NBC-Universal Vice President Richard Cotton called upon internet service providers to be permitted to filter content over their pipes for copyright violations, and compared copyright filtering to filtering for computer viruses."
"Comcast Chairman Brian Roberts and NBC Universal President & CEO Jeff Zucker faced a barrage of questions Feb. 25 in a marathon--over five hours with one break--hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on their proposed joint venture, their third Hill visit in as many weeks as they push for government approval of their $30 billion joint venture.\nDuring that time, the pair defended their records on diversity, and in some cases pledged to do better, reiterated their pledges to keep NBC free and over the air, and their programming available to competitive distributors."
Help wanted. Must tweet.
If you're "passionate about engaging millions" in advancing President Obama's \nagenda, the commander in chief has a job for you. The Democratic National Committee and Organizing for America -- the successor organization to Obama for America -- are seeking a "social networks manager" to oversee Obama's accounts on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The ideal new hire, according to the official job description, will possess "strong, sharp and personable" writing skills, as well as the ability to craft messages that "move people to act" and managing multiple "complex" projects."
President Obama's 2009 stimulus package was the most expensive bill in history, yet received strong media support. This is because the media; ABC, CBS, and NBC cite supporters of the bill 3 times as often as they mention critics, and nearly half of their reports included no criticism about the bill at all!
Discusses framing of Net Neutrality as contested First Amendment terrain, with comments by Kyle McSlarrow, President of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.
""Mobile has become an invaluable screen to the digital consumer," said Matt Murphy, senior vice president, Digital Video Distribution, Disney and ESPN Media Networks. "To super serve sports fans, you have to provide live coverage on the go, and we are excited to be working with Sprint to provide this offering to its customers.""
"The Washington Post is using its new iPhone app -- the first of several forthcoming products -- as a test of the market for paid mobile news, according to Goli Sheikholeslami, the Post's vice president and general manager for digital operations."
Hours before the Oscars, Disney and Cablevision have yet to reach a deal, meaning subscribers in some markets will not be able to watch the show. Executive Vice President Charles Schueler of Cablevision has asked the FCC to involve itself, and both companies have been in contact with the agency.
What impact does media consolidation have on creative programming? This blog post explores the impact of media ownership on programming and creative labor, with quotes from WGA President John Wells.
"The trial, which should begin by this spring, will transmit up to 20 channels of free and premium programming using signals from eight mobile DTV stations: WDCA (Fox Television Stations); WUSA (Gannett Broadcasting); WPXW (ION Media Networks); WRC (NBC Universal); WHUT (Howard University/PBS); WNVC (MHz Networks); WNUV (Sinclair Broadcast Group); and WFDC (Univision Communications).
"One of the key advantages of mobile DTV is the built-in ability to measure viewer activity, giving broadcasters a much better picture of what consumers are actually watching, when they watch, and where," said Brandon Burgess, OMVC President and ION Media Networks Chairman and CEO."
"We have so many other voices out there, [loosening ownership limits] does not stifle the free exchange of ideas out there anymore," said Rick Peters, president of Bluewater Broadcasting, a small Montgomery, Ala.-based radio company
FCC officials are looking at what the agency can do to improve the health of the newspapers, TV and radio stations, which continue to lose customers and advertising revenue to online competitors.
"Debt and equity providers are largely disinterested in media and broadcast properties," said Brian Rich, managing partner at Catalyst Investors, a New York private-equity fund.
Former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin ran into strong opposition from Democrats in 2007 when he proposed relatively modest changes to a long-standing rule that barred companies from owning both a newspaper and TV or radio station in the same city. The proposal was eventually adopted but almost immediately challenged by activists in a federal appeals court, where it remains pending.
After the workshop, a nonprofit interest group opposed to media consolidation, Free Press, released a statement expressing disappointment that the FCC did not include the views of consumer advocates on the panel.
In a statement, an FCC spokeswoman said the workshop was focused on broadcasters' access to financing and was "one in a series we will hold throughout the proceeding."
"Media-ownership rules should be loosened to allow more consolidation and attract capital to the industry, representatives of the investment community said Tuesday at a Federal Communications Commission workshop on how the agency might change ownership rules later this year."
At an FCC workshop, industry representatives argue for relaxed media-ownership rules to allow more consolidation and to attract capital to the industry. FCC officials are looking at what the agency can do to improve the health of the
newspapers, TV and radio stations, which continue to lose customers and advertising revenue to online competitors.
An ailing media industry may be to blame for the decline in information requests. Fifty-three percent of respondents in the same Media Law Research Center survey said their resources have declined in recent years, while 35 percent said they have eroded significantly.
"Media companies have for generations taken on the lion’s share of the legal work surrounding freedom of information. But as media economics restructure, new approaches are needed," said Knight Foundation vice president for journalism programs Eric Newton.
The Knight Foundations responds to shifting media industry economics by donating $2 million dollars to fund freedom on information act requests. While these requests are traditionally paid for by newspapers and news organizations, economic challenges facing the industry are undercutting traditional funding models.