Techno-politics

FCC CHAIRMAN KEVIN MARTIN is scheduled to speak today in support of The Family Choice Act of 2007. The proposed legislation will suggest several ways to protect children from viewing indecent and violent material on TV. One such measure, which Martin supports, is to allow consumers to purchase programming on an a la carte basis. Continue Reading →

 APPLE is in advanced talks with Hollywood studios about offering downloadable movie rentals. Apple is said to be “aggressively pursuing” the idea, and wishes to launch the service in the fall. A downloadable Apple VOD system would compete heavily with cable company offerings.NBC has begun a unique online show that targets a new “prime Continue Reading →

THE FCC has issued almost $3 million in fines to companies that are still shipping TV sets without digital tuners. As of March 1st, all TV’s that are shipped must be capable of receiving a digital TV signal. The Commission has also been warning retailers that they must display proper Consumer Alerts on sets that Continue Reading →

ROCKETBOOM has adopted a sponsorship model. For $3000 per show, a sponsor will receive a 7 second post roll and a personalized blog entry. Quicktime versions of Rocketboom will also include an embedded link to the sponsor’s web site. Andrew Michael Baron, the CEO and founder of Rocketboom, recently discussed the challenges of finding advertising Continue Reading →

CNN has signed a deal with Internet Broadcasting, the publisher of 70 local TV station web sites. The deal will allow CNN to syndicate local news from the stations, increasing its ability to capitalize on the growing market for local online ads. GOOGLE submitted a proposal to the FCC suggesting that companies be allowed to Continue Reading →

FAIR ISAAC released a study claiming that 10-15% of Internet ad clicks may be fraudulent. Two possible causes were cited: generating increased commissions and draining a competitor’s budget by repeatedly clicking on its ads. WPP will acquire 24/7 REAL MEDIA for over $600 Million. 24/7 distributes online advertising. CW announced a new option for advertisers: Continue Reading →

The DOLAN FAMILY privatization bid for CABLEVISION has been accepted by the board, but still must pass a shareholder vote. A “majority of the minority” must approve the deal. BRIGHTCOVE will syndicate CBS NEWS content across blogs and websites. Syndicates will be allowed to insert clips from CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, The Early Continue Reading →

JOOST is gathering an impressive list of advertisers: Microsoft, Intel, HP, Unilever, Sony, United Airlines and more. Spots will include traditional-style ads and on-screen contextual ads. The FCC is asking Congress to legislate the sale of television on a per-channel basis. The request is included in a report on violence on TV. APPLE‘s iTunes Music Continue Reading →

The FCC is setting rules for auctioning the 700 MHZ spectrum, formerly used for Analog TV. Analog will stop using the spectrum in February 2009. YAHOO has launched a searchable database of music lyrics. The database includes the official versions of lyrics to over 400,000 songs, supplied by music publishers. Yahoo and the rights-holders will Continue Reading →

The NEW YORK TIMES, GANNETT, and TRIBUNE CO. all announced first-quarter results. The Times profits fell 26%. Gannett profits were down 10.5%. Tribune showed no profit — losing $15.6 Million. GOOGLE acquired Marratech’s video conferencing software. The software provides document-sharing and communication via video, text, and VoIP. It will compete with Cisco’s WebEx. COMCAST urged Continue Reading →