BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY OCTOBER 23, 2008
See http://benton.org/headlines/election_2008 to see a timeline of Election 2008 coverage; visit http://benton.org/taxonomy/term/1427 for coverage of the financial crisis.
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
Spending $5.3B on political races looks scary, but it could be worse
How the Press Reported the 2008 General Election
Most Voters Say News Media Wants Obama to Win
Election exit polls in control
Tech advice for the next president
McCain's Camp Shaves Its Ad Targets
INTERNET/BROADBAND
The Future of the Internet on Nov. 4
Broadcasters Push White Spaces Alternative
States Urge FCC to Call for Public Comments on Intercarrier Compensation, Universal Service Proposal
Indiana's Larry Landis: Mapping Provides a Guide for Broadband Policy
Reform groups: open access a must for big wireless mergers
EU lawmakers approve crackdown on Internet violence
AT&T wireline picture gets bleaker
Teens Join Boomers In Searching Health Issues Online
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Tribune considers purchase of local rival
Redstone Rejects Viacom, CBS Sale
BROADCASTING/CABLE
Representatives Request Quiet Period Data
Cablevision Brass Gets Meeting With Martin
PTC Goes to FCC over 'Two and a Half Men' Episode
ELECTIONS & MEDIA
SPENDING $5.3B ON POLITICAL RACES LOOKS SCARY, BUT IT COULD BE WORSE
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Fredreka Schouten]
The campaign to elect a new president and members of Congress is on pace to hit an unprecedented $5.3 billion, the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics said Wednesday. The money raised and spent by candidates, parties and outside groups on campaigning, advertising, conventions and other political activities in this election has shattered records. But the total, while an eye-popping figure, pales compared with other spending. For example, it's less than the nearly $6 billion the National Retail Federation estimates Americans will shell out for Halloween next week. The cost of the presidential race alone — a record $2.4 billion — is less than the $2.6 billion Coca-Cola spent on advertising in 2006. The old record for White House campaign spending was $1.6 billion, set in 2004.
http://benton.org/node/18109
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HOW THE PRESS REPORTED THE 2008 GENERAL ELECTION
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, AUTHOR: ]
The media coverage of the race for president has not so much cast Sen Barack Obama (D-IL) in a favorable light as it has portrayed Sen John McCain (R-AZ) in a substantially negative one, according to a new study of the media since the two national political conventions ended. Press treatment of Obama has been somewhat more positive than negative, but not markedly so. But coverage of McCain has been heavily unfavorable -- and has become more so over time. In the six weeks following the conventions through the final debate, unfavorable stories about McCain outweighed favorable ones by a factor of more than three to one -- the most unfavorable of all four candidates -- according to the study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. As for Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), her coverage had an up and down trajectory, moving from quite positive, to very negative, to more mixed. In the end, she also received less than half the coverage of either presidential nominee, though about triple that of her vice presidential counterpart, Sen Joe Biden (D-Delaware). The findings suggest that, in the end, Palin's portrayal in the press was not the major factor hurting McCain. Her coverage, while tilting negative, was far more positive than her running mate's.
http://benton.org/node/18105
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MOST VOTERS SAY NEWS MEDIA WANTS OBAMA TO WIN
[SOURCE: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, AUTHOR: Andrew Kohut]
In recent presidential campaigns, voters repeatedly have said they thought journalists favored the Democratic candidate over the Republican. But this year's margin is particularly wide. Voters overwhelmingly believe that the media wants Barack Obama to win the presidential election. By a margin of 70%-9%, Americans say most journalists want to see Obama, not John McCain, win on Nov. 4. Another 8% say journalists don't favor either candidate, and 13% say they don't know which candidate most reporters support. Republicans, Democrats and independents all feel that the media wants to see Obama win the election. Republicans are almost unanimous in their opinion: 90% of GOP voters say most journalists are pulling for Obama. More than six-in-ten Democratic and independent voters (62% each) say the same.
http://benton.org/node/18110
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ELECTION EXIT POLLS IN CONTROL
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: William Triplett]
Once again, television networks are looking to Election Night with some apprehension, trying to avoid a repeat of the past two presidential cycles when initial exit polls suggested victories for John Kerry and Al Gore. Network executives say this time around they're deploying a series of measures to prevent the early leak of polling information, as well as to make adjustments for skewed sampling of respondents as they leave the polling booth. With at least a dozen battleground states where votes for the two candidates are expected to be close, networks will have to resist the competitive temptation to project winners based on exit polls, said ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider.
http://benton.org/node/18102
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TECH ADVICE FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Gary Anthes]
Computerworld recently asked nine high-tech luminaries to offer their advice to the next US president. Science and technology may not have been the focus of the recent debates between presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama, but both candidates have outlined some broad policy proposals and goals. That's a good thing, because, as some of the top technology thinkers in the United States today recently shared with Computerworld, the next president will have to tackle the country's ongoing decline in global technological competitiveness
http://benton.org/node/18104
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MCCAIN'S CAMP SHAVES ITS AD TARGETS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jim Rutenberg]
Democrats who monitor advertising spending now put at five the number of states where Sen John McCain (R-AZ) is reducing his advertising New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Colorado, Maine and Minnesota. In essence, Sen McCain's campaign has decided to spread the advertising time he bought for the upcoming week in those states over the next two final weeks. While station managers in the affected states said they were not ruling out the possibility that Sen McCain would pump money back in before election day, on Nov. 4, the move represents a stark reordering of priorities. Democrats were predicting Sen McCain would use the savings to increase his advertising in Pennsylvania and, possibly, Ohio and Florida, all of which have become that much more vital should McCain have to concede states like Colorado and Wisconsin.
http://benton.org/node/18103
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET ON NOV 4
[SOURCE: savetheinternet.com, AUTHOR: ]
[Commentary] November 4 will not just be decision day for election 2008. That same day, the Federal Communications Commission will vote to open unused television airwaves to provide affordable, wireless Internet services nationwide. Opening up these vacant airwaves called white spaces — might be our best opportunity to close the digital divide. White spaces can be used to transmit an Internet signal over mountains and through concrete walls.
http://benton.org/node/18101
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BROADCASTERS PUSH WHITE SPACES ALTERNATIVE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Association for Maximum Service Television (MSTV), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX television networks reiterated to the Federal Communications Commission that it should hold off on voting on a proposal to approve unlicensed, mobile devices in the DTV spectrum band, then told it what it could do with that extra time. Broadcasters suggested a possible path to DTV citizenship for the devices, but only under a series of conditions that would protect broadcast signals, wireless microphones, and cable reception, conditions more stringent than FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is proposing. Those conditions include limiting power levels on the first adjacent channel to 5 milliwatts rather than the FCC's proposed 40 [Fox opposes any adjacent channel uses], a "safe harbor" for wireless microphones, power limits to guard against direct pick-up interference to cable, mandatory geolocation, and disallowing devices that rely only on sensing when spectrum is unused. The geolocation requirement makes it sort of hybrid mobile and fixed service. Broadcasters do not oppose fixed unlicensed devices.
http://benton.org/node/18097
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STATES URGE FCC TO CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON INTERCARRIER COMPENSATION, UNIVERSAL SERVICE PROPOSAL
[SOURCE: National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, AUTHOR: ]
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners has sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission saying the FCC must allow more time for due process and public comments before it acts on a sweeping proposal that will revamp intercarrier compensation and the Universal Service Fund. NARUC said a proposal from agency Chairman Kevin Martin to reform both programs needs to be fully vetted by all stakeholders because it will have a profound impact on the telecommunications industry and consumers in an era of financial uncertainty. "Respectfully, in the wake of the credit crisis still reverberating throughout the U.S. economy, the FCC is rushing to resolve a $13 billion problem based on insufficient information, an inadequate record, and an incredibly compressed deliberative period," the letter said. "There is no need to do so."
http://benton.org/node/18100
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INDIANA'S LARRY LANDIS: MAPPING PROVIDES A GUIDE FOR BROADBAND POLICY
[SOURCE: BroadbandCensus.com, AUTHOR: Drew Bennett]
A Q&A with Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission member Larry Landis who also is the State Chair of the Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services. He reflects on the value of various efforts to obtain broadband data. "Generally speaking, telecom providers have been more comfortable with an independent, public-private entity which can provide additional contractual guarantees as to the confidentiality of that data," Commissioner Landis said."This approach has the added advantage that the entity which administers the program has a singular, rifle-shot mission, focus and approach. Quite a few successful state programs are built on this independent public-private model."
http://benton.org/node/18099
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REFORM GROUPS: OPEN ACCESS A MUST FOR BIG WIRELESS MERGERS
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
[Commentary] The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition -- including Free Press, Public Knowledge, the Consumer Federation of America, the New America Foundation, and the Media Access Project -- oppose two wireless merger deals: Verizon Wireless with Alltel and Sprint Nextel with Clearwire. The groups say that the Federal Communications Commission should demand more from all four parties before blessing their marriages, including a clearer commitment to the open device principle. The Commission will vote on both deals at its next meeting, scheduled for November 4. Specifically, PISC wants a plainer commitment to open-devicedness, and more promises regarding roaming charges, handset availability, and Network Neutrality.
http://benton.org/node/18098
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EU LAWMAKERS APPROVE CRACKDOWN ON INTERNET VIOLENCE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Pete Harrison]
Cyber-bullying and child pornography will be targeted in a 55 million euro ($70.9 million) scheme agreed by European Union lawmakers on Wednesday. The European Commission's "Safer Internet" proposal from 2009 to 2013 aims to improve safety for children surfing the Internet, promote public awareness and create national centers for reporting illegal online content. European politicians are under increasing pressure to prevent the Internet becoming a haven for crime.
http://benton.org/node/18107
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AT&T WIRELINE PICTURE GETS BLEAKER
[SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Carol Wilson]
When AT&T announced its third-quarter earnings, most of the attention went to 3G iPhone sales, which were higher than normal and the cause of AT&T's missed earnings mark, given the high cost of customer subsidies. Secondarily, AT&T touted its U-verse success, pointing to a net subscriber gain of 232,000 to reach 781,000 in service and remain on track to exceed 1 million subscribers in service by the end of 2008. But analysts, taking a harder look at the numbers, pointed to a more rapid decline in wireline subscribers as a major cause for concern. AT&T lost 990,000 primary phone lines in the third quarter, cutting total revenue for its wireline business down 2.2% to $17.6 billion. With economic hard times at hand, consumers may be cutting back by cutting the wires to their wireline phone, and U-verse subscribers aren't guaranteed to continue at the third-quarter pace, said Bernstein Research Senior Analyst Craig Moffett.
http://benton.org/node/18093
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TEENS JOIN BOOMERS IN SEARCHING HEALTH ISSUES ONLINE
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Gavin O'Malley]
Think it's only baby boomers visiting health and wellness resources online? Not according to a study that shows that over 50% of young people ages 13-24 are accessing health and wellness information on the Internet. Youth are also using confessional sites and posting anonymously on message boards to get personal advice more often than traditional support services such as phone hotlines.
http://benton.org/node/18092
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
TRIBUNE CONSIDERS PURCHASE OF LOCAL RIVAL
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Julie MacIntosh]
Tribune Company is considering whether it can buy the Orange County Register and fuse it with its flagship Los Angeles Times to consolidate the Los Angeles newspaper market, as owner Samuel Zell scrambles to find ways to save the debt-swamped newspaper company. Tribune has held talks over a deal to either buy the Orange County Register from its owner, Freedom Communications, or to strike up an agreement through which the Orange County Register and LA Times could combine production and distribution operations to save money, according to media industry sources. Both Tribune and Freedom are gasping for air, as the industry's advertising sales and circulation numbers continue to shrink. The number of publishers in or near default on their debt has lengthened to include Journal Register, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Philadelphia Media News, which publishes the Philadelphia Inquirer.
http://benton.org/node/18108
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REDSTONE REJECTS VIACOM, CBS SALE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Merissa Marr]
Media mogul Sumner Redstone said Wednesday there's "not a chance" he'll sell Viacom or CBS to resolve the debt issues facing his family holding company, National Amusements. He ruled out selling any shares in either of the two companies he controls, even if negotiations with lenders about a debt restructuring turn sour. Redstone acknowledged there is "no guarantee" those negotiations will result in a deal, but he described them as "extremely constructive." Redstone rushed to sell $233 million of his family's Viacom and CBS holdings earlier this month to avoid breaching the terms of a National Amusements loan. The holding company based in Norwood, Mass., has since been in urgent negotiations with its lenders about restructuring $1.6 billion of debt. Investors have been concerned that Redstone may be forced to sell more of his family's holdings and even the companies themselves.
http://benton.org/node/18106
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BROADCASTING/CABLE
REPRESENTATIVES REQUEST QUIET PERIOD DATA
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Reps Nathan Deal (R-GA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) have called on the National Telecommunications & Information Administration and Federal Communications Commission to support a "meaningful" retransmission consent quiet period and are asking for some data from the NTIA they think may support their position. The FCC, not NTIA, is currently considering the formal petition by cable operators for a quiet period, but NTIA recently recorded an uptick in DTV-to-analog converter box coupon requests in markets affected by retransmission consent disputes between LIN TV and Time Warner and Brighthouse. The legislators say they are concerned that those requests could have come from confused viewers who "very likely would not have applied for coupons but for the fact that LIN TV's broadcast signals were dropped."
http://benton.org/node/18096
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CABLEVISION BRASS GETS MEETING WITH MARTIN
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Top officials for Cablevision last Friday met with Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin to discuss at least one programming issue that has the cable operator at odds with Verizon. Among the topics discussed was Cablevision's support for current FCC rules which allow cable operators to withhold programming from competitors in instances where the programming isn't distributed via satellite.
http://benton.org/node/18095
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PTC GOES TO FCC OVER 'TWO AND A HALF MEN' EPISODE
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: ]
The Parents Television Council is filing an indecency complaint with the Federal Communications Commission and urging its members and "concerned citizens" to do the same after a three-minute strip club scene featuring a lap dance aired on CBS's Two and a Half Men. "We believe that the patently offensive sexual content in this episode of Two and a Half Men crossed the broadcast indecency line," said PTC President Tim Winter. "Rather than airing the program after 10 p.m., and rather than assigning a content rating that accurately reflects the material contained within the episode, CBS chose to air it when millions of children were in the television viewing audience, and they deemed the material to be suitable for 14-year-olds."
http://benton.org/node/18094
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