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 MEDIA NOTEBOOK
AP Bureau Chief Considered Job with McCain Campaign
(Politico) Michael Calderone writes: "Before Ron Fournier returned to The Associated Press in March 2007, the veteran political reporter had another professional suitor: John McCain’s presidential campaign. In October 2006, the McCain team approached Fournier about joining the fledgling operation, according to a source with knowledge of the talks. In the months that followed, said a source, Fournier spoke about the job possibility with members of McCain’s inner circle, including political aides Mark Salter, John Weaver and Rick Davis. Salter, who remains a top McCain adviser, said in an e-mail to Politico that Fournier was considered for “a senior advisory role” in communications."
Where did McCain's playmates go?(New York Observer) Benson & Gillette write: "The McCain campaign’s response to the quantifiable imbalance in volume-of-coverage—a function, depending on whom you ask, of the fact that the press loves the Barack Obama story or that John McCain is the Republican nominee for president—has been a petulant cry of foul for the kind of infraction gentlemen are supposed to ignore. “It’s difficult not to see McCain’s point that Obama has generally been getting not only more positive press but quantitatively more press, period,” said Jake Tapper, the senior national correspondent for ABC News who, as a reporter for Salon in 2000, was famously instrumental in cementing the image of Mr. McCain as a straight-talking renegade and an improbable hero of the left. “That just seems empirically true. But it is a bit like Britney Spears complaining that Miley Cyrus gets more publicity than her talent warrants. True, but haven’t you been there yourself?”
Study says media is being tougher on Obama than McCain
(LA Times) James Rainey writes: "The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, where researchers have tracked network news content for two decades, found that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign. You read it right: tougher on the Democrat. During the evening news, the majority of statements from reporters and anchors on all three networks are neutral, the center found. And when network news people ventured opinions in recent weeks, 28% of the statements were positive for Obama and 72% negative. Network reporting also tilted against McCain, but far less dramatically, with 43% of the statements positive and 57% negative, according to the Washington-based media center."
CLICK HEREFCC Approves $13B Sirius-XM Satellite Radio Merger
(RADIO ONLINE) The FCC approved, 3-2, the pending merger of Sirius and XM Satellite Radio Friday evening. After considering a new draft proposal, the 5-member panel signed-off on the deal along party lines. "The merger is in the public interest and will provide consumers with greater flexibility and choices," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a statement. "Consumers will enjoy a variety of programming at reduced prices and more diversified programming choices. It will also spur innovation and advance the development and use of interoperable radios, bringing more flexible programming options to all subscribers."
Details about the new Sirius/XM
(Radio Ink) The two satcasters are now one, as Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio complete the merger that got the blessing of the FCC on Friday. The new company is known as Sirius XM Radio Inc., with the stock trading under Sirius' former symbol, SIRI, and XM shareholders will receive 4.6 shares of Sirius stock for each share of XM. XMSR stock ceased trading at the end of the day Monday. "I am delighted to announce the completion of this exciting merger between Sirius and XM," said Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin. "We have worked diligently to close this transaction, and we look forward to integrating our best-in-class management teams and operations so we can begin delivering on our promise of more choices and lower prices for subscribers."
(Mmmm Hmmm. Remember, Mel would never lie to us...again.)
Clear Channel deal closes
(Inside Radio) Bain Capital and THL Partners closed their $17.9 billion buyout of Clear Channel this morning, taking radio's largest group private. Clear Channel CEO Mark Mays says "Today is a great day for our loyal and patient shareholders." THL Partners co-president Scott Sperling adds "We look forward to working with our management partners to continue building this great company." Clear Channel's stock stopped trading at the end of the day Wednesday.
(A great day for shareholders...but is it a great day for radio listeners? Time will tell.)
CLICK HERE
China plunges into controversy with Internet backflip
(AFP) The Beijing Olympics were plunged into another controversy on Wednesday as China announced a backflip on Internet freedoms for the thousands of foreign reporters covering the Games. China's decision to reverse a pledge on allowing unfettered web access proved an embarrassment for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had repeatedly said foreign press would not face any Internet curbs in Beijing. It was also the latest in a long line of issues to have tarnished the run-up to the Olympics, which start on August 8, following controversies over pollution, human rights and terrorism threats. Beijing Olympic organising committee spokesman Sun Weide triggered the latest public relations flare-up when he confirmed foreign reporters would not have access to some sites deemed sensitive by China's communist rulers. "During the Olympic Games we will provide sufficient access to the Internet for reporters," Sun said. However "sufficient access" falls short of the complete Internet freedoms for foreign reporters that China had promised in the run-up to the Games.
The end of the church lady era at the FCC?(Advertising Age) Simon Dumenco writes: "Watching the "Church Lady" legacy of the FCC get slowly dismantled should be more fun than it is. Instead, it's just reminding me how much time we've all wasted thinking about it over the past few years. That's time we'll never get back. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals last week dismissed the $550,000 indecency fine against CBS in the wake of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl. The judges rightly ruled that the FCC had acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" in fining CBS. Easy enough to laugh off, right? Not really. Because the thing is, the FCC's holy war against Janet Jackson's breast was always something of a red herring meant to distract us from ... well, the FCC's larger holy war. It was about using a tacky moment on live TV (accidental or not) to attempt to not only block future glimpses of ungodly human flesh from broadcast TV, but to infantilize us all with a vastly expanded censorship system."
FCC to Rule Comcast Can't Block Web Videos
(Wall Street Journal) Amy Schatz writes: "Federal regulators are set to announce this week that Comcast Corp. wrongly slowed some of its customers' Internet traffic, in a victory for consumer groups and high-tech companies that have fought to keep Web traffic free from interference. The Federal Communications Commission will rule that the cable giant violated federal policy by deliberately preventing some customers from sharing videos online via file-sharing services like BitTorrent, agency officials said. The company has acknowledged it slowed some traffic, but said it was necessary to prevent a few heavy users from overburdening its network. The decision, expected Friday, would set an important precedent in the continuing fight about how far phone and cable companies can go to make more money from their Internet networks."
CLICK HEREA preview of the "W" movie
(The Hollywood Reporter) After all the casting announcements, Drudge links and general Oliver Stone-ish handwringing, there's finally some footage to go along with the speculation about the upcoming "W." extravaganza. Lionsgate has released a trailer -- a mix of Bush behaving badly and quick shots of actors doing their best impersonations of administration figures -- and while it's hard to get a full read on the movie, there's certainly some tonal inferences about Stone's sardonic take on the commander-in-chief (and a bonus Kennedy joke!) Here's the trailer so you can be amused/closely study it yourself. (Click on the link above)
Pat Cassidy quits WBBM News Radio
(Chicago Tribune) Phil Rosenthal writes: "Pat Cassidy has left as co-host of CBS Radio's all-news WBBM-AM 780's high-rated morning program, station staff members were told today. John Hultman will replace him opposite Felicia Middlebrooks on an interim basis from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., effective tomorrow, until a successor is named in the coming weeks, according to Rod Zimmerman, senior vice president and market manager of CBS Radio Chicago and general manager of Newsradio 780. "[Cassidy] has told me he has a desire to do talk-radio, so we have respected that decision and today was his last day on WBBM," Zimmerman said. "He's been a great contributor to a great brand and a great product that a lot of people use every day. So we certainly wish him well personally." Cassidy was not immediately available for comment. It was not yet known what station he plans to join."
Chicago Radio Spotlight interview with Bill Leff
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with WLS funny man Bill Leff about his long and interesting radio career, from his earliest days just off the stand up comedy tour to his current stint as part of the Roe Conn Show. Coming this weekend: Actor/Broadcaster KC Lupp.
