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
The FBI spied on reporters
(NY Times) Eric Lichtblau writes: "Two leading senators said Monday that they were troubled by the F.B.I.’s collection of the phone records of four reporters at The New York Times and The Washington Post and that the episode showed a “pressing need” for legislation pending in the Senate that would provide greater legal protection for journalists. Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation disclosed to the two newspapers that it had improperly obtained the phone records of reporters in their Indonesian bureaus in 2004 by using emergency records demands from telephone providers as part of an investigation. Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the bureau, made personal calls to Bill Keller, executive editor of The Times, and Leonard Downie Jr., executive editor of The Post, to apologize. But the ranking senators on the Judiciary Committee, Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, and Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said that was not enough."
Newspapers cutting back on convention coverage(Forbes) Wingfield and Zumbrun write: "Forget April. For bean counters at financially troubled newspapers, August is the cruelest month. Their budget-stretching began with coverage of the Beijing Olympics, which ends Aug. 24. A day later, the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Denver, and the Republican National Convention begins Sept. 1 in St. Paul, Minn. The result is predictable. 'Almost every large news bureau, with maybe a few exceptions, is cutting back,' says Jerry Gallegos, superintendent of the House of Representatives' daily press gallery, which is handling newspapers' convention credentials. In some cases, though he won't say which ones, papers have reduced their staffing 'by as much as 20%.'"
Olympics scoring huge ratings for NBC
(New York Times) Benjamin Toff writes: "NBC continued to steamroller its competitors on Monday, with its coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics attracting an average of 30 million viewers during prime time, according to Nielsen’s estimates."
CLICK HEREFacebook: #1 Globally
(Business Week) Catherine Holahan writes: "When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to illustrate the impact of his social network, he tells a story about several young religious militants from Lebanon who changed their view of Western culture through Facebook friendships. The subtext to the tale is that free expression of ideas, enabled by the Web, bridges deep cultural divides. But we knew that: It's one of the central concepts behind the Olympics, after all. What we didn't know is that Facebook is in Lebanon."
Chicago gets it's own Huffpo site
(Chicago Tribune) Phil Rosenthal writes: "By midday Thursday, The Huffington Post Chicago—a local amalgam of news, commentary, features and personal reflections that's part media outlet, part salon in the fashion of The Huffington Post—should be linked and loaded, ready for viewing off thehuffingtonpost.com. 'I just got a great blog post from John Cusack,' Huffington said. 'People who are from Chicago have all these amazing warm feeling and memories of Chicago. … It is tribal. John is in Bangkok making a movie, and he was kind of emotional with this ode to Chicago.' Chicago-raised actress Jami Gertz is working on a submission, as is Fred Armisen of 'Saturday Night Live.' On tap are such familiar bylines as Jonathan Alter, Lynn Sweet, Cornelia Grumman, Lee Bey and Esther Cepeda. Others, such as environmentalist Howard Lerner and chef Gale Gand, bring a particular expertise to the party."
CLICK HERE
Peterson leaves WUSN & WCFS
(Radio Online) Mike Peterson is leaving CBS Radio's Country WUSN-FM (US 99)/Chicago as Program Director to operate a family business in Oregon. Peterson also served as PD of co-owned AC WCFS-FM (Fresh 105.9). Prior to joining US 99 in June, 2004, he was PD and afternoon talent at then sister KSKS-FM (Kiss Country 93.7)/Fresno, coming from APD/MD duties at KYPT-FM/Seattle. In a memo to the staff, VP/GM Dave Robbins said, "While the decision to leave was very hard for Mike and we will miss him greatly, the combination of this business potential and a return home to Oregon were simply too powerful to ignore." Peterson's last day will be Friday, August 29.
Chicago Radio Spotlight interview with Clark Weber(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with radio legend Clark Weber about his new book; "Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio: 1955-1975, The Fun Years." As always, Clark has some great stories about early rock and roll stars, and the radio people who helped make them famous. Coming this weekend: An interview with ESPN Radio's Dan McNeil.
Reticence of Main Stream Media to cover John Edwards controversy is a story in itself
(NY Times) Carter and Perez-Pena write: "For almost 10 months, the story of John Edwards’s affair remained the nearly exclusive province of the National Enquirer — through reports, denials, news of a pregnancy, questions about paternity and, finally, a slapstick chase through a hotel in Beverly Hills. Political blogs, some cable networks and a few newspapers reported on it — or, more accurately, reported on The Enquirer reporting on it. Jay Leno and David Letterman made Mr. Edwards the butt of jokes on their late-night shows, but their own networks declined to report on the rumors surrounding him on the evening news. Why?"
The FCC’s war on indecency is “a Victorian crusade.”(Radio-info.com) Tom Taylor writes: "That’s not my phrase (though it fits) but a quote from the first paragraph in a powerful brief just filed at the Supreme Court by some very influential people – two former FCC Chairmen, Mark Fowler and Newton Minow (he once labeled TV “a vast wasteland”), and respected former Commissioner and interim Chairman Jim Quello. It’s also signed by several former top-level legal and policy minds at the FCC, and these aren’t wild-eyed throw-open-the-gates guys – two of the ex-Commissioners signed the FCC’s original Pacifica George Carlin decision...Bottom line: the FCC’s indecency standards have never really been tested at the Supreme Court. It’s apparently going to take a bunch of TV broadcasters – Fox plus the other TV networks – to get it there. While radio watches from the bleachers. Of course there’s the little matter of the Congressionally-mandated $325,000 fines for indecency."
CLICK HEREMel Karmazin warns Viacom CEO about Sumner Redstone
(NY Post) Peter Lauria writes: "Sirius XM Radio CEO Mel Karmazin has some advice for Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman: put some distance between yourself and Sumner Redstone. Karmazin, after all, knows all too well that once inside Redstone's inner circle, it's only a matter of time before the Viacom chairman starts looking for ways to push you out. "Philippe is very close to Sumner," said Karmazin in an interview from a conference room at Sirius' Midtown headquarters. "There was a time when Sumner was very close to a lot of people. The only thing that's certain is that if Sumner is close to you now, he won't be close to you in the future because that's been his track record, including with family members...When [Redstone] would talk to me about Freston, who I think is a great executive, he used to talk like he was his son," Karmazin said. "Then the stock goes down for two days and he fired him."
Mel Karmazin: "We're going to be bigger than Clear Channel"
(New York Post) Peter Lauria writes: "Mel Karmazin is on a mission. Now that the creation of Sirius XM is official, terrestrial radio's formerly brightest star is after nothing short of total domination of his old medium. "We're going to be the most successful company in radio," Karmazin said in an interview with The Post. "We're going to be bigger than Clear Channel because we're growing and they're going the other way."
Nightline at risk if Leno jumps to ABC
(LA Times) Meg James writes: "This should be a new dawn for "Nightline." Instead, it could be good night. After years of lagging behind dueling late-night talk shows, the ABC news program is winning attention with a series of high-profile scoops and closing the viewer gap against "Late Show With David Letterman." But instead of celebrating, "Nightline" staffers are anxious. Six years ago, Walt Disney Co. tried to lure Letterman to its ABC network, a move that backfired and frayed relations with the news division. Now, the company seems interested in courting Letterman's nemesis -- NBC's Jay Leno. If Leno landed at ABC, it would probably spell the end of the nearly 29-year-old program, which launched in 1979 as a late-night report called "The Iran Crisis -- America Held Hostage" during the occupation of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran."
