With the CBS blackout entering its third week, calls for federal regulators' intervention and a quick settlement between the network and Time Warner Cable are growing louder as the NFL season gets underway.
FCC Opens Docket on Media General and New Young Broadcasting Merger
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
The Federal Communications Commission has opened a docket on Media General's bid to merge with New Young Broadcasting.
Broadcast TV landscape is shifting under FCC
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
The string of broadcast television station ownership deals capped by the announcement of a sale by Allbritton Communications puts pressure on the Federal Communications Commission to keep its eye on the broadcast industry even as the agency is going through its own makeover. Taken together, the deals signal a reshaping of the broadcast business as it consolidates into larger station ownership groups that provide more leverage as they buy programming and sell it to pay-TV operators.
Ad-supported website operators decry cost of new online privacy rules for children
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Under regulations that went into effect July 1, websites catering to children will no longer be able to collect a range of identifying information without obtaining verifiable parental consent.
Yet More Media Consolidation is not the Cure to the Problems Caused by Media Consolidation
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
People are buzzing about possible new consolidation in the cable industry. The reason isn't hard to see: in a market that is already very concentrated, only the strong survive. Programming costs keep rising and larger cable companies would have more leverage in negotiations against media giants like Viacom and Disney. As ISPs, larger cable companies would be better able to drive hard bargains with Internet content companies when it comes to interconnection agreements, or operate their own online video services. But bigger is not better for the public.
If PRISM Is Good Policy, Why Stop With Terrorism?
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
If the justification for PRISM and associated programs is predicated on their potential effectiveness, why shouldn't such logic be applied elsewhere?
San Francisco paper Sues Rival Over Low Ad Rates
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
The San Francisco Examiner filed a lawsuit alleging that the city's dominant daily newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, has slashed advertising prices to stifle competition.
Video Marketplace: Competition Is Evolving, and Government Reporting Should Be Reevaluated
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Technological advances have ushered in a wave of new products and services, bringing online distribution of video to consumers. Federal laws and regulations have sought to foster competition in the video programming and distribution marketplace, but many such laws were adopted prior to the emergence of these advances.
Christian radio group faces financial hard times
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
A Christian radio ministry may be facing a financial apocalypse after its predictions about the end of the world failed to come true.