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Today's Topics:
1. Verizon can limit access to services, Penn. PUC says
(George Antunes)
2. Despite pressure, TV networks boost ad rates (George Antunes)
3. Talks on Global Broadcast Treaty Fail (George Antunes)
4. Robots to Help Explore Undersea Arctic Ridge (George Antunes)
5. Ruptured cable disrupts Internet service in 5 Latin American
countries (George Antunes)
6. Publisher halts plans to sell 'Manhunt 2' (George Antunes)
7. Two-headed snake's long odd life ends (George Antunes)
8. ABC News Cutting 35, Moving Assets To Digital (George Antunes)
9. AT&T girds for iPhone launch on June 29 (Monty Solomon)
10. iPhone mania nears fever pitch (Monty Solomon)
11. ATSC Receives Bevy Of Mobile DTV Proposals (George Antunes)
12. Noncoms Get Bucks To Digitize Programming Library (George Antunes)
13. ABC News Cutting 35, Moving Assets To Digital (Rob)
14. Survey: Customers not ready for RFID (Rob)
15. iPhone. A guided tour. (Monty Solomon)
16. The Cashless Society Has Arrived (Rob)
17. 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' Singer Hank Medress Passes Away
(Greg Williams)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:59:39 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Verizon can limit access to services, Penn. PUC
says
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Verizon can limit access to services, PUC says
Friday, June 22, 2007
BY DAVID DeKOK
Harrisburg Patriot-News
http://www.pennlive.com/business/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/business/118247372756150.xml&coll=1
The state Public Utility Commission voted 3-1 yesterday not to stop Verizon
Communications from blocking access by low-income people on the Lifeline
program to bundled telephone service packages, even if it could save
customers money.
Lifeline is funded by a fee paid by telephone users to the federal
Universal Service Fund. It gives qualifying low-income people $8 off their
monthly phone bills.
"It's incomprehensible to me why they would not want their customers to get
the discount," state Consumer Advocate Irwin Popowsky said. "It doesn't
cost Verizon a dime. Pennsylvania consistently gets less than it's fair share."
Sharon Shaffer, a spokeswoman for Verizon-Pennsylvania, said the company
"is not in favor" of making bundled service packages available to Lifeline
customers. The law that created Lifeline in Pennsylvania limited it to "the
most basic, limited local phone service," she said.
But Popowsky said the original law Shaffer quoted was superseded by a law
in 2004 that specified Lifeline customers could subscribe to "any number of
eligible telecommunications services."
The Legislature adopted the law after complaints that Verizon had blocked
Lifeline customers from getting Caller ID or Call Waiting, but the law did
not apply to just those services.
Shaffer said it costs Verizon about $20 to hook up a Lifeline customer, and
allowing Lifeline customers access to service packages would strain the
Universal Service Fund.
Verizon had asked the PUC to end a requirement imposed in 1990 that forced
it to offer customers a basic telephone service package before trying to
sell them a more expensive service.
Most customers, Verizon argued last year, now want bundled services, in
which local, regional toll and long-distance services are grouped at a
single price that is less than if each component was purchased separately.
After Verizon filed its request to end the basic-first requirement,
Popowsky sought to attach a condition allowing Lifeline customers to buy
packages.
The PUC ruled yesterday, in a motion introduced by Commissioner Terrance
Fitzpatrick, that access to a bundled service package would have to be
litigated separately.
"We've been in negotiations on this for a year," Popowsky said.
PUC member Kim Pizzingrilli and Chairman Wendell Holland joined Fitzpatrick
in voting for the motion.
Vice Chairman James Cawley dissented. He suggested that the majority motion
would be a burden on the poor and called it "a waste of resources" to make
Popowsky start over again.
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:08:25 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Despite pressure, TV networks boost ad rates
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Despite pressure, TV networks boost ad rates
Viewership declines, Web competition grows, but revenue still rises
By Julia Boorstin
CNBC Reporter
Updated: 10:18 a.m. CT June 22, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19358394/
LOS ANGELES - Despite a drop in ratings and competition from the Internet,
the major TV networks are raising advertising rates across the board.
In this year's so-called upfront round of ad sales that's wrapping up,
network advertising rates were up 5 to 10 percent, even though their
viewership during the past year went down by 5 to 9 percent. Ad sales
volume was down in some cases, network executives say, but overall
"upfront" revenue is expected to hit $9.2 billion, up from last year.
The major networks sell about 80 percent of their prime-time advertising
inventory upfront at the start of a new season, holding the rest for spot
sales later in the year.
ABC made the most gains in this year's upfront competition by raising its
advertising rates as much as 10 percent and bringing in more than $2.4
billion. CBS brought in about the same amount. Fox's prime-time ad rates
increased up to 9 percent, reaching a record of $1.9 billion. NBC's
prime-time ad sales also are expected to bring in just under $2 billion,
with rates up about 5 percent.
(MSNBC.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
Amid declining viewership and constant challenge from the Internet,
networks' performance topped the market's expectations. What brought about
the ad rate increase is a change in Nielsen Media Research's measurement of
TV ratings.
Besides live viewership, the new method includes DVR viewership, up to
three days after a program first airs, of commercials. In the past, ad
rates were based on the sheer number of viewers of programs, but the fact
that about 17 percent of TV viewers use digital video recorders raised
concern about how many people are actually watching ads, because viewers
can fast-forward to skip them. So the new "live plus three" information
makes ads more accurately valued than ever.
"Our role has been to provide more information so that both sides can
negotiate with more clarity," said Susan Whiting, Nielsen's head of media
research. "We know that's led to conversations about everything from the
placement of the advertising in the program to all kind of thoughts about
the pod positions." Pod position refers to the placement of ads in
commercial breaks.
Advertisers are relieved to know exactly what they're paying for, and to
know that some people still watch commercials, even on DVR.
"For some very valuable properties on cable and network, there's a
substantial amount of delayed viewing. To accurately assess the viewership,
we had to include that within the analysis," said Lyly Schwartz of Group M,
a firm that brokered a billion-dollar deal for a chunk of NBC's inventory.
Whichever way to measure viewership, there's little doubt that the networks
are losing audience. But ad buyers and media agencies continue to pay more
for fewer eyeballs.
"The real reason is just fragmentation of media. We don't have another
alternative that we can point to," said Anthony DiClemente, an advertising
analyst with Lehman Bros. "If you look at media agencies, what is their
alternative in terms of reaching a mass audience?"
Viewers are getting information from more different channels, but they're
still watching TV, and even many commercials. Now advertisers are putting
that Nielsen information to work to design their ad spots so they're not
skipped.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19358394/
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:11:30 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Talks on Global Broadcast Treaty Fail
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Talks on Global Broadcast Treaty Fail
June 22, 2007 8:27 AM (ET)
By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070622/D8PTS1380.html
GENEVA (AP) - Talks on an international treaty updating broadcast rights to
accommodate the Internet failed Friday because countries were unable to
agree how much legal and technological protection to afford broadcasters, a
U.S. official said.
"It became clear that there was no agreement on any of the fundamental
issues of the treaty," Paul Salmon, head of the U.S. delegation, told The
Associated Press.
The treaty fell victim to disagreements over issues such as whether
protection against piracy should cover only traditional broadcasting
methods - meaning cable, antenna and satellite signals - or whether it
should include retransmission over the Internet, he said.
European countries wanted to give broadcasters rights over any content they
transmit - even if they did not originally produce the content.
That type of rights-based treaty is opposed by electronics and
telecommunication companies like Intel Corp. (INTC) and Verizon
Communications Inc. (VZ), as well as librarian groups and consumer
advocates. They say it would stifle technological innovation and could
prevent people from playing legal music or films over their home networks.
The groups have lobbied for a narrow treaty protecting only the signal
itself from piracy.
The talks, which were held under the auspices of the United Nation's World
Intellectual Property Organization, were meant to pave the way for an
intergovernmental meeting in November to approve a treaty.
It would have been the first major regulation of broadcast rights on an
international level since the 1961 Rome Convention, which many countries,
including the United States, are not a party to.
Salmon said delegations would discuss how to proceed on Friday.
"There was no question that countries were negotiating in good faith," he
said. "It's just that despite our efforts we are nowhere near agreement."
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:16:36 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Robots to Help Explore Undersea Arctic Ridge
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Robots to Help Explore Arctic Ridge
June 22, 2007 6:12 AM (ET)
By JAY LINDSAY
Associated Press
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070622/D8PTQ1M00.html
BOSTON (AP) - The Gakkel Ridge, encased under the frozen Arctic Ocean, is
steep and rocky, and scientists suspect its remote location hosts an array
of undiscovered life.
Researchers hope newly developed robots will give them their first look at
the mysterious ridge located between Greenland and Siberia.
Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod plan
to begin a 40-day expedition of the ridge on July 1. They plan to use the
robots to navigate and map its terrain and sample any life found near a
series of underwater hot springs.
Tim Shank, lead biologist on the international expedition, said researchers
have no idea what new life at the ridge might be like.
"I almost think it's like going to Australia for the first time, knowing
it's there, but not knowing what lives there," he said.
The Gakkel Ridge marks a 1,100-mile stretch from north of Greenland toward
Siberia, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates continuously
move away from each other.
Scientists believe new life could be discovered there because of hot
springs that are created at such tectonic boundaries when ocean water comes
into contact with hot magma rising from the earth's mantle.
The organisms known to exist in the Arctic basin, where the Gakkel is
located, may have evolved in a unique fashion because they were mostly
isolated from the life in the deep waters of other oceans for all but the
last 25 million years, said Robert Reves-Sohn, the expedition's lead scientist.
The job of reaching any new organisms at the ridge falls to scientists
operating three new robotic vehicles, two of which are designed to navigate
untethered under the ice.
The two robots, named Puma and Jaguar, cost about $450,000 each and
received significant funding from NASA because their mission is similar to
what scientists hope to do in a future exploration under the ice of one of
Jupiter's moons, Europa.
The robots are built to descend to about 5,000 meters and work 5 to 6
meters off the bottom, photographing and removing samples, said Hanumant
Singh, the project's chief engineer.
The advances are no guarantee of success, however.
The hot springs are difficult to find in far less challenging conditions
and the margin for error is thin, since the robots cannot surface through
the ice and be retrieved if there are problems.
Singh said the excitement of finding new organisms and understanding the
geology in the Arctic outweighs any risks to the robots.
"Even though we know there's a strong probability, or there's a reasonable
probability of losing a vehicle, it's still worth it," he said.
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:25:14 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Ruptured cable disrupts Internet service in 5
Latin American countries
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Ruptured cable disrupts Internet service
Users in 5 Latin American countries affected
The Associated Press
Updated: 12:19 a.m. CT June 22, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19363112/
BOGOTA, Colombia - Accidental damage to an undersea fiber-optics cable left
millions of people without Internet service in five Latin American
countries, the cable's owner said Thursday.
In Colombia, as many as 45 percent of Internet users were left with limited
or no connection. Problems were also reported in Panama, Venezuela, Costa
Rica and Nicaragua.
The 6,250 mile Arcos network, owned by Columbus Networks, suffered the
rupture late Wednesday near Nicaragua, the company said.
In a statement, Columbus said repair ships set sail from Mexico and the
company hoped the cable would be fixed on Friday.
The statement did not say what damaged the underwater cable. The company
said it would investigate the cause.
The general secretary of the Colombian phone company, Empresa Telefonica de
Bogota, Andres Perez, told The Associated Press that nearly half of this
South American country's 5 million Internet users were left without service.
The Nicaraguan Internet service-provider Cablenet said a backup system
kicked in after the cable's rupture delivering limited but slower service.
Costa Rica's state-run Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad also
reported a slowing down of Internet service.
It is the second problem to befall the Arcos network this month. On June 5,
a cable off the coast of Venezuela was cut causing no interruption to service.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19363112/
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:26:53 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Publisher halts plans to sell 'Manhunt 2'
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Publisher halts plans to sell 'Manhunt 2'
Britain and Ireland censored the game; faced restricted sales in the U.S.
MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 12:16 p.m. CT June 21, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19353736/
NEW YORK - Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. said
Thursday it was temporarily suspending the release of the violent video
game "Manhunt 2" because of an ongoing ratings controversy in the United
States and a ban in Britain and Ireland.
The New York-based company said in a statement that it needed time to
"reviews its options" but would "continue to stand behind this
extraordinary game."
"We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible
marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great
entertainment," the company said.
"Manhunt 2," had previously been scheduled for a July 10 release in the
United States on both Nintendo Co.'s Wii and the PlayStation 2 by Sony Corp.
But critics said they were concerned with the game's content, which depicts
the escape of an amnesiac scientist and a psychotic killer from an asylum
and their subsequent killing spree. In the Wii version, the console's
motion-sensitive remote is waved around to control a virtual murder weapon.
The jury is still out on whether violent video games lead to violent
behavior, but many big retailers, such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which
accounts for 25 percent of U.S. video game sales, refuse to carry "Adults
Only" titles.
The suspension was a setback for creator Rockstar Games, which has come
under fire for its popular "Grand Theft Auto" series of urban crime games,
and Take-Two, which earlier this year underwent a shareholder coup that
ousted its chief executive and nearly all of its board.
Take-Two reported revenue last year of just over $1 billion, and "Manhunt
2" had been expected to post sales of about $40 million, according to
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.
"This is one of the tasks ahead of new management, to rein in that creative
talent and tell those guys we are in the business of making money and you
should make games that will sell, not games that are artistically beautiful
but not available at Wal-Mart," Pachter told Reuters.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19353736/
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:54:36 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Two-headed snake's long odd life ends
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
[A classic news of the weird item.]
'We' the 2-headed snake's long odd life ends
It died of natural causes at age 8; others like it live about a week or two
By Christopher Leonard
The Associated Press
Updated: 1:29 p.m. CT June 20, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19334041/
ST. LOUIS - A two-headed snake named "We," the main attraction at the World
Aquarium, has died.
The 8-year-old rat snake died of natural causes during the weekend, said
caretaker Leonard Sonnenschein. Most two-headed snakes survive for only a
week or two.
"It's terrible news," Sonnenschein said. "People come in every day and say:
'I'm here to see the two-headed snake."'
Sonnenschein said more than a million people have seen We over the years.
Children were especially fascinated by the snake, wondering how two heads
could coexist on the same body as We sometimes strained to slither in two
directions at once.
"These kinds of questions helped spur the science spirit in children,"
Sonnenschein said.
Sonnenschein said he bought We from a snake breeder in Indiana for $15,000
when the reptile was just a few weeks old.
A taxidermist is preserving We's body, which should be back on display
within a week, Sonnenschein said.
The World Aquarium, located inside the downtown City Museum, acquired We in
1999. Last year the aquarium tried to auction off the rare reptile to raise
money for research and conservation programs, asking $150,000, but none of
the bids was satisfactory.
The snake had both male and female genitalia, Sonnenschein said. The World
Aquarium tried unsuccessfully to breed We with another two-headed snake
last year, and had planned to try again this summer, aquarium spokesman
David Isserman said.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19334041/
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:00:00 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] ABC News Cutting 35, Moving Assets To Digital
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
ABC News Cutting 35, Moving Assets To Digital
by Anne Becker
Broadcasting & Cable
6/22/2007 12:38:00 PM
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6454754
ABC News plans to cut about 35 positions worldwide in an effort to redeploy
assets to digital divisions, according to a two-year strategic plan
outlined by ABC News President David Westin on Friday in an internal e-mail
to the division that was circulated to reporters.
While final decisions on who will be cut have not been made, certain news
operations will be consolidated and positions eliminated in areas affected
by changing technology and "changes in our competitive environment," Westin
said. The cuts represent just 1% of the division's workforce.
At the same time, he said, the division is adding positions in other
areas, such as international newsgathering and digital. Positions have been
posted in India, Australia, Iran and Brazil.
This is not the first time a television operation has tied job cuts to an
effort to expand digital endeavors. In a much publicized announcement in
October, 2006, NBC News said it was finding resources for digital by
cutting 700 jobs - many in news - to trim administrative and operating
expenses by $750 million by the end of 2008.
ABC recently announced senior appointments at both its digital arm and in
traditional linear TV, at Good Morning America. On June 6, GMA senior
broadcast producer Jessica Stedman Guff became executive producer of the
network's 24-hour digital news network ABC News Now, and ABC News Weekend
new content executive producer Christopher Sheridan was named executive
producer of ABCNews.com. Yesterday, World News weekend producer Andrew
Morse was named executive producer of the weekend edition of GMA.
Westin, in today's memo, cited ABC News' position as the leader in the
nightly news ratings as enabling the retooling. He said senior staff will
be taking a "fresh look" at the company to "re-design the division to
reflect the growing importance of our digital offerings - and their
centrality to our future."
"Now we're dealing from strength, and that makes it all the more
important to act now," he said in the memo.
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:57:12 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] AT&T girds for iPhone launch on June 29
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
AT&T girds for iPhone launch on June 29
By Leslie Cauley, USA TODAY
For consumers eager to get their hands on an Apple iPhone, here's the
good news: It will be available in all 1,800 AT&T phone stores at 6
p.m. sharp on June 29.
The bad news? "We fully expect one or more of our stores to run out
of stock on the first or second day - my guess is the first day,"
says Larry Carter, senior vice president of sales for AT&T, the
iPhone's exclusive U.S. distributor.
To help accommodate as much foot traffic as possible, AT&T phone
stores will stay open an extra hour - until 10 p.m. - on the first
day.
To get "iReady" for the big day, Carter says AT&T added 2,000 extra
sales people to stores. Half will be there just to help handle the
expected early crush of buyers. The other half, he says, will stay
long-term to help with extra customers the iPhone is expected to draw
to AT&T's stores.
Crowd control on launch day is a concern. In some markets - Carter
declined to name them - AT&T is working with local law enforcement on
crowd-control plans. It also has alerted landlords at shopping malls
and other phone store locations to make sure nobody is caught off
guard.
...
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2007-06-21-att-iphone-launch_N.htm
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:00:40 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] iPhone mania nears fever pitch
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
iPhone mania nears fever pitch
By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
June 20, 2007
LOS ANGELES - Christopher Parr won't go so far as to bring his
sleeping bag to his local AT&T store to be first in line for Apple's
coveted iPhone when it goes on sale next week.
But he will be there opening night to plunk down $599 for the
combination iPod, cellphone and wireless Internet device within hours
of its debut.
"Cellphones have under-delivered," says Parr, 40, of Madison, Wis.
"This fills a real void. Most Internet over the phone is a terrible
user experience. I love the idea of having the real Internet in my
pocket."
June 29 is the day many gear-heads have marked on their calendars as
iDay, the release of what independent analyst Richard Doherty calls
"the most eagerly awaited consumer technology device of the last 20
years."
Since January, when it was first announced, the iPhone has captivated
consumers, Wall Street investors and the media as the right product
at the right time.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has positioned it as the most advanced meeting
of the Internet and wireless technology, with an iPod thrown in for
good measure. And it looks really cool, and unlike any phone before
it.
For Apple, the release of the iPhone promises to effectively double
the company's revenue within just a few years, based on the worldwide
thirst for cellphones. For consumers, the trick is going to be
nabbing one of the early iPhones on opening day before stock sells
out.
The iPhone is being sold only at Apple's 200 retail stores, Apple's
website and nearly 1,800 AT&T (formerly Cingular) stores beginning at
6 p.m. local time across the country. AT&T says it will close its
stores at 4:30 p.m. and reopen at 6 p.m. Apple would not comment on
its plans. No pre-orders are being accepted. Fans are expected to
camp out in front of stores for days.
...
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2007-06-19-iphone-mania_N.htm
------------------------------
Message: 11
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:26:58 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] ATSC Receives Bevy Of Mobile DTV Proposals
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
ATSC Receives Bevy Of Mobile DTV Proposals
by Glen Dickson
Broadcasting & Cable
6/22/2007 8:58:00 AM
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6454677
In what could be an important step in the effort to help broadcasters
compete in an increasingly mobile video world, the Advanced Television
Systems Committee (ATSC) says it has received preliminary proposals from 10
different groups for a new mobile digital television (DTV) standard
designed to work within broadcasters' existing DTV channels.
Companies responding to the ATSC's Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new
Mobile and Handheld Standard (ATSC-M/H) that was issued last month include
joint submissions from Samsung Electronics/Rohde & Schwarz and LG
Electronics/Harris Corporation, who demonstrated their mobile DTV systems
at the NAB show in Las Vegas in April.
New proposals have been submitted by Coding Technologies, Coherent Logix,
DTS, Micronas Semiconductor, Nokia, Thomson, Qualcomm and the Mobile DTV
Alliance, which supports the existing DVB-H (Digital Video
Broadcast-Handheld) standard and represents companies including Disney,
HiWire, Intel, Microsoft, Modeo, Motorola, Nokia and Texas Instruments.
Detailed descriptions for all submitted proposals are due to ATSC on July
6, 2007.
"It is exhilarating to see this amount of interest from the industry," said
ATSC President Mark Richer in a statement. "We look forward to reviewing
all of the submitted proposals for the ATSC-M/H standard."
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
------------------------------
Message: 12
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:27:46 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Noncoms Get Bucks To Digitize Programming Library
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
Noncoms Get Bucks To Digitize Programming Library
By John Eggerton
Broadcasting & Cable
6/22/2007 8:51:00 AM
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6454674
The Association of Public Television Stations was celebrating Friday after
the Senate Appropriations Committee agreed to let noncommercial stations
spend some of their digital conversion subsidy to convert their programming
libraries to digital.
According to APTS, the committee said it "intends that CPB may spend a
portion of the digital conversion funds to develop a digital public
broadcasting archive."
CPB got $29.7 million for digital infrastructure conversion.
APTS President John Lawson said the decision "will enable us to preserve,
digitize and make available for the American public a huge library of
priceless video and audio content. The American Archive will be a powerful
resource for education and will extend the role of Public Television and
Radio stations as cultural heritage institutions."
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
------------------------------
Message: 13
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 18:24:47 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] ABC News Cutting 35, Moving Assets To Digital
To: Media-News <medianews@twiar.org>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
ABC News Cutting 35, Moving Assets To Digital
by Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6454754.html
ABC News plans to cut about 35 positions worldwide in an effort to
redeploy assets to digital divisions, according to a two-year strategic
plan outlined by ABC News President David Westin on Friday in an
internal e-mail to the division that was circulated to reporters.
While final decisions on who will be cut have not been made, certain
news operations will be consolidated and positions eliminated in areas
affected by changing technology and "changes in our competitive
environment," Westin said. The cuts represent about 1% of the division's
workforce.
At the same time, he said, the division is adding positions in other
areas, such as international newsgathering and digital. Positions have
been posted in India, Australia, Iran and Brazil.
This is not the first time a television operation has tied job cuts to
an effort to expand digital endeavors. In a much publicized announcement
in October, 2006, NBC News said it was finding resources for digital by
cutting 700 jobs - many in news - to trim administrative and operating
expenses by $750 million by the end of 2008.
ABC recently announced senior appointments at both its digital arm and
in traditional linear TV, at Good Morning America. On June 6, GMA senior
broadcast producer Jessica Stedman Guff became executive producer of the
network's 24-hour digital news network ABC News Now, and ABC News
Weekend new content executive producer Christopher Sheridan was named
executive producer of ABCNews.com. Yesterday, World News weekend
producer Andrew Morse was named executive producer of the weekend
edition of GMA.
Westin, in today's memo, cited ABC News' position as the leader in the
nightly news ratings as enabling the retooling. He said senior staff
will be taking a "fresh look" at the company to "re-design the division
to reflect the growing importance of our digital offerings - and their
centrality to our future."
"Now we're dealing from strength, and that makes it all the more
important to act now," he said in the memo.
------------------------------
Message: 14
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 18:28:34 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Survey: Customers not ready for RFID
To: Media-News <medianews@twiar.org>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Survey: Customers not ready for RFID
TUV
http://www.tuvps.co.uk/news/articles/survey-customers-not-ready-for-rfid-18189452.asp
Customers have been slow to implement radio frequency identification
(RFID) technology even though resellers and others in the IT sector are
set to embrace it, new research has revealed.
According to a survey by the Computing Technology Industry Association
(CompTIA), 84 per cent of consultants, systems integrators and solutions
providers are poised to implement RFID products during the next three years.
However, those that have introduced the technology state that less than
one-fifth of their customers have followed suit.
David Sommer, vice president of e-business and software solutions at
CompTIA, said the research reflected the current RFID market, which he
said had welcomed the wireless system but also faced financing problems
and a shortage in the skilled workforce.
"Rosy forecasts about rapid and widespread adoption have given way to
the reality of dealing with a technology whose broader deployment has
been challenged by equipment and tagging costs," he concluded.
A number of uses for RFID have recently been announced, including its
implementation in a sushi restaurant and to monitor handwashing in
healthcare facilities.
TUV Product Service, part of the T?V S?D Group of companies with 1bn
Euros turnover, in excess of 9,500 employees and 500 locations
worldwide, is a leading producer of Compliance and Assurance Solutions
for the RFID sector. Please contact us ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) for further
information.
------------------------------
Message: 15
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 21:59:05 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] iPhone. A guided tour.
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/guidedtour.html
------------------------------
Message: 16
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:06:51 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] The Cashless Society Has Arrived
To: Media-News <medianews@twiar.org>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, News-4-US <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
The Cashless Society Has Arrived
Robert Samuelson
RealClearPolitics
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/06/the_cashless_society_has_arriv.html
It's one of those vast social upheavals that everyone understands but
that hardly anyone notices, because it seems too ordinary: the
long-predicted "cashless society" has quietly arrived, or nearly so;
currency, coins and checks are receding as ways of doing everyday
business; we've become Plastic Nation. In the tangled history of
American money--from tobacco receipts to gold and silver coins to paper
money and checks--this is a seismic shift. Time to pay attention.
If you visit the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (one operation in
Washington, the other in Ft. Worth, Texas), you can still see greenbacks
being made. They come off the presses in sheets of 32. In fiscal 2007,
the government will print about 9.1 billion individual bills. But 95
percent is to replace worn currency, not to expand the supply. THE BUCK
STARTS HERE, say signs on some printing presses. In reality, today's
buck usually begins (and ends) as a mere data entry.
You can use a card almost anywhere. From 1999 to 2005, the number of
card-swiping terminals nearly tripled to 6.8 million, says the
consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. Habits and mind-sets change. In 1990,
most Americans regarded paying for groceries by credit card as
unnatural. Now cards cover about 65 percent of food sales, says the Food
Marketing Institute. There's electronic banking (83 percent of Social
Security beneficiaries receive their monthly payments by automatic
deposit), Internet buying, prepaid cards and automatic identity tags for
toll booths.
Our information on actual cash use is skimpy, and some
enclaves--especially among the poor--endure; about 9 percent of families
don't have bank accounts. Still, the evidence all points in the same
direction:
* U.S. currency (dollar bills of all amounts) totaled $784 billion in
2006, but probably half or more is held outside the United States by
foreigners who prize dollars--especially $100 bills--as a store of
value. That suggests that less than $400 billion in currency supports a
$13 trillion economy. In 1970, the economy's relative need for cash was
almost twice as high.
* In 2005, Americans held 1.7 billion credit and debit cards (about
seven for everyone over 15), says The Nilson Report, an industry
newsletter, and in the past decade, debit-card use has soared. In 1996,
checks and cash represented almost 80 percent of consumer payments,
estimates Nilson; they're now less than half. (The latest firm figures
for 2005 show all paper payments at 50.3 percent of the total, with cash
at 20.7 percent; by 2010, Nilson expects electronic payments to exceed
70 percent of the total.)
* From a peak of almost 50 billion in 1995, the number of checks written
in the United States fell to 36.6 billion in 2003, while the number of
electronic payments rose from 15 billion to 44 billion, estimates the
Federal Reserve. (The Fed survey doesn't directly measure cash use.)
In some ways, this placid transformation is astonishing. Historically,
the nature of money has been an explosive issue. Inflationary
experiences with paper money during and after the Revolution led the
Constitutional Convention to give the national government a monopoly of
coining money (gold and silver coin) and to bar states from printing
paper money, says Farley Grubb, an economic historian at the University
of Delaware.
Despite that, state-chartered banks (not states) issued much paper money
in the early 19th century. The national government got into the act in
the Civil War with "greenbacks." Debates raged over what money should be
and how much it should be backed by gold or silver. Debtors and
creditors disagreed. People wanted money scarce enough to be trustworthy
(that is, no inflation). But they wanted it abundant enough to lubricate
commerce and prevent falling prices (that is, no deflation).
The comparatively tranquil triumph of electronic money reflects its
origins in technology, not politics. In many ways, it's cheaper than
cash or checks. The Fed says that processing an electronic payment costs
a fifth as much as a check. It's more convenient; people don't need to
run so often to the bank or ATM machines for cash. To be sure,
controversies remain. Consumers recoil at some monthly fees and high
interest rates. Supermarkets and other stores contend that Visa and
MasterCard, dominating the card industry, impose excessive fees on
retailers. The fees then finance wasteful marketing campaigns (6 billion
solicitations in 2005) and "rewards" (airline miles, cash back). Store
prices for everyone get nudged up to benefit the most upscale
cardholders, who qualify for the most generous rewards. The card
companies say they're merely balancing "incentives" for cardholders and
stores to use the cards.
Still, these feuds pale against the incendiary money wars of the past,
symbolized by William Jennings Bryan's campaign against the gold
standard in the election of 1896. We have crossed a cultural as well as
an economic threshold when plastic and money are synonyms and the crime
of choice is identity theft, not bank robbery.
------------------------------
Message: 17
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:52:55 -0400
From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' Singer Hank Medress
Passes Away
To: medianews@twiar.org
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' Singer Hank Medress Passes Away
Singer and music producer Hank Medress has died after a battle with lung
cancer. He was 68. Medress passed away in New York City on Monday. He
sang the U.S. number one single The Lion Sleeps Tonight with The Tokens
in 1961. Medress left the band in 1970.
As a producer, he worked with The Chiffons, Tony Orlando And Dawn and
Buster Poindexter.
--
Gregory S. Williams
gregwilliams(at)knology.net
k4hsm(at)knology.net
http://www.etskywarn.net
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.icebearnation.com
------------------------------
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End of Medianews Digest, Vol 302, Issue 1
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