concerned that today's society is making things
increasingly difficult for people who aren't online. He believes that the
problem won't be solved through more education or federal grants. "As a
society, we need to come to terms with the fact that a substantial number of
people, young and old alike, will never go online. We need to figure out how
we will avoid making life unbearable for them," he writes.
SOURCE: Technology Review; AUTHOR: Simson Garfinkel
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_garfinkel080803.asp?p=0
EDTECH
CLASSROOM WEBCAMS OFFER CHEAP, UNEASY SURVEILLANCE
For some, Webcams in schools offer an "unblinking eye" to support teachers
and administrators, a potential deterrent of crime and general misbehavior.
In Biloxi, Miss., hundreds of Internet-wired cameras will be rolling all
year, watching over the district's 6,300 students - and teachers. School
districts across the nation and in England are also
experimenting with affordable classroom Webcams for security reasons. In
addition to security, the technology can be used to increase communication
between home and school. R. Scott Page, a former biology teacher, focused
the camera on lab experiments so he and students could monitor them over the
weekend. Students could log in with questions when they were home sick.
But not everyone is enthusiastic about the technology. Curt Lavarello of
the National Association of School Resource Officers says all those cameras
actually could make schools less safe: "We lose the direct, one-to-one
contact that is so critically needed." Other critics worry that the cameras
are an invasion of
privacy and could be used by parents to complain about teachers.
SOURCE: The Detroit News; AUTHOR: Greg Toppo, USA Today
http://www.detnews.com/2003/technology/0308/11/technology-240814.htm
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