OWNERSHIP
Does Ownership Matter in Local Television News?
BROADBAND
FCC Plans Landmark Vote on Broadband
Web Portals Eyeing Partners
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Few Latinos, Blacks Choose Engineering
CONTENT
Plan Approved To Save US Digital History
OWNERSHIP
DOES OWNERSHIP MATTER IN LOCAL TELEVISION NEWS?
A recent study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism found that when
it comes to local TV news, ownership does in fact make a difference. The
project, a research institute affiliated with the Columbia University
Graduate School of Journalism, conducted the largest examination ever of
local TV news offerings and viewers preferences. The analysis of 172
stations and some 23,000 stories over five year period suggests that
ownership type does make a difference. Among the findings was that smaller
station groups overall tended to produce higher quality newscasts than
stations owned by larger companies.
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism]
(http://www.journalism.org/resources/research/reports/ownership/default.asp)
BROADBAND
FCC PLANS LANDMARK VOTE ON BROADBAND
The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote tomorrow on the
regulations that govern telecommunications companies selling high-speed
Internet access. The FCC's Republican Chairman, Michael Powell, hopes to
relax rules that currently let competitors of companies like Verizon and SBC
demand access to the former Bell networks at a relatively low cost. But a
competing proposal, drafted by Republican Commissioner Kevin Martin and
Democrats Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, would continue to require
the Bells to give rivals access to high-speed lines. Their plan would let
the states decide how much deregulation is appropriate. Tomorrow's landmark
vote, which will either strengthen or rescind federal regulations, is
ultimately a choice between two different approaches to keeping broadband
prices low and competition robust.
[SOURCE: CNET News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1033-984733.html?tag=fd_lede1_hed)
WEB PORTALS EYEING PARTNERS
Hoping to capitalize on the increase in broadband subscribers, Web portals
such as Yahoo are teaming up with service providers to bring in new traffic
and new revenue. "We clearly see the market evolving toward broadband and we
want to be ahead of the curve," said Jim Brock, senior vice-president of
consumer services at Yahoo. The company teamed with SBC Communications last
September to offer content such as a customized browser and Web radio for a
monthly fee. Companies such as Microsoft and AOL have followed suit.
[SOURCE: Globe News, AUTHOR: Showwei Chu]
(http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030216.wport216/GTStor
y)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
FEW LATINOS, BLACKS CHOOSE ENGINEERING
Engineering and other tech-related programs around the country are short on
enrollment among blacks and Latinos. San Jose State's engineering school is
indicative of this trend, especially since the school has expended
considerable effort to recruit from within these populations. The university
has partnered with Silicon Valley tech companies to work with area high
schools in an attempt to familiarize students with the field, but results
have been mixed. Associate Dean Ping Hsu noted that attrition rates among
blacks and Latinos typically occur during the first two years, before
students actually begin the engineering part of the program. "Those courses
tend to be very mathematically intensive or demanding, and some students are
discouraged because they are not quite prepared."
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Jon Fortt]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/5205382.htm)
CONTENT
PLAN APPROVED TO SAVE U.S. DIGITAL HISTORY
The Library of Congress announced last week a plan to archive Web content in
a manner similar to its preservation of the written word. The National
Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) draws
support from past congressional appropriations as well as private funds. The
task will not be an easy one -- Google estimates that it currently
catalogues some three billion Web pages, and the Library of Congress notes
that half of the Web content created in 1998 had disappeared by 1999. "The
digital history of this nation is imperiled by the very technology that is
used to create it," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Nicholas Johnston]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10278-2003Feb14.html)
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