Permanent link to MTA daily media news
DNC protests will be behind fence (Denver Post)
The fence around the public demonstration zone outside the Democratic National Convention will be chicken wire or chain link, authorities revealed in U.S. District Court [Monday]… But the American Civil Liberties Union and several advocacy groups have filed an amended complaint to their lawsuit against the U.S. Secret Service and the city and county of Denver that says protestors and demonstrators may have their First Amendment rights violated by security restrictions.
From Steve Bradenton in 2004
Attacking” McCain’s Military Record (by Zachary Roth, Columbia Journalism Review)
The McCain camp, sensing an opportunity, complained that Clark had “attacked John McCain’s military service record.” Of course, Clark had done nothing of the kind. He had questioned the relevance of McCain’s combat experience as a qualification to be president of the United States. This is a distinction that you’d expect any reasonably intelligent nine-year old to be able to grasp. But many in the press have been unable to.
John McCain uses Swiftboater Bud Day to attack Wesley Clark (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
McCain just trotted out a man who was a leading voice from the Swift boaters against John Kerry, Bud Day…. That Day would politicize Vietnam in his defense of McCain is not surprising. During the 2004 campaign, he said of Kerry: “My view is he basically will go down in history sometime as the Benedict Arnold of 1971.” And after appearing in a national advertisement for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign, Day formed the Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation, an extension of the Swift Boat effort.
Barack Obama Folds on General Clark (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
The North Vietnamese tortured John McCain for years but he resisted until he was physically broken and scarred for life. What did it take to make Barack crack? Some pointed criticism from Republicans. Barack was not hung by his arms and beaten by bamboo. Nonetheless, in a quintessential display of cowardice as a leader, he sold out Wesley Clark. Note to Clark–nice try General, but it is time to realize that Barack does not stand and take the fire… This is world class irony boys and girls. The General trying to make the case that the junior Senator from Illinois is more of a leader than the grumpy Naval aviator from Arizona gets sandbagged by the kid he is trying to convince America is ready to be Commander-in-Chief.
Slamming Wesley Clark (by Joan Walsh)
If Obama wants to shut down a supporter who is truly doing him harm, his folks will have a word with Americablog’s John Aravosis, who came unhinged attacking Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary and hasn’t found time to get himself, um, re-hinged. a regrettable Aravosis post…[:] “‘A lot of people don’t know … that McCain made a propaganda video for the enemy while he was in captivity,’ Aravosis wrote. ‘Putting that bit of disloyalty aside, what exactly is McCain’s military experience that prepares him for being commander in chief … Getting shot down, tortured and then doing propaganda for the enemy is not command experience.’”
None of us can judge what Senator McCain went through, or what he did because of it. Not one of us.
General Clark On the Verdict (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
“Not backing away from anything I said,” says Clark.
Wes Clark (by Paul Krugman)
[Y]ou knew this was going to happen. Barack Obama was the repeated beneficiary of this kind of willful misinterpretation during the primary — remember “as far as I know”? — but it was a given that if and when he secured the nomination, the usual suspects in the news media would turn their fire on him. Just to be clear, that doesn’t make it right: what’s happened over the last 24 hours is just grotesque, and should be denounced. That said, it was predictable. What I always wondered, during the primary, was whether the Obama campaign was ready to deal with the post-primary environment, in which McCain would be the media darling, and Obama would lose his sheltered status and face the usual treatment. So far, the answer seems to be no.
Life is right (by Jeff Jarvis)
I see a tweet from No. 10 that leads me to [a] statement by PM Gordon Brown: “… healthcare is not a privilege to be purchased but a moral right secured for all.” A moral right for all. That is where the debate should begin here.
And where is our presumptuous nominee on this issue? Why, he’s busy turning into the next George Bush. See below.
Obama to expand Bush’s faith based programs
CHICAGO – Reaching out to evangelical voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is announcing plans that would expand President Bush’s program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups and — in a move sure to cause controversy — support their ability to hire and fire based on faith.
Because we need to spend more tax money to encourage preachers like the one below.
Southern Baptist scholar says spousal abuse stems from wife’s refusal to submit to husband. Think Progress)
Bruce Ware — a Southern Baptist scholar – argued that one reason that men abuse their wives is because women rebel against their husband’s God-given authority: “‘And husbands on their parts, because they’re sinners, now respond to that threat to their authority either by being abusive, which is of course one of the ways men can respond when their authority is challenged – -or, more commonly, to become passive, acquiescent, and simply not asserting the leadership they ought to as men in their homes and in churches,’ Ware said from the pulpit of Denton Bible Church in Denton, Texas.”
Instead of Marching In Chicago’s Gay Pride Parade, Barack Obama Got A Haircut (HillBuzz)
Instead of marching in Chicago’s Gay Pride Parade to support LGBT rights in his hometown of Chicago, Barack Obama got a haircut, then went to an elite private club for a steam:.. Surely the haircut could have waited until Monday, so Obama could have marched in the Pride Parade on Sunday. Or, even better, couldn’t he have gotten his haircut at the Pride Parade itself? With 400,000 people in attendance, most of them fabulous, there was bound to be at least one person there who knows how to cut and style hair.
There might even have been several people at the parade who could have given Obama a haircut. And at least a few who could have given him a workout.
Obama skips annual meeting of centrist Democrats
CHICAGO — It helped launch the last Democratic president and has pushed and prodded every Democratic candidate since Bill Clinton to adopt its centrist positions on issues from budget discipline to welfare.
Obama’s for Equal Pay, Yet Pays Female Staffers Less Than Males (by Fred Lucas, CNS News)
While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed to make pay equity for women a top priority if elected president, an analysis of his Senate staff shows that women are outnumbered and out-paid by men… The average pay for the 33 men on Obama’s staff (who earned more than $23,000, the lowest annual salary paid for non-intern employees) was $59,207. The average pay for the 31 women on Obama’s staff who earned more than $23,000 per year was $48,729.91.
Obama’s latest ad touts the ‘dignity that comes from work’ (On Politics, USA Today)
Democrat Barack Obama’s second ad of the “general election” presidential campaign is going on the air in 18 states… “As president, he’ll end tax breaks for companies that export jobs, reward those that create jobs in America. And never forget the dignity that comes from work.”
“Dignity” Airs In 18 States (by MarcAmbinder, The Atlantic)
Barack Obama’s second general election ad is called “dignity.”… “Announcer: He worked his way through college and Harvard Law. Turned down big money offers, and helped lift neighborhoods stung by job loss. Fought for workers’ rights. He passed a law to move people from welfare to work, slashed the rolls by eighty percent. Passed tax cuts for workers; health care for kids…” Notice how the careful omission of a pronoun makes it sound like Obama himself “slashed” welfare — a nice and defensible trick of the trade. Actually, the word “passed” here is a bit out of context. As other news organizations have noted, Obama co-sponsored the bill, which brought Illinois into compliance with the ‘96 federal law; legislators don’t pass anything. And it passed overwhelmingly — Democrats and Republicans in the Illinois Senate supported it; there was only one no vote And Obama glosses over his opposition to the ‘96 federal welfare reform law.
Machinists Just Say “Present” to Obama (The Plank, The New Republic)
At the AFL-CIO meeting this week that endorsed Barack Obama, one union president, Thomas Buffenbarger of the Machinists, voted “present.” In a letter to his members, Buffenbarger explained: “Now is not the right time for the IAM to endorse Senator Barack Obama… Our members feel the economy squeezing their family finances for every last dime, every single week … But those meat and potato issues have not found a place in the message frame developed by Senator Obama’s campaign.”
Kucinich won’t rally for Obama until he gets answers (The Hill)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) has yet to officially endorse Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president and indicated he will not rally his liberal supporters this fall until he knows “what the party stands for.” In an interview this week, Kucinich said it is too early to see which direction the Democratic Party is headed this election year. Pressed on when a formal endorsement of Obama would be announced, Kucinich replied, “[Obama and I] will be talking.”
I’m with you, Dennis.
Obama’s Iraq Problem (Political Wire)
George Packer: “With the general election four months away, Obama’s rhetoric on the topic [of Iraq] now seems outdated and out of touch, and the nominee-apparent may have a political problem concerning the very issue that did so much to bring him this far. He doubtless realizes that his original plan, if implemented now, could revive the badly wounded Al Qaeda in Iraq, reënergize the Sunni insurgency, embolden Moqtada al-Sadr to recoup his militia’s recent losses to the Iraqi Army, and return the central government to a state of collapse.” As a result, Marc Ambinder says Sen. John McCain will press Obama on Iraq all week. Said one McCain adviser: “He is in a bad place. Caught between his promise to his base and the reality on the ground. Immediate withdrawal isn’t a good place to be.”
Where’s the Change? (by Steve Soto at the Left Coaster)
Over the weekend, two major newspapers came to roughly the same conclusion about Barack Obama’s behavior since he vanquished Hillary Clinton as a new kind of change candidate: he’s moving to the center, or beyond… Matt Stoller did an outstanding job Saturday pointing out that despite the rhetoric, Obama isn’t really an outsider running as a change candidate progressive, but rather as a front person for Beltway Democrats from K Street. I’ll go a step further: there are two major camps in the party, the Clinton wing and the anti-Clintons. Neither camp is progressive, and Obama is simply the salesman for the anti-Clinton, Daschle status quo. Yet he has taken over the party, leaving progressivism dead in the water.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Special Comment: Olbermann Challenges Obama To Do The Right Thing On FISA (by Logan Murphy at Crooks and Liars)
Keith Olbermann presented Barack Obama with a few options on how to handle the pending FISA legislation in a Special Comment on Monday’s Countdown… As Keith points out, Obama has taken political hits from the right and the left and the right is going to attack him no matter how he votes, so he might as well do the right thing and demand telecom immunity be stripped from the bill… “[B]uy yourself — and those who have most ardently supported you — something worth more than just class action suits against Verizon. Explain that you are standing aside on civil immunity, not just for political expediency, but for a greater and more tangible good — the holding to account, of the most-corrupt, the most dangerous, and the most anti-democracy presidential administration in our long history.”
I predict that Obama will not do that. He’s too busy courting the people who voted for Bush that he wants to vote for him, rather than McCain.
Memo to Obama: Moving to the Middle is for Losers. (by Arianna Huffington)
The Obama brand has always been about inspiration, a new kind of politics, the audacity of hope, and “change we can believe in.” I like that brand. More importantly, voters — especially unlikely voters — like that brand. Pulling it off the shelf and replacing it with a political product geared to pleasing America’s vacillating swing voters — the ones who will be most susceptible to the fear-mongering avalanche that has already begun — would be a fatal blunder.
Yeah, well, you helped him get to this point, Arianna, and so did Keith. You get what you deserve, but apparently the rest of us have to suffer for your blindness, too.
No one could have anticipated… (by vastleft at Corrente)
Stephen Ducat at HuffPo: “Obama’s resort to the triangulation of the old politics is an admission of a much more serious limitation. It tells us that he does not believe in his own ability to reframe certain key issues in a way that makes a progressive stance the one that is obviously the most moral. It shows that he does not feel up to the task of rendering some liberal principles intellectually clear and emotionally compelling…” If only someone had thought to escalate the issue that Obama’s framing could become a problem!… [A]s recently as April, Ducat fantasized that Obama might “get it” on framing. But even though Obama never came through, Ducat was happy to take the FITH on The Hopeful One’s greatest framing success: framing the Clintons as racists.
Vastleft links to several warnings. Too bad those of us who saw this primary with clear eyes are the ones who were ignored.
When Will MoveOn Get a Clue? (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
Barack Obama is NO friend to MoveOn. What has Barack Obama ever DONE for MoveOn? Why does MoveOn still put Obama’s photo on its home page and pander to him? Obama attacked MoveOn head-on in his speech [Monday] for its ads criticizing General Petreaus in September 2007… [Emphasis added] Last September, when Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) attached an amendment to a defense bill that condemned MoveOn’s ad, guess who stood up for MoveOn’s right to free speech (albeit ill-advised): It was Sen. Hillary Clinton, who voted against Sen Cornyn’s amendment. And now guess who hid out — even though he was in the building — to avoid voting to support MoveOn’s right to free speech.. The one candidate who “stood up” for MoveOn got dirt kicked in her face by MoveOn and the left.
The Obama Agenda (by Paul Krugman)
[T]he odds are that this will be a “change” election — which means that it’s very much Mr. Obama’s election to lose. But if he wins, how much change will he actually deliver?… The Reagan-Clinton comparison suggests that a candidate who runs on a clear agenda is more likely to achieve fundamental change than a candidate who runs on the promise of change but isn’t too clear about what that change would involve… One thing is clear: for Democrats, winning this election should be the easy part. Everything is going their way: sky-high gas prices, a weak economy and a deeply unpopular president. The real question is whether they will take advantage of this once-in-a-generation chance to change the country’s direction. And that’s mainly up to Mr. Obama.
The other Clinton also on board after phone call from Obama (Hot off the Trail, McClatchy)
After weeks of not talking, and then the much analyzed one-sentence-statement-of-support last week from the former president, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama finally chatted today by phone and Clinton committed to campaigning between now and November for the man who defeated his wife for the Democratic nomination. “Senator Obama had a terrific conversation with President Clinton and is honored to have his support in this campaign,” said Obama spokesman Bill Burton, adding that Obama”has always believed that Bill Clinton is one of this nation’s great leaders and most brilliant minds, and looks forward to seeing him on the campaign trail and receiving his counsel in the months to come.”
What a liar! Obama purposely dissed President Clinton throughout the primary.
Monday: The Racism Backlash (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
You’ve got a lot of pretentious liberals who have interrupted the most important election of my lifetime and have decided to turn it into a teachable moment about race. This is a baaaaad idea. Because they have insulted the character of so many voters who do not see the election in racial terms. They think this election is about the future of our country and they are not pleased to be sidetracked by racism nor are they happy about being called racists by people who think they know better. Backlash is coming, complete with Klieg lights and cameras.
So, maybe he’s not 2% less evil, but… (by vastleft at Corrente)
If this came from anyone but Digby, I’d do this as one of those snarky “shorter” items. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t she saying that because Obama is black, the only improvement we can reasonably expect from him over other liberal-phobic Democrats is that he’s black? And the same goes double for Hillary, because she’s not only a chick but a Clinton, so we’d have gotten even less out of her. The benefit with her would be the first woman president minus a CDS penalty. In other words, the DNC and the superdelegates chose wisely. Is this a great party, or what?
Selling Race Bait II: The “R Word” Threats (by Pat Racimora at No Quarter)
A most curious thing is happening, and not only to me. The first time in my life that I was called a racist was about four months ago. I was on the sidewalk and a guy on a bicycle yelled out that “R” word as he raced by me. Why? I assume it was because I was wearing a Hillary tee-shirt… The second time was on a blog regarding one of my cartoons, despite the fact that I strive to select valid issues and data. This time it stung, but didn’t feel quite so bad. The third time was a particularly nasty slam on the blog, Daily Kos. And, I just didn’t care. In fact, it made me even more determined to share my concerns about campaign issues through my drawings… I predict this will be one legacy of the 2008 campaign— The definition of “Racist” will become “Someone who expresses something that you don’t like.” We will have to think up something else to call those who actually deserve the label.
‘Anti-Obama’ blogs back up; should conspiracists be feeling ‘a little silly?’
A “kerfuffle” over the blocking of some blogs by Google — all of them “anti-Obama” — seems to be mostly over. The blogs have been unblocked and Simon Owens at Bloggasm, who had followed the developments, says that those who suspected a conspiracy led by supporters of Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama to shut down blogs critical of their man “might be feeling a little silly right now.” Google’s explanation for the blockings is that it’s spam filters mistakenly got tripped.
Spam filters. Uh huh. But it only happened to anti-Obama sites. Very innaresting.
Washington Times Calls Out McCain For Lying About Support For 1986 Immigration Legislation (Think Progress)
As ThinkProgress noted on Saturday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) made inconsistent immigration pledges in a speech to the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, claiming he would both “secure our borders first” and make comprehensive reform his “top priority”… But that wasn’t the only false claim McCain made that day. [Sunday], the Washington Times noted that McCain also claimed he supported the 1986 Immigration Reform Act, legislation long lambasted by conservatives as an “amnesty” bill.
McCain Sticks It To Organized Labor: Visits Company That Refused To Pay Minimum Wage (Think Progress)
Today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) visited Worth & Co., a contracting company in Bucks County, PA, where he held a town hall. The visit is a slap in the face to the state’s unions, since Worth & Co. has been investigated by the state Department of Labor and Industry for “intentionally failing to pay the predetermined minimum wage” to its employees.
McCain aide: Reporters ‘have to earn’ special interview area seat on new ’straight talk’ airplane. (Think Progress)
The Washington Post reports that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is now traveling in a new “Straight Talk Express” campaign airplane. It “features a special area” with “a couch and two captain’s chairs” where “McCain will conduct group interviews with the press.” But not all reporters covering McCain can enjoy this new lap of luxury. Top McCain aide Mark Salter said “‘only the good reporters’ would get to sit in the specially-configured section for interviews. ‘You’ll have to earn it,’ he said.” So how can these reporters “earn” a seat? Never challenge the Senator, as McCain biographer Matt Welch explained in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.
WHO THE %&#@ IS CLARK HOYT: (by Bob Somerby at the Daily Howler)
On Sunday, New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt published four letters concerning the pounding he dished to Maureen Dowd last week. Sadly, the first letter came from Times columnist Gail Collins. Collins’ letter was so inane—or so dishonest—that we’ll post the whole sorry thing. It gives you a look inside the world of our broken-souled upper-end “press corps” … “Your complaint about Maureen seems to be that many supporters of Hillary Clinton found her columns offensive.”… In his June 22 column, … Hoyt’s judgment was stated quite clearly. “[B]y assailing Clinton in gender-heavy terms in column after column,” Dowd “went over the top this election season.”… [P]eople like Collins have played this sick game a long time; they’re unaccustomed to the indignity of criticism of the type Hoyt delivered. Her natural reaction to such an outrage? Of course! She played dumb—lied—about what Hoyt said! She boo-hoo-hooed, and pretended that Hoyt was trying to “tone down” free inquiry!
Bob goes on to explain that Hoyt came to the New York Times from Knight Ridder, where he “oversaw the newspaper chain’s coverage that questioned the Bush administration’s case for the Iraq war.” That alone is enough to keep him out of the mainstream Beltway Villagers’ Club.
Media Matters for America headlines
• Broadcast networks falsely suggested that Clark criticized McCain’s service
• Fox News’ Shawn falsely claimed, “General Clark said that Mr. McCain does not serve in a wartime squadron”
• MSNBC’s Brewer falsely claimed Bill Clinton “reportedly told” Telegraph that “Obama was going to, quote, ‘have to kiss my you-know-what’ “
• MSNBC’s Novotny falsely claimed Clark “blasted McCain’s military record”
• CNN’s American Morning deceptively cropped Clark interview
• Time’s Carney is latest media figure to cite National Journal ranking of Obama without noting rankings’ subjectivity
• Fox’s Henneberg deceptively cropped Clark interview while claiming Clark “seemed to attack McCain’s military service”
• WSJ’s Moore didn’t note that McCain’s own words contradict Gramm’s claim that McCain “wants to cut defense”
Copyright Office discovers web forms, online submissions
This week the Copyright Office finally embraces the single most obvious application of the Web: freeing people from filling out paper forms… The benefits include ten dollars off the normal filing fee ($35 instead of $45), faster processing time, credit card payments, and online status tracking.
Mo. governor signs cyberbullying bill
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt signed a bill Monday outlawing cyberbullying, just miles from where a 13-year-old girl committed suicide nearly two years ago after being harassed on the Internet.
Boing Boing Removes Blogger From Archives
Internet freedom advocates — a group that includes just about every blogger — are up in arms at the revelation that Boing Boing, the incredibly popular this-and-that blog, has purged its archives of all the works of Violet Blue, a blogger who also contributes to Gawker sex site Fleshbot.
Swedes protest sweeping e-mail eavesdropping law
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) – A public outcry against Sweden’s eavesdropping law reached new heights Monday with protesters sending more than 1 million e-mails to lawmakers, parliamentary officials said.
Adding technologists to a journalism classroom
Newsrooms the world over would benefit from social networking.
Inching Toward an Era-Appropriate New Local News Service (by Steve Outing, Editor & Publisher)
While it’s tempting to view newspapers from a glass-half-empty perspective, I’m trying to force my brain into a half-full viewpoint. Actually, I think that is possible, because there are some interesting experiments under way right now that may hint at some solutions.
Online, all journalism is potentially local
Online, … all journalism is potentially ‘local.’ Local context is compiled by the reader: It is disaggregated and re-aggregated from many sources. ‘Local’ is all about our networks, not about our geography.
Asking whether local is better in journalism is the wrong question
What does local mean in the 21st century? Geographical proximity is still a factor in news, as people are interested in what their neighbors are up to. But perhaps we should pay more attention to the notion of cultural proximity.
Guardian column: Down to the wire (by Jeff Jarvis)
My Guardian column this week reprises the talk of the last two weeks about The Associated Press — not so much the blog kerfuffle but the clash of media models and the fate of syndicates. The end: “Wire services, like all news organisations, must reinvent themselves. Reuters is building a consumer brand, competing with some of its customers; that’s one answer. Others: a syndicate could become a network of links to original content, a curator of the best, most reliable original reporting from any source. A syndicate could also become an advertising network supporting the best of that content. It could become a cooperative – which is how AP was founded – to report that which isn’t being reported already. It could become a platform and marketplace for reporting, enabling anyone to contribute to a larger network of news.”
Gannett Reorganizes Newspaper Division
Gannett Co. Inc. said Friday it is reorganizing its U.S. Community Publishing division, reducing the number of regional groups by one to four and seeing off two retiring top executives. Under the new structure, five regional groups have been reorganized into four: East, South, Interstate and West.
A Look at the ‘New Scripps’ and CEO Boehne
Today Rich Boehne steps into the role of president and CEO of the newly formed E.W. Scripps Co., a company that has been relatively unscathed–at least compared to its peers–on the Street.
‘Plain Dealer’ Cuts 32 Pages Per Week, Drops Four Sections
The Advance Publications daily also will cut opinion and editorial pages, while eliminating its Monday business section, among others. “The Plain Dealer has always been a fairly robust newspaper in terms of space,” Managing Editor Debra Adams Simmons said about the effect of the page cuts. “We still have a good amount of space to do our work.”
Ventura Paper Latest to ‘Reinvent’ Itself — Admits Cost Cutting, Not ‘Better’ Paper, Is Aim
The Ventura’s paper’s editor Joe R. Howry wrote a lengthy note to readers in the Sunday paper in which he admitted that, unlike previous redesigns and big changes, the new ones will not be to make the paper “better” but are purely due to cutting costs. Plus, Cleveland’s Plain Dealer also announced big shifts
WaPo Weighs New Politics Site
Over the past year, politics-oriented Web sites have attracted record amounts of Internet traffic, and the Washington Post has apparently concluded that it’s not commanding enough of it. Top thinkers at the paper are currently discussing a brand-new, semi-autonomous site that would package the Post’s politics reporting, multimedia offerings, and other stuff.
Are Free Magazines the Future of Publishing?
Rising price of paper and postage makes the cost of acquiring and keeping paid circulation too high compared to the revenue it generates. Consumer mags will eventually move to a controlled free circulation model.”
Sky Attacks BBC Blockbuster Film Bids
BSkyB said the BBC should not be allowed to bid for Hollywood films or US TV series and that Channel 4’s claim of a potential $250 million funding gap is “open to challenge,” in its submission to Ofcom’s second review of public service broadcasting.
Oliver Stone and ‘W.,’ A Story of President Bush
A longtime backer of Democratic candidates (recent donations include a gift to Sen. Barack Obama), Oliver Stone is either the oddest person to chronicle the life of the current president or the most inspired. Whatever the verdict, the marriage of director and subject has left nearly as many people running for the sidelines as wanting to be a part of the director’s undertaking.
Hollywood on Edge as Actors Contract Set to Expire
Hollywood movie studios are preparing to go into shutdown here Monday, when a contract with the top actors union expires, raising the grim possibility of another crippling strike. Negotiations to renew the contract between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have so far been deadlocked, echoing the build-up to this year’s screenwriters strike.
Hollywood studio, Google forge new ground on Web
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A major Hollywood studio and online search engine Google Inc on unveiled separate moves on Monday to put movie and TV-like content on the Web, highlighting the way in which both see the Internet as critical to reaching customers.
Senate Dems: Compromise XM-Sirius Proposal Not Enough
With the Federal Communications Commission members kicking around the compromise proposal for an XM Satellite Radio-Sirius Satellite Radio merger and both Democrats and Republicans still talking of wanting to get a decision out the door “soon,” several high-profile Democrats weighed in saying that the proposal does not go far enough for their liking.
MSNBC’s Political Bet Pays Off
MSNBC is a player in the cable news competition in a way it hasn’t been before. The surge in viewership created by the presidential campaign has benefited MSNBC more than Fox News Channel or CNN, and Phil Griffin, the NBC News executive who oversees MSNBC, is pushing to consolidate those gains.
Fox Producer ‘Regrets’ Showing Model Suicide Footage
Geraldo At Large made the decision Sunday night to show “exclusive” video of model, Ruslana Korshunova, who committed suicide in New York City Saturday. The video included images of her bloody, pale face with the rest of her body covered by a white sheet. David Clark, EP of weekend programming, tells TVNewser: “It was a producer error and we deeply regret it.”
What I Learned at Reality-TV School (by Troy Patterson, Slate)
Last Saturday in Manhattan, about 20 people participated in Robert Galinsky’s one-day intensive course. It cost $139, with a $20 discount for early registration. It amounted to a three-hour lesson in cultivating narcissism — being one’s self as noisily as possible. It was not quite as imbecilic as I’d hoped.
TV Viewers’ Average Age Hits 50
The broadcast networks have grown older than ever — if they were a person, they wouldn’t even be a part of TV’s target demo anymore. According to a study released by Magna Global’s Steve Sternberg, the five broadcast nets’ average live median age (in other words, not including delayed DVR viewing) was 50 last season. That’s the oldest ever since Sternberg started analyzing median age more than a decade ago — and the first time the nets’ median age was outside of the vaunted 18-49 demo.
CBS Completes Acquisition of CNet Networks
Television and radio station operator CBS Corp. said it completed its acquisition of Web site operator CNet Networks Inc. CBS paid $11.50 apiece for San Francisco-based CNet, which provides technology, food, and entertainment information through its CNet.com Web site and other consumer information sites. CBS shares fell 12 cents to $19.64 in afternoon trading.
Adobe to help reveal ‘invisible’ Flash Web content
Adobe Systems is helping Google and Yahoo to uncover Web content that was previously “invisible” to Web searches.
Yahoo takes its defense against Icahn to investors
NEW YORK (AP) – Yahoo Inc. began pressing a case to major shareholders Monday that its board and management deserve a chance to prove they made the right move when they rejected a $47.5 billion takeover offer from Microsoft Corp.
Amateurs Curry Favor With YouTube Shows
On YouTube, anyone can be a famous chef. Actually, on YouTube anyone can be famous for doing almost anything. But cooking seems to be one of the most popular ways for amateurs and would-be Rachael Rays to become online personalities with their own “cooking shows.”
coComment Tracks Your Reputation Across the Commentsphere (Mashable)
coComment is launching a number of new features this morning to attempt to further establish itself amidst a growing number of competitors that want to track your online conversations and reputation. The service, which both powers commenting features for some 20,000 websites and tracks conversations across 270,000 more, is introducing comment ranking, allowing users to rate comments on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. In turn, this will allow users of coComment to see the ratings of respective users and conversations to find the best about a specific topic.
Yes, but when will I be able to track online the number of times I go to the bathroom each day?
eBay told to pay $61M to fashion brand for fakes
PARIS (AP) – A French court ordered eBay Inc. to pay more than $61 million to a high-end fashion company Monday because counterfeit goods were sold on the auction site.
Digital Buyers Shrug Off Google’s Web Metrics Launch
After taking several days to digest the news, the digital media world has reached the conclusion that the launch of Google’s new media planning product isn’t likely to bring upheaval to the Web metrics business. And it probably doesn’t represent the feared first step towards total advertising — and ultimately world — domination by the search giant either.
U.S. Ad Spending Forecast Downgraded Again
A leading media buyer has downgraded its growth forecast for advertising spending in the U.S. to 3.5 percent. ZenithOptimedia, which is owned Publicis Groupe, had already rolled back its initial growth forecast for 2008 from 4.1 percent to 3.7 percent in March. The latest downgrade is due to an uncertain U.S. economy and accelerated slowdown in consumer magazine advertising, according to the Zenith report.
Ads Give Moviegoers Chance to Interact
Cinema is the oldest mass audio-visual medium. It is also as passive as media consumption gets. The imaginative application of — you guessed it — digital technology by marketers may change this. A deal struck earlier this month between Verizon Wireless and cinema-advertising network Screenvision combines mobile and social-networking applications to test an interactive polling program in American movie theaters. “In-cinema advertising gives us an opportunity to create a dialogue with the audience who is there, present and ready to be entertained,” said Lou Rossi, director of advertising and sponsorships at Verizon Wireless.
The Force Lives On, as Do the Toys
The retailer Toys “R” Us is counting down to July 26, when it begins selling toys from the latest “Star Wars” film, “The Clone Wars,” an animated movie that opens in August.
Twitter Conversations Come To A Screaming Halt; Users Simply Move To Friendfeed
Why aren’t Twitter users screaming about the reply feature being gone? Because this time, they’re just heading over to Friendfeed to have those very same conversations.
