Dishings

Vote to relax media rules sparks protest

Tue, 03 Jun 2003 15:30:19 GMT

The Financial Times Reports: Fritz Hollings, ranking Democrat on the Senate commerce committee, said: "[The FCC decision to relax ownership rules] in a rear-view mirror will be seen as a decision that is both dumb and dangerous. There is a form of legislative veto that is going to be made available and some of us are talking about, within a certain number of days, bringing to the Congress a requirement to vote on the FCC's decision." Under the veto mechanism, introduced by then Representative Newt Gingrich, a petition of disapproval regarding the FCC's decision could be brought to a vote in the Senate if approved by 30 senators.

S.Ct. decides Dastar v Fox case

Mon, 02 Jun 2003 19:35:29 GMT

Held: Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act does not prevent the unaccredited copying of an uncopyrighted work.

FCC VOTES 3-2 TO RELAX MEDIA OWNERSHIP REGS WASHINGTON

Mon, 02 Jun 2003 19:29:38 GMT

The FCC did the inevitable today, and approved changes in media ownership regulations that are likely to lead to a new series of mergers as media companies seek to expand and enter into new combinations in local markets across the country. On a party line vote the commission's three Republicans joined to ease the rules that have limited the number of TV stations one company can own nationally and various media combinations in local markets for decades. While the vote marked a significant easing in the regulations, it did not eliminate them. The changes the FCC made included raising the percentage of the nation's TV households one company can reach to 45% from 35%, allowing newspaper and broadcast combinations in larger markets and further easing the number of radio stations one company can own locally.

Mon, 02 Jun 2003 15:45:34 GMT

Universal Television, the studio that produces the "Law & Order" shows, is planning to bundle all L&O's into one deal, even though two of the skiens have two seasons left on their current contracts. Universal wants to have the deal done by December, for a total price tag of more than $550 million a year - making the deal the most lucrative entertainment agreement in television history. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/02/business/media/02LAW.html?tntemail0

Mon, 02 Jun 2003 15:41:14 GMT

"Pod" deals are explained in an article in today's TV Week. Studios have found these associations with production companies to be sound model. These deals came into vogue when the writers market changed and studios realized that paying writers millions of dollars for an overall deal wasn't paying off. "It's financially beneficial upfront because most of these deals rely on one-shot pieces of development, not overalls," said Dana Walden, co-president of 20th Century Fox Television. "Typically, you're not paying a big guarantee to these production companies. You're paying their overhead on the television side and then you're funding their development." http://www.tvweek.com/topstorys/060203production.html

Sat, 31 May 2003 05:09:36 GMT

The FCC Does Business. Serious opponents of media concentration and serious supporters of deregulation can coalesce around a different demand: for public access to the airwaves, with low entry barriers and simple, understandable rules of the road. And if it's hard to imagine such a change coming from Congress, it's even harder to imagine it emerging from a private meeting in a Vegas hotel. [http://www.reason.com/links/links052703.shtml]

FCC Fight Intensifies

Fri, 30 May 2003 16:28:23 GMT

Protesters in more than a dozen cities urged FCC commissioners to reject media deregulation in Monday's vote. Washington Post: It's a choice between monopoly and democracy, writes Ted Turner. New York Post: Deregulation unlikely to yield merger mania. Boston Globe: Media vultures circle over potential acquisitions. Wired: Media more diverse? Not really. BusinessWeek: What to expect in the first wave of merger mania. [Media Bistro]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55391-2003May29.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56132-2003May29.html
http://www.nypost.com/business/58142.htm
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/150/business/Media_giants_circle%2B.shtml
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,59015,00.html
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2003/nf20030530_9857_db038.htm

Move-On Urges Calls to Michael Powell's office

Fri, 30 May 2003 15:52:12 GMT

This Monday, FCC Chair Michael Powell will hold his vote on media consolidation. There's nothing special about that date -- it's totally arbitrary. The vote will conclude a process which has shown deliberate disregard for the views and opinions of the American people. Powell has refused to even release the actual language of the rule change -- it won't be known until after the vote. And he's only held a single meeting to hear the views of the public. Even when a bipartisan group of Senators requested that he give Congress some time to discuss the impact of this change, Powell brushed them off.

Chairman Powell still has the power to delay the rule change and allow time to have a democratic debate about its consequences. Please call him today and ask him to allow a real public debate on an issue of such massive importance.

You can reach Powell's office at: (202) 418-1000. Once you've made your call, please let us know at: http://moveon.org/fcccall.html

Fri, 30 May 2003 15:44:06 GMT

Media More Diverse? Not Really. The government on Monday likely will lift media ownership rules that have kept a handful of companies from dominating local markets. Opponents of the move say the government's rationale is based on a myth. By Joanna Glasner. [Wired News]

Fri, 30 May 2003 15:43:47 GMT

Calif. Reviews DVD Code Case. California's top court considers whether a lower court acted correctly in barring engineer Andrew Bunner from publishing DVD decrypting code on the Internet. Bunner's attorney says it's a free speech issue. Opponents say Brunner acted as a thief. [Wired News]

Paramount Network TV Legal has an opening for a production attorney.

Fri, 30 May 2003 15:32:06 GMT

They are looking for someone with major law firm experience and preferably at least two years of tv legal production experience. The person also must be a member of the CA bar. Applicants should fax their resume to (323) 862-1303.

Fri, 30 May 2003 01:36:31 GMT

Electronic Order in the Court [New York Times: Technology]

Thu, 29 May 2003 19:12:19 GMT

For TiVo and Replay, New Reach [New York Times: Technology]

Thu, 29 May 2003 19:10:25 GMT

Longtime BVTV/Disney business affairs executive Bill Rogers has left Disney to begin training to be an inner-city school teacher.

Diversity is squashed in FCC rules change

Thu, 29 May 2003 00:09:29 GMT

Media play a sacred role in a democracy -- they are how we get our information as citizens. Internet-based insurgencies like MoveOn.org and TomPaine.com are superb counterweights to corporate media concentration, but they are no substitutes for a diversity of ownership among mainstream media. [Boston Globe]

FCC chairman defends position ahead of media rules vote

Thu, 29 May 2003 00:06:03 GMT

Chairman Michael Powell, who is in favor of easing the restrictions, said the FCC will certainly keep limits in place to balance public interest and a capitalist market. [CNN]

Hollywood is determined to prevent unauthorized copying of movies. And 321 Studios is determined to stop Hollywood from doing so.

Wed, 28 May 2003 18:16:13 GMT

St. Louis-based 321 Studios (www.321studios.com) makes software sold under the name DVD X Copy, which allows people to make copies of the DVD movies they purchase. Mr. Moore says his product's sole purpose is to enable consumers to stockpile "backup copies" of their movie collections, in case the originals are ruined...yeah, right. [WSJ]

Why not put the bombs in rerun slots?

Wed, 28 May 2003 16:53:30 GMT

Brain Lowry (LAT) suggests that pilots, even uproariously bad ones, are worth seeing, especially if the alternative is multiplexing or repurposing or whatever idiotic term cable officials have dreamt up that simply means filling time with network reruns. With so many hungry channels to feed, maybe even TV's road kill merits a moment in the sun -- with every pilot, to paraphrase Monty Python, deserving a place on your cable dial. [LATimes]

Wed, 28 May 2003 16:42:51 GMT

AOL Says F.C.C. Rule Holds Back Its Instant Messaging [New York Times: Technology]

Wed, 28 May 2003 05:59:00 GMT

There's a profile of Nancy Josephson from the 1998 Harvard Law Bulletin that was just brought to our attention: http://www.law.harvard.edu/alumni/bulletin/backissues/spring98/article23.html

Ifcome.com is back from the dead

Wed, 28 May 2003 05:26:30 GMT

More Job Postings. Ifcome has started posting again -- today it has listings for executive positions at: Universal Pictures -- Legal Administrator, The Walt Disney Company, Discovery Communications, Inc., MTV, Boutique Law Firm, Universal Pictures, Blind Ad, Fox Latin America Channel, Playboy

Wed, 28 May 2003 05:13:20 GMT

Opponents Of FCC Media Rules Changes Meet At Agency A broad coalition of 27 groups opposing liberalization of broadcast industry ownership rules met in a roundtable Tuesday at the Federal Communications Commission, the very agency they are fighting. They were there at the invitation of the two Democratic FCC commissioners, who have mounted a losing battle to get FCC Chairman Michael Powell to delay the agency's vote on the matter. [WSJ]

Wed, 28 May 2003 05:09:00 GMT

Fox Irks Theaters With Plan To Sell Its New DVD Quickly Theater owners are expressing consternation about a plan by Twentieth Century Fox to sell the DVD of its coming release, "From Justin to Kelly," just six weeks after the movie bows in theaters. [WSJ]

Wed, 28 May 2003 01:35:22 GMT

MediaCon: Dean gets it. Dean: ""In my travels around the country, I have discovered that this proposed deregulation is one of the foremost issues on peoples' minds. I am asked about it everywhere--in small towns in New Hampshire, and in major cities across the nation." Read his letter to Chairman Powell. [Lessig Blog]

The Common Cause Ad

Tue, 27 May 2003 16:23:05 GMT