AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, THIS BLOG AND THE DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING WILL SUSPEND PUBLICATION, PENDING FUNDING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ALERTED WHEN THE BLOG RESUMES, PLEASE SEND A NOTE TO: BillBakerBlog@thirteen.org . PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND WE WILL ALERT YOU WHEN THE BLOG BEGINS PUBLISHING AGAIN.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Dual scoreboards on live television flashed the U.S. House of Representatives' vote on a financial bailout and the Dow Jones industrial average. In the end, they both came up losers. The nation's teetering economy played out in an extraordinary TV drama Monday. No one was certain about what would happen when those numbers finally stopped moving: at 228 to 205 against the bailout and a 777-point drop in the Dow. Associated Press reports.
The Washington Post looks at editorial opinion on the U.S. House rejection of George W. Bush's bailout plan.
The appetite for information is good news for National Public Radio, says the New York Daily News.
National Public Radio, already strong online with free downloads from many of its shows, is boosting its digital ambitions with yesterday's introduction of social-networking features akin to Facebook. Associated Press reports.
Optimism prevailed at the National Association of Broadcasters' Small Market Conference, reports TV Newsday.
Today is the last day of publication for the daily New York Sun, after six years, report the New York Times and Media Daily News.
The free weekly Washington, D.C. newspaper City Paper has filed for bankruptcy.
TV Guide is for sale, says Variety.
The ratings for the presidential debate Friday night fell far short of expectations, says the Washington Post.
The spin doctors work their voodoo regarding Friday night's presidential debate, says the Washington Post.
Sarah Palin is preparing for Thursday's debate with Joe Biden. This is Thursday evening at 9. The moderator is Gwen Ifill of PBS's Washington Week. Thirteen/WNET will televise it live.The Washington Post reports.
Gwen Ifill of PBS will likely have the largest audience of her career as moderator of the vice presidential debate Thursday evening, says the Maynard Institute Web site.
CBS has hired Dee Dee Myers as a political analyst, says Variety.
With Tom Brokaw as elder statesman, NBC is planning the future of Meet The Press, reports the New York Times.
NBC polling director Chuck Todd's stock is rising to become host of NBC's Meet The Press, says Washingtonian magazine.
Blacklisted television writer Oliver Crawford has passed away at age 91, says Associated Press.
There will be a presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain on Long Island. This will be Wednesday evening, October 15 at 9 p.m. at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island, according to the Presidential Debates Commission.
The McCain campaign is attempting to do something unheard of in the modern political era. It is not just running against the mainstream media - it is running around it. The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
In a letter to Arbitron President Stephen Morris, Democratic presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama, along with U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, Illinois Democrat, expressed "concern" over the rollout of its Portable People Meter (PPM) system to eight new markets, scheduled for October 8. The two senators urged Morris to delay the rollout until the system is accredited by the Media Research Council (MRC). Crisis say the system seriously undercounts minority listeners, and in New York, for example, has undercounted audiences for black oriented FM station WBLS 107.5, and Spanish language stations WPAT-FM 93.1, WSKQ 97.9, and WADO-AM 1280. Radio Online reports.
NBC CEO Jeff Zucker says the economy is having a profound impact on local stations, reports Reuters.
In the wake of the bailout defeat, ad budgets are dropping, says Media Daily News.
In the stock market plunge, tech stocks were hit hard, says the San Jose Mercury News.
After the bailout defeat and stock exchange decline, there was a steep drop in media stocks, say Broadcasting & Cable and Media Daily News.
In the wake of the bailout defeat, shares of Young Broadcasting, which owns the troubled San Francisco TV station KRON channel 4 and also Albany ABC affiliate WTEN channel 10, among a total of ten stations, dropped to 4 cents a share, says Media Daily News.
In the big stock market plunge, newspaper stocks were down less than expected, says Media Daily News.
The Society Of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) is holding its 35th annual Broadcast & Technology Expo, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week (October 7 and 8) at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York near Syracuse, with two days of programs and presentations.
Congress is poised to pass Internet radio legislation, say Associated Press and paidContent.
Congressman Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, has introduced the Radio All Digital Channel Receiver Act, which would require that satellite radio receivers that can receive AM and FM signals also be capable of receiving terrestrial digital radio, or HD Radio. Markey said in a press statement, "Millions of Americans today rely on local broadcast radio for news, public safety bulletins, sports, weather, traffic, and other information. As the broadcast radio industry migrates to digital broadcasting technology, this legislation will ensure that consumers are able to readily receive free service through consumer electronics systems that are otherwise receiving satellite digital audio radio and traditional AM or FM stations." Radio Ink and Radio Onlinereport.
About 90% of the people in the U.S. are in listening range of HD radio signals, according to Caroline Beasley, vice president and CFO of Naples, Florida-based Beasley Broadcast Group and chair of the NAB's HD Radio Digital Technology Advancement Force. One challenge is convincing automakers to install car radios that receive HD signals, she says. The Naples, Florida Daily News reports.
At the NAB Radio Show last week, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin suggested that broadcasters cut a deal with him on new localism rules this year, The clear implication was that the deal with him will be a lot less onerous that the deal they'll get next year when Democrats will have a tighter grip on Congress and, lord knows, what kind of wild-eyed, liberal regulator will be heading the FCC. Don't do it, says TV Newsday.
The Intellectual Property Enforcement bill has passed the House, with a provision creating IP-enforcement-coordinating post in White House's Office of the President. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Why talk when you can text message? eMarketer reports.
Apple computers stock went down 17% in one day, say the New York Times, Barrons and Reuters.
Apple leads the tech bubble, says Business Week.
Circuit City has withdrawn its outlook after its loss widened, reports the New York Times. Circuit City's loss has widened, says the Washington Post.
Google goes to Washington, gearing up to put its stamp on government, says the Washington Post.
Cloud computing is a trap, warns GNU founder Richard Stallman. Web-based programs like Google's Gmail will force people to buy into locked, proprietary systems that will cost more and more over time, according to the free software campaigner. The Guardian of Manchester, England reports.
While Internet providers in the United States have backed off for now, from the idea they may be able to make money by selling information on where their customers surf on the Internet, British Telecom is still moving forward with the idea. The New York Times reports.
Sprint has taken wireless service to the max in Baltimore, Maryland, report IDG and USA Today.
MySpace is not the only free music game in town, says Time.
The Washington Post has purchased Foreign Policy magazine, report Media Daily News and the Washington Post.
In Manchester, Connecticut, five women who advertised their willingness to have sex for money on Craigslist reached an unintended market - the police. The Hartford Courant reports.
Proposition 8 in California which would ban gay marriage there, is bringing a large amount of TV advertising from both sides, says the San Jose Mercury News.
In movies and TV shows, never before have gay story lines been so prominent. Nor have there ever been so many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters on television - 83 by a recent count from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, not counting reality shows, daytime dramas or gay-oriented cable networks. Hollywood, with its depictions of cowboy lovers and lesbian neighbors, has done much to make gay men and women part of mainstream American life. The New York Times reports.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago has announced it will induct radio commentator Dr. James Dobson into its Radio Hall of Fame. Dobson runs a so-called "ex-gay" program and has said that allowing gay people to marry will "destroy the earth." A gay group known as Truth Won Out is planning a protest at the event. It is scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel, 1 W Wacker Driver, Chicago, according to Truth Won Out.
The Library of American Broadcasting has honored ten individuals as Giants Of Broadcasting, in presentations at Manhattan's Grand Hyatt Hotel.
They include:
Dr. Bill Baker, president emeritus of Thirteen/WNET, and for more than two decades the president of the station, from 1987 to 2008. His roots were in radio, at Cleveland stations WGAR 1220, WERE 1300 and WKYC 1100. In 1971 he got into TV, joining WEWS channel 5 Cleveland. In 1978 he became vice president and g.m. of WJZ channel 13 Baltimore and quickly became president of parent company Group W Television. He created PM Magazine and was instrumental in introducing Oprah Winfrey as a talk show host. In 1987 he became president of Thirteen/WNET. During his tenure more than $1 billion was raised for the station, and he secured the largest endowment in public television history $100 million. He oversaw WNET's acquisition of WLIW21 in 2003. In 2005 he was inducted into NYSBA's Hall Of Fame.
Other honored were:
- Lucy Jarvis, renowned for multiple network television documentaries;
- Roger King, the man behind the creation of many top national TV shows including Wheel Of Fortune.
- Jerry Lee, owner of Philadelphia FM station WBEB 101.1, the only standalone locally owned FM station in the top ten markets in the United States; all others have been acquired by conglomerates. Lee has brought WBEB to enormous heights of success.
- Jim McKay, icon in network television sports and father of CBS news and sports president Sean McManus;
- James Quello, long-serving FCC commissioner who was unique in that he became from broadcasting, Detroit AM station WJR 760. He was a fierce defender of free over-the-air broadcasting. Last month he sent the U.S. Supreme Court a brief saying the FCC is on a "Victorian crusade" that is damaging to broadcasters, viewers, and the FCC.
- Cokie Roberts, commentator of ABC's This Week, who earlier in her career provided news and public affairs broadcasts on National Public Radio and was a reporter on PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour.
- Tim Russert, Buffalo native, who died suddenly at age 58. Known for 17 years as host of NBC's Meet The Press, Russert - bringing the show to the top during his tenure - previously was a counselor in New York Governor Mario Cuomo's office, during the 1980s.
- William Shatner, star of Star Trek and whose acting career included the acclaimed movie Judgement At Nuremberg.
- Robert Wright, born in Hempstead, Long Island, who spent most of his career at General Electric, and after the GE acquisition of NBC, became NBC president and chief operating officer, succeeding Grant Tinker. He was responsible for and oversaw NBC's acquisition of one of America's two Spanish language networks, Telemundo and has overseen NBC's wide expansion in the high tech and multichannel age, including creation and development of CNBC and MSNBC.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT TODAY.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Dual scoreboards on live television flashed the U.S. House of Representatives' vote on a financial bailout and the Dow Jones industrial average. In the end, they both came up losers. The nation's teetering economy played out in an extraordinary TV drama Monday. No one was certain about what would happen when those numbers finally stopped moving: at 228 to 205 against the bailout and a 777-point drop in the Dow. Associated Press reports.
The Washington Post looks at editorial opinion on the U.S. House rejection of George W. Bush's bailout plan.
The appetite for information is good news for National Public Radio, says the New York Daily News.
National Public Radio, already strong online with free downloads from many of its shows, is boosting its digital ambitions with yesterday's introduction of social-networking features akin to Facebook. Associated Press reports.
Optimism prevailed at the National Association of Broadcasters' Small Market Conference, reports TV Newsday.
Today is the last day of publication for the daily New York Sun, after six years, report the New York Times and Media Daily News.
The free weekly Washington, D.C. newspaper City Paper has filed for bankruptcy.
TV Guide is for sale, says Variety.
The ratings for the presidential debate Friday night fell far short of expectations, says the Washington Post.
The spin doctors work their voodoo regarding Friday night's presidential debate, says the Washington Post.
Sarah Palin is preparing for Thursday's debate with Joe Biden. This is Thursday evening at 9. The moderator is Gwen Ifill of PBS's Washington Week. Thirteen/WNET will televise it live.The Washington Post reports.
Gwen Ifill of PBS will likely have the largest audience of her career as moderator of the vice presidential debate Thursday evening, says the Maynard Institute Web site.
CBS has hired Dee Dee Myers as a political analyst, says Variety.
With Tom Brokaw as elder statesman, NBC is planning the future of Meet The Press, reports the New York Times.
NBC polling director Chuck Todd's stock is rising to become host of NBC's Meet The Press, says Washingtonian magazine.
Blacklisted television writer Oliver Crawford has passed away at age 91, says Associated Press.
There will be a presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain on Long Island. This will be Wednesday evening, October 15 at 9 p.m. at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island, according to the Presidential Debates Commission.
The McCain campaign is attempting to do something unheard of in the modern political era. It is not just running against the mainstream media - it is running around it. The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
In a letter to Arbitron President Stephen Morris, Democratic presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama, along with U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, Illinois Democrat, expressed "concern" over the rollout of its Portable People Meter (PPM) system to eight new markets, scheduled for October 8. The two senators urged Morris to delay the rollout until the system is accredited by the Media Research Council (MRC). Crisis say the system seriously undercounts minority listeners, and in New York, for example, has undercounted audiences for black oriented FM station WBLS 107.5, and Spanish language stations WPAT-FM 93.1, WSKQ 97.9, and WADO-AM 1280. Radio Online reports.
NBC CEO Jeff Zucker says the economy is having a profound impact on local stations, reports Reuters.
In the wake of the bailout defeat, ad budgets are dropping, says Media Daily News.
In the stock market plunge, tech stocks were hit hard, says the San Jose Mercury News.
After the bailout defeat and stock exchange decline, there was a steep drop in media stocks, say Broadcasting & Cable and Media Daily News.
In the wake of the bailout defeat, shares of Young Broadcasting, which owns the troubled San Francisco TV station KRON channel 4 and also Albany ABC affiliate WTEN channel 10, among a total of ten stations, dropped to 4 cents a share, says Media Daily News.
In the big stock market plunge, newspaper stocks were down less than expected, says Media Daily News.
The Society Of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) is holding its 35th annual Broadcast & Technology Expo, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week (October 7 and 8) at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York near Syracuse, with two days of programs and presentations.
Congress is poised to pass Internet radio legislation, say Associated Press and paidContent.
Congressman Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, has introduced the Radio All Digital Channel Receiver Act, which would require that satellite radio receivers that can receive AM and FM signals also be capable of receiving terrestrial digital radio, or HD Radio. Markey said in a press statement, "Millions of Americans today rely on local broadcast radio for news, public safety bulletins, sports, weather, traffic, and other information. As the broadcast radio industry migrates to digital broadcasting technology, this legislation will ensure that consumers are able to readily receive free service through consumer electronics systems that are otherwise receiving satellite digital audio radio and traditional AM or FM stations." Radio Ink and Radio Onlinereport.
About 90% of the people in the U.S. are in listening range of HD radio signals, according to Caroline Beasley, vice president and CFO of Naples, Florida-based Beasley Broadcast Group and chair of the NAB's HD Radio Digital Technology Advancement Force. One challenge is convincing automakers to install car radios that receive HD signals, she says. The Naples, Florida Daily News reports.
At the NAB Radio Show last week, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin suggested that broadcasters cut a deal with him on new localism rules this year, The clear implication was that the deal with him will be a lot less onerous that the deal they'll get next year when Democrats will have a tighter grip on Congress and, lord knows, what kind of wild-eyed, liberal regulator will be heading the FCC. Don't do it, says TV Newsday.
The Intellectual Property Enforcement bill has passed the House, with a provision creating IP-enforcement-coordinating post in White House's Office of the President. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Why talk when you can text message? eMarketer reports.
Apple computers stock went down 17% in one day, say the New York Times, Barrons and Reuters.
Apple leads the tech bubble, says Business Week.
Circuit City has withdrawn its outlook after its loss widened, reports the New York Times. Circuit City's loss has widened, says the Washington Post.
Google goes to Washington, gearing up to put its stamp on government, says the Washington Post.
Cloud computing is a trap, warns GNU founder Richard Stallman. Web-based programs like Google's Gmail will force people to buy into locked, proprietary systems that will cost more and more over time, according to the free software campaigner. The Guardian of Manchester, England reports.
While Internet providers in the United States have backed off for now, from the idea they may be able to make money by selling information on where their customers surf on the Internet, British Telecom is still moving forward with the idea. The New York Times reports.
Sprint has taken wireless service to the max in Baltimore, Maryland, report IDG and USA Today.
MySpace is not the only free music game in town, says Time.
The Washington Post has purchased Foreign Policy magazine, report Media Daily News and the Washington Post.
In Manchester, Connecticut, five women who advertised their willingness to have sex for money on Craigslist reached an unintended market - the police. The Hartford Courant reports.
Proposition 8 in California which would ban gay marriage there, is bringing a large amount of TV advertising from both sides, says the San Jose Mercury News.
In movies and TV shows, never before have gay story lines been so prominent. Nor have there ever been so many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters on television - 83 by a recent count from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, not counting reality shows, daytime dramas or gay-oriented cable networks. Hollywood, with its depictions of cowboy lovers and lesbian neighbors, has done much to make gay men and women part of mainstream American life. The New York Times reports.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago has announced it will induct radio commentator Dr. James Dobson into its Radio Hall of Fame. Dobson runs a so-called "ex-gay" program and has said that allowing gay people to marry will "destroy the earth." A gay group known as Truth Won Out is planning a protest at the event. It is scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel, 1 W Wacker Driver, Chicago, according to Truth Won Out.
The Library of American Broadcasting has honored ten individuals as Giants Of Broadcasting, in presentations at Manhattan's Grand Hyatt Hotel.
They include:
Dr. Bill Baker, president emeritus of Thirteen/WNET, and for more than two decades the president of the station, from 1987 to 2008. His roots were in radio, at Cleveland stations WGAR 1220, WERE 1300 and WKYC 1100. In 1971 he got into TV, joining WEWS channel 5 Cleveland. In 1978 he became vice president and g.m. of WJZ channel 13 Baltimore and quickly became president of parent company Group W Television. He created PM Magazine and was instrumental in introducing Oprah Winfrey as a talk show host. In 1987 he became president of Thirteen/WNET. During his tenure more than $1 billion was raised for the station, and he secured the largest endowment in public television history $100 million. He oversaw WNET's acquisition of WLIW21 in 2003. In 2005 he was inducted into NYSBA's Hall Of Fame.
Other honored were:
- Lucy Jarvis, renowned for multiple network television documentaries;
- Roger King, the man behind the creation of many top national TV shows including Wheel Of Fortune.
- Jerry Lee, owner of Philadelphia FM station WBEB 101.1, the only standalone locally owned FM station in the top ten markets in the United States; all others have been acquired by conglomerates. Lee has brought WBEB to enormous heights of success.
- Jim McKay, icon in network television sports and father of CBS news and sports president Sean McManus;
- James Quello, long-serving FCC commissioner who was unique in that he became from broadcasting, Detroit AM station WJR 760. He was a fierce defender of free over-the-air broadcasting. Last month he sent the U.S. Supreme Court a brief saying the FCC is on a "Victorian crusade" that is damaging to broadcasters, viewers, and the FCC.
- Cokie Roberts, commentator of ABC's This Week, who earlier in her career provided news and public affairs broadcasts on National Public Radio and was a reporter on PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour.
- Tim Russert, Buffalo native, who died suddenly at age 58. Known for 17 years as host of NBC's Meet The Press, Russert - bringing the show to the top during his tenure - previously was a counselor in New York Governor Mario Cuomo's office, during the 1980s.
- William Shatner, star of Star Trek and whose acting career included the acclaimed movie Judgement At Nuremberg.
- Robert Wright, born in Hempstead, Long Island, who spent most of his career at General Electric, and after the GE acquisition of NBC, became NBC president and chief operating officer, succeeding Grant Tinker. He was responsible for and oversaw NBC's acquisition of one of America's two Spanish language networks, Telemundo and has overseen NBC's wide expansion in the high tech and multichannel age, including creation and development of CNBC and MSNBC.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT TODAY.
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, THIS BLOG AND THE DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING WILL SUSPEND PUBLICATION, PENDING FUNDING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ALERTED WHEN THE BLOG RESUMES, PLEASE SEND A NOTE TO: BillBakerBlog@thirteen.org . PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND WE WILL ALERT YOU WHEN THE BLOG BEGINS PUBLISHING AGAIN.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Leading With Kindness is a new book coauthored by Thirteen/WNET president emeritus Bill Baker and Michael O'Malley, which describes how treating employees well brings loyalty and top quality performances from employees. Dr. Baker appeared on the NBC Today show this morning, and this Today link provides video of the interview. Examples of companies that have treated employees well and succeeded overwhelmingly are Google and Bloomberg News, notes Dr. Baker, who also appears tomorrow 10 to 11 a.m. on the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC-AM 820 and WNYC-FM 93.9 New York. Conversely, bad bosses sap energy from employees and the workplace, says the Washington Post.
The local NBC stations are seeing a tremendous negative effect from the financial crisis, reports Bloomberg News.
Television is testing the limits of conservative Arabic societies, with its depictions of wine and sexuality, reports the New York Times.
Who won Friday's presidential debate? The TV pundits don't agree on a winner. Associated Press reports.
A cable watchdog group and Connecticut's attorney general are fighting to get Cablevision to hand out more free digital converters to its Connecticut customers when it digitizes the public access channels for all its franchises this year, reports the Connecticut Post.
Google has taken the unusual step of publicly opposing Proposition 8, an upcoming ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in California. The initiative has quickly become a bitter and divisive political fight, with California becoming a battleground as donations pour in from around the nation. Same-sex marriage became legal in California in June after the state Supreme Court ruled a ban was unconstitutional, setting the stage for the ballot proposal that would make same-sex marriage illegal. Google routinely and robustly exerts political influence in Washington in the realm of technology and energy. But it rarely ventures into social issues that can be a lightning rod for criticism, says the Los Angeles Times Is Hollywood afraid of Proposition 8? The Los Angeles Times reports.
Growing interest in cultural pursuits, diversity, authenticity and social responsibility is changing the way companies need to reach consumers, a new book argues. In the book, RenGen: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What It Means to Your Business (Platinum Press), author Patricia Martin cites early and more recent examples, like Absolut Vodka?s advertising collaboration with Andy Warhol and Starbucks? promotion of socially responsible practices. The New York Times reports.
We are a nation divided by buttons on the TV remote control, says the Denver Post.
There is a new battleground for "malware" such as worms and viruses: the cellular telephone, says the San Jose Mercury News.
As the crisis unfolded, the Web sites of troubled financial institutions seemed oblivious. The New York Times reports.
Watching the world react to the election drama on Twitter's new politics site offers a window onto a new medium of live mass communication, says the New York Times.
Japan's online social scene isn't so social, says Associated Press.
A new Web site, Money Aisle, hopes to bring competitive selling - and possible good deals for shoppers - to those looking to invest a nest egg in an account at an attractive rate. The New York Times reports.
An East Hartford, Connecticut man has been sentenced in federal court to two years in federal prison for pirating more than 8,000 copies of TV shows and movies and selling them on eBay for more than $100,000. Associated Press reports.
Sanyo has tripled its television set models - to three. Sanyo is trying to increase its tiny share of the U.S. projection TV market with three new models. The New York Times reports.
Hollywood's latest series are on the Web, says the Los Angeles Times.
Apple has made iTunes more accessible for the visually impaired, says Associated Press.
The music is being moved wirelessly from gadgets to the stereo, says the New York Times.
Don't discard old cellular telephones, says the Chicago Tribune.
Don't make your fingers do the work. Talk to your cellular telephone, says the New York Times.
Many Internet sites make it a snap to get hard copies of your digital pictures, but price and quality can vary widely, says the Boston Globe.
In industries from technology to finance to sales, nonassigned work spaces - also known as nonterritorial work spaces, mobile platforms and hot desks - are gaining popularity. The New York Times reports.
A new website from the U.K., What's Next?, aims to reduce the isolation, fear and myths gay men deal with when there are first diagnosed with HIV. GayNZ.com reports.
A 'substantive' press is taken for a spin, says the Washington Post.
There is a wide assortment of formats on radio stations on the Internet, says TechCrunch.
TiVo is offering TV on a PC - in joint venture, says Associated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Now is the time for TV viewers without cable or satellite to get a digital converter box. It will increase the number of channels the viewer can see, among other things. The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
John McCain and Barack Obama ads are appearing on the evening network newscasts, says Associated Press.
Tina Fey is Sarah Palin on NBC's Saturday Night Live - again. Associated Press reports.
In a new documentary on HBO, Bill Maher questions whether organized religion is a good thing, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Nielsen Media Research compares the 57 million who watched the McCain-Obama debate Friday night with TV audiences since 1976. Media Post.com reports.
What you need to know about music on MySpace is detailed in eMarketer.
AT&T has dumped Dish satellite TV for DirecTV, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The family of a Chicago suburban resident, Craig Stebic, alleges in a lawsuit that Chicago CBS station WBBM-TV Channel 2 parent CBS and several of its Channel 2 reporters inflicted "severe emotional distress" by erroneously implying there was an inappropriate relationship between Stebic and former NBC WMAQ-TV Channel 5 reporter Amy Jacobson. The Chicago Tribune reports.
NBC's Tom Brokaw interviewing Barack Obama is featured in a new Obama political TV ad, says TV Newser.
A U.S. House committee investigation of the FCC, and a report is likely to follow, but not a hearing, says Broadcasting & Cable.
Longtime noncommercial classical WCNY-FM 91.3 Syracuse VP/Radio Operations and on-air personality Don Dolloff is retiring on October 7th after 34 years at the station. Dolloff started in radio while a student at Harvard in 1965, working at the school's noncommercial WHRB 95.3 Cambridge and crosstown classical WCRB 102.5. After serving in the Air Force, he went for a graduate degree at Syracuse University, where he began working at WCNY. He became station manager in 2004 and took his present position in 2005. All Access reports. (scroll down)
Like it or not, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is featured TV ads supporting the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
An amateur radio test for a simulated hurricane over the weekend is being called a success, says the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
A producer of medical newscasts is turning the focus to Internet consumers. The Orlando Sentinel reports.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT TOMORROW.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Leading With Kindness is a new book coauthored by Thirteen/WNET president emeritus Bill Baker and Michael O'Malley, which describes how treating employees well brings loyalty and top quality performances from employees. Dr. Baker appeared on the NBC Today show this morning, and this Today link provides video of the interview. Examples of companies that have treated employees well and succeeded overwhelmingly are Google and Bloomberg News, notes Dr. Baker, who also appears tomorrow 10 to 11 a.m. on the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC-AM 820 and WNYC-FM 93.9 New York. Conversely, bad bosses sap energy from employees and the workplace, says the Washington Post.
The local NBC stations are seeing a tremendous negative effect from the financial crisis, reports Bloomberg News.
Television is testing the limits of conservative Arabic societies, with its depictions of wine and sexuality, reports the New York Times.
Who won Friday's presidential debate? The TV pundits don't agree on a winner. Associated Press reports.
A cable watchdog group and Connecticut's attorney general are fighting to get Cablevision to hand out more free digital converters to its Connecticut customers when it digitizes the public access channels for all its franchises this year, reports the Connecticut Post.
Google has taken the unusual step of publicly opposing Proposition 8, an upcoming ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in California. The initiative has quickly become a bitter and divisive political fight, with California becoming a battleground as donations pour in from around the nation. Same-sex marriage became legal in California in June after the state Supreme Court ruled a ban was unconstitutional, setting the stage for the ballot proposal that would make same-sex marriage illegal. Google routinely and robustly exerts political influence in Washington in the realm of technology and energy. But it rarely ventures into social issues that can be a lightning rod for criticism, says the Los Angeles Times Is Hollywood afraid of Proposition 8? The Los Angeles Times reports.
Growing interest in cultural pursuits, diversity, authenticity and social responsibility is changing the way companies need to reach consumers, a new book argues. In the book, RenGen: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What It Means to Your Business (Platinum Press), author Patricia Martin cites early and more recent examples, like Absolut Vodka?s advertising collaboration with Andy Warhol and Starbucks? promotion of socially responsible practices. The New York Times reports.
We are a nation divided by buttons on the TV remote control, says the Denver Post.
There is a new battleground for "malware" such as worms and viruses: the cellular telephone, says the San Jose Mercury News.
As the crisis unfolded, the Web sites of troubled financial institutions seemed oblivious. The New York Times reports.
Watching the world react to the election drama on Twitter's new politics site offers a window onto a new medium of live mass communication, says the New York Times.
Japan's online social scene isn't so social, says Associated Press.
A new Web site, Money Aisle, hopes to bring competitive selling - and possible good deals for shoppers - to those looking to invest a nest egg in an account at an attractive rate. The New York Times reports.
An East Hartford, Connecticut man has been sentenced in federal court to two years in federal prison for pirating more than 8,000 copies of TV shows and movies and selling them on eBay for more than $100,000. Associated Press reports.
Sanyo has tripled its television set models - to three. Sanyo is trying to increase its tiny share of the U.S. projection TV market with three new models. The New York Times reports.
Hollywood's latest series are on the Web, says the Los Angeles Times.
Apple has made iTunes more accessible for the visually impaired, says Associated Press.
The music is being moved wirelessly from gadgets to the stereo, says the New York Times.
Don't discard old cellular telephones, says the Chicago Tribune.
Don't make your fingers do the work. Talk to your cellular telephone, says the New York Times.
Many Internet sites make it a snap to get hard copies of your digital pictures, but price and quality can vary widely, says the Boston Globe.
In industries from technology to finance to sales, nonassigned work spaces - also known as nonterritorial work spaces, mobile platforms and hot desks - are gaining popularity. The New York Times reports.
A new website from the U.K., What's Next?, aims to reduce the isolation, fear and myths gay men deal with when there are first diagnosed with HIV. GayNZ.com reports.
A 'substantive' press is taken for a spin, says the Washington Post.
There is a wide assortment of formats on radio stations on the Internet, says TechCrunch.
TiVo is offering TV on a PC - in joint venture, says Associated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Now is the time for TV viewers without cable or satellite to get a digital converter box. It will increase the number of channels the viewer can see, among other things. The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
John McCain and Barack Obama ads are appearing on the evening network newscasts, says Associated Press.
Tina Fey is Sarah Palin on NBC's Saturday Night Live - again. Associated Press reports.
In a new documentary on HBO, Bill Maher questions whether organized religion is a good thing, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Nielsen Media Research compares the 57 million who watched the McCain-Obama debate Friday night with TV audiences since 1976. Media Post.com reports.
What you need to know about music on MySpace is detailed in eMarketer.
AT&T has dumped Dish satellite TV for DirecTV, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The family of a Chicago suburban resident, Craig Stebic, alleges in a lawsuit that Chicago CBS station WBBM-TV Channel 2 parent CBS and several of its Channel 2 reporters inflicted "severe emotional distress" by erroneously implying there was an inappropriate relationship between Stebic and former NBC WMAQ-TV Channel 5 reporter Amy Jacobson. The Chicago Tribune reports.
NBC's Tom Brokaw interviewing Barack Obama is featured in a new Obama political TV ad, says TV Newser.
A U.S. House committee investigation of the FCC, and a report is likely to follow, but not a hearing, says Broadcasting & Cable.
Longtime noncommercial classical WCNY-FM 91.3 Syracuse VP/Radio Operations and on-air personality Don Dolloff is retiring on October 7th after 34 years at the station. Dolloff started in radio while a student at Harvard in 1965, working at the school's noncommercial WHRB 95.3 Cambridge and crosstown classical WCRB 102.5. After serving in the Air Force, he went for a graduate degree at Syracuse University, where he began working at WCNY. He became station manager in 2004 and took his present position in 2005. All Access reports. (scroll down)
Like it or not, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is featured TV ads supporting the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
An amateur radio test for a simulated hurricane over the weekend is being called a success, says the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
A producer of medical newscasts is turning the focus to Internet consumers. The Orlando Sentinel reports.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT TOMORROW.
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, THIS BLOG AND THE DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING WILL SUSPEND PUBLICATION, PENDING FUNDING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ALERTED WHEN THE BLOG RESUMES, PLEASE SEND A NOTE TO: BillBakerBlog@thirteen.org . PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND WE WILL ALERT YOU WHEN THE BLOG BEGINS PUBLISHING AGAIN.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
NBC says local TV is being profoundly affected by the economic downturn, reports Reuters.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is concerned that 90210 on the CW network may be too racy. In a statement KFC spokesman Rick Maynard says, "Our media department has been in touch with CW regarding 90210, and we are closely monitoring its content going forward to determine if additional action is required on our part, including potentially pulling our advertising from the program." Advertising Age reports.
John McCain will be at tonight's televised debate with Barack Obama, say Associated Press and the Washington Post.
Maybe John McCain is a television marketer in addition to being a politician, says Media Post.com.
The University Of Mississippi campus where the televised debate is being be held tonight at 9 p.m. is buzzing, says Associated Press.
The debate uncertainty kept the political stakes high. The major TV networks and the commission sponsoring tonight's debate between Obama and McCain were proceeding on the assumption McCain would show up in the end. As it turned out, and they were correct. The Los Angeles Times reports.
There are some dubious claims in Barack Obama's campaign ads. Despite a vow of truth, there are some misleading attacks, says the New York Times.
John McCain announced he is suspending his campaign until Congress approves a financial bailout settlement, but even so, appeared on the three evening network newscasts, according to the Washington Independent.
David Letterman reported on his show that John McCain called to say that because of the financial emergency, he could not be on the show, and was flying back to Washington, but Letterman says he learned McCain actually went over to be on the CBS Evening News With Katie Couric. The Christian Science Monitor and the Chicago Tribune report. Letterman said he felt like an "ugly date," reports Associated Press.
John McCain's suspension of his campaign is examined by the Washington Post.
Two liberal political action committees are making an issue of John McCain's past bouts with skin cancer in a television commercial that features his facial scar and demands that the Republican presidential nominee release his medical records to the public. Associated Press reports.
Judy Woodruff of PBS says the media must press Sarah Palin to do a news conference, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
In an interview on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Sarah Palin said the U.S. has achieved victory in Iraq, reports the Washington Post.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is addressing a gathering of Republican activists at a Watch-The-Debate get-together tonight at the Anaheim Marriott, but the event is closed to the press. The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is getting his own show on the Fox News Channel, reports Associated Press.
NBC's Saturday Night Live is turning politics into gold. Ratings are up 50% from one year ago. Variety reports.
The political campaigns are spending big money on central Florida media, including local broadcast and cable TV, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
When NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the current financial crisis - or on anything that relates to the crisis, which is, these days, a lot - there is an excessively large elephant in the control room. Its name is Alan Greenspan, who happens to be Andrea Mitchell's spouse. The Columbia Journalism Review reports.
A coalition of Spanish-language media and community organizations has kicked off a massive voter registration drive, aiming to register nearly one million Hispanic voters. Hispanics have long been seen as a potentially powerful voting force, but that promise has yet to fully materialize. Associated Press reports.
Radio and TV stations are feeling the heat for running so-called 527 political ads, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Political operatives say politics - including TV and radio advertising - is a dirty business, reports AdWeek.
The devastation in the Houston - Galveston has been forgotten on national TV because of the financial crisis, reports the Houston Chronicle.
The Charlotte Observer has laid off its local black columnist, says the Maynard Institute Web site.
The Swedish government is proposing changes to its eavesdropping laws after widespread public protests. The proposed changes include requiring a court order for eavesdropping on international phone calls, e-mails and faxes. The changes also specify that the Swedish National Defense Radio Establishment can eavesdrop only in cases of suspected "external military threats" rather than just suspected "external threats." Associated Press reports.
Arbitron is opposing a petition to the FCC asking that the commission investigate Arbitron's Portable People Meter system for gathering ratings data, reports All Access. (scroll down)
The National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters says it is pleased with the New York City Council's unanimous for a resolution calling on the FCC to investigate Arbitron's PPM and its potential impact on radio's diversity of radio. All Access reports. (scroll down)
AM towers are vertical real estate. Tower leases can provide their broadcast owners with long-term cash flow, but broadcast owners need to watch out for certain pitfalls when making those deals. That was the essence of the session "Renting AM Towers to Non-Broadcasters - Practical Tips for Managers and Engineers" at the recent radio conference in Austin, Texas. Erwin Krasnow, an attorney with Garvey Schubert Barer, said he has clients who sold their stations, but kept the towers and make more money on the structures than they did when they were operating the station. With the transition to all digital TV in February, stations will be operating at 20% of their analog power, and digital signals will not go over mountains and hills the way analog signals do. One answer for TV broadcasters will be to establish translator and repeater stations, on their own channels and on other channels, and towers will be needed for those. Krasnow, along with his law firm partner Henry Solomon, are the authors of Broadcast Towers: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Money on Vertical Real Estate,available from the National Association Of Broadcasters. Radio World reports.
Is Madison Avenue killing the radio star? Media Daily News reports.
Hollywood wants Internet providers to block copyrighted files, says the New York Times.
Google TV is continuing to bloom, and has added Bloomberg News, says Media Daily News.
The agreement is designed to settle how the industry calculates royalty rates for limited downloads and music that is streamed online, reports Reuters.
Digg is aiming to raise its profile, says the San Jose Mercury News.
Yahoo is overhauling its system for selling display advertising, reports the New York Times.
Research In Motion's stock shares declined on worries about sales, say the Wall Street Journal and Reuters.
Twitter is introducing a new page where people can express their views about politics, 140 characters at a time, reports the New York Times.
The National Venture Capital Association has produced its first online video. The video spoofs the fund-raising process, following the desperate protagonist to an Entrepreneurs Anonymous meeting. It might amuse those in Silicon Valley who recognize the deal makers who double as actors in the skit. The New York Times reports.
Google wants the FCC to act on the white spaces issue before election day, says Dow Jones news.
The FCC deleted consideration of the rule change that would formally allow FM translators to be used to rebroadcast AM stations from yesterday's open meeting agenda late yesterday, and the item does not appear on the tentative agenda for October 15's open meeting. The agenda for October does not carry any radio items. Presently, FM translators are being approved for AM station rebroadcasts on an individual basis using Special Temporary Authority. One example is in Orange County, New York where Warwick AM station WTBQ 1110 broadcasts on a low power FM translator at 99.1 FM. All Access reports. (scroll down)
The FCC has revived its emergency communications plan, says Associated Press.
The FCC is proposing easing wireless spectrum bids, says Reuters.
The FCC will review the latest plan by Sprint Nextel to vacate a key section of the airwaves for public safety use, says Reuters.
Two wireless mergers top the FCC's to-do list, says the Wall Street Journal.
FCC chairman Kevin Martin wants to give LPTV stations must-carry status, report MultiChannel News and Broadcasting & Cable.
New National Association of Broadcasters Public Service Announcements point out that the outdoor antenna is key in picking up DTV signals over the air, says Television Business Report.
A new eMarketer report analyzes the new trends, tactics and tools that are reshaping the way retailers do business, online and off.
One Web Day, an 'Earth Day' for the Internet, celebrates online activism.The San Jose Mercury News reports.
John Lilly became chief executive of Mozilla Corporation in January, moving up from his role as chief operating officer. He's been with the company that created the open-source Firefox browser since 2005, the year Firefox 1.5 was released. Before Firefox, Microsoft's Internet Explorer dominated the Web. Now Microsoft's share is down and Mozilla's share is 20 percent. John Lilly is interviewed by the San Jose Mercury News
Independent music labels say there's little equity in their dealings with MySpace, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The Nielsen Company says product placements for the first half of 2008 fell by almost 15% on primetime programming for the 11 measured networks on broadcast and cable television. Broadcast television placements grew by almost 12%, while placements on cable television declined by 20%. Media Post reports.
How can the teenaged market be sold on milk, reports the New York Times.
Los Angeles 50,000 watt AM clear channel station KFI 640 has returned to its full power, after putting its new tower into operation, reports All Access reports. (scroll down) The old tower had been knocked down 4 years ago in a plane crash.
Controversial talk show host Brad Davis of Hartford, Connecticut AM station WDRC 1360 is marking 50 years on the air, says the Hartford Courant.
The only U.S. stop for the Leonardo show is at the Tech Museum in San Jose, California, reports the San Jose Mercury News.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, ON TUESDAY.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
NBC says local TV is being profoundly affected by the economic downturn, reports Reuters.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is concerned that 90210 on the CW network may be too racy. In a statement KFC spokesman Rick Maynard says, "Our media department has been in touch with CW regarding 90210, and we are closely monitoring its content going forward to determine if additional action is required on our part, including potentially pulling our advertising from the program." Advertising Age reports.
John McCain will be at tonight's televised debate with Barack Obama, say Associated Press and the Washington Post.
Maybe John McCain is a television marketer in addition to being a politician, says Media Post.com.
The University Of Mississippi campus where the televised debate is being be held tonight at 9 p.m. is buzzing, says Associated Press.
The debate uncertainty kept the political stakes high. The major TV networks and the commission sponsoring tonight's debate between Obama and McCain were proceeding on the assumption McCain would show up in the end. As it turned out, and they were correct. The Los Angeles Times reports.
There are some dubious claims in Barack Obama's campaign ads. Despite a vow of truth, there are some misleading attacks, says the New York Times.
John McCain announced he is suspending his campaign until Congress approves a financial bailout settlement, but even so, appeared on the three evening network newscasts, according to the Washington Independent.
David Letterman reported on his show that John McCain called to say that because of the financial emergency, he could not be on the show, and was flying back to Washington, but Letterman says he learned McCain actually went over to be on the CBS Evening News With Katie Couric. The Christian Science Monitor and the Chicago Tribune report. Letterman said he felt like an "ugly date," reports Associated Press.
John McCain's suspension of his campaign is examined by the Washington Post.
Two liberal political action committees are making an issue of John McCain's past bouts with skin cancer in a television commercial that features his facial scar and demands that the Republican presidential nominee release his medical records to the public. Associated Press reports.
Judy Woodruff of PBS says the media must press Sarah Palin to do a news conference, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
In an interview on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Sarah Palin said the U.S. has achieved victory in Iraq, reports the Washington Post.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is addressing a gathering of Republican activists at a Watch-The-Debate get-together tonight at the Anaheim Marriott, but the event is closed to the press. The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is getting his own show on the Fox News Channel, reports Associated Press.
NBC's Saturday Night Live is turning politics into gold. Ratings are up 50% from one year ago. Variety reports.
The political campaigns are spending big money on central Florida media, including local broadcast and cable TV, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
When NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the current financial crisis - or on anything that relates to the crisis, which is, these days, a lot - there is an excessively large elephant in the control room. Its name is Alan Greenspan, who happens to be Andrea Mitchell's spouse. The Columbia Journalism Review reports.
A coalition of Spanish-language media and community organizations has kicked off a massive voter registration drive, aiming to register nearly one million Hispanic voters. Hispanics have long been seen as a potentially powerful voting force, but that promise has yet to fully materialize. Associated Press reports.
Radio and TV stations are feeling the heat for running so-called 527 political ads, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Political operatives say politics - including TV and radio advertising - is a dirty business, reports AdWeek.
The devastation in the Houston - Galveston has been forgotten on national TV because of the financial crisis, reports the Houston Chronicle.
The Charlotte Observer has laid off its local black columnist, says the Maynard Institute Web site.
The Swedish government is proposing changes to its eavesdropping laws after widespread public protests. The proposed changes include requiring a court order for eavesdropping on international phone calls, e-mails and faxes. The changes also specify that the Swedish National Defense Radio Establishment can eavesdrop only in cases of suspected "external military threats" rather than just suspected "external threats." Associated Press reports.
Arbitron is opposing a petition to the FCC asking that the commission investigate Arbitron's Portable People Meter system for gathering ratings data, reports All Access. (scroll down)
The National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters says it is pleased with the New York City Council's unanimous for a resolution calling on the FCC to investigate Arbitron's PPM and its potential impact on radio's diversity of radio. All Access reports. (scroll down)
AM towers are vertical real estate. Tower leases can provide their broadcast owners with long-term cash flow, but broadcast owners need to watch out for certain pitfalls when making those deals. That was the essence of the session "Renting AM Towers to Non-Broadcasters - Practical Tips for Managers and Engineers" at the recent radio conference in Austin, Texas. Erwin Krasnow, an attorney with Garvey Schubert Barer, said he has clients who sold their stations, but kept the towers and make more money on the structures than they did when they were operating the station. With the transition to all digital TV in February, stations will be operating at 20% of their analog power, and digital signals will not go over mountains and hills the way analog signals do. One answer for TV broadcasters will be to establish translator and repeater stations, on their own channels and on other channels, and towers will be needed for those. Krasnow, along with his law firm partner Henry Solomon, are the authors of Broadcast Towers: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Money on Vertical Real Estate,available from the National Association Of Broadcasters. Radio World reports.
Is Madison Avenue killing the radio star? Media Daily News reports.
Hollywood wants Internet providers to block copyrighted files, says the New York Times.
Google TV is continuing to bloom, and has added Bloomberg News, says Media Daily News.
The agreement is designed to settle how the industry calculates royalty rates for limited downloads and music that is streamed online, reports Reuters.
Digg is aiming to raise its profile, says the San Jose Mercury News.
Yahoo is overhauling its system for selling display advertising, reports the New York Times.
Research In Motion's stock shares declined on worries about sales, say the Wall Street Journal and Reuters.
Twitter is introducing a new page where people can express their views about politics, 140 characters at a time, reports the New York Times.
The National Venture Capital Association has produced its first online video. The video spoofs the fund-raising process, following the desperate protagonist to an Entrepreneurs Anonymous meeting. It might amuse those in Silicon Valley who recognize the deal makers who double as actors in the skit. The New York Times reports.
Google wants the FCC to act on the white spaces issue before election day, says Dow Jones news.
The FCC deleted consideration of the rule change that would formally allow FM translators to be used to rebroadcast AM stations from yesterday's open meeting agenda late yesterday, and the item does not appear on the tentative agenda for October 15's open meeting. The agenda for October does not carry any radio items. Presently, FM translators are being approved for AM station rebroadcasts on an individual basis using Special Temporary Authority. One example is in Orange County, New York where Warwick AM station WTBQ 1110 broadcasts on a low power FM translator at 99.1 FM. All Access reports. (scroll down)
The FCC has revived its emergency communications plan, says Associated Press.
The FCC is proposing easing wireless spectrum bids, says Reuters.
The FCC will review the latest plan by Sprint Nextel to vacate a key section of the airwaves for public safety use, says Reuters.
Two wireless mergers top the FCC's to-do list, says the Wall Street Journal.
FCC chairman Kevin Martin wants to give LPTV stations must-carry status, report MultiChannel News and Broadcasting & Cable.
New National Association of Broadcasters Public Service Announcements point out that the outdoor antenna is key in picking up DTV signals over the air, says Television Business Report.
A new eMarketer report analyzes the new trends, tactics and tools that are reshaping the way retailers do business, online and off.
One Web Day, an 'Earth Day' for the Internet, celebrates online activism.The San Jose Mercury News reports.
John Lilly became chief executive of Mozilla Corporation in January, moving up from his role as chief operating officer. He's been with the company that created the open-source Firefox browser since 2005, the year Firefox 1.5 was released. Before Firefox, Microsoft's Internet Explorer dominated the Web. Now Microsoft's share is down and Mozilla's share is 20 percent. John Lilly is interviewed by the San Jose Mercury News
Independent music labels say there's little equity in their dealings with MySpace, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The Nielsen Company says product placements for the first half of 2008 fell by almost 15% on primetime programming for the 11 measured networks on broadcast and cable television. Broadcast television placements grew by almost 12%, while placements on cable television declined by 20%. Media Post reports.
How can the teenaged market be sold on milk, reports the New York Times.
Los Angeles 50,000 watt AM clear channel station KFI 640 has returned to its full power, after putting its new tower into operation, reports All Access reports. (scroll down) The old tower had been knocked down 4 years ago in a plane crash.
Controversial talk show host Brad Davis of Hartford, Connecticut AM station WDRC 1360 is marking 50 years on the air, says the Hartford Courant.
The only U.S. stop for the Leonardo show is at the Tech Museum in San Jose, California, reports the San Jose Mercury News.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, ON TUESDAY.
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, THIS BLOG AND THE DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING WILL SUSPEND PUBLICATION, PENDING FUNDING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ALERTED WHEN THE BLOG RESUMES, PLEASE SEND A NOTE TO: BillBakerBlog@thirteen.org . PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND WE WILL ALERT YOU WHEN THE BLOG BEGINS PUBLISHING AGAIN.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Media Briefing for Thursday, September 25, 2008
John McCain wants the televised debate with Barack Obama scheduled for tomorrow evening at 9 to be postponed because of the financial crisis, reports Broadcasting & Cable. Barack Obama wants the debate to proceed, says Broadcasting & Cable.
The Debate Commission has ruled that the debate will go on as scheduled tomorrow night, says TV Week.
The first presidential debate is up in the air, says the New York Times.
Ad spending has dropped the most since 2001, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Operators of television stations should be aware that unlike analog TV signals, digital TV transmissions will not get past mountains and hills. The signal will either be clear, or there will be no signal, just a field of blue, on TV receivers. Also, reception will be disrupted in major cities with large concrete and steel buildings and structures. Richard Schwartz of Axcera addressed a gathering of the Society Of Broadcast Engineers and the Connecticut Broadcasters Association, says a major solution will be translators and repeaters, either on different channels, or on the same channel. He says broadcast station managers and engineers should be looking for sites in difficult areas, including even cell phone towers, upon which they may install repeaters. Another factor is that stations will operate with only 20% of the power when transmitting digitally, versus the level they broadcast in analog. Thus, a UHF station which operated with 5 million watts in analog will be able to broadcast only with 1 million watts in digital. Axcera manufactures antennas and equipment for transmission. Richard Schwartz is available at rschwartz@axera.com.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a continuing resolution to keep funding the government while it is away getting itself re-elected, according to the National telecommunications and Information Administration, and other sources. The bill included an extra $20 million to administer digital-TV-to-analog converter-box-subsidy coupons, as well as an additional $20 million to the Federal Communications Commission for DTV education. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin said there is a shortage of battery-powered digital-TV-to-analog converter boxes and battery packs that would allow those boxes to operate with battery-powered TVs.Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Discovery Communications and YouTube have signed a global content partnership, bringing content from the Discovery stable of networks to the Google-owned video-sharing site. The deal will see the launch of nine branded YouTube channels in the United States, with targeted international channels, featuring native languages and content, launching later this year. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Two legislators - congressmen Carolyn Maloney of New York City and Jim Cooper of Tennessee - have been quick to respond to a Capitol Hill event backed by Google promoting the use of the so-called white spaces between digital-TV channels for unlicensed wireless devices. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
In Baltimore, CBS owned-and-operated WJZ-TV channel 13 and the Tribune-owned daily Baltimore Sun have agreed to share content and promotional might starting in the next few weeks. WJZ will provide "minute-by-minute" video to the newspaper site, WJZ vice president and general manager Jay Newman said on WJZ.com, while Sun editor and senior VP Tim Franklin said the station will pitch in on investigative reporting. Newspaper columnists are likely to make appearances on WJZ news, while WJZ?s weather crew will appear in the newspaper each day. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Comedy Central?s New York-based Daily Show With Jon Stewart garnered its highest ratings ever last week. The new programs at 11 p.m. September 15-18 drew 1.94 million viewers each night according to live-plus-same-day data, a 28% increase over the year-to-date average of 1.5 million viewers. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
A coalition has been formed to pressure Internet users to use legitimate content, reports MultiChannel News.
What will become of online video entertainment? Microsoft Advertising, NBC Universal and Starcom's MediaVest developed a study with Conifer Research involving 11 households. Participants went two weeks without their TV sets. Instead, they had to gather all of their video content online. Online Media Daily reports.
Simple services let you keep your passwords safe, says the Boston Globe.
The $179 T-Mobile G1 is the latest in astring of challenges to Apple?s popular iPhone. The New York Times and Los Angeles Times report.
Google's first phone is the iPhone with more buttons, says the New York Times.
T-Mobile has lifted the bandwidth cap for the Google phone, says the New York Times.
There is a radical openness on the Google phone - at least for now, says the New York Times.
Google is now a player in the mobile market, says the Chicago Tribune.
A new Yahoo ad system may help Yahoo fend off Google, says Bloomberg News.
Google's newly unveiled Chrome is reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.
Google is holding a contest looking for world-changing ideas, reports Cox News.
Public officials and the founders of Google announced the start of New York?s version of Google Transit, which they said will transform the navigation of the nation?s busiest transit system. The New York Times reports.
MySpace Music, the long-awaited joint venture between MySpace and the four major music labels, makes its debut tomorrow, with a few surprises, say the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle.
Adobe this week hit the streets with its latest version of Creative Suite, and now Wall Street wants if people will shell out for the upgrade. The New York Times reports.
Digg.com has managed to dig up some more cash, $28 million for its social news site, says the New York Times.
The FCC will vote on dropping the minimum bid for spectrum aimed at a public-private partnership mocoNews, and Reuters report.
Candidates' performances in debates are examined by the Washington Post.
The National Rifle Association is targeting the Obama-Biden Democratic ticket in an on-going ad campaign, says the Washington Post.
NBC's Luke Russert says he made a dumb statement on the air, reports Associated Press.
The Mentoring & Inspiring Women in Radio group will choose three up-and-coming women in the radio industry to benefit from the 2009 Mildred Carter Mentoring Program. The program, in its seventh year, has so far assisted 17 women in radio.
Criteria and information on how to apply are available at www.radiomiw.com. Radio Ink reports.
Radio's ad decline is affecting most markets, says Radio Ink.
The HD Digital Radio Alliance has launched a new marketing campaign, reports Radio Business Report.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, ON TUESDAY.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Media Briefing for Thursday, September 25, 2008
John McCain wants the televised debate with Barack Obama scheduled for tomorrow evening at 9 to be postponed because of the financial crisis, reports Broadcasting & Cable. Barack Obama wants the debate to proceed, says Broadcasting & Cable.
The Debate Commission has ruled that the debate will go on as scheduled tomorrow night, says TV Week.
The first presidential debate is up in the air, says the New York Times.
Ad spending has dropped the most since 2001, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Operators of television stations should be aware that unlike analog TV signals, digital TV transmissions will not get past mountains and hills. The signal will either be clear, or there will be no signal, just a field of blue, on TV receivers. Also, reception will be disrupted in major cities with large concrete and steel buildings and structures. Richard Schwartz of Axcera addressed a gathering of the Society Of Broadcast Engineers and the Connecticut Broadcasters Association, says a major solution will be translators and repeaters, either on different channels, or on the same channel. He says broadcast station managers and engineers should be looking for sites in difficult areas, including even cell phone towers, upon which they may install repeaters. Another factor is that stations will operate with only 20% of the power when transmitting digitally, versus the level they broadcast in analog. Thus, a UHF station which operated with 5 million watts in analog will be able to broadcast only with 1 million watts in digital. Axcera manufactures antennas and equipment for transmission. Richard Schwartz is available at rschwartz@axera.com.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a continuing resolution to keep funding the government while it is away getting itself re-elected, according to the National telecommunications and Information Administration, and other sources. The bill included an extra $20 million to administer digital-TV-to-analog converter-box-subsidy coupons, as well as an additional $20 million to the Federal Communications Commission for DTV education. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin said there is a shortage of battery-powered digital-TV-to-analog converter boxes and battery packs that would allow those boxes to operate with battery-powered TVs.Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Discovery Communications and YouTube have signed a global content partnership, bringing content from the Discovery stable of networks to the Google-owned video-sharing site. The deal will see the launch of nine branded YouTube channels in the United States, with targeted international channels, featuring native languages and content, launching later this year. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Two legislators - congressmen Carolyn Maloney of New York City and Jim Cooper of Tennessee - have been quick to respond to a Capitol Hill event backed by Google promoting the use of the so-called white spaces between digital-TV channels for unlicensed wireless devices. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
In Baltimore, CBS owned-and-operated WJZ-TV channel 13 and the Tribune-owned daily Baltimore Sun have agreed to share content and promotional might starting in the next few weeks. WJZ will provide "minute-by-minute" video to the newspaper site, WJZ vice president and general manager Jay Newman said on WJZ.com, while Sun editor and senior VP Tim Franklin said the station will pitch in on investigative reporting. Newspaper columnists are likely to make appearances on WJZ news, while WJZ?s weather crew will appear in the newspaper each day. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Comedy Central?s New York-based Daily Show With Jon Stewart garnered its highest ratings ever last week. The new programs at 11 p.m. September 15-18 drew 1.94 million viewers each night according to live-plus-same-day data, a 28% increase over the year-to-date average of 1.5 million viewers. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
A coalition has been formed to pressure Internet users to use legitimate content, reports MultiChannel News.
What will become of online video entertainment? Microsoft Advertising, NBC Universal and Starcom's MediaVest developed a study with Conifer Research involving 11 households. Participants went two weeks without their TV sets. Instead, they had to gather all of their video content online. Online Media Daily reports.
Simple services let you keep your passwords safe, says the Boston Globe.
The $179 T-Mobile G1 is the latest in astring of challenges to Apple?s popular iPhone. The New York Times and Los Angeles Times report.
Google's first phone is the iPhone with more buttons, says the New York Times.
T-Mobile has lifted the bandwidth cap for the Google phone, says the New York Times.
There is a radical openness on the Google phone - at least for now, says the New York Times.
Google is now a player in the mobile market, says the Chicago Tribune.
A new Yahoo ad system may help Yahoo fend off Google, says Bloomberg News.
Google's newly unveiled Chrome is reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.
Google is holding a contest looking for world-changing ideas, reports Cox News.
Public officials and the founders of Google announced the start of New York?s version of Google Transit, which they said will transform the navigation of the nation?s busiest transit system. The New York Times reports.
MySpace Music, the long-awaited joint venture between MySpace and the four major music labels, makes its debut tomorrow, with a few surprises, say the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle.
Adobe this week hit the streets with its latest version of Creative Suite, and now Wall Street wants if people will shell out for the upgrade. The New York Times reports.
Digg.com has managed to dig up some more cash, $28 million for its social news site, says the New York Times.
The FCC will vote on dropping the minimum bid for spectrum aimed at a public-private partnership mocoNews, and Reuters report.
Candidates' performances in debates are examined by the Washington Post.
The National Rifle Association is targeting the Obama-Biden Democratic ticket in an on-going ad campaign, says the Washington Post.
NBC's Luke Russert says he made a dumb statement on the air, reports Associated Press.
The Mentoring & Inspiring Women in Radio group will choose three up-and-coming women in the radio industry to benefit from the 2009 Mildred Carter Mentoring Program. The program, in its seventh year, has so far assisted 17 women in radio.
Criteria and information on how to apply are available at www.radiomiw.com. Radio Ink reports.
Radio's ad decline is affecting most markets, says Radio Ink.
The HD Digital Radio Alliance has launched a new marketing campaign, reports Radio Business Report.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, ON TUESDAY.
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, THIS BLOG AND THE DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING WILL SUSPEND PUBLICATION, PENDING FUNDING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ALERTED WHEN THE BLOG RESUMES, PLEASE SEND A NOTE TO: BillBakerBlog@thirteen.org . PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND WE WILL ALERT YOU WHEN THE BLOG BEGINS PUBLISHING AGAIN.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Media Briefing for Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Ad spending is falling at its steepest rate since 2001, reports Media Daily News.
Radio's downturn broadened in August, says Media Daily News.
Online media advertising is looking good, says eMarketer.
Economic meltdown or not, online video will grow, says Wired.
A powerful U.S. senator sees major problems in the transition to all digital TV broadcasting in February, reports Broadcasting & Cable.
The president of CBS Radio, Dan Mason, says he has not seen an AM radio in a hotel room in a year, according to Inside Media Music. Across the nation, the news and programming of heritage AM stations is now offered on FM, including KIRO 710 Seattle, KSL 1160 Salt Lake City, KTAR 620 Phoenix, WWL 870 New Orleans and WTOP 1500 Washington. In Washington, WTOP, now at 103.5 FM, ratings have grown substantially, including among younger 25-to-54 year old listeners. In Canada, 5 CBC 50,000 watt AM stations have been moved to FM, including CBL 740 Toronto; CBM 940 Montreal; French language CBF 690; CBJ 1580 Chicoutimi, Quebec; and CBA 1070 Moncton, New Brunswick. Also, CBU 690 Vancouver is now being simulcast on FM.
Pinpoint attacks in TV ads are focusing on Barack Obama, reports the New York Times.
Is it fair for the media to raise questions about Sarah Palin's baby? The Washington Post reports.
CNN news anchor Campbell Brown is calling the McCain campaign out for sexism in its treatment of Sarah Palin. In an editorial yesterday, Brown demanded that the McCain campaign "free (Palin) from the chauvinistic chains you're binding her with." The Top of the Ticket's Katie Linthicum notes that: "Brown said the way the campaign has limited reporters' access to Palin, who has yet to hold a news conference - is evidence of paternalism and chauvinism. "Tonight, I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment." This report is from the Chicago Tribune.
Talked-about ads on cable TV political shows were seldom aired, in many cases, with the campaigns capitalizing on controversy, says the Washington Post.
Barack Obama is buying TV ads in Indiana, hoping to flip that state to the Democrats this time, says Associated Press.
Critics of the presidential debate format say technology is being underused, reports the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Google has introduced a phone with PC features, reports the New York Times.
T-Mobile's Google phone will cost $179 and will hit the stores October 22, says Associated Press.
Google?s first phone is an iPhone with more buttons, says the New York Times.
The Google phone offers multiple features, says the New York Times.
Google's G1 is taking on the iPhone and the mobile Web, says Media Daily News.
Health is a hot topic on the Internet, says Media Post.com.
Cisco is trying to break out of the data center role, says the New York Times.
The New York Times has introduced new live technology pages, at http://www.nytimes.com/technology.
MySpace leads investigators to a monkey thief, says the Washington Post.
Even if all goes smoothly, next February's digital television shift is likely to generate hundreds of thousands of complaints from television viewers around the country. A major problem during a test run in Wilmington, North Carolina, is the inability of over-the-air viewers to receive new digital signals, according to figures collected after the test. Associated Press reports.
Music groups have settled the royalties dispute, but radio streaming issues remain. Media Daily News, paidContent and FMQB report.
Why did CBS pay $1.8 billion for CNET? So it could take away money from newspapers. paidContent reports.
PBS is spotlighting the Warner Brothers movie dynasty this week, says the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
PBS has won a dozen News Emmys, reports Broadcasting & Cable.
The Motion Picture Association of America, the parent companies of the Big Four nets and other business heavyweights have told the Federal Communications Commission that there?s no need for new disclosure rules regarding product placement on the small screen. Media Daily News reports.
A new ad research tool is crossing media. Media Week reports.
Advertising represents less than 30 percent of the average marketer's total communications budget. The other 70% + is invested in consumer sales promotion, trade promotion and price incentives, event marketing, public relations, cause related marketing, direct marketing, consumer research and other performance-based marketing programs. The Huffington Post reports.
A news anchor on WVII channel 7, ABC in Bangor, Maine, who bears a resemblance to the Republican vice presidential nominee says she's been getting "hate mail and nasty phone calls" from viewers who think she's trying to copy Sarah Palin's signature style. Associated Press reports.
Four concerts of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra are being broadcast live this season by Pittsburgh FM public station WQED-FM 89.3, reports the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
A hip hop record store in Boston's Roxbury section is closing after 20 years, says the Boston Globe.
The maverick publisher of Grove Press, Barney Rosset, who stood up to the nation's puritanism in the 1960s, is the subject of the documentary Obscene. The New York Times reports.
The novel Huckleberry Finn is still raising a raft of concerns, says the Hartford Courant.
A 1-hour show focusing on food, Dishing It Out, has been launched, airing Sundays at 11 a.m. on 50,000 watt WFED 1500 Washington, D.C., says the Washington Post.
South Asian programming is coming to an HD side channel of New York City FM station WQHT 97.1.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, ON TUESDAY.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Media Briefing for Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Ad spending is falling at its steepest rate since 2001, reports Media Daily News.
Radio's downturn broadened in August, says Media Daily News.
Online media advertising is looking good, says eMarketer.
Economic meltdown or not, online video will grow, says Wired.
A powerful U.S. senator sees major problems in the transition to all digital TV broadcasting in February, reports Broadcasting & Cable.
The president of CBS Radio, Dan Mason, says he has not seen an AM radio in a hotel room in a year, according to Inside Media Music. Across the nation, the news and programming of heritage AM stations is now offered on FM, including KIRO 710 Seattle, KSL 1160 Salt Lake City, KTAR 620 Phoenix, WWL 870 New Orleans and WTOP 1500 Washington. In Washington, WTOP, now at 103.5 FM, ratings have grown substantially, including among younger 25-to-54 year old listeners. In Canada, 5 CBC 50,000 watt AM stations have been moved to FM, including CBL 740 Toronto; CBM 940 Montreal; French language CBF 690; CBJ 1580 Chicoutimi, Quebec; and CBA 1070 Moncton, New Brunswick. Also, CBU 690 Vancouver is now being simulcast on FM.
Pinpoint attacks in TV ads are focusing on Barack Obama, reports the New York Times.
Is it fair for the media to raise questions about Sarah Palin's baby? The Washington Post reports.
CNN news anchor Campbell Brown is calling the McCain campaign out for sexism in its treatment of Sarah Palin. In an editorial yesterday, Brown demanded that the McCain campaign "free (Palin) from the chauvinistic chains you're binding her with." The Top of the Ticket's Katie Linthicum notes that: "Brown said the way the campaign has limited reporters' access to Palin, who has yet to hold a news conference - is evidence of paternalism and chauvinism. "Tonight, I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment." This report is from the Chicago Tribune.
Talked-about ads on cable TV political shows were seldom aired, in many cases, with the campaigns capitalizing on controversy, says the Washington Post.
Barack Obama is buying TV ads in Indiana, hoping to flip that state to the Democrats this time, says Associated Press.
Critics of the presidential debate format say technology is being underused, reports the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Google has introduced a phone with PC features, reports the New York Times.
T-Mobile's Google phone will cost $179 and will hit the stores October 22, says Associated Press.
Google?s first phone is an iPhone with more buttons, says the New York Times.
The Google phone offers multiple features, says the New York Times.
Google's G1 is taking on the iPhone and the mobile Web, says Media Daily News.
Health is a hot topic on the Internet, says Media Post.com.
Cisco is trying to break out of the data center role, says the New York Times.
The New York Times has introduced new live technology pages, at http://www.nytimes.com/technology.
MySpace leads investigators to a monkey thief, says the Washington Post.
Even if all goes smoothly, next February's digital television shift is likely to generate hundreds of thousands of complaints from television viewers around the country. A major problem during a test run in Wilmington, North Carolina, is the inability of over-the-air viewers to receive new digital signals, according to figures collected after the test. Associated Press reports.
Music groups have settled the royalties dispute, but radio streaming issues remain. Media Daily News, paidContent and FMQB report.
Why did CBS pay $1.8 billion for CNET? So it could take away money from newspapers. paidContent reports.
PBS is spotlighting the Warner Brothers movie dynasty this week, says the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
PBS has won a dozen News Emmys, reports Broadcasting & Cable.
The Motion Picture Association of America, the parent companies of the Big Four nets and other business heavyweights have told the Federal Communications Commission that there?s no need for new disclosure rules regarding product placement on the small screen. Media Daily News reports.
A new ad research tool is crossing media. Media Week reports.
Advertising represents less than 30 percent of the average marketer's total communications budget. The other 70% + is invested in consumer sales promotion, trade promotion and price incentives, event marketing, public relations, cause related marketing, direct marketing, consumer research and other performance-based marketing programs. The Huffington Post reports.
A news anchor on WVII channel 7, ABC in Bangor, Maine, who bears a resemblance to the Republican vice presidential nominee says she's been getting "hate mail and nasty phone calls" from viewers who think she's trying to copy Sarah Palin's signature style. Associated Press reports.
Four concerts of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra are being broadcast live this season by Pittsburgh FM public station WQED-FM 89.3, reports the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
A hip hop record store in Boston's Roxbury section is closing after 20 years, says the Boston Globe.
The maverick publisher of Grove Press, Barney Rosset, who stood up to the nation's puritanism in the 1960s, is the subject of the documentary Obscene. The New York Times reports.
The novel Huckleberry Finn is still raising a raft of concerns, says the Hartford Courant.
A 1-hour show focusing on food, Dishing It Out, has been launched, airing Sundays at 11 a.m. on 50,000 watt WFED 1500 Washington, D.C., says the Washington Post.
South Asian programming is coming to an HD side channel of New York City FM station WQHT 97.1.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, ON TUESDAY.
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, THIS BLOG AND THE DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING WILL SUSPEND PUBLICATION, PENDING FUNDING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ALERTED WHEN THE BLOG RESUMES, PLEASE SEND A NOTE TO: BillBakerBlog@thirteen.org . PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND WE WILL ALERT YOU WHEN THE BLOG BEGINS PUBLISHING AGAIN.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Media Briefing for Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The U.S. government has quietly changes it policies to allow customs agents to copy materials being carried by people crossing the border, says the Washington Post.
The U.S. Senate is to hear an update on the switch to digital TV, with major concerns remaining, says the New York Times.
A Democratic U.S. congressman from California is submitting a bill that would delay the start of all-digital telecasting in the U.S., reports MultiChannel News.
National Association of Broadcasters CEO David Rehr says the FCC should have a national call center to assist in the DTV transition, reports Broadcasting & Cable.
An early DTV lesson: it's the antenna, stupid. TV Newsday reports.
Wilmington, North Carolina NBC affiliate WECT channel 6 is airing a special 5-minute video to assist viewers in the transition to all digital telecasting, reports TV Newsday.
Broadcast stations can tackle hard times head on, says TV Newsday.
Is the era of the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer over? Newsweek reports.
Politico is booming while the news industry generally is struggling, says Editor & Publisher.
John McCain is stepping up the campaign against the media, with his chief strategist slamming the New York Times. Bill Keller, the paper's executive editor, said: "The New York Times is committed to covering the candidates fully, fairly and aggressively. It's our job to ask hard questions, fact-check their statements and their advertising, examine their programs, positions, biographies and advisers." The Washington Post reports.
Joe Biden says the Democratic campaign ad depicting John McCain as out-of-touch and unable to use computers was a terrible ad that should never have run, reports Associated Press.
Comcast is spelling out how it would curb Internet "hogs," says MultiChannel News.
Does the freedom of selling on the Web lure otherwise law-abiding citizens into an addictive world of organized Internet crime? The battle over stolen goods sold online goes to Washington. The New York Times reports.
Video advertising is building to steep growth, says eMarketer.
Microsoft is buying back $40 million of its own stock, say the Wall Street Journal and Associated Press.
Microsoft's buyback plan may signal 'now or never' to Yahoo. The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Microsoft is migrating from servers to supercomputers. The New York Times reports.
McAfee is buying Secure Computing for $465 million, reports San Jose Mercury News.
Sling Media's SlingCatcher puts your PC, DVR and TV on one screen, reports the San Jose Mercury News.
India has been the hot new place for United States venture investors for a couple of years now, attracting billions of dollars in venture capital. Are there enough promising companies to use all that cash? The New York Times reports.
A California man operates Web sites devoted to cats and pets, and brings 100 million views a month, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Fordham University's adult alternative WFUV 90.7 is making changes to its newsroom. George Bodarky has been promoted to news and public affairs director, while Robin Shannon will take over Bodarky's former position as assistant news and public affairs director. Shannon will also serve as a news anchor on the WFUV morning show. In addition to hosting WFUV's weekly public affairs program, "Cityscape," Bodarky oversees the 50,000-watt FM station's newsroom staff, where he trains Fordham University students in broadcasting. Shannon joins WFUV after a four-year tenure at NJN Public Radio. She previously served seven years at Brookdale Community College's adult alternative WBJB 90.5 in Monmouth New Jersey. DCRTV reports.
Houston FM station KPFT 90.1, the local Pacifica radio station, is back on the air with regular programming today after being shut down by Hurricane Ike for more than a week - the longest down period since the station was bombed in the 1970s. The Houston Chronicle reports.
New York City urban oriented FM station WBLS 107.5 has won a Marconi Award, says the New York Daily News.
For the 4th quarter, advertising sales for newspapers are expected to plummet, says Media Daily News.
The new publisher of the Chicago Tribune, Tony Hunt, is called an "agent of change," says the Chicago Tribune.
A distinguished group of panelists at an Advertising Week event Monday looked into their crystal balls and offered a range of forecasts about the future of the industry, including: Time and Newsweek are moribund, and YouTube is essentially providing a free ride for consumers that may continue for years.
The provocative Vanity Fair columnist Michael Wolff said the two leading general news magazines are on life support - with perhaps only a decade left, partly because they have not succeeded in turning themselves into Internet powerhouses. "They've absolutely failed in every instance," he said. In regard to YouTube, the equally provocative Mark Cuban, head of HDNet, said the site "subsidizes the video bandwidth of the Internet." Media Daily News reports.
A new survey shows consumers are not very environmentally aware, reports Media Post.com.
Verizon Wireless, the second-largest U.S. mobile-phone company, will offer month-to-month contracts that don't have cancellation fees, a bid to attract customers wary of long-term commitments. Monthly subscribers will pay the same rates as those with long-term contracts, though they won't get discounts on new handsets. Bloomberg News reports.
Technology entrepreneurs, weary of structure but hungry for connections, are getting ready for the unConference. While the fall calendar is traditionally loaded with high-tech conferences in the Boston area, none of them has inspired anyone to grow a local version of Google Inc. or anything like it for many years. So the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council will try another tack. The group is hosting an Innovation unConference October 2 at the Sun Microsystems campus in Burlington, Massachusetts in an effort to spark dialogue between young and veteran entrepreneurs. The Boston Globe reports.
Musicians are turning to YouTube, reports Associated Press.
SlotMusic?s obituary gets written quickly. The New York Times reports.
With the new Google phone, HTC is coming out of the shadows. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer was chosen by Google more than two years ago to build the first mobile phone based on its "Android" software in large part because of its proven ability to design and build head-turning mobile devices, reports the New York Times.
T-Mobile is launching its first Google-powered telephone, say the Washington Post and Associated Press.
A New York state court has dismissed Dan Rather?s fraud and interference complaints in his suit against CBS. But Rather can still proceed with his $70 million breach-of-contract suit against CBS. Broadcasting & Cable, the Los Angeles Times and Reuters report.
Digital in-store ads are getting personal, says Business Week.
The number of gay characters in fall network TV shows is high this season, says the Hollywood Reporter.
Former Bronx Family Court Judge Marian Shelton - whose rude cracks cost her a seat on the bench - will resurface as a TV judge, says the New York Daily News.
Former Westchester County prosecutor Jeanine Pirro's first day as a TV judge was yesterday, says the New York Daily News.
Royalty payments are turning out to be a royal pain for radio Webcasters, says the New York Daily News.
Longtime Chicago Sun-Times radio columnist Robert Feder is taking a buyout and leaving the paper as part of staff cutbacks at the embattled tabloid. Feder announced the pending departure in today's column.
Syndicated radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger has launched the "Dr. Laura Channel" on YouTube. The host will post fresh video content weekly, including commentary, answers to listener questions, and behind-the-scenes footage. reports.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEINGAN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, ONE WEEK FROM TODAY.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org.
Media Briefing for Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The U.S. government has quietly changes it policies to allow customs agents to copy materials being carried by people crossing the border, says the Washington Post.
The U.S. Senate is to hear an update on the switch to digital TV, with major concerns remaining, says the New York Times.
A Democratic U.S. congressman from California is submitting a bill that would delay the start of all-digital telecasting in the U.S., reports MultiChannel News.
National Association of Broadcasters CEO David Rehr says the FCC should have a national call center to assist in the DTV transition, reports Broadcasting & Cable.
An early DTV lesson: it's the antenna, stupid. TV Newsday reports.
Wilmington, North Carolina NBC affiliate WECT channel 6 is airing a special 5-minute video to assist viewers in the transition to all digital telecasting, reports TV Newsday.
Broadcast stations can tackle hard times head on, says TV Newsday.
Is the era of the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer over? Newsweek reports.
Politico is booming while the news industry generally is struggling, says Editor & Publisher.
John McCain is stepping up the campaign against the media, with his chief strategist slamming the New York Times. Bill Keller, the paper's executive editor, said: "The New York Times is committed to covering the candidates fully, fairly and aggressively. It's our job to ask hard questions, fact-check their statements and their advertising, examine their programs, positions, biographies and advisers." The Washington Post reports.
Joe Biden says the Democratic campaign ad depicting John McCain as out-of-touch and unable to use computers was a terrible ad that should never have run, reports Associated Press.
Comcast is spelling out how it would curb Internet "hogs," says MultiChannel News.
Does the freedom of selling on the Web lure otherwise law-abiding citizens into an addictive world of organized Internet crime? The battle over stolen goods sold online goes to Washington. The New York Times reports.
Video advertising is building to steep growth, says eMarketer.
Microsoft is buying back $40 million of its own stock, say the Wall Street Journal and Associated Press.
Microsoft's buyback plan may signal 'now or never' to Yahoo. The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Microsoft is migrating from servers to supercomputers. The New York Times reports.
McAfee is buying Secure Computing for $465 million, reports San Jose Mercury News.
Sling Media's SlingCatcher puts your PC, DVR and TV on one screen, reports the San Jose Mercury News.
India has been the hot new place for United States venture investors for a couple of years now, attracting billions of dollars in venture capital. Are there enough promising companies to use all that cash? The New York Times reports.
A California man operates Web sites devoted to cats and pets, and brings 100 million views a month, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Fordham University's adult alternative WFUV 90.7 is making changes to its newsroom. George Bodarky has been promoted to news and public affairs director, while Robin Shannon will take over Bodarky's former position as assistant news and public affairs director. Shannon will also serve as a news anchor on the WFUV morning show. In addition to hosting WFUV's weekly public affairs program, "Cityscape," Bodarky oversees the 50,000-watt FM station's newsroom staff, where he trains Fordham University students in broadcasting. Shannon joins WFUV after a four-year tenure at NJN Public Radio. She previously served seven years at Brookdale Community College's adult alternative WBJB 90.5 in Monmouth New Jersey. DCRTV reports.
Houston FM station KPFT 90.1, the local Pacifica radio station, is back on the air with regular programming today after being shut down by Hurricane Ike for more than a week - the longest down period since the station was bombed in the 1970s. The Houston Chronicle reports.
New York City urban oriented FM station WBLS 107.5 has won a Marconi Award, says the New York Daily News.
For the 4th quarter, advertising sales for newspapers are expected to plummet, says Media Daily News.
The new publisher of the Chicago Tribune, Tony Hunt, is called an "agent of change," says the Chicago Tribune.
A distinguished group of panelists at an Advertising Week event Monday looked into their crystal balls and offered a range of forecasts about the future of the industry, including: Time and Newsweek are moribund, and YouTube is essentially providing a free ride for consumers that may continue for years.
The provocative Vanity Fair columnist Michael Wolff said the two leading general news magazines are on life support - with perhaps only a decade left, partly because they have not succeeded in turning themselves into Internet powerhouses. "They've absolutely failed in every instance," he said. In regard to YouTube, the equally provocative Mark Cuban, head of HDNet, said the site "subsidizes the video bandwidth of the Internet." Media Daily News reports.
A new survey shows consumers are not very environmentally aware, reports Media Post.com.
Verizon Wireless, the second-largest U.S. mobile-phone company, will offer month-to-month contracts that don't have cancellation fees, a bid to attract customers wary of long-term commitments. Monthly subscribers will pay the same rates as those with long-term contracts, though they won't get discounts on new handsets. Bloomberg News reports.
Technology entrepreneurs, weary of structure but hungry for connections, are getting ready for the unConference. While the fall calendar is traditionally loaded with high-tech conferences in the Boston area, none of them has inspired anyone to grow a local version of Google Inc. or anything like it for many years. So the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council will try another tack. The group is hosting an Innovation unConference October 2 at the Sun Microsystems campus in Burlington, Massachusetts in an effort to spark dialogue between young and veteran entrepreneurs. The Boston Globe reports.
Musicians are turning to YouTube, reports Associated Press.
SlotMusic?s obituary gets written quickly. The New York Times reports.
With the new Google phone, HTC is coming out of the shadows. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer was chosen by Google more than two years ago to build the first mobile phone based on its "Android" software in large part because of its proven ability to design and build head-turning mobile devices, reports the New York Times.
T-Mobile is launching its first Google-powered telephone, say the Washington Post and Associated Press.
A New York state court has dismissed Dan Rather?s fraud and interference complaints in his suit against CBS. But Rather can still proceed with his $70 million breach-of-contract suit against CBS. Broadcasting & Cable, the Los Angeles Times and Reuters report.
Digital in-store ads are getting personal, says Business Week.
The number of gay characters in fall network TV shows is high this season, says the Hollywood Reporter.
Former Bronx Family Court Judge Marian Shelton - whose rude cracks cost her a seat on the bench - will resurface as a TV judge, says the New York Daily News.
Former Westchester County prosecutor Jeanine Pirro's first day as a TV judge was yesterday, says the New York Daily News.
Royalty payments are turning out to be a royal pain for radio Webcasters, says the New York Daily News.
Longtime Chicago Sun-Times radio columnist Robert Feder is taking a buyout and leaving the paper as part of staff cutbacks at the embattled tabloid. Feder announced the pending departure in today's column.
Syndicated radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger has launched the "Dr. Laura Channel" on YouTube. The host will post fresh video content weekly, including commentary, answers to listener questions, and behind-the-scenes footage. reports.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEINGAN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org FUNDING RUNS OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, ONE WEEK FROM TODAY.
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, THIS BLOG AND THE DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING WILL SUSPEND PUBLICATION, PENDING FUNDING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ALERTED WHEN THE BLOG RESUMES, PLEASE SEND A NOTE TO: BillBakerBlog@thirteen.org . PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND WE WILL ALERT YOU WHEN THE BLOG BEGINS PUBLISHING AGAIN.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org
Bigotry is playing a part in the presidential campaign. Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks - many calling them "lazy,""violent" or responsible for their own troubles. Associated Press reports.
Studies have found bigotry at work in previous elections, says the Maynard Institute.
Two thirds of the nations households, or 73 million, watched at least part of the presidential conventions, says Broadcasting & Cable.
Rupert Murdoch says he is not interested in buying NBC, reports the Hollywood Reporter.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the national media?s attention was quickly diverted by the financial crisis and the presidential election last week. But the four local stations in Houston used the Internet to extend their reach, streaming their exhaustive coverage online and drawing viewers around the world by providing an alternative to the chatter on cable news. The New York Times reports.
Amidst the stock market turmoil, some journalists are trying to tone down the emotion, says the New York Times.
Gwen Ifill of PBS has won the jackpot in becoming moderator of the one vice presidential debate this year, says Associated Press.
In an editorial, the Washington Post is expressing concern that Sarah Palin is not being made available for interviews or news conferences.
Some are unhappy with recent news stories on Sarah Palin and al Qaeda in Iraq, and stories on Cindy McCain, says the Washington Post.
The "Sarah Palin Factor" is stirring fear and enthusiasm in the presidential campaign, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Venezuela is criticizing a John McCain ad that targets Hugo Chavez, reports Associated Press.
A half century of televised debates show there are hazards for the candidates, reports Associated Press.
The coming debates are John McCain's high wire act, says Associated Press.
Barack Obama is hoping to regain the momentum in the televised debates, the first of which is Friday evening, says Associated Press.
Salaries of various NPR personalities have been revealed, reports DCRTV. When D.C.-based National Public Radio replaced Ed Gordon in 2006 as host of its daily News And Notes hour, it removed its most highly paid host for that fiscal year, according to a tax form filed by NPR. Gordon was Number 4 on its list of the highest paid hosts for fiscal 2006, the 2005 tax year. He earned $232,932, and he was compensated an additional $245,525 in benefits, the form states. That contrasts with All Things Considered co-host Robert Siegel, who received $311,346 plus $27,052 in benefits; Renee Montagne, co-host of Morning Edition, $307,675 plus $29,577 in benefits; and Steve Inskeep, the other co-host of Morning Edition, $293,947 plus $37,754 in benefits. The fifth person on the list is Blake Truitt, director of corporate sponsorships. Gordon, who came to prominence as a host on D.C.-based Black Entertainment Television, debuted News And Notes With Ed Gordon in January 2005 after the sudden departure of Tavis Smiley. He stayed until September 2006, when he was replaced by substitute host Farai Chideya after Gordon complained about the show's treatment by NPR. Gordon questioned NPR's ability to connect with African Americans, but his detractors privately painted a portrait of a host who was overly critical of and distant from the show's staff, doing his part of the show from his home. Ed Gordon now hosts the weekly syndicated Our World With Black Enterprise magazine, which is seen on in New York on WABC-TV channel 7 and in East Hampton, Long Island on WVVH Channel 50.
Voters eager to learn thepresidential candidates' plans to fix the nation's quaking financial system won't get much help from their latest TV ads. Instead, they'll see dueling guilt-by-association attacks focused on players only peripherally related to John McCain and Barack Obama. The candidates are pushing the factual envelope in harsh ads tied to the financial crisis. The Boston Globe reports.
U.S. Senators Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Patrick Leahy of Vermont are continuing to put heat on Arbitron by sending Arbitron president/CEO Steve Morris a letter to express their concern about the veracity of Portable People Meter (PPM) data as the service is set to launch in eight major markets. In their letter the senators say "Take all steps available, prior to rolling out the PPM system in additional markets, to ensure that the system accurately measures the listening behavior in a market and no station is unfairly harmed." Critics have said black and Hispanic oriented stations have been seriously undercounted with the PPM system, including, in New York City, black oriented WBLS 107.5 and Spanish stations WPAT-FM 93.1 and WSKQ 97.9. All Access reports.
Arbitron has responded to the Portable People Meter (PPM) letter from two U.S. senators over the weekend. Arbitron released a statement in acknowledgment of the letter the company received from Senators Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, encouraging Arbitron to "take all steps available, prior to rolling out the PPM system in additional markets, to ensure that the system accurately measures the listening behavior in a market and that no station is unfairly harmed." Critics of the PPM system say it seriously undercounts minorities. Among New York City FM stations, for example, black-oriented WBLS 107.5 and Spanish language WPAT-FM 93.1 and WSKQ 97.9, and Spanish language AM station WADO 1280, have been seriously undercounted, sat the critics. All Access reports.
FCC Democratic commissioner Jonathan Adelstein rattled off a list of his biggest concerns about radio before a breakfast crowd at the NAB Radio Show in Austin, saying that the top items on his agenda are HD Radio ("the future of radio is going to be on HD"), AM stations on FM translators ("We hope to get that done next week"), ownership diversity ("We've got to do more to make America's airwaves sound like [how] America looks"), and radio tuners in cellphones."All Access reports.
New York Times columnist David Brooks is rankling people from both the right and the left, says the Washington Post.
There is an Internet startup company and Internet site, Smashing Katie.com, focusing upon women who have just broken up, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on online bogus cancer cures, says the Los Angeles Times.
The Washington Post is launching a new Web section linking readers to the best of political coverage - even scoops by rival newspapers. The idea behind the Political Browser, expected to start Monday, is to brief political junkies on the top "must reads" of the day, from an article on a scandal to a humorous video making the rounds on YouTube. Associated Press reports.
Google browser's tracking feature is alarming developers and privacy advocates. But Web surfers can opt out, sort of, says the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Google controls about 70 percent of the search advertising market. Doesn?t that give it a monopolist?s ability to set prices as high as it wishes? Brad Smith of Microsoft said Yahoo?s gains would be at the cost of American businesses. It does not. Google does not set the prices. Its advertisers do, bidding against one another for the amount they will pay when a user clicks on one of their ads. Bloomberg News reports.
Atlantic magazine has an article entitled "Is Google making us stupid?" But technology doesn't dumb us down - it frees our minds. The New York Times reports.
Why did Google co-founder Sergey Brin disclose his predisposition for Parkinson's Disease? The New York Times reports.
Google turns 10. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
An increasing number of young people aged 18 to 34 are getting rid of their landline telephones, and relying on cellular telephones. The New York Times reports. If customers do not have landline telephones, they are not listed in the telephone directories.
Nearly 9 in 10 college students use Internet social networking sites, says eMarketer.
The unemployment level in California's Silicon Valley has reached a 4-year high, says the San Jose Mercury News.
With a few exceptions, small businesses can sell anything they want on the Web, says the Miami Herald.
Music labels are testing a new format, using memory cards, says the Los Angeles Times.
As text messages fly, danger lurks, says the New York Times.
Will this e-reader replace paper newspapers? The New York Times reports.
The cellular telephone won't be connecting to the hard drive any time soon, says the New York Times.
Cisco is jabbering its way into office cubicles, says the New York Times.
An online startup, Unigo.com, is allowing high school students to find out about prospective colleges. The New York Times reports.
Fred is a phenomenon on the Internet, created by a teenaged rural Nebraska boy named Lucas Cruikshank. Fred is a 6-year-old boy created and acted by Lucas, aged 14, who recently was interviewed by New Tee Vee and by Fox Los Angeles TV station KTTV channel 11 which says Fred has had 70 million hits on the Internet.
After 6 years the New York Sun finds itself at a crossroads, says the New York Times.
The editor of the New York Sun says there is hope for the newspaper's survival, reports Portfolio.
In scary times, advertising firms offer messages of strength, reports the NewYork Times.
After a lawsuit from a Christian anti-abortion group, Google is allowing religious organizations to take out ads using the keyword "abortion," a rare case of the search giant admitting it was wrong. The New York Times reports.
Internet auctioneer eBay is looking to expand its global classified-ad business by taking advantage of an economic slowdown to buy promising private companies with low valuations. Jacob Aqraou, general manager of eBay's global classified business, says he expects the company will take over a "fair" number of companies in the next six months or so. The Wall Street Journal reports.
Comcast says its new method of managing Internet traffic may sometimes result in slower Web surfing for subscribers who use their cable modem the most. Yet the company says it has not received a single customer complaint in trial runs in five areas. The new system has been tried out in: Colorado Springs, Colorado; Warrenton, Virginia; Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.; Lake City, Florida; and East Orange, Florida. Associated Press reports.
Comcast has announced its new policy on broadband access management, something it was required to do by FCC within 30 days of August 20. The formal plan details how it plans to manage its broadband network, and rather than targeting applications like P2P, it will slow down traffic for heaviest users instead at peak times. This will be done by creating a second stream of traffic for recent heavy users that will have a lower priority when compared to its other customers. paidContent reports.
Star power is spicing up a Public TV food show, Spain...On The Road Again, says the New York Times. Thirteen/WNET will run the hour long episodes at 3 p.m. Sundays, grouped with its other more traditional in-kitchen cooking shows. But WLIW21, like many other stations nationwide, has scheduled it in prime time, Mondays at 10 p.m.
Warner Brothers and Marco Polo are highlighted this fall on the PBS schedule, says Newsday. Warner Brothers will be spotlighted in a 3-part American Masters telecast Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 9 each evening on Thirteen/WNET. In The Footsteps Of Marco Polo is being televised in November on WLIW21.
PBS's American Masters this week focuses upon the Warner Brothers, says the Denver Post.
Major AM news, talk and information stations are now being on the FM dial. Is Baltimore next for this trend? DCRTV hears rumblings that some top Hearst radio suits are pushing for Baltimore AM news talker WBAL 1090, a 50,000-watt clear channel AM station heard up and down the East Coast during hours of darkness, to do a simulcast on FM. Might this mean something besides rock on Hearst's Baltimore FM frequency of 97.9 in the not-too-distant future? Or, might Hearst be looking at picking up one of CBS's four up-for-sale Charm City FM frequencies for that purpose? DCRTV reports. These major AM stations are now being heard on FM: KIRO 710 Seattle, KSL 1160 Salt Lake City, KTAR 620 Phoenix and WTOP 1500 Washington. In Canada, the CBC station in Vancouver, CBU, is being simulcast on FM, and the CBC stations in Toronto; Montreal; Chicoutimi, Quebec; and Moncton, New Brunswick have given up their 50,000 watt AM clear channel stations for FM channels.
The head of Iraq's journalists' union survived an assassination attempt Saturday when a bomb exploded outside the organization's office in Baghdad. This was the latest in a long string of assaults on Iraqi media employees, reports the Los Angeles Times.
HD radio is offering data as well as programming, with data on traffic, weather, movies and more, reports Media Daily News.
FCC Democratic commissioner Jonathan Adelstein wants a greater role for HD, including in automobiles, says Radio Business Report
A Sony HD receiver works with an iPod, iPhone and 3G, says Radio Ink.
Cutbacks are expected at WNBC channel 4 New York, says Crain's New York Business.
Makeup sellers are among those benefiting from the switch to DTV, which will show every blemish and wrinkle on a person's face, says the Baltimore Sun.
General Motors has reversed itself and is cutting back on advertising in all forms of media, says Advertising Age.
Owners of media are bracing for an even tougher 2009, says Advertising Age.
The Washington Post says the Wall Street advertisements should "cut the bull."
The auction for 50 CBS radio stations in 12 markets starts today, says the New York Post.
Congresswoman Anna Eschoo, a California Democrat, wants to allow people to reapply for DTV converter coupons. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
The ABC, CBS and NBC television networkshave agreed to phase out integration fees for embed products in TV shows, says AdWeek.
The New York Press Club Foundation is holding a journalism conference in November. This is Saturday, November 15 at the New York University Kimmel Center at 60 Washington Square South at La Guardia Place in Manhattan. For information go to www.NYPressClub.org.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org
Bigotry is playing a part in the presidential campaign. Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks - many calling them "lazy,""violent" or responsible for their own troubles. Associated Press reports.
Studies have found bigotry at work in previous elections, says the Maynard Institute.
Two thirds of the nations households, or 73 million, watched at least part of the presidential conventions, says Broadcasting & Cable.
Rupert Murdoch says he is not interested in buying NBC, reports the Hollywood Reporter.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the national media?s attention was quickly diverted by the financial crisis and the presidential election last week. But the four local stations in Houston used the Internet to extend their reach, streaming their exhaustive coverage online and drawing viewers around the world by providing an alternative to the chatter on cable news. The New York Times reports.
Amidst the stock market turmoil, some journalists are trying to tone down the emotion, says the New York Times.
Gwen Ifill of PBS has won the jackpot in becoming moderator of the one vice presidential debate this year, says Associated Press.
In an editorial, the Washington Post is expressing concern that Sarah Palin is not being made available for interviews or news conferences.
Some are unhappy with recent news stories on Sarah Palin and al Qaeda in Iraq, and stories on Cindy McCain, says the Washington Post.
The "Sarah Palin Factor" is stirring fear and enthusiasm in the presidential campaign, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Venezuela is criticizing a John McCain ad that targets Hugo Chavez, reports Associated Press.
A half century of televised debates show there are hazards for the candidates, reports Associated Press.
The coming debates are John McCain's high wire act, says Associated Press.
Barack Obama is hoping to regain the momentum in the televised debates, the first of which is Friday evening, says Associated Press.
Salaries of various NPR personalities have been revealed, reports DCRTV. When D.C.-based National Public Radio replaced Ed Gordon in 2006 as host of its daily News And Notes hour, it removed its most highly paid host for that fiscal year, according to a tax form filed by NPR. Gordon was Number 4 on its list of the highest paid hosts for fiscal 2006, the 2005 tax year. He earned $232,932, and he was compensated an additional $245,525 in benefits, the form states. That contrasts with All Things Considered co-host Robert Siegel, who received $311,346 plus $27,052 in benefits; Renee Montagne, co-host of Morning Edition, $307,675 plus $29,577 in benefits; and Steve Inskeep, the other co-host of Morning Edition, $293,947 plus $37,754 in benefits. The fifth person on the list is Blake Truitt, director of corporate sponsorships. Gordon, who came to prominence as a host on D.C.-based Black Entertainment Television, debuted News And Notes With Ed Gordon in January 2005 after the sudden departure of Tavis Smiley. He stayed until September 2006, when he was replaced by substitute host Farai Chideya after Gordon complained about the show's treatment by NPR. Gordon questioned NPR's ability to connect with African Americans, but his detractors privately painted a portrait of a host who was overly critical of and distant from the show's staff, doing his part of the show from his home. Ed Gordon now hosts the weekly syndicated Our World With Black Enterprise magazine, which is seen on in New York on WABC-TV channel 7 and in East Hampton, Long Island on WVVH Channel 50.
Voters eager to learn thepresidential candidates' plans to fix the nation's quaking financial system won't get much help from their latest TV ads. Instead, they'll see dueling guilt-by-association attacks focused on players only peripherally related to John McCain and Barack Obama. The candidates are pushing the factual envelope in harsh ads tied to the financial crisis. The Boston Globe reports.
U.S. Senators Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Patrick Leahy of Vermont are continuing to put heat on Arbitron by sending Arbitron president/CEO Steve Morris a letter to express their concern about the veracity of Portable People Meter (PPM) data as the service is set to launch in eight major markets. In their letter the senators say "Take all steps available, prior to rolling out the PPM system in additional markets, to ensure that the system accurately measures the listening behavior in a market and no station is unfairly harmed." Critics have said black and Hispanic oriented stations have been seriously undercounted with the PPM system, including, in New York City, black oriented WBLS 107.5 and Spanish stations WPAT-FM 93.1 and WSKQ 97.9. All Access reports.
Arbitron has responded to the Portable People Meter (PPM) letter from two U.S. senators over the weekend. Arbitron released a statement in acknowledgment of the letter the company received from Senators Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, encouraging Arbitron to "take all steps available, prior to rolling out the PPM system in additional markets, to ensure that the system accurately measures the listening behavior in a market and that no station is unfairly harmed." Critics of the PPM system say it seriously undercounts minorities. Among New York City FM stations, for example, black-oriented WBLS 107.5 and Spanish language WPAT-FM 93.1 and WSKQ 97.9, and Spanish language AM station WADO 1280, have been seriously undercounted, sat the critics. All Access reports.
FCC Democratic commissioner Jonathan Adelstein rattled off a list of his biggest concerns about radio before a breakfast crowd at the NAB Radio Show in Austin, saying that the top items on his agenda are HD Radio ("the future of radio is going to be on HD"), AM stations on FM translators ("We hope to get that done next week"), ownership diversity ("We've got to do more to make America's airwaves sound like [how] America looks"), and radio tuners in cellphones."All Access reports.
New York Times columnist David Brooks is rankling people from both the right and the left, says the Washington Post.
There is an Internet startup company and Internet site, Smashing Katie.com, focusing upon women who have just broken up, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on online bogus cancer cures, says the Los Angeles Times.
The Washington Post is launching a new Web section linking readers to the best of political coverage - even scoops by rival newspapers. The idea behind the Political Browser, expected to start Monday, is to brief political junkies on the top "must reads" of the day, from an article on a scandal to a humorous video making the rounds on YouTube. Associated Press reports.
Google browser's tracking feature is alarming developers and privacy advocates. But Web surfers can opt out, sort of, says the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Google controls about 70 percent of the search advertising market. Doesn?t that give it a monopolist?s ability to set prices as high as it wishes? Brad Smith of Microsoft said Yahoo?s gains would be at the cost of American businesses. It does not. Google does not set the prices. Its advertisers do, bidding against one another for the amount they will pay when a user clicks on one of their ads. Bloomberg News reports.
Atlantic magazine has an article entitled "Is Google making us stupid?" But technology doesn't dumb us down - it frees our minds. The New York Times reports.
Why did Google co-founder Sergey Brin disclose his predisposition for Parkinson's Disease? The New York Times reports.
Google turns 10. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
An increasing number of young people aged 18 to 34 are getting rid of their landline telephones, and relying on cellular telephones. The New York Times reports. If customers do not have landline telephones, they are not listed in the telephone directories.
Nearly 9 in 10 college students use Internet social networking sites, says eMarketer.
The unemployment level in California's Silicon Valley has reached a 4-year high, says the San Jose Mercury News.
With a few exceptions, small businesses can sell anything they want on the Web, says the Miami Herald.
Music labels are testing a new format, using memory cards, says the Los Angeles Times.
As text messages fly, danger lurks, says the New York Times.
Will this e-reader replace paper newspapers? The New York Times reports.
The cellular telephone won't be connecting to the hard drive any time soon, says the New York Times.
Cisco is jabbering its way into office cubicles, says the New York Times.
An online startup, Unigo.com, is allowing high school students to find out about prospective colleges. The New York Times reports.
Fred is a phenomenon on the Internet, created by a teenaged rural Nebraska boy named Lucas Cruikshank. Fred is a 6-year-old boy created and acted by Lucas, aged 14, who recently was interviewed by New Tee Vee and by Fox Los Angeles TV station KTTV channel 11 which says Fred has had 70 million hits on the Internet.
After 6 years the New York Sun finds itself at a crossroads, says the New York Times.
The editor of the New York Sun says there is hope for the newspaper's survival, reports Portfolio.
In scary times, advertising firms offer messages of strength, reports the NewYork Times.
After a lawsuit from a Christian anti-abortion group, Google is allowing religious organizations to take out ads using the keyword "abortion," a rare case of the search giant admitting it was wrong. The New York Times reports.
Internet auctioneer eBay is looking to expand its global classified-ad business by taking advantage of an economic slowdown to buy promising private companies with low valuations. Jacob Aqraou, general manager of eBay's global classified business, says he expects the company will take over a "fair" number of companies in the next six months or so. The Wall Street Journal reports.
Comcast says its new method of managing Internet traffic may sometimes result in slower Web surfing for subscribers who use their cable modem the most. Yet the company says it has not received a single customer complaint in trial runs in five areas. The new system has been tried out in: Colorado Springs, Colorado; Warrenton, Virginia; Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.; Lake City, Florida; and East Orange, Florida. Associated Press reports.
Comcast has announced its new policy on broadband access management, something it was required to do by FCC within 30 days of August 20. The formal plan details how it plans to manage its broadband network, and rather than targeting applications like P2P, it will slow down traffic for heaviest users instead at peak times. This will be done by creating a second stream of traffic for recent heavy users that will have a lower priority when compared to its other customers. paidContent reports.
Star power is spicing up a Public TV food show, Spain...On The Road Again, says the New York Times. Thirteen/WNET will run the hour long episodes at 3 p.m. Sundays, grouped with its other more traditional in-kitchen cooking shows. But WLIW21, like many other stations nationwide, has scheduled it in prime time, Mondays at 10 p.m.
Warner Brothers and Marco Polo are highlighted this fall on the PBS schedule, says Newsday. Warner Brothers will be spotlighted in a 3-part American Masters telecast Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 9 each evening on Thirteen/WNET. In The Footsteps Of Marco Polo is being televised in November on WLIW21.
PBS's American Masters this week focuses upon the Warner Brothers, says the Denver Post.
Major AM news, talk and information stations are now being on the FM dial. Is Baltimore next for this trend? DCRTV hears rumblings that some top Hearst radio suits are pushing for Baltimore AM news talker WBAL 1090, a 50,000-watt clear channel AM station heard up and down the East Coast during hours of darkness, to do a simulcast on FM. Might this mean something besides rock on Hearst's Baltimore FM frequency of 97.9 in the not-too-distant future? Or, might Hearst be looking at picking up one of CBS's four up-for-sale Charm City FM frequencies for that purpose? DCRTV reports. These major AM stations are now being heard on FM: KIRO 710 Seattle, KSL 1160 Salt Lake City, KTAR 620 Phoenix and WTOP 1500 Washington. In Canada, the CBC station in Vancouver, CBU, is being simulcast on FM, and the CBC stations in Toronto; Montreal; Chicoutimi, Quebec; and Moncton, New Brunswick have given up their 50,000 watt AM clear channel stations for FM channels.
The head of Iraq's journalists' union survived an assassination attempt Saturday when a bomb exploded outside the organization's office in Baghdad. This was the latest in a long string of assaults on Iraqi media employees, reports the Los Angeles Times.
HD radio is offering data as well as programming, with data on traffic, weather, movies and more, reports Media Daily News.
FCC Democratic commissioner Jonathan Adelstein wants a greater role for HD, including in automobiles, says Radio Business Report
A Sony HD receiver works with an iPod, iPhone and 3G, says Radio Ink.
Cutbacks are expected at WNBC channel 4 New York, says Crain's New York Business.
Makeup sellers are among those benefiting from the switch to DTV, which will show every blemish and wrinkle on a person's face, says the Baltimore Sun.
General Motors has reversed itself and is cutting back on advertising in all forms of media, says Advertising Age.
Owners of media are bracing for an even tougher 2009, says Advertising Age.
The Washington Post says the Wall Street advertisements should "cut the bull."
The auction for 50 CBS radio stations in 12 markets starts today, says the New York Post.
Congresswoman Anna Eschoo, a California Democrat, wants to allow people to reapply for DTV converter coupons. Broadcasting & Cable reports.
The ABC, CBS and NBC television networkshave agreed to phase out integration fees for embed products in TV shows, says AdWeek.
The New York Press Club Foundation is holding a journalism conference in November. This is Saturday, November 15 at the New York University Kimmel Center at 60 Washington Square South at La Guardia Place in Manhattan. For information go to www.NYPressClub.org.
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, THIS BLOG AND THE DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING WILL SUSPEND PUBLICATION, PENDING FUNDING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ALERTED WHEN THE BLOG RESUMES, PLEASE SEND A NOTE TO: BillBakerBlog@thirteen.org . PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND WE WILL ALERT YOU WHEN THE BLOG BEGINS PUBLISHING AGAIN.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org
U.S. intelligence agencies are unable to share information about foreign cyber attacks against companies for fear of jeopardizing intelligence-gathering sources and methods, cyber security expert Paul B. Kurtz has told Congress. The Washington Post reports.
If the nation's largest cable TV operators have their way, the home digital video recorder could soon become a relic. Leading the way is Cablevision, which plans to roll out a system in early 2009 that will let viewers record any show without a DVR, only a digital set-top box. Shows will be stored on Cablevision's servers instead of a home DVR - a shift the company said could save it upward of $700 million. Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications also are interested in deploying network DVR - as the technology is known - but are farther away from implementation. The four companies serve about 45 million TV customers - or 70 percent of U.S. cable subscribers. Associated Press reports.
Arabs across the ideological spectrum, from secular-minded liberals to Muslim hard-liners, are denouncing a top Saudi cleric's edict that it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV stations that show "immoral" content. Associated Press reports.
A U.S. Government Accounting Office study says a crackdown on e-waste is needed. The study says the U.S. has done little to stop toxic materials from endangering foreign workers. The San Jose Mercury News reports.
FCC Republican commissioner Robert McDowell had some strong words about proposals for enhanced reporting requirements for local broadcasters, saying, "In the context of this new media world, why are policymakers like us at the FCC unearthing decades-old mandates to re-impose on radio and TV stations? Why is the FCC considering overburdening the traditional electronic media precisely at this crucial moment in history when broadcasters face more competition than ever before?" Radio Ink reports.
Administrators at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut apparently think students running The Quad News, an independent online publication, are a problem. But university officials are their own worst enemy, says the Hartford Courant.
Coupons for DTV converters will run out before the transition in February, says TV Week.
A study says TV promos are hardly helping radio, says Media Week.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin says that he has a gene mutation that increases his likelihood of contracting Parkinson?s disease, reports the New York Times.
A gloomy forecast has driven smart phone maker Palm down 12%, says Reuters.
How many Web services can one person use? The New York Times reports.
Sirius XM satellite radio CEO Mel Karmazin is considering free programming, says Orbicast.
NBC's Web sites are seeing a surge in traffic, says the Hollywood Reporter.
Yahoo is testing a new home page design, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Amazon has entered the file shipping business, says the New York Times.
Video brings higher CPMs than display, but not all video ads are created equal. eMarketer reports.
There is a new browser war, says the San Jose Mercury News.
Call it "Our Space": The new GLBT / LGBT Community GLBT Community.com is social networking created by, for and about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) people. But don't be fooled by the social networking descriptor. GLBT / LGBT Community is less about dating and angst and more about leveraging information and commerce within a powerful consumer group. The Examiner reports.
Gays.com - headquartered in Hong Kong, China and Bielefeld, Germany - is now in operation and is the world's first social network that helps you stay connected to GLBT friends. It's also the first gaywebsite that allows you up to upload as many pictures and videos as you want. This information comes from Gays.com.
Use of cellular telephones by train workers in California has been banned, says the Washington Post.
The Zune has a long way to go to become a threat to the iPod. But it is getting closer. Associated Press reports. The differences between the iPod and Zune are examined by Associated Press.
Saying her administration is "leading by example," Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon pushed through a far-reaching policy yesterday banning the city's 13,000 employees from using cell phones, digital music players or other personal electronic devices while driving on city business. The Baltimore Sun reports.
A survey looks at the media habits in affluent households, reports Media Post.com.
A group of young people - who were possibly text messaging the engineer on the day of the crash in California - have shied away from the media. But their pain is visible online and on message board. The Los Angeles Times reports.
KLAS-TV channel 8 Las Vegas has laid off 17 workers, says Associated Press.
Christian listeners are now being courted by the Democrats, says the Washington Post.
Iranian media reports say that in Iran, hackers have shut down the Web sites of several hundred Shiite clerics and seminary schools. Associated Press reports.
Washington, D.C.-based National Public Radio, the Baltimore area's Towson University, and broadcast equipment firm Harris are preparing to launch HD digital radio channels for hearing and visually-impaired listeners. NPR will broadcast a captioned radio text stream as well as a "digital radio reading channel," with the text of daily periodicals read aloud. This report is from DCRTV.
The San Diego Union-Tribune's 64-year-old Washington, D.C. bureau will close later this year as all of its four remaining reporters leave the newspaper. The Union-Tribune is for sale and last month announced that it hoped to eliminate 78 positions through buyouts, including 31 in the newsroom, says DCRTV.
Chicago real estate magnate and Tribune Co. CEO Sam Zell is outraged by a lawsuit against him brought by former and current Los Angeles Times reporters, says the Los Angeles Times.
Cablevision CEO James Dolan says Cablevision is not for sale, reports the Hollywood Reporter.
New York Times ad sales are down but suggest improvement, says Associated Press.
Univision Spanish language WXTV channel 41 New York has created a digital TV squad, reports TV Newsday.
The Televisa - Univision trial has been delayed, says Variety.
Sarah Palin parodies populate the Internet, says Associated Press.
Media continue to erroneously report Sarah Palin supports benefits for same sex partners, says Media Matters.
TV viewers can return to their favorite programs without fear of seeing Bill Gates shaking his tushie now that Microsoft has retired a bizarre two-week-old ad campaign featuring the software giant's chairman with comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Associated Press.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org
U.S. intelligence agencies are unable to share information about foreign cyber attacks against companies for fear of jeopardizing intelligence-gathering sources and methods, cyber security expert Paul B. Kurtz has told Congress. The Washington Post reports.
If the nation's largest cable TV operators have their way, the home digital video recorder could soon become a relic. Leading the way is Cablevision, which plans to roll out a system in early 2009 that will let viewers record any show without a DVR, only a digital set-top box. Shows will be stored on Cablevision's servers instead of a home DVR - a shift the company said could save it upward of $700 million. Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications also are interested in deploying network DVR - as the technology is known - but are farther away from implementation. The four companies serve about 45 million TV customers - or 70 percent of U.S. cable subscribers. Associated Press reports.
Arabs across the ideological spectrum, from secular-minded liberals to Muslim hard-liners, are denouncing a top Saudi cleric's edict that it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV stations that show "immoral" content. Associated Press reports.
A U.S. Government Accounting Office study says a crackdown on e-waste is needed. The study says the U.S. has done little to stop toxic materials from endangering foreign workers. The San Jose Mercury News reports.
FCC Republican commissioner Robert McDowell had some strong words about proposals for enhanced reporting requirements for local broadcasters, saying, "In the context of this new media world, why are policymakers like us at the FCC unearthing decades-old mandates to re-impose on radio and TV stations? Why is the FCC considering overburdening the traditional electronic media precisely at this crucial moment in history when broadcasters face more competition than ever before?" Radio Ink reports.
Administrators at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut apparently think students running The Quad News, an independent online publication, are a problem. But university officials are their own worst enemy, says the Hartford Courant.
Coupons for DTV converters will run out before the transition in February, says TV Week.
A study says TV promos are hardly helping radio, says Media Week.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin says that he has a gene mutation that increases his likelihood of contracting Parkinson?s disease, reports the New York Times.
A gloomy forecast has driven smart phone maker Palm down 12%, says Reuters.
How many Web services can one person use? The New York Times reports.
Sirius XM satellite radio CEO Mel Karmazin is considering free programming, says Orbicast.
NBC's Web sites are seeing a surge in traffic, says the Hollywood Reporter.
Yahoo is testing a new home page design, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Amazon has entered the file shipping business, says the New York Times.
Video brings higher CPMs than display, but not all video ads are created equal. eMarketer reports.
There is a new browser war, says the San Jose Mercury News.
Call it "Our Space": The new GLBT / LGBT Community GLBT Community.com is social networking created by, for and about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) people. But don't be fooled by the social networking descriptor. GLBT / LGBT Community is less about dating and angst and more about leveraging information and commerce within a powerful consumer group. The Examiner reports.
Gays.com - headquartered in Hong Kong, China and Bielefeld, Germany - is now in operation and is the world's first social network that helps you stay connected to GLBT friends. It's also the first gaywebsite that allows you up to upload as many pictures and videos as you want. This information comes from Gays.com.
Use of cellular telephones by train workers in California has been banned, says the Washington Post.
The Zune has a long way to go to become a threat to the iPod. But it is getting closer. Associated Press reports. The differences between the iPod and Zune are examined by Associated Press.
Saying her administration is "leading by example," Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon pushed through a far-reaching policy yesterday banning the city's 13,000 employees from using cell phones, digital music players or other personal electronic devices while driving on city business. The Baltimore Sun reports.
A survey looks at the media habits in affluent households, reports Media Post.com.
A group of young people - who were possibly text messaging the engineer on the day of the crash in California - have shied away from the media. But their pain is visible online and on message board. The Los Angeles Times reports.
KLAS-TV channel 8 Las Vegas has laid off 17 workers, says Associated Press.
Christian listeners are now being courted by the Democrats, says the Washington Post.
Iranian media reports say that in Iran, hackers have shut down the Web sites of several hundred Shiite clerics and seminary schools. Associated Press reports.
Washington, D.C.-based National Public Radio, the Baltimore area's Towson University, and broadcast equipment firm Harris are preparing to launch HD digital radio channels for hearing and visually-impaired listeners. NPR will broadcast a captioned radio text stream as well as a "digital radio reading channel," with the text of daily periodicals read aloud. This report is from DCRTV.
The San Diego Union-Tribune's 64-year-old Washington, D.C. bureau will close later this year as all of its four remaining reporters leave the newspaper. The Union-Tribune is for sale and last month announced that it hoped to eliminate 78 positions through buyouts, including 31 in the newsroom, says DCRTV.
Chicago real estate magnate and Tribune Co. CEO Sam Zell is outraged by a lawsuit against him brought by former and current Los Angeles Times reporters, says the Los Angeles Times.
Cablevision CEO James Dolan says Cablevision is not for sale, reports the Hollywood Reporter.
New York Times ad sales are down but suggest improvement, says Associated Press.
Univision Spanish language WXTV channel 41 New York has created a digital TV squad, reports TV Newsday.
The Televisa - Univision trial has been delayed, says Variety.
Sarah Palin parodies populate the Internet, says Associated Press.
Media continue to erroneously report Sarah Palin supports benefits for same sex partners, says Media Matters.
TV viewers can return to their favorite programs without fear of seeing Bill Gates shaking his tushie now that Microsoft has retired a bizarre two-week-old ad campaign featuring the software giant's chairman with comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Associated Press.
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IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION OR FOUNDATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING AN UNDERWRITER OF THIS DAILY MEDIA BRIEFING, PLEASE CONTACT THIRTEEN/WNET PRESIDENT EMERITUS DR. BILL BAKER AT baker@thirteen.org
The business press is missing the crooked heart of the financial crisis, says the Columbia Journalism Review.
Medical experts have told Congress that new television advertisements for medical devices pose even greater risks to patients than ads for drugs, which have been scrutinized for years. Associated Press reports.
FCC chairman Kevin Martin says broadcasters should think about localism - how they are serving the local community - before the FCC decides to act on the localism issue. All Access reports.
Rupert Murdoch says it's a good time to get a bigger share of cable, reports Media Daily News.
Hackers broke into Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account, reports