July 2004 Archive
Note that some of these links are short term and will expire after two weeks. If you have access to Lexis-Nexis at your college or university library, you can retrieve many of the stories that are no longer on the web.
Main Archive List
Saturday - July 31, 2004
- School Administrator Threatens to "Beat the S---" out of Newspaper Editor Over Stories About School Controversies
The director of schools for Unicoi County in Tennessee threatened to "beat the s---" out of The Erwin Record's executive editor, and a school board member offered to watch or help. Was this all just talk? I don't know. In a tape recorded conversation, the administrator noted that beating the editor would only be a misdemeanor, so she wouldn't lose his job over it. (The Erwin Record) Thanks to Obscure Store for this link.
- Audio Weekend: Pop Culture / Media News from NPR
On the weekend, Living in a Media World features a wrap up of audio stories from National Public Radio that deal with pop culture and/or media issues.
- Best-Selling Book Taken Off the Market; Author Accused of Fabricating Part
Norma Khouri, author of the book Honor Lost, has been accused of fabricating the story of a Jordanian who kills his daughter.
- Frank DeFord Looks at the Connections Between Sports, Television, and Books
Sports commentator Frank DeFord looks at how football games are eclipsing school schedules in order to bring in more TV revenue. A must-hear item.
- Bloggers at the DNC
Earlier this week we had quite a bit on the bloggers at the Democratic National Convention. Here's Morning Edition's take on the story. Also has expanded coverage to several other NPR stories on blogging and links to a number of blogs.
- Viewers Go To Cable To Watch Convention
The broadcast networks devoted only an hour a night to covering the DNC, but one has to ask, Who cares? The 24/7 news networks will give you all the spin you can take, and C-SPAN simply broadcasts the convention. What a concept!
- PRI and BBC Produce The World
Audio Weekend features audio stories primarily from NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered because NPR's web site provides a long-term archive of all the stories the network carries. But there is another excellent public radio news show - The World - produced by Public Radio International and the BBC. You might want to take a listen. Unfortunately The World's web site only archives stories for a week at a time.
Friday - July 30, 2004
- United States Joins EU in approving Sony-BMG merger
The Federal Trade Commission has joined the European Union in approving a proposed merger of Sony Music Entertainment and BMG Entertainment. The merger would create the world's largest music company. (Washington Post)
- NPR's Bob Edwards heading to XM Satellite Radio
The former Morning Edition host will have his own morning show on XM. (Edwards had 13 million listeners a week while on public radio!) And though it's not mentioned in this story, rumor has it that radio bad boy Howard Stern may move to satellite radio before long to avoid problems with broadcast indecency.
- NBC Universal and DirecTV Reach Agreement on Costs, HDTV
NBC (owned by GE) and DirecTV (owned by Rupert Murdoch) have reached an agreement on what DirecTV will pay for the rights to the various NBC Universal channels, and for NBC HD Olympics programming. There have been a number of fights over the last year over what fees the satellite TV provider will be willing to pay content providers. (USA Today)
- Flash Mobs Go to the Movies
You remember flash mobs, even though they are so last week? Well, now they are bringing along digital projectors and showing movies on public walls. (NY Times)
Thursday - July 29, 2004
- Moore and O'Reilly Meet in Boston
Flimmaker Michael Moore and Fox News host Bill O'Reilly met up in front of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, and the two agreed on an 8-minute, un-edited interview. The big question came from Moore (five or six times), would O'Reilly be willing to "sacrifice" his child to secure Fallujah? O'Reilly's response? He would be willing to sacrifice himself. (NY Post) (Do you get the feeling Moore and O'Reilly deserve each other?)
- Blogger's at the DNC
There are 15,000 journalists at the Democratic National Convention. Among them this year are the bloggers who are providing an alternative voice from mainstream media. The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz takes a look at the phenomenon. Here are the blogs mentioned in his column.
Wednesday - July 28, 2004
Tuesday - July 27, 2004
- The Summer of Monica
In the summer of 1998 (was it really that long ago?), Monica Lewinsky testified in court about her sexual liason with Bill Clinton. Witnesses remember the media frenzy that surrounded the area six years ago. Part of an on-going series on memorable summers in Washington. (Washington Post)
- Media Literacy: The CSI Effect
The Baltimore Sun reports that jurors are acquitting criminal defendants because they aren't seeing the same kind of evidence they get on the hit TV show CSI, CSI: New York, or CSI: Fargo (ok, I made the last one up). (Thanks to Obscure Store for this item.)
- Calling All Star Wars Geeks
Star Wars Episode III now has an official title: Revenge of the Sith.
Monday - July 26, 2004
- Arabic-Language News Channel Sort-of Welcome in Canada
The al-Jazeera cable news network can broadcast in Canada now, but it's subject to monitoring and censorship. (Washington Post)
- Wi-Fi Starts to Make the Internet Portable
Wi-Fi (wireless Internet) providers are starting to provide the equivalent of roaming agreements to their customers, allowing them access at more places. (USA Today)
- Bourne Reigns Supreme at Box Office on a Small Budget
At a time of bloated summer movies, Bourne Supremacy topped the box office bringing in $54.5 million. Amazingly, the film only cost $75 million to make. The two Bourne movies have been generally recognized as more serious action films, mixing in drama with the killing and car wrecks. (Washington Post)
- How We Got Our Modern Politics
Political arguments ain't what they used to be. I mean, VP Cheney only told a senator to "#$%^" himself. He didn't challenge him to a duel and then kill him. Which is what happened back in the romantic days of the birth of our nation (Burr v. Hamilton, class). A good article outlining the development of political parties and their use of the media from the Washington Post's Sunday Magazine. If you've already read David McCullough's John Adams and Walter McDougal's Freedom Just Around the Corner you'll already be familiar with this material, but it's a good reminder that the political/media world we live in today is different in degree from what we had in the past, but is certainly recognizable.
Saturday - July 24, 2004
- Profits Surging at Viacom - MTV, Nick & CBS All Contribute
Profits were up 14 percent at media giant Viacom for the 2nd quarter, with revenue from Nickelodeon, MTV, and CBS all contributing. (Notice anything here? Viacom has all ages covered with the three networks.) (NY Times)
- Audio Weekend: Pop Culture / Media News from NPR
On the weekend, Living in a Media World features a wrap up of audio stories from National Public Radio that deal with pop culture and/or media issues.
- Blackhawk Down Author Discusses News From Iraq
There's been a big, mostly partisan, debate over coverage of the news out of Iraq. But Blackhawk Down author Mark Bowden gives an insightful analysis as to why there is so much news about casualties, why it's hard to report on improvements in Iraq, and why soldiers view Iraq differently from journalists. This is a must-hear commentary.
- A Soldier Remembered
As a sidebar, this remembrance of Lt. Brian Smith ran immediately before Bowden's commentary on Morning Edition.
- Hollywood Listens to Comic Fans
Movie makers are testing their ideas out in front of comic fans at the San Diego Comic-Con International. These are the folks Hollywood has to reach if they want good word-of-mouth for the big-budget comic book films. (I find it really interesting that one of the best films on ethics in a long time is Spider-Man 2!)
- Composer Jerry Goldsmith Remembered
I noted earlier this week the passing of film composer Jerry Goldsmith. Here's Morning Edition's tribute.
- Are Reality Shows Copying each other?
There have been a number of charges leveled by ABC and NBC execs that Fox has been stealing their reality show ideas.
- Clear Channel to Limit Commercials on its Stations
Another story we've been following. Clear Channel, which owns 1,200+ stations, recently announced that in 2005 it will start limiting the number of commercials its stations carry.
Friday - July 23, 2004
- Documentary Filmmaking Dominated by the Left
Why are so many successful documentary films liberal leaning? Maybe it's the audience, maybe it's that documentary films question the status quo, maybe it's the filmmakers. An interesting look at question. (Washington Post)
- Composer Jerry Goldsmith Dies
Notable film composer Jerry Goldsmith died Wednesday. Best known for his title music for Star Trek: The Motion Picture and ST: The Next Generation, He also did memorable scores for films such as Alien, the original Planet of the Apes series, Poltergeist, and the recent Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Along with writing many popular movie and television scores, Goldsmith was also an enjoyable public performer. I saw him conduct an evening of his film music with the Flagstaff Symphony about 15 years ago, and count it as a memorable evening. (Goldsmith joked that he got such a reputation for horror movies that he had to half cover his eyes while working on the music!) (Washington Post)
- Strangest Privacy Case Ever!
Ok, we all understand misappropriation invasion of privacy, right? You can't use someone's name or image commercially without his or her consent. So... 70s rock star Peter Frampton is suing swimsuit maker Billabong for putting his face and lyrics on the seat of bikinis! To quote the movie Animal House: "This is gonna be great! (Washington Post)
Thursday - July 22, 2004
- Disney Goes Broadband (Washington Post)
Comcast Corp., a major cable and broadband provider, will be giving customers ABC News and Disney children's programming via Internet starting this summer. The convergence is growing!
- Halle Berry Fronts Summer Tentpole Flick
Sigourney Weaver broke the sex barrier for action/horror flicks more than 20 years ago by staring in the Alien films. But Halle Berry's Catwoman is one of the first to feature an African-American woman as the lead. (NY Times)
- NY Times Reacts to Ronstadt Firing
The Times is unhappy about singer Linda Ronstadt being fired (Fired, nothing. She was escorted from the Aladdin hotel and casino!) after expressing support for Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 during her show. (For more details, see the July 20th entry.) This raises some interesting questions: Are her rights as a performer and citizen being violated? Does the Aladdin have a right to get rid of a performer who is upsetting the patrons with political speech during a Vegas lounge act? What if she had been saying something that was popular with the crowd?
Wednesday - July 21, 2004
- Media Law: Court Upholds Ban on Publishing Info on Bryant Accuser
Colorado's highest court has upheld a ruling in the rape trial of LA Laker Kobe Bryant that bars the news media from publishing court documents that discuss his accuser's sex life. (NY Times)
- Times reviews Outfoxed
I know you're all shocked to hear accusations that Fox News takes a conservative approach to the news. But in case you hadn't noticed, the new documentary Outfoxed is being shown to make sure everyone knows. The NY Times reviews.
- Sony-BMG merger progressing
The European Union has given approval to the merger of these two international recording giants. (Note - The B in BMG stands for Bertelsmann, one of the top media companies in the world.) (USA Today)
- Clear Channel to Run Limited Number of Commercials
Clear Channel Radio, the broadcasting company that recently dumped Howard Stern, has announced that it will limit the number of commercials it's 1200+ stations can play in a day. (Yes, you read that right. One company owns more than 1,200 radio stations.) (NY Times)
- Disney Sued over "Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The hit song featured in Lion King was originally written by a Zulu migrant worker. Oddly enough, his heirs would like some royalties. (CNN)
- July 20, 1969 - "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."
It was 35 years ago that a nine-year-old boy stayed up late in Grinnell, Iowa to watch the greatest adventure of our time take place. And he saw and heard it live on television. It was a moment when anything seemed possible. (CNN)
Tuesday - July 20, 2004
- Sci Fi Channel Lied About Secrets in Shyamalan Documentary
The Big Secret in the Sci Fi documentary on M. Night Shyamalan was that there was no secret. Although the documentary on the director of the upcoming film The Village was billed as looking at the "buried secret" of the director, it was really just a guerilla marketing campaign for the film, ala Curse of the Blair Witch. (eonline)
BTW, despite my disparaging comments, the film of I, Robot turned out to be quite good. Though the film did owe as much to Philip K. Dick (whose stories were the basis of Bladerunner, Minority Report, and Paycheck) as to Isaac Asimov (who wrote the robot short stories).
- Elvis Costello Crosses Boundaries
Elvis Costello has done just about everything from cutting edge rock 'n' roll, to art songs, to a pop album for a great operatic soprano. (Anne Sofie Von Otter is the soprano, and her collaboration with Costello is one of my all-time favorite albums.) At any rate, Costello has now done a full-length ballet score. (Washington Post)
- Network Affiliates Get Stronger Rights to Preempt Programming
Local television affiliates now have more rights to preempt programming from the parent networks. This change allows local stations to preempt almost any network program in order to carry programs of local interest. (USA Today)
- Linda Ronstadt Fired After Praising Filmmaker Michael Moore
70s singer Linda Ronstadt got fired from her gig at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas after praising the Fahrenheit 9/11 director during her show. (USA Today)
Monday - July 19, 2004
- Will Howard Stern be a Force in 2004 Election?
This article from the Knight Ridder news service suggests that King of Raunch could be a powerful force in the upcoming election if he wants to be. Forget about Air America (everyone else has), Howard is the alternative to conservative talk radio. (But one can hardly call him a liberal. When he ran for governor of New York his platform was "Fix the roads at night, and kill the criminals." (Dominion Post)
- CBS To Fight Super Bowl Fines
The CBS television network will fight any fines directed against it or its stations for the Janet Jackson Super Bowl fiasco. (Washington Post)
- Viewers Use Digital Recorders to Compress Viewing
People with digital Video Recorders use them to skip commercials as much as switch the time they do their viewing. (CMR Research Brief)
- What Ever Happened to the Stoner Movie?
The Washington Post takes a look at why stoner movies have been in a decline in recent years. Their answer is in part that showing folks smoking a joint generally leads to an R rating, cutting out the teens who would want to see the movie. I do see one key flaw with this article, though: it ignores the Kevin Smith movies staring drug dealers Jay and Silent Bob.
Saturday - July 17, 2004
- Audio Weekend: Pop Culture / Media News from NPR
On the weekend, Living in a Media World features a wrap up of audio stories from National Public Radio that deal with pop culture and/or media issues.
- Cartoonists Get Ready for 2004 Campaign
How can you deal with political cartoons on radio? Some good audio interviews and a supporting web page with an archive of cartoons.
- William F. Buckley Exits, Stage Right
Conservative, eloquent commentator William F. Buckley is stepping down from the political journal he founded, the National Review. NPR has several resources on this page: an interview from Talk of the Nation, a 1999 On the Media interview, and a 1989 Fresh Air interview. At a time when yelling passes as political commentary on the television and radio, Buckley has always provided a civilized alternative. He may infuriate you, but he's never shrill.
- A Different Take on I, Robot
I'm probably going to go see I, Robot this weekend, but only because my wife and nephew want to go. The movie I've seen previews for bears little in common with the sophisticated and philosophical short stories by Isaac Asimov that I grew up with. While I was researching this blog entry, I came across NPR archive material on a script for the movie written by science fiction innovator Harlan Ellison back in the 1970s. The screenplay was even published as an illustrated book, and is still in print. This link will take you to a page with Ellison reading from his screenplay and talking about Asimov, the script and Hollywood. And please don't get me started on The Bicentennial Man!
Friday - July 16, 2004
- iPod Profits Good for Apple; Is Legit Online Music Here to Stay?
So why, other than the fact that I lust after a 20 gig iPod, is this item here? Because big sales of the iPod, and the fact that iTunes has sold 100 million songs, means that downloaded legit music is here to stay. (Washington Post)
- NY Times Editorial Praises Bloggers at Conventions
The Gray Lady's hoping that bloggers will liven up coverage of otherwise dull political conventions.
- Celeb Advertisers Get Dumped If They Don't Behave
So we all know about what happened with Madonna, Michael and advertising, right? Mess up and lose a lucrative contract. Well, they aren't the only ones. Whoopi, Mary-Kate, Kobe, and of course Martha have all had ad issues lately. (NY Times)
- Al Jazeera Adopts New Ethics Code
The Qatar-based Arab news channel is going to tone down some of its war news, but still report on the "ugly face of war." (NY Times)
Thursday - July 15, 2004
Wednesday - July 14, 2004
- Blogging in the News
You all know what a blog is, right? (Duh, we're reading this one...) Blogs seem to be the latest media darling, but don't hold that against us. Here's some of the latest news on blogs.
- MP3 Blogs Serve Rare Songs, Dusty Grooves
This story from Reuters takes a look at music blogs that discuss and distribute obscure MP3 music files to interested reader/listeners. Are they legal? Well.... Is anybody going to worry about these obscure cuts being put on the web? Less likely. Among the blogs mentioned are:
- Just an Online Minute: Are Dems Keeping Liberal Bloggers Out of Convention?
The political parties are letting in bloggers as accredited journalists at their conventions this year. But who are they accrediting? Jay Rosen, who has been mentioned here before, is one of them. But the Online Minute suggests that perhaps the most liberal bloggers have been "disinvited."
Friday - July 9, 2004
- NOTE: This blog will next be updated on July 14.
- Is Search Mass Comm: Microsoft Unveils New Search Service
A while back, we talked here about whether search services like Google constitute a new channel for mass communication. Obviously, it's part of the Internet, but is it something unique, like the Web? Answering that question will take some time, but here is a story about Microsoft's attempt to become competitive in the field of search. (NY Times)
- NEA Says Book Consumption is Down
The National Endowment for the Arts recently completed a study called "Reading at Risk" that suggests fewer than half of Americans over age 18 read novels, short stories, plays, or poetry. (NY Times)
Thursday - July 8, 2004
- Celebrity Journalism
An article on Wednesday on USA Today's LIFE section prompted me to do some digging on this topic. Here's a sampling of articles (some more current than others) .
Wednesday - July 7, 2004
Tuesday - July 6, 2004
- Why WP's Tom Shales Hates Reality Shows
TV critic Tom Shales explains why he is bored with the summer reality shows. Though he does propose a great idea: A special episode of Fear Factor staring NBC programmers!
- Howard Kurtz's Media Notes: Clinton Whacking the Media, Dean's Strategist Whacking the Media, Pentagon Whacking the ... Oh, you know the story...
Doesn't seem like anyone in politics or government likes the media today. Says Dean's Joe Trippi:
"The telephone is a .357 magnum and every time you answer it and there's a reporter on the other end, what you're really doing is putting that gun to your head. Sure, most of the chambers are empty, but there's always at least one hollow-point in there, sometimes more. Every time you talk to a reporter, there is the potential that you'll blow your brains out. The higher your guy is in the polls, the more live rounds in the gun. . . ."
Yowza!
- Bravo Channel Makes "Some Noise" in the Cable World
The NY Times takes a look at how NBC's Bravo Channel has managed to hit the mainstream with offbeat shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. (Remember all the talk about how media in general and television in particular tends to take culture from the margins of society and make them mainstream? Here's a great example!)
- Can Documentaries be a Studio Profit Center?
Fahrenheit 9/11, Super Size Me, and Winged Migration would tend to make one think so. (NY Times)
Monday - July 5, 2004
- Text Messaging Filtered in China
China is now filtering the text messages sent using mobile phones to make sure no one is using the popular communication system to criticize the government. An interesting look at how governments are attempting to regulate "small media" use. (NY Times)
- Philadelphia Advertises to Gay Tourists
The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Co. is advertising to gay tourists on cable channels such as VH1, Bravo, Comedy Central and MTV along the East Coast. The agency says gays are avid tourists who spend more money than straight tourists. (Washington Post)
Saturday - July 3, 2004
- Audio Weekend: Pop Culture / Media News from NPR
On the weekend, Living in a Media World features a wrap up of audio stories from National Public Radio that deal with pop culture and/or media issues. (Sorry we missed this last week, but all the media news pushed Audio Weekend aside.)
- Marlon Brando Remembered
Movie great Marlon Brando died July 2, 2004. Known for his performances in A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and The Wild One, he was a defining actor of his generation. This link gives you multiple stories from NPR, a video clip from Streetcar, and links to other sites.
- When Did Rock 'n' Roll Begin
Some point to Elvis's recording of That's All Right on July 5, 1954, as the birth of rock 'n' roll, but you and I know better! Now NPR clears the air on this story, which has a clip of Wynonie Harris's Good Rockin' Tonight.
- Scientists Find Way to Preserve Old Recordings
Physicists have found a way to play old wax cylinders without damaging them. They make a photographic image of the cylinders that a computer can then process.
- Eclectic Radio
A few new commercial FM stations are playing eclectic music, extended commentary, and are attracting audiences. What a concept! Page includes links to a couple of stations with this programming style.
- Court Overrules Anti-Web-Porn Law
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled against an anti-porn law that they say would limit adults' free speech rights.
Friday - July 2, 2004
- Media Law News
- Private E-Mail is Only So Private
A federal court has ruled that a company that provides E-mail services can copy and read any of the messages sent to its customers. This decision would make E-mail different from phone calls and from conventional mail. Watch what you say! (Washington Post)
- FCC Proposes Nasty Fine for Miss Jackson's Super Bowl Stunt
The FCC has proposed a $550,000 fine for 20 CBS-owned stations for the breast-bearing incident during the Super Bowl. If approved, it would be the largest indecency fine for a television broadcaster. This is a part of an ongoing crackdown on indecency that got started with the Super Bowl incident. The most prominent other broadcaster targeted by the FCC has been Howard Stern. (WP)
- Movie News
- Spider-Man 2 Opens at $40.5 Mil
If this early estimate holds, Spidey 2 will have the largest opening day ever. (Though Spidey 1 did $39.4 million on opening day two years ago with lower ticket prices. Always remember the role of inflation.) (USA Today)
- Dan Glickman Replaces Valenti as Head of MPAA
Former Clinton secretary of agriculture has been named as the next president of the Motion Picture Association of America, replacing the retiring Jack Valenti, who served in the position since the 1960s. (USA Today)
- Time Warner Makes $4.8 Bil Bid for MGM Movie Studio
Time Warner and Sony are in a battle for the MGM movie studio. Freshly merged NBC Universal is also thinking about putting in a bid. What makes MGM so valuable? The studio's huge movie library that has potential in the DVD market. (USA Today)
Thursday - July 1, 2004
No entry today. Just put up five distance learning classes this week. Tune in tomorrow!
