Pelosi may be Torn Between Hollywood, Tech Biz

PELOSI MAY BE TORN BETWEEN HOLLYWOOD, TECH BIZ
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Brooks Boliek]
Now that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is set to become the next House Speaker, entertainment industry executives are hoping she will prove friendlier to the Hollywood crowd than her predecessor. Rep Pelosi has some ties with the entertainment industry; counted among her friends in Hollywood are News Corp. president and chief operating officer Peter Chernin. While News Corp. is viewed as a Republican stronghold, Chernin is a long-term Democrat who helped Pelosi raise campaign funds. "She has a certain sensitivity to these interests that (outgoing Speaker) Dennis Hastert (R-IL) didn't necessarily share," said Mitch Bainwol, a Republican who serves as chairman and CEO or the Recording Industry Assn. of America, the lobby group for the major record labels. Dan Glickman, his Democratic counterpart at the Motion Picture Assn. of America, said Rep Pelosi is "a good, personal friend of a lot of people in the entertainment industry." Still, there is some nervousness that she will side with the high-tech industry in the behind-the-scenes policy battles the industries will wage in Congress. "Only time will tell," one entertainment industry executive said. "She comes from northern California, where the tech influence is strong."
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