mediageek

Category: examining the mainstream

  • Streaming Media West: Mobile Media

    This morning sessions were focused on mobile content, podcasting and video blogging. There weren’t any revelations to be had, though it’s interesting to know what the “industry” guys are thinking. Here’s my impressions about the first session: Mobile Media, Portable Media & Personal Broadcasting Refreshingly, none of the panelists fed a lot of hype, and…

  • Former FCC Media Bureau Head Out at CPB

    Ken Ferree was pretty much Michael Powell’s right-hand man on media regulation issues–such as loosening ownership restrictions. So it was no surprise when he left the FCC when Powell did, only to take a sweet position as Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What is a surprise is that…

  • On Today’s Radioshow: Iowans Challenging Sinclair

    In a few minutes I’ll be interviewing Charlie Miller and Eileen Finnegan from Iowans for Better Local TV, in Iowa City. Their group is challenging the license of the Sinclair-owned station in their city, due to its centralizing of news content, and a very locally relevant incident: The tipping point occurred when SBG conducted on…

  • Shot Across the Bow Against Payola in NY

    Payola–so-called “pay for play”–still exists in radio. While it was straigtforward in rock’s early days in the 50s, now it’s sheathed in the guise of “independent consultants” who get songs “placed” on major (and minor) radio stations using moneys given to stations for “promotional expenses.” Those “independent consultants” are then paid by the major labels,…

  • No Indecency Fines So Far in 2005

    Yeah, it suprised me, too, especially given how indecency-happy the FCC and Congress got last year. But then I thought about it and realized that I don’t remember seeing one news item about a fine, just gesticulations in Congress. John Dunbar from the Center for Public Integrity–who we interviewed at the NCMR for the June…

  • Sizing Up Local Public Radio

    My pal Jack Brighton is the assistant director for internet at my local public radio and TV station cluster, WILL. He’s single-handedly responsible for getting that station’s good local content onto the web for streaming and podcasting. Jack’s also keeping a blog on station and public broadcasting affairs, where’s he’s able to show a remarkable…

  • Gov’t Propaganda on Central Illinois TV

    I’m typically keeping an eye on my local media, especially our local Sinclair-owned station. So I’m a little chagrined that I missed a mention of our CBS affiliate WCIA (“We’re watching you, watching us”) in the recent New York Times article on the proliferation of US Gov’t sponsored PR “news” stories getting aired all over…

  • Talkin’ to the Press about Sinclair

    Oh the joys of living in a small town… It means that if you do a local community radio show on the media, then you, too, can become a media pundit. As I mentioned yesterday, I was interviewed by a Daily Illini reporter for a story on Sinclair airing the anti-Kerry documentary. I’m relieved to…

  • Comment On Sinclair

    Free Press has set up a page to help you find your local Sinclair-owned TV station in order to contact it and also send a comment to the FCC. I can get with the canned e-mail they have to send to the FCC: Sinclair Broadcasting’s decision to force their stations to air an anti-Kerry documentary…

  • Media EmergenC Wrap-Up

    San Diego IMC has a wrap-up compendium of coverage of the Media EmergenC convergence and counter-conference that happened there last weekend while the National Association of Broadcasters’ Radio Show convention was in town. On last Friday’s radio show we talked to Jacob, one of the volunteers behind the EmergenC. The show is on-line for download…