Subject: [Benton's Communications-related Headlines] April 18, 2007 (News from FCC)

From: Kevin Taglang <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:22:23 -0500

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2007

BROADCASTING
	FCC says no authority to act on Imus comments
	Imus Second Biggest Story of 2007 So Far
	Is Rush Limbaugh next?
	Telemundo Joins NAB

MORE NEWS FROM FCC
	FCC Assessing High-Speed Internet Access
	Status of Children's Television Programming
	Martin Says Congress Could Mandate A La Carte
	Martin Asks Congress For DTV Education Money
	Violence Report Imminent, Commissioners Say

CHILDREN & MEDIA
	National League of Cities Eyes Media Violence
	PTC Gives Nets an 'F' in Ratings Programs

JOURNALISM
	Student-run media meet challenge
	U.S. media reports fairly on success, failure in Iraq

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
	Sirius CEO Faces Skeptics in Senate
	GE, NBC Universal debut $250M media fund

TELECOM
	NY Attorney General Cuomo slams Verizon service
	Vonage Says Patent Suits Could Lead to Bankruptcy

INTERNET/BROADBAND
	Ban on monthly Net access taxes faces obstacles
	Politicians fall behind in cyberspace race
	House vote targets false IRS Web sites, e-mails

QUICKLY -- Music CD sales fall 13 pct through 
2006 in U.S.; July 1, Feb. 17 Concern Small Cable 
Operators; Lamb: No C-SPAN in 10 Years?

BROADCASTING

FCC SAYS NO AUTHORITY TO ACT ON IMUS COMMENTS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Karey Wutkowski]
The Federal Communications Commission does not 
have the authority to fine or take other action 
about fired radio host Don Imus' racist comments, 
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told Congress on 
Tuesday. He said Congress gave the FCC authority 
to issue fines only for the broadcast of indecent 
content, which is limited to sexual and excretory 
language, or for inappropriate children's 
programming. "Imus' comments were obviously very 
offensive, more offensive than some of the 
indecent remarks we've fined people for in the 
past," Chairman Martin said during a budget 
hearing before the House Appropriations 
Subcommittee. "The commission doesn't fine based 
on whether or not something is offensive 
language." Although the Commission has received a 
number of complaints about Imus, the appropriate 
recourse for angry listeners is to complain when 
a broadcast station's license is up for renewal.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=industryNews&storyID=2007-04-17T183443Z_01_N17436734_RTRIDST_0_INDUSTRY-FCC-IMUS-DC.XML
* FCC Chief Said Don Imus Did Not Break the Law
http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom/telecomwatch.aspx?eid=2827&entry=feed

IMUS SECOND BIGGEST STORY OF 2007 SO FAR
[SOURCE: Project for Excellence in Journalism, 
AUTHOR: Tom Rosenstiel, Paul Hitlin, and Hong Ji ]
The downfall of talk show host Don Imus for 
racist and misogynistic comments was the second 
most-heavily covered story of the year to date, 
according to the PEJ’s weekly study of the agenda 
of the American news media.  From his attempted 
redemption on the Rev. Al Sharpton’s radio show 
to the fallout over his firing by NBC and CBS, 
the controversy over Imus’s insults about the 
Rutgers’s women’s basketball team filled more 
than a quarter of the newshole (26%) of PEJ’s 
News Coverage Index for the week of April 8 to 
13. Only the debate over American war policy with 
Iraq when the President announced his “surge” 
plan the week of January 7 to 12 got more media 
coverage this year. It filled 34% of the newshole 
in our index that week.  Nothing else this year 
has come close to capturing the media’s attention 
at this level. The next biggest story of the 
year, the controversy over the firing of U.S. 
Attorneys, filled 18% of the newshole the week of 
March 18 to 23. The takeover by Democrats of 
Congress reached 15% the first week of the year. 
Several stories, including the presidential 
campaign and the State of the Union speech, have 
gone as high as 13% in a given week. The Anna 
Nicole Smith story has never exceeded 10% of the total newshole.
http://journalism.org/node/5085

IS RUSH LIMBAUGH NEXT?
[SOURCE: Salon, AUTHOR: Alex Koppelman]
First they came for Don Imus. And now they'll 
come for Rush. At least, that was the fear at the 
Free Congress Foundation on April 13, where a 
panel discussion of an ancient broadcasting 
regulation quickly turned into a discussion of 
Don Imus and how his firing might portend a 
similar fate for some of the right's best-known 
media personalities. In the absence of any 
compelling evidence, participants in the latest 
of the conservative think tank's occasional Next 
Conservatism Forum series managed to convince 
themselves that the Fairness Doctrine, a rule 
that was scrapped by the Federal Communications 
Commission 20 years ago, was poised for a 
comeback, and was about to become a weapon in a 
liberal jihad against the right wing's freedom of 
speech. In fact, the prominent conservatives, 
addressing a crowd of 30 on the ground floor of a 
Washington row house, described what sounded like 
a conspiracy. Panelist Ken Blackwell, formerly 
Ohio's secretary of state and the Republican 
candidate for governor last fall, said Imus was 
"not a conservative" and that "the left has 
sacrificed one of their own to give them a 
platform to go after true conservative talk show 
hosts." Cliff Kincaid, of the conservative media 
watchdog Accuracy in Media, said the Imus firing 
had been a revelation. "It wasn't exactly clear 
to me how [liberals] intended to bring back the 
Fairness Doctrine, but I think now with the Imus 
affair, we know ... [And it's a] short leap from 
firing Imus to going after Rush Limbaugh."
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/04/16/fairness_doctrine/index_np.html

TELEMUNDO JOINS NAB
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
On the heels of fellow NBC Universal television 
network NBC's announcement earlier this week, 
Spanish-language network Telemundo has joined the 
National Association of Broadcasters, NAB President David Rehr said Tuesday.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6434607.html

MORE NEWS FROM FCC

FCC ASSESSING HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
The Federal Communications Commission wants to 
determine whether high-speed Internet access is 
being made available fast enough to all 
Americans, calling it "critical" to the nation's 
economy. The Commission said Monday it has begun 
to assess the availability of broadband, or 
high-speed, service, especially in rural and 
other underserved areas. The agency will also 
focus its inquiry on the cost of service and 
analyze competition among broadband providers. 
The FCC is seeking comments on how to speed up 
the rollout of high-speed Internet access, as 
well as opinions on investment trends in the 
industry. Additionally, the FCC is seeking 
comment on how to improve the data collected on 
wireless broadband services and data about 
subscribers who make telephone calls over the 
Internet. The agency said improving this data 
will help set broadband policy in the future.
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?Feed=AP&Date=20070417&ID=6758000
* FCC news release
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-272365A1.doc
* Broadband Data Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-17A1.doc
* Broadband Deployment Notice of Inquiry
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-21A1.doc
* FCC Launches Inquiry into Broadband Market Practices
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-31A1.doc

STATUS OF CHILDREN'S TELEVISION PROGRAMMING
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The FCC has released a Public Notice requesting 
comment on the status of children's television 
programming, and compliance with the Children's 
Television Act ("CTA")  and the Commission's 
rules. The FCC asks: Are licensees complying with 
the CTA?  Does the programming that licensees 
have reported as core children's programming 
generally meet the Commission's standards? 6.	Are 
the core programming criteria listed in the 
Commission's rules adequate to properly define 
educational and informational programming?   Do 
these criteria fulfill the requirements of the 
CTA?  Should the Commission consider additional 
criteria?  Does the current level of preemption 
affect compliance with the CTA and Congressional 
intent?  In what other ways are licensees 
complying, or not, with the CTA and the 
Commission's rules related to children's 
programming?  Comments are due 30 days after the 
notice is published in the Federal Register.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-1716A1.doc

MARTIN SAYS CONGRESS COULD MANDATE A LA CARTE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's push for cable a la 
rate just became a shove. The chairman said 
Tuesday that Congress may want to mandate a la 
carte as a way to help viewers deal with 
controlling indecent and/or violent content. That 
came in a House appropriations committee hearing 
where Chairman Martin was defending his agency's 
budget but also responding to questions about 
content issues. Chairman Martin was asked about 
indecency and explained that he had been 
suggesting a la carte to the cable industry as a 
way to control content and prices, but that the 
industry had not been receptive to the 
suggestion. He then agreed with one legislator 
that it might be time for Congress to step in and 
that that would be a good thing.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6434492.html
* Chairman Martin Prepared Testimony
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-272381A1.doc
* Martin Endorses a la Carte Legislation
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6434611.html
* Religious Broadcasters: A La Carte Is a 'Dagger'
The Faith and Family Broadcasting Coalition -- 
which represents religious broadcasters including 
Dr. Paul Crouch of Trinity, Jerry Falwell and Pat 
Robertson -- said cable a la carte is a "dagger 
aimed at the heart of religious broadcasting in America."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6434589.html

MARTIN ASKS CONGRESS FOR DTV EDUCATION MONEY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin made his pitch to a 
House Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday for 
$1.5 million for a DTV education campaign. That 
would be in addition to the $5 million the 
National Telecommunications & Information 
Administration got for its campaign to promote 
the DTV converter box subsidy program. The 
request was part of a pitch for an extra $4.5 
million for four projects. The DTV money, said 
Chairman Martin, would " allow the Commission to 
initiate a wide range of outreach projects to 
help educate consumers about the DTV transition," 
though he didn't say what those efforts would be.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6434480.html
-- See also --
FCC'S COPPS WORRIED ABOUT DTV TRANSITION
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Seth Sutel]
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps on Tuesday called 
for greater efforts to educate the public about a 
government-mandated switch-over to digital 
television signals in two years. Commissioner 
Copps, appearing alongside fellow Commissioner 
Deborah Taylor Tate, told the annual convention 
of the National Association of Broadcasters that 
there was a possibility of serious disruptions 
when analog TV signals go off the air on Feb. 17, 
2009. ''I am really worried about this entire 
transition process,'' Copps said at the NAB 
convention in Las Vegas. The guiding principle, 
he said, should be ''no consumer left behind.'' 
Commissioner Copps called for more efforts in 
both the private and public sector to educate the public about the issue.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/04/17/daily.8/
* Copps 'Really Worried' About Digital Transition
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6434582.html

VIOLENCE REPORT IMMINENT, COMMISSIONERS SAY
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Speaking to the National Association of 
Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, FCC 
Commissioners Michael Copps and Deborah Tate 
promised a report to Congress on violent 
programming will be released soon. A group of 
powerful Congressmen asked the FCC to produce the 
report back in 2004. So far, all the 
commissioners but one -- Jonathan Adelstein -- 
are said to be on board with the report, which a 
commission source says concludes that TV has 
become more violent. It also reveals that studies 
indicate violence has an adverse effect on kids, 
and that Congress could find a constitutional way 
to expand the FCC's regulatory authority to include violence.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6434472.html

CHILDREN & MEDIA

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES EYES MEDIA VIOLENCE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The National League of Cities (NLC) used Monday's 
shootings at Virginia Tech as a springboard for a 
media violence conference in Indianapolis April 
17. Indianapolis Mayor and NLC President Bart 
Peterson noted that communities have seen too 
many incidents of extreme violence by and against 
children and a "prominent" concern "is the 
heightened exposure of children to graphic 
violence in video games, television, movies, and 
music." He said rather than government 
intervention, he favors action that would likely 
take the form of "partnering with industry and 
other interested organization," an approach 
similar to the one being advocated by the FCC and 
legislators on the issue of childhood obesity.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6434593.html
* Summit on Media Violence Held in Shadow of Virginia Tech Tragedy
http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp;jsessionid=46CBB248A9B2729AE6E040FD4D9DE9BA.tomcat1?resourceid=3448184&access=EH

PTC GIVES NETS AN 'F' IN RATING PROGRAMS
[SOURCE: tvnewsday]
A new Parents Television Council study released 
Monday at the National Association of 
Broadcasters convention claims that the 
television ratings system is still not accurate, 
and thus grossly unreliable, due to the fact that 
content descriptors are being arbitrarily and 
inconsistently applied by the broadcast networks 
during primetime viewing hours. The study said 
that two-thirds of the shows reviewed containing 
potentially offensive content lacked one or more 
of the appropriate content descriptors, which, 
PTC says, “render the ratings system and V-chip 
virtually useless.” “The TV Networks are 
perpetrating a fraud on the American public, on 
the Congress, on the courts and even their on own 
advertisers when they say that the TV ratings and 
V-chip are sufficient to protect children and 
families from inappropriate content,” said PTC President Tim Winter.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/04/17/daily.5/

JOURNALISM

STUDENT-RUN MEDIA MEET CHALLENGE
[SOURCE:  Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Molly Hennessy-Fiske]
As major news outlets scrambled to learn about 
the Virginia Tech shooter, the wounded and the 
dead, they found themselves scooped by Virginia 
Tech's student-run media: The Collegiate Times 
newspaper and website, collegemedia.com; the 
web-only news site, planetblacksburg.com; and 
radio station WUVT-FM. The news marathon began 
shortly after 7 a.m. Monday, as unofficial 
reports of the first Virginia Tech shootings 
began trickling in through e-mails, text messages 
and cellphone calls. During the course of that 
day and through the next, student reporters 
fanned out to cover the shattering events that 
overwhelmed the campus — interviewing students, 
teachers, school administrators, police officers 
and hospital workers. Collegiate Times editor-in 
chief Amie Steele became a staple on CNN, 
explaining details of the shooting. Reporters for 
the student-run newspaper churned out stories 
even as phones failed, police evacuated them from 
their offices in the student center, and their 
website crashed as it was discovered by readers the world over.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-paper18apr18,1,7231133.story?coll=la-news-a_section
(requires registration)
* Editor of Virginia Tech Paper: On Scooping the Major Media
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003572546

US MEDIA REPORTS FAIRLY ON SUCCESS, FAILURE IN IRAQ
[SOURCE: Army Times, AUTHOR: Gian P. Gentile]
[Commentary] "From my foxhole-view as a tactical 
battalion commander in western Baghdad in 2006, 
the American press, although not perfect, has 
reported the reality of the Iraq war. Contrary to 
what most believe in the American military, as 
well as some conservative columnists and a few 
politicians, the American press does give a 
reasonably full, fair and balanced picture of what is happening in Iraq."
http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_opinion_gentile_070416/

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

SIRIUS CEO FACES SKEPTICS IN SENATE
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Matthew Perrone]
Senate Commerce Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) 
said Tuesday Sirius Satellite Radio has "a steep 
hill to climb" in showing that its proposed 
purchase of XM Satellite Radio  will not hurt 
competition in the audio entertainment market. 
"Given the public interest in promoting 
competition and maximizing a diversity of media 
outlets, we should be skeptical of claims that 
new technologies necessarily 'change the 
equation' and provide competition sufficient to 
restrain monopoly power," Sen Inouye said.
Sirius Chief Executive Mel Karmazin told members 
of the Committee a combined satellite radio 
provider would benefit consumers by letting them 
access both companies' services for a diminished 
price. Both companies currently have subscription 
fees of $12.95. Karmazin said a merged company 
would be able to provide both companies' 
programming on one "interoperable" radio for less 
than the $25.90 it would currently cost to 
subscribe to both services. Karmazin also said 
the merged company would offer consumers the 
option of subscribing to fewer channels for a 
monthly price lower than $12.95. The combined 
company would consider offering regulators a 
guarantee that they would not raise prices in 
order to complete the merger, Karmazin said.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/ats-ap_technology14apr17,1,6249215.story?coll=sns-ap-toptechnology
(requires registration)
* Sirius CEO pitches US lawmakers again on XM merger
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1724611420070417
* Karmazin Commits To Merger Conditions
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6434583.html
* Statement of Senator Daniel K. Inouye on XM-Sirius and the Public Interest
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=248783&Month=4&Year=2007
* Public Knowledge Testimony
http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/109642088/911

GE, NBC UNIVERSAL DEBUT $250 MILLION MEDIA FUND
[SOURCE: Reuters]
General Electric Co. is launching a $250 million 
equity fund to invest in media and technology 
companies, an executive said Monday, part of a 
broader push by traditional media companies to 
get into hot areas such as digital advertising or 
social networks. Adify, a company whose 
technology helps build and support online ad 
networks, received the first $3 million 
investment announced by the fund, which is 
overseen by NBC Universal and GE Media, 
Communications and Entertainment. NBC Universal 
is 80 percent owned by GE (Charts) and 20 percent 
by Vivendi (Charts). Other investments by the 
fund will focus on companies developing 
technologies or businesses that NBC Universal can 
use in building its digital business, said Beth 
Comstock, NBC Universal's president of integrated 
media. The companies would most likely be 
involved in areas such as advertising services, 
wireless or digital content, she said.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/16/news/companies/bc.ge.fund.adify.reut/

TELECOM

NY ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO SLAM VERIZON SERVICE
[SOURCE: Reuters]
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) 
criticized telecommunications company Verizon 
Communications on Tuesday for "chronically poor" 
telephone repair service in the state. AG Cuomo's 
comments come as the No. 2 phone company is 
trying to convince regulators and consumers that 
it can offer better service than cable companies. 
Cuomo said he had called on the New York State 
Public Service Commission (PSC), which regulates 
Verizon, to set stricter standards and require 
rebates for inadequate service. The PSC currently 
requires Verizon to repair 80 percent of phone 
lines within 24 hours of receiving a customer 
repair request, but 20 out of Verizon's 35 repair 
service bureaus across the state chronically 
failed to meet the PSC's standards, Cuomo said. 
In response, Verizon said the PSC had raised 
questions over its service in December, and that 
the company had already implemented a plan to 
boost service. But Cuomo charged that Verizon was 
neglecting to maintain its traditional phone 
service in favor of expanding its fiber-optic 
services. He cited inadequate service in areas 
including Westchester, Northern Queens, and Long 
Island, where Verizon is aggressively building its fiber services.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1742820020070417

VONAGE SAYS PATENT SUITS COULD LEAD TO BANKRUPTCY
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amol Sharma [email-masked]]
Vonage says bankruptcy is among the potential 
risks from its continuing patent litigation with 
phone giant Verizon Communications Inc., as the 
Internet calling start-up's problems deepen. In a 
filing with Securities and Exchange Commission, 
Vonage listed problems it could face because of 
the Verizon litigation and other patent lawsuits, 
including loss of customers and distribution 
channels, substantial employee layoffs, a 
continued decline in its share price and the 
inability to meet its debt obligations, which 
could lead to a bankruptcy filing. In court, 
Vonage has painted a gloomy portrait of how an 
injunction would affect its business. The filing 
provides the company's most detailed explanation 
to investors of just how high the stakes are. The 
challenge for Vonage is to be forthright with 
Wall Street while reassuring its customers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117684641246373131.html?mod=todays_us_page_one
(requires subscription)

INTERNET/BROADBAND

BAN ON MONTHLY NET ACCESS TAXES FACES OBSTACLES
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache and Declan McCullagh]
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)  said Tuesday that Congress 
may fail to renew a temporary ban on some state 
and local Internet access taxes that expires on 
November 1. He fears that lobbyists for state and 
local governments and their powerful allies in 
Washington will stymie efforts by Internet and 
telecommunications companies and free-market 
groups to make the ban permanent--or even to 
renew it again. "There remain a lot of officials 
in local government who are licking their lips at 
the prospect of going after this cash cow," Sen 
Wyden said. If the tax moratorium expires, 
monthly bills for Internet access could come to 
resemble bills for telephone service, with a 
welter of confusing taxes, recovery fees, 
surcharges and administrative fees tacked on at 
the end. Those fees can raise a subscriber's 
total cost by 20 percent to 30 percent.
http://news.com.com/Ban+on+monthly+Net+access+taxes+faces+obstacles/2100-1034_3-6176788.html?tag=html.alert.hed

POLITICIANS FALL BEHIND IN CYBERSPACE RACE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Peter Griffiths]
Politicians are lost deep in cyberspace, 
struggling to reach a new generation of 
tech-savvy voters through blogs, social 
networking sites and video-sharing. There is a 
sense it is mostly one-way traffic -- from "them" 
to "us" and analysts say politicians need to 
expand their online ambitions towards 
interactivity and user-generated content. To 
reach an electorate bombarded with messages from 
the new and old media, politicians will have to 
make more use of online journals or blogs, and 
sites such as Facebook and MySpace. They also 
need to move into video-sharing sites and forums 
where ideas and policies can be challenged online.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSL1319545220070418

HOUSE VOTE TARGETS FALSE IRS WEB SITES, E-MAILS
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday 
voted to punish commercial Web sites and e-mail 
senders that falsely portray themselves as having 
ties with the Internal Revenue Service.  The 
regulation is part of the so-called Taxpayer 
Protection Act, which passed by a 407-7 vote in 
the U.S. House of Representatives.
http://news.com.com/House+vote+targets+false+IRS+Web+sites%2C+e-mails/2100-1028_3-6176994.html?tag=nefd.top

QUICKLY

MUSIC CD SALES FALL 13 PCT THROUGH 2006 IN US
[SOURCE: Reuters]
The continuing sales drop of music compact discs 
accelerated to nearly 13 percent in 2006 while 
fast-growing digital download sales failed to 
make up for the sales shortfall, according to 
figures published by the Recording Industry 
Association of America on Tuesday. Though sales 
of music in digital formats such as downloads and 
mobile ringtones more than doubled in some cases 
during the year, digital sales did not grow fast 
enough to cover the revenue gap caused by the 
downturn in CD sales. Consequently overall music 
sales were down by 6.2 percent to $11.51 billion.
http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=musicNews&storyID=2007-04-17T214121Z_01_N17242136_RTRIDST_0_MUSIC-SALES-DC.XML
* Despite Drop in CD Sales, Music Industry Is Upbeat
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041701869.html

JULY 1, FEB 17 CONCERN SMALL CABLE OPERATORS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Moss]
Independent cable operators kicked off their 
lobbying summit here Tuesday voicing dour 
concerns about the double-whammy the industry 
faces: the July 1 ban on set-tops with integrated 
security and the 2009 cutoff of analog-TV service.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6434457.html

LAMB: NO C-SPAN IN 10 YEARS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Moss]
Citing the changing media landscape and the 
uncertainty of his network’s carriage, C-SPAN 
founder and CEO Brian Lamb said Tuesday that he 
“wouldn’t be surprised” if his public-affairs 
network wasn’t around in a decade.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6434591.html
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Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Foundation
Communications in the Public Interest
1625 K Street, NW 11th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
headlines AT benton DOT org 

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