November 13, 2007

Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer






*FCC HEARING IN SEATTLE
(YouTube) It's depressing how little coverage this story is getting, but it's not surprising. In fact, it's exhibit A in the case against media consolidation. Will the press collude in suppressing a story? Yes, they will--when the story is the press. Look at the passion of these people at the latest hearing in Seattle. Did you see this story covered anywhere?
VIDEO: Public Testimony Against Media Consolidation (Seattle)

The following story is the only coverage I saw...the industry trade publication Radio Ink...not exactly the mainstream media.

FCC holds lively hearing in Seattle
(Radio Ink) KVI Seattle talk host John Carlson, a onetime Republican nominee for Washington governor who began by saying he "took home the silver medal in the general election," said, "The effects of consolidation look very different on the ground in this Washington than they do in that Washington...In Seattle, he said, "There is not a single major radio station left in this town with a single owner. Everything is owned by a chain -- everything." And the difference between broadcasting and other chain businesses, he said, is that "a competitor can start a local bank or a restaurant." He went on, "You can't just go in and start a radio or TV station, because the airwaves are finite, and not only are they finite, they're owned not by the seller, but by the people. At a certain point, consolidation doesn't lead to competition. It doesn't reflect competition, it actually undermines competition, and we're seeing that now."

This a bipartisan issue. The only people in the country who are in favor of this are the CEOs of the media giants, and three FCC members, who mark my words, will one day work for the media giants. Look at the co-sponsors of the bill to stop this...

Senator's Dorgan and Lott Introduce Media Ownership Rules
(Radio Online) Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Trent Lott (R-MS) have introduced legislation to halt what the two call the FCC's "fast march" toward easing media ownership rules. The proposed bill will require the Commission to provide a 90-day comment period after it establishes any changes in current media ownership rules. "We believe localism and diversity of media ownership is vital in a democracy," Senator Dorgan said. "Our bill recognizes the importance of a wide range of media owners and local content, and requires a process that does not rush past those concerns to open the gates for even more consolidation of media ownership. We believe there is value to local ownership in the media."

And if you want a really good laugh, read the comments of Mel Karmazin in the Tribune this past weekend. This is the man, who more than anyone else in the country, pushed for the last deregulation. Read what he says now.

Mel Karmazin: "Nobody ever asked me if it was good for consumers."
(Chicago Tribune) Phil Rosenthal spoke with Mel Karmazin. He writes: "While he was an advocate of radio consolidation that followed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 -- 'Strictly for business reasons. No one asked me if it was good for consumers' -- he blames then-rival Clear Channel for changing the business by clustering station management and sales, which would become the industry standard. 'It totally homogenized radio ... and, surprise, surprise, the revenue was affected,' Karmazin said. 'That's why you're seeing terrestrial radio not growing. It's very similar, pardon the expression, to the newspaper business. It's a very good business. It throws off a lot of cash. But it's not growing ... and once it's not growing, then they started cutting costs and letting Howard Stern and other talent get away.'"


OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. Back to other media news...


Screenwriters seek bigger slice of half-eaten pie
(NY Times) Michael Cieply writes: "As Hollywood digs in for a second week of a strike, the screenwriters might want to send a few angry picketers over to Will Smith’s place. Or Steven Spielberg’s. And maybe the studio executives should think about joining them on the line. As it turns out, the pot of money that the producers and writers are fighting over may have already been pocketed by the entertainment industry’s biggest talent. That is the conclusion of a surprisingly bleak new assessment of financial dynamics in the movie industry titled “Do Movies Make Money?” The researchers’ answer: not any more. The report, prepared by the research company Global Media Intelligence in association with its partner Merrill Lynch, concludes that much of the income — past and future — that studios and writers have been fighting about has already gone to the biggest stars, directors and producers in the form of ballooning participation deals. A participation is a share in the gross revenue, not the profit, of a movie."


CBS newswriters mull strike, ABC showdown looms
(Broadcasting & Cable) Marissa Guthrie writes: "While thousands of drama and comedy writers hit the picket lines in New York and Los Angeles this past week, 500 employees at CBS News represented by the Writers Guild of America East were preparing to take a strike vote of their own. News writers for CBS News TV and radio operations in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles have been working without a contract since April 2005. Members overwhelmingly rejected the company’s contract proposal in November 2006. On Thursday, Guild employees will vote on whether to authorize a strike, and WGA leadership predicted a landslide on that ballot, as well. An affirmative strike vote doesn’t mean that CBS News employees will strike -- only that they authorize their leadership to call a strike...A labor stoppage on the news side could not come at a worse time for CBS, which, like ABC and NBC, will rely increasingly on its news division to fill schedule holes left by the WGA work stoppage on the entertainment side. There is also a showdown brewing at ABC News, where the WGA represents about 200 people at ABC’s local and national bureaus in New York and Washington. WGA members at ABC News also have been working without a contract since 2005."


New way of counting radio ratings may decrease ad income
(New York Times) Brian Stelter writes: "The test of a new method for measuring radio audience in New York showed big ratings declines for stations appealing to blacks and Hispanics last week, causing considerable consternation among station owners and programmers. Arbitron, which measures ratings for the radio industry, has been testing a new electronic measurement tool that monitors exposure to radio stations throughout the day. The results of the so-called personal people meter in New York followed the pattern set by two earlier tests, in Houston and Philadelphia, in which stations appealing to minorities also fell." (Rick's note: This ratings method is coming to Chicago in '08)


Martha Raddatz, putting herself in the thick of things
(Washington Post) Howard Kurtz writes: "ABC's Martha Raddatz was taping a stand-up report in Islamabad last week when a Pakistani police officer grabbed the arm of a top lawyer organizing anti-government protests and began leading him away. When Raddatz walked over to investigate, the officer dropped the man's arm and police insisted that he was not being detained. Raddatz has a knack for showing up at the right moment. Although she is a White House correspondent, she has also made 14 trips to Iraq, the last of which coincided with a secret visit by President Bush. Last week Raddatz was making a stop in Pakistan on the way to Afghanistan with a top U.S. military official, but decided to stay behind when it became clear that President Pervez Musharraf was about to impose a state of emergency. 'She's just gritty, without sacrificing any femininity -- more comfortable in fatigues than in mufti,' says ABC anchor Charlie Gibson. 'She really is a wonderful hybrid correspondent. She brings a sensibility and sensitivity to these [Middle East] issues that is tough for a male correspondent to match. . . . One thing I believe in most is original reporting, and she does a lot of it.'"


An interview with Melissa Forman
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) This past weekend I interviewed the morning and afternoon personality at WLIT-FM, Melissa Forman. She talked about her unusual dual role, the unusual circumstances about her return to the morning show, and offers excellent advice to broadcasters about the value of leaving a job graciously.





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