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Wall Street probably would be impressed by a media outfit that managed to double its weekly audience from 13 million to 26 million in a little more than six years. Yet the folks who run National Public Radio insist it's because they don't have to impress Wall Street that they've been able to increase their listenership and, with it, revenue through listener contributions, sponsorships, and foundation support. While the radio world has contracted in upon itself through consolidated ownership and copycat formats, public radio has only become more distinct, important and valuable. It looms ever larger on the U.S. dial simply as guardian of its niche. It's expanding its news operation at a time when most others are cutting back. It's in the midst of a $15 million, three-year plan to add 45 staffers and open new bureaus, including one in West Africa. But more important, listen to an NPR program for 30 seconds and you know you're listening to NPR. Unlike its TV cousin, PBS, whose specialties have been cloned by cable networks that siphon off the viewers underwriters want to reach, it's tough to argue NPR is redundant.

Twelve media reform groups on Wednesday called on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to increase transparency of its decision-making and open its meetings to more public participation. In a letter to CPB President Patricia Harrison, the groups proposed a series of measures to encourage greater openness and accountability at the organization, which is the largest single source of funding for public TV and radio programming. The letter was signed by Common Cause, Free Press, the Center for Digital Democracy, the Benton Foundation, the Center for Creative Voices in Media, Chicago Media Action, Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting, Hawaii Consumers, Industry Ears, Media Alliance, Reclaim the Media and the Writers Guild of America East. That letter followed unsuccessful attempts by the reform groups to meet with Harrison and individual members of the board before the CPB's September 27 meeting. The groups first raised concerns over the internal workings of CPB after Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson secretly hired a political operative to scrutinize programming on PBS and NPR for signs of "liberal bias." An investigation by Inspector General Kenneth Konz into Tomlinson's actions -- including the hiring of Harrison, former co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee is due to be completed next month. In a letter sent in late July, the reform groups called on CPB Board members and Harrison to consider a series of resolutions that would make the CPB more transparent and accountable to the American public. Harrison responded in a letter that these concerns already were "addressed by current practice and policy." However, neither the Public Broadcasting Act, the CPB Web site, nor CPB bylaws include language addressing the groups' concerns.

I've been writing this all year, but I really mean it this time -- Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said that he plans to circulate draft legislation among senators this week to expedite the transition to digital television. "We're moving forward," Sen Stevens said, adding that "a couple of items" in the draft still must be resolved. He said he plans to meet individually with some senators over the next couple of days to try to settle those issues, and possibly discuss some broader telecommunications issues. But he has not decided on a timeframe for introducing a DTV bill or moving it through his committee. "We're going to look for the best vehicle we can get, and get it enacted," he said. Meanwhile, on the other side of Capitol Hill, industry sources said that House Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) and Energy and Commerce ranking member John Dingell (D-MI) are "in 80% agreement" on comprehensive telecom reform legislation, and that the legislators plan to release the draft this week -- before the House panel deals with DTV legislation. The Barton-Dingell telecom reform legislation would offer further deregulation to the Bell operating companies, cable companies and Internet telephone providers -- as well as impose a requirement of "network neutrality," according to industry and congressional sources. It is expected to allow Bell companies to obtain national video franchises if they pay fees to local communities.
[SOURCE: Congress Daily, AUTHOR: Molly M. Peterson and Drew Clark]
* Debate Continues Over Analog Cutoff
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-XBRT1126739411075.html

After more than two weeks of sporadic service because of Hurricane Katrina, telephone lines in southeastern Louisiana are slowly returning to normal as phone companies not only repair storm-damaged networks but adjust their systems to contend with population shifts. Meanwhile, the Louisiana Public Service Commission on Wednesday asked wireless phone companies in the state to give customers free service for September and October because wireless phones have become the only means of communication for many evacuees. Whether they will remains an open question. Despite the overall improvement in phone service, about 150,000 BellSouth Corp. phone lines remained dead Wednesday, mostly in the parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard, said Merlin Villar, a spokesman for the region's biggest local phone service provider. Much of those parishes remain evacuated. BellSouth workers have repaired more than 100 breaks in the company's buried fiber-optic cable network that serves as the backbone of the region's local phone system. AT&T technicians had installed a new fiber-optic line between the Mississippi state line and Bay St. Louis, Miss., to bypass a pair of flooded computer switches in eastern New Orleans that are part of the long-distance company's high-capacity network in the region. Wireless phone companies also have repaired antennas, also known as cell sites, in areas that weren't flooded. Even with the progress, dialing into the region from outside Louisiana remained a problem for many, particularly during peak calling hours. To prevent the high calling volumes from jamming networks, some long-distance companies were limiting incoming calls so outgoing calls from storm victims and relief workers could be completed.