Sen. Warner to Broadcast Nets: Don't Even Think About Using Cable to Bypass Aereo
May, 14, 2013 1:21 pm | Comments On #MediaA second senator warned Tuesday that any effort by Fox or CBS to move content from broadcast channels to cable to prevent Aereo from profiting from retransmitting the signal of broadcast stations should result in government penalties.
During a subcommittee hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee into current issues in video, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), pointed out that broadcasters access valuable spectrum that they received for free from the government.
Warner cited an April 8 threat by News Corp president-COO Chase Carey to move Fox programming to cable if a legal fight to stop Aereo from...
Read MoreHarvey Weinstein Hosts Obama as Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel Watch
May, 13, 2013 2:49 pm | Comments On #Harvey Weinstein, Movies, President Obama
It was Harvey Weinstein and President Obama again Monday.
Weinstein, a longtime backer of the president, is hosting one of three Democratic fundraisers in New York with Georgiana Chapman that feature comments by the president.
Weinstein has his name on one of two of the events sponsored by the Democratic National Committee in private homes, the White House said. Tickets for the event in Weinstein’s five-story West Village home ranged from $16,200 to $20,000.
Some 65 people showed up, including Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel and Tommy Hilfiger.
Obama spoke for...
Read MoreDodd Calls for Less Vilification of Hollywood in Law School Address
May, 13, 2013 1:57 pm | Comments On #MediaSuggesting that "The Hurt Locker’s" box-office receipts were deeply hurt by piracy, MPAA Chairman-CEO Chris Dodd on Monday called for less vilification of the movie industry and greater efforts to work together to retain financial incentive for creativity.
Dodd used a law school commencement to make his plea. Speaking to graduates at the U. of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia, he contended that the MPAA’s fight over copyright issues and piracy -- a complicated multi-layered debate over difficult issues with range of impacts -- had wrongly been simplified into an us-versus-them battle.
“...
Read MoreJulius Genachowski's FCC Swan Song: Get Faster Wi-Fi on Planes
May, 09, 2013 10:13 am | Comments On #FCC, Julius Genachowski, Media
The airline seat could be about to lose its prized status as the last respite in America from 24/7 broadband Internet access.
In Federal Communications Commission’s Chairman Julius Genachowski’s last meeting as FCC chairman, the FCC on Thursday took the first step toward providing significant additional bandwidth for faster airlines wi-fi.
Genachowski also announced at the meeting that May 17 will be his last day at the agency.
Commissioners adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that suggests taking some of the spectrum now used for satellite and some scientific purposes to allow far faster bandwidth by airline passengers.
FCC commissioners in approving the notice admitted some regrets about the prospect of turning the airline seat into just one more...
Read MoreHollywood Trade Groups Tepid About Harvey Weinstein's Royalty Scheme
May, 08, 2013 1:51 pm | Comments On #MoviesHarvey Weinstein's hopes of getting Congress to enact a royalty-based compensation system for movie clips played on the web so far appears to be a long shot.
None of the movie industry trade associations are rushing to champion Weinstein's idea.
"While Harvey's ideas are characteristically interesting and provocative, the topic isn't something that we're able to comment on at this time," said Chris Green, supervisor of communications for the Producers Guild of America.
Lowell Peterson, executive director of the Writers Guild of America East, and one of the few association execs willing to speak more in detail praised the suggestion
"It's an interesting idea. It's a way to regularize a lot of licensing," he said. "I"m not aware of it having a lot of traction yet in the industry.”...
Read MoreFCC OK With Murdoch's Character Until He's Charged in UK
May, 07, 2013 5:02 pm | Comments On #TelevisionThe Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau has rejected an attempt to deny News Corp.’s renewal licenses for three Fox TV stations based on Rupert Murdoch’s character because "there has been no final adjudication" of misconduct in the U.K. phone hacking and bribery cases.
In a decision that could raise new questions on whether News Corp.’s U.K. problems could yet spill over into the U.S., the FCC turned down a request from consumer group Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics to prevent the renewal of two Washington, D.C., and one Baltimore station, but also rejected Fox’s attempt to dismiss the petition on procedural grounds.
Also read:...
Read MoreObama Formally Taps Tom Wheeler as FCC Chairman
May, 01, 2013 11:27 am | Comments On #FCC, Julius Genachowski, Media, Tom WheelerPresident Obama on Wednesday formally tapped Tom Wheeler, managing director of Core Capital Partners, as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
FCC Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn will serve as interim chairman until Wheeler gets Senate confirmation. Clyburn's appointment as interim FCC chairman makes her the first woman to head the FCC.
Wheeler, a former executive of two major industry association -- first the National Cable and Television Association and later the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association -- will replace departing FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski (pictured below left).
Also read: Obama Expected to Name Tom Wheeler as FCC Chairman
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Read MoreObama Expected to Name Tom Wheeler as FCC Chairman
April, 30, 2013 2:02 pm | Comments On #MediaPresident Obama is expected to formally announce today that he will replace departing Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski with Tom Wheeler and the reaction is already starting to flow in.
Some consumer groups are already expressing concerns about whether Wheeler, a former president of what was then the National Cable and Television Assn. and later a former CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Assn., will have the consumer focus that Genachowski had.
On Tuesday, they were especially worried the Wheeler might have less of a commitment to Net Neutrality and media ownership issues than Genachowski.
Meanwhile, some industry groups are praising the nomination.
...
Read MoreWhite House Correspondents Dinner: What the Media Is Saying About 'Nerd Prom'
April, 28, 2013 9:23 am | Comments On #MediaThe White House Correspondents’ Association may have said it was going to turn down the celebrity quotient for this year’s dinner, but the media said it turned up the thermostat instead of turning it down.
They may have disagreed about Conan O’Brien’s performance as headliner and whether he was as funny as President Obama, but there was little disagreement about the celebrities in attendance.
“White House Correspondents Dinner Feeds on Star Power,” headlined The Washington Post’s report on the dinner from Joel Achenbach and Amy Argetsinger. The report said the dinner “showed new evidence of being...
Read MoreHarvey Weinstein: Paying Royalties Won't Break Google
April, 26, 2013 1:23 pm | Comments On #MediaHarvey Weinstein unleashed a biting attack on Google on Friday, telling a Washington audience that Google’s failure to compensate performers and content providers for YouTube videos amounts to stealing and is making technologists billions while threatening to turn the creative community into "starving artists."
Making clear he is as concerned about websites failure’ to pay newspapers and magazines for their content as studios, Weinstein told a creative forum co-sponsored by MPAA, Time, and Microsoft, that the biggest problem facing creativity these days is "stealing" and he pointed specifically to YouTube owner Google.
"Look at 'Chicago.'" If you go to YouTube, you can download nine songs. There are 13 songs in the entire movie, pretty much 70 or 80 minutes of it. Nobody is getting paid for that. Neither Rob Marshall who...
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What happens when the political world and the entertainment industry collide. From FCC policy wonks to the MPAA to celebs at the White House, it’s TheWrap on Washington.
