Tell the House to Stop the FCC!
Following an action that generated “80,000 letters to the Senate Commerce Committee telling them to Stop the FCC” ruling on video franchising, media activists now ask you to write a House Subcommittee ahead of their annual review of the not-so-regulatory body. That FCC ruling went far deeper than the failed Congressional legislation of last year in attacking Public, Educational and Governmental Access channels and facilities. It also threatens local municipalities ability to exercise control over their [cable] “rights of way.”

‘24′ cuts down on torture scenes.
The Fox TV series ‘24′ will include fewer torture scenes in its final episodes this season. Executive Producer Howard Gordon claimed that the change was not due pressure from the military, but rather because it had become cliché. “What was once an extraordinary or exceptional moment is starting to feel a little trite. The idea of physical coercion or torture is no longer a novelty or surprise,” Gordon said.
That last sentence highlights the very problem with “novelty” or shock programming—that its shelf life is limited.  Just as addictive substances require ever larger doses to feel the high, shock programming requires ever escalating shock value.  Bear that in mind the next time you wonder why so much television programming shows the most debased human activity.

Report urges FCC to limit TV violence
WASHINGTON – Television networks are free to sprinkle their programs with shootings, slashings, torture and other gore because the government has no regulatory authority over violent programming. But a draft report being circulated at the Federal Communications Commission says Congress can change that, without violating the First Amendment.
I don’t know if regulation is the way to go, but I do have to wonder why there are so few alternatives to all the violence and debasement.  Has anyone studied a possible correlation between television violence and the number of children taking drugs because they can’t sit still?  Is anyone other than me worried about the disempowerment involved in all the programs showing that only people with supernatural powers can right the wrongs of the world?  Where are the alternatives?  Why isn’t “liberal” Hollywood creating movies and television programs that show ordinary people trying their best to do the right things in a difficult world?  Only at Christmas time are we treated to a few feel-good movies, and then we’re right back to slash-‘em-up, burn-‘em-up.

Ownership Of Media Devalues Democracy
The media conglomerates have enhanced the existence of a corrupt electoral system in which candidate access to the public can only be secured by the expenditure of millions of dollars spent on expensive, 30-second spot ads, and where only those candidates who are backed by wealthy corporations need apply.

‘Wash Times’ Fails to Correct Fabricated Abraham Lincoln Quote — Now a Congressman is Using It
NEW YORK More than two days after an inflammatory quote used by a regular Washington Times columnist was shown to be fabricated — it was attributed to Abraham Lincoln, no less — the newspaper still has not removed it from the article, nor carried a correction. That’s one reason Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) cited the quote on the floor of the House today in the debate over the Iraq war “surge.” He took it to be true, apparently.

Dems risk image woes over Iraq war moves
WASHINGTON – Democrats face a host of risks as they move toward more substantive steps to tie President Bush’s hands with funding restrictions on the Iraq war.
It’s interesting that the AP was able to find a Democrat who disagrees with the leadership on pressing the Bush administration to stop escalating our current wars and stop starting new ones.  Democrats will certainly not be risking their “image” by siding with 60% to 70% of the American people.

Where to Draw Line on Story Balance?
A letter to the editor makes an important analogy when questioning an article about “Gay teens coming out earlier to peers and family” that quoted opponents of high school Gay-Straight alliances. While opposition to such alliances is worth noting, I have to wonder whether it was necessary to quote from the Family Research Council’s Peter Sprigg, who insists that “homosexuality is harmful to society.” If a black high school student had organized an African-American studies group, would it have been necessary to give voice to a local representative of the Ku Klux Klan in an effort to appear “fair and balanced?”

Hands Off The High School Paper
Student journalists and school personnel have been known to clash on occasion over what news is fit to print. Now precedent-setting legislation wending its way through the Washington State House is intended to give students more control over and responsibility for the content of the school publication.

AFN Selects Colmes to Replace Franken
Bad news continues afflict the lib talk format. First we hear, this week, that two more lib talk stations will likely be flipping formats –KCTC in Sacramento (on Monday) and KPFT in Fresno (in about two months). Now we learn that the Armed Forces Network will be replacing Al Franken’s spot of their line-up with “Fox’s liberal punching bag”, Alan Colmes. Yes, the AFN overlooked the top ten syndicated liberal hosts on the radio, and selected someone who is generally dispised by lib talk listeners.

Olbermann Renews With MSNBC
Keith Olbermann has renewed his contract with MSNBC for four additional years, signing a deal that will keep him at the helm of Countdown while raising his profile at 30 Rock. Per terms of the deal, Olbermann will make occasional appearances on NBC Nightly News as a commentator; in addition, NBC will play host to a pair of annual Countdown prime-time specials.

Google Turns Over User IDs
Google’s YouTube and a company called Live Digital will offer no refuge to users who uploaded pirated copies of Fox Television’s “24″ and “The Simpsons” onto their video platforms.

Yahoo Tries to Protect Turf From TV Rivals
On Tuesday, Yahoo executives tried to persuade media buyers to give it more consideration when figuring out their ad spending. Advertising only on television means reaching audiences “who may or may not be interested in the product being advertised,” said Wenda Harris Millard, Yahoo’s chief sales officer. She also admonished buyers to remember that 17% of media consumption is online, but only 6% of media dollars are spent there. “Clearly, a disconnect,” she added.

Networked Homes Ripe For PC-Based Entertainment
E-mail, Web surfing, and shopping also topped the list of computer chores for the vast majority of U.S. adults, according to Harris Interactive.

All the World’s a Stage (That Includes the Internet)
Performers are turning to video sites that share ad revenue or pay by number of viewers.

New plugged-in toys follow kids online
At the annual American International Toy Fair this week, toy makers showed playthings like Power Rangers helmets which store secret missions found online, plenty of online games and even devices that take kids to secure websites where they can play activities without wandering into the darker corners of the Internet.