Media Notebook (October 25, 2007)

Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer






Highlights and links to the big stories in the news this week about the media. This column appears twice a week at http://medianotebook.blogspot.com



Obama calls on FCC Chairman Martin to slow down on ownership review
(Broadcasting & Cable) John Eggerton writes: "Presidential candidate and Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama wants Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin to take a series of intermediary steps before making the leap to rewrite media-ownership rules, saying that not to do so would be irresponsible. In a letter to Martin Monday, the senator asked the FCC chairman to 'reconsider your proposed timeline, put out any specific change to the rules for public comment and review, move to establish an independent panel on minority and small-business media ownership and complete a proceeding on the responsibilities that broadcasters have to the communities in which they operate.' The letter came in response to the news last week that Martin had come up with a timetable for moving forward on the congressionally and court-mandated rule review, planning to put out his own proposals for media ownership rules Nov. 13, then letting the public comment for four weeks before holding a mid-November vote on the changes."


NAB Asks FCC to Lift Ban, Ease Ownership Restrictions
(Radio Online) (Rick's note: They're getting panicky the public will revolt again...and we will.) NAB filed comments today on the ten research studies regarding media ownership conducted for and by the Commission for its pending quadrennial broadcast ownership review. Overall, NAB says, the new studies are consistent with other surveys of the media marketplace, including several previous Commission ownership studies, and "support the case for reforming outmoded ownership restrictions that only apply to local broadcast stations."


Post's Kurtz is getting a bum rap (well, mostly)
(Marketwatch) Jon Friedman writes: "Sometimes I think American media critics are a petty and self-righteous bunch in search of a slogan. Judging by some of the reactions to Howard Kurtz's new book, Reality Show, I'll suggest this one: We eat our own. Kurtz, the dean of media critics, is getting a bum rap -- mostly -- from the people who should understand his work the best. He has written a good old-fashioned page-turner about the rivalry among the big three TV news anchors, filled with revealing anecdotes. (I especially got a kick out of reading that Tom Brokaw, NBC's longtime anchor, had invited Jon Stewart, "the Mort Sahl of their era," to participate in the network's election coverage.)"


Media myths about the Jena 6
(Christian Science Monitor) Craig Franklin writes: "By now, almost everyone in America has heard of Jena, La., because they've all heard the story of the "Jena 6." White students hanging nooses barely punished, a schoolyard fight, excessive punishment for the six black attackers, racist local officials, public outrage and protests – the outside media made sure everyone knew the basics. There's just one problem: The media got most of the basics wrong. In fact, I have never before witnessed such a disgrace in professional journalism. Myths replaced facts, and journalists abdicated their solemn duty to investigate every claim because they were seduced by a powerfully appealing but false narrative of racial injustice."


Ignoring Ann Coulter is a plan that won't work
(Chicago Tribune) Leonard Pitts writes: "I already know what's going to happen after I write this column. Someone is going to say, why did you waste space condemning the latest drivel from the mouth of Ann Coulter? Don't you know she only says these outrageous things to promote her books? Why reward her with attention? The argument is not without merit. Coulter plays the news media like Louis Armstrong played his cornet. She is a virtuoso of stage-managed controversy. So there's something to be said for refusing to play along, for ignoring her in the hope that she will go away. But some things only fester and grow in the dark. Some things use silence as assent."


Rick Reilly leaves SI for big bucks, ESPN
(Bloomberg) Columnist Rick Reilly left Sports Illustrated for ESPN, less than a week after former ESPN announcer Dan Patrick was hired by Sports Illustrated. Reilly, whose ``Life of Reilly'' column was featured weekly on the Time Inc.-owned magazine's back page, will have a column in the same spot in ``ESPN The Magazine'' and be a regular writer on ESPN.com under a multiyear agreement, the Walt Disney Co. cable sports network said in a news release. He'll also be an essayist for ESPN's SportsCenter television show and contribute to the network's coverage of major golf events.


Poll Tries to Measure Colbert Effect
(Washington Post) Chris Cillizza writes: "A Republican polling firm, recently completed a national poll of 1,000 likely 2008 voters that included Colbert's name in both the GOP and Democratic primaries. (He has announced his plans to run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries.) In the field from Oct. 18-21, the survey has a 5 percent margin of error. In the Democratic primary, Colbert takes 2.3 percent of the vote -- good for fifth place behind Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (40 percent), Sen. Barack Obama (19 percent), former Sen. John Edwards (12 percent) and Sen. Joe Biden (2.7 percent. Colbert finished ahead of Gov. Bill Richardson (2.1 percent), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (2.1 percent) and former Sen. Mike Gravel (less than 1 percent). He was less lucky in the Republican field, where he took less than 1 percent of the vote behind even longshot candidates like Reps. Tom Tancredo and Ron Paul. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani led the Republican field with 29 percent, followed by former Gov. Mitt Romney at 12 percent, former Sen. Fred Thompson (11 percent) and Sen. John McCain (10 percent)."


The Gospel according to Colbert
(New York Times) David Carr writes: "Last week, Stephen Colbert, in his eponymous avatar as a nincompoop right-wing talk show host, went on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Amid a hail of blow kisses, he said he was mulling a run for leader of the free world and 15 minutes later on The Colbert Report, he declared, 'I am doing it!' A trip to the altar of the Sunday morning talk show seemed like the next beat in the joke, which arrived on schedule yesterday when Mr. Colbert appeared on Meet the Press. 'I’m doing it, Tim, because I think that our country is facing unprecedented challenges in the future,' Mr. Colbert said. 'I think the junctures that we face are both critical and unforeseen, and the real challenge is how we will respond to these junctures, be they critical, or God help us, unforeseen.'”
VIDEO: Colbert on Meet the Press, Part 1
VIDEO: Colbert on Meet the Press, Part 2


Writers Guild votes overwhelmingly to authorize a strike
(LA Times) Richard Verrier writes: "Hollywood's film and TV writers are ready to trade their pens for picket signs if they can't reach a deal with their employers by Halloween. Members of the Writers Guild of America voted by an overwhelming margin to authorize their leaders to call a strike if they can't negotiate a three-year contract with the major studios to replace one that expires Oct. 31. Of 5,507 members who voted, 90% favored granting a strike authorization. Guild officials said the turnout was a record for the union, which has nearly 12,000 members. 'Writers do not want a strike, but they are resolute and prepared to take strong, united action to defend our interest,' said Patric M. Verrone, the guild's president. 'What we must have is a contract that gives us the ability to keep up with the financial success of this ever-expanding global industry.'"


With deadline on menu, WGA sets table for strike 2
(Hollywood Reporter) Carl DiOrio writes: "Another day, another strike authorization. With a contract deadline looming in the WGA's film and TV talks with studios and networks, the guild Monday scheduled a separate strike-authorization vote by WGA newswriters. The move -- involving 500 members whose CBS contract expired more than 2 1/2 years ago -- follows Friday's announcement that WGA members had authorized a possible strike by screenwriters and primetime broadcast scribes."


Sam Zell Speaks at Inland Conference, Slams That Guy Nero
(Editor & Publisher) Why, someone asked Sam Zell, at the Inland Press Association's annual meeting in Chicago on Monday afternoon, would the real estate mogul want to buy Tribune Company, "a 10-times leveraged newspaper company?" Zell, who is leading the $8.2 billion deal to take Tribune private, didn't miss a beat. "Because," he said. "I don't view it as a 10-leveraged company. I view it as 61 different entities -- each with a wonderful opportunity to get lucky."



Bill Maher helps security toss heckler during live show
(NY Daily News) Maher on Friday night helped security remove a rowdy protester from the studio during his weekly HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher" - and it was all captured on live television. Maher was talking science during one of his weekly panel discussions when a protester in his audience stood up, held up a smuggled-in sign reading "9/11 is a cover up fraud" and shouted comments to the same effect. The host tried to shout down the audience member, who only became more agitated. "Do we have some [expletive] security in this building?" Maher yelled, "or do I have to come down there and kick his [expletive]?"
VIDEO: Maher tosses heckler


News Corp passes Time Warner as world's most valuable media company
(Hollywood Reporter) Paul Bond writes: "About the same time that Rupert Murdoch was telling shareholders that his beloved News Corp. had become the world's most valuable media conglomerate, the company's worth was in the midst of sinking by $1.53 billion. But Friday's massive stock market sell-off didn't alter Murdoch's message. By the end of Friday trading, News Corp. sported a market capitalization of $67.79 billion, larger than Time Warner, the former biggest media company in the world."


Rupert Murdoch praised by Franciscan monk
(news.com.au) Mr Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corp and four other board members were easily re-elected, with all receiving more than 98.6 per cent support from shareholders. During question time one shareholder took the microphone and asked if Mr Murdoch would sign a copy of the latest edition of Fortune magazine, where the 76-year-old graces the cover. ”OK,'' Mr Murdoch, granting his fan's request, replied. Another shareholder described Murdoch as having a “magic, Midas, touch''. Even a Franciscan monk had nice things to say about the mogul. The monk, Father Michael Crosby, who in the past has taken American entertainment corporations to task for depicting smoking in movies they produce, congratulated News Corp's movie studio, Twentieth Century Fox, for its impressive anti-smoking policy in its films."



Clinton finds a way to play along with Drudge
(NY Times) Jim Rutenberg writes: "Mrs. Clinton is learning to play nice with the Drudge Report and the powerful, elusive and conservative-leaning man behind it. That man, Matt Drudge, came to national prominence a decade ago as a nemesis of the Clintons who used the Web to peddle, gleefully, the latest news and rumor generated by the Monica Lewinsky scandal. That people in Mrs. Clinton’s campaign orbit would tip off the Drudge Report to its fund-raising numbers is in part a reflection of her pragmatic approach to dealing with potential enemies, like Newt Gingrich or Rupert Murdoch. But it also speaks to the enduring power of the Drudge Report, which mixes original reporting with links to newspaper, Internet or television reports far and wide."




An interview with Ian Case Punnett
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Ian Punnett is the host of Coast to Coast AM, the co-host of a Minneapolis morning show "The Ian and Margery Show," and a former talk show host on WGN Radio. I talk to Ian about all of those gigs and more. Coming this weekend, an interview with John Records Landecker.




AVAILABLE NOW ON ENC PRESS

A satirical novel about the broadcast media. Click $EVERANCE to order your copy now.

The press loves it: Press for Severance

Members of the media love it: Praise for Severance

Severance merchandise is now available too. You simply must purchase one of these fashionable items: Severance Goodies







Available via Allworth Press--A How-To-Guide for producing radio shows Click on this link to order your copy: The Radio Producer's Handbook