Stop Big Media News

Why Big Media Needs Propaganda to Survive

Stevie Converse — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:09:59 -0700

The mainstream media are as likely to report on Pentagon propaganda — and thus, themselves — as President Bush is likely to cede that “mission accomplished” was poor phrasing. That is, it ain’t ever gonna happen.

Sources Say Cablevision's Newsday Bid Taken Seriously

Stevie Converse — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:36:12 -0700

A day after News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch spoke confidently that he would end up buying Newsday, sources familiar with the negotiations in Chicago said last week's higher bid from Cablevision Systems Corp. is being seriously considered.

Congress Begins to Take Action on Propaganda

Neal Bastek — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:23:14 -0700

One by one, members of Congress are demanding an investigation into the Pentagon's covert scheme to sway public opinion about the Iraq war by placing propaganda pundits in the media.

Appeals Court Delays Hearing Tribune's Waiver Challenge

Stevie Converse — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:53:36 -0700

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decided to put off hearing Tribune's challenge of the Federal Communications Commission's decision to grant it waivers to complete the deal to sell the company to investor Sam Zell and Tribune employees.

A Landscape of Giants

Stevie Converse — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:37:00 -0700

When it comes to debates about media consolidation, it's hard not to get the sense that the horse has long since bolted from the barn.

FCC Probing Complaint About Embedded Analysts

Stevie Converse — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:24:43 -0700

Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday that the commission was looking into complaints about the Department of Defense's program to provide administration talking points to former military officers used by TV networks as analysts on the Iraq war.

'Deafening' Silence on Analyst Story

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:03:16 -0700

Even with countless media outlets available these days, a Sunday New York Times cover story could always be counted on to send a jolt through the television news cycle.

Murdoch Confident He'll Land Newsday

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:16:44 -0700

Although his company is reported to be holding tight to its $580 million offer for Newsday despite apparently being outbid, News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch believes he ultimately will wind up with Tribune Co.'s Long Island, N.Y., newspaper.

Don't Worry About MySpace, News Corp. Says

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:40:43 -0700

Fox Interactive, which includes the networking site, will fall short of revenue projections for the year, the media giant says, but growth is expected.

As News Corp. Posts Wide Gains, Murdoch Keeps His Sights on Newsday

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:37:44 -0700

In the News Corporation’s earnings conference call on Wednesday, Rupert Murdoch voiced skepticism that Cablevision can succeed in its bid for Newsday, which is now at the center of a tussle among three New York moguls, even as he vowed not to get into a bidding war for the newspaper.

Top Dems Demand FCC Review of Pentagon Fake News

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:18:22 -0700

Two key figures on Capitol Hill want the Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether TV networks violated agency rules when they gave air time to a coordinated Defense Department media blitz that promoted retired military brass as supposedly impartial experts on the war in Iraq.

Cross-Ownership Support: NAB Backs FCC Rule Change

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:14:14 -0700

Kevin Martin, the embattled chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, got a rare statement of support Tuesday.

News Corp. Profit Up Sharply

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:11:40 -0700

News Corp. posted a strong profit increase for its fiscal third quarter as a big gain on an asset swap and higher results from its television unit offset a decline in the company's film segment.

TVB Study Finds TV Is America's Top Medium

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:28:39 -0700

A new Nielsen survey says television continues to dominate as the most influential and authoritative medium.

FCC Urged to Look into Pentagon Analysts

Stevie Converse — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:20:32 -0700

The Federal Communications Commission is the latest federal agency being asked by members of Congress to investigate the Pentagon's use of network and cable military analysts.

Cablevision’s Newsday Bid Would Face Few Regulatory Hurdles

Stevie Converse — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:57:25 -0700

If Cablevision Systems manages to wrest the Tribune Company's Long Island, N.Y., newspaper Newsday away from other interested bidders, the transaction would raise the ire of consumer groups, but regulators in Washington won't have much to say, The Deal.com reported.

FCC Endorses Junk News, Calls Fox's TMZ and 700 Club 'Bona Fide Newscasts'

Stevie Converse — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:57:05 -0700

Hard-hitting journalism is nearing extinction on television, and the Federal Communications Commission just threw another shovelful of dirt on its grave when it recently ruled that Rupert Murdoch's broadcast of TMZ and Pat Robertson's 700 Club meet the test for "a bona fide newscast."

Hill Wants FCC to Investigate DOD 'Experts' Program

Stevie Converse — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:11:47 -0700

A pair of powerful legislators want to know whether news networks bear any culpability related to a Department of Defense program to recruit ex-military officers to talk up Iraq and other policies on TV, online and elsewhere.

FCC Asked to Probe TV 'Surrogates' by Top Lawmakers

Stevie Converse — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:06:29 -0700

Two top lawmakers have asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the Pentagon's use of retired military officers as "surrogates" on television news.

What Does Cablevision Want With Newsday?

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:28:10 -0700

For a business supposedly on the edge of extinction, newspapers attract an odd assortment of newcomers eager to get in on the game.

Cablevision-Newsday Union Could Raise Regulatory Concerns

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:20:43 -0700

Should Cablevision Systems Corp. succeed in its quest to acquire Long Island newspaper Newsday the deal could come under regulatory scrutiny, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. vice president and senior analyst Craig Moffett.

What the Pentagon Pundits Were Selling on the Side

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:10:29 -0700

The Pentagon pundit scandal was not only a corrupt marriage of propaganda and corporate lobbying -- it was completely illegal.

The News Media: Watchdog or Lap Dog?

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:00:52 -0700

It is becoming more and more difficult for the news media to undertake serious investigative reporting.

Our Lapdog Media

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:09:21 -0700

Stung by a New York Times exposé, the Defense Department has temporarily suspended a program of spoon-feeding war propaganda to retired military officers, who then regurgitate the swill on broadcast and cable TV.

Murdoch Won't Raise Bid for Newsday

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:43:33 -0700

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which had appeared close to a deal to buy Newsday, doesn't plan to raise its bid for the Long Island newspaper despite a higher offer from Cablevision Systems Corp., a person familiar with the matter said Friday.

Microsoft Drops Bid for Yahoo

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:41:18 -0700

Microsoft announced on May 3 it was dropping its unsolicited bid to buy Yahoo!.

Congressmen Urge Probe of Defense Dept.’s Influence on Military Analysts

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:17:00 -0700

A group of congressmen is calling on the Pentagon’s Inspector General to probe whether the Department of Defense went too far in trying to sway the opinions of military analysts on network and cable TV shows in behalf of the Iraq war in ways that may have been illegal.

News from the Profit Centers

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:51:18 -0700

Is new media killing journalism? The first question to ask is whether this is the right question. The new media need kill nothing. The question is how we choose to use the web.

Newspaper Jobs on the Move -- Over the Ocean

Stevie Converse — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:13:51 -0700

The excess of newspaper staff-cut announcements in recent months has taken on an unsettling ring. While the loss of jobs is terrifying enough, an added element makes it even more stomach-churning: In some cases, jobs are not so much lost as going elsewhere — often overseas.

Murtha: The Military Has Been 'Dishonored' By The 'Untruth'’ of the Pentagon's Propaganda Program

Stevie Converse — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:00:30 -0700

Two weeks ago, the New York Times revealed a secret Pentagon program that uses retired military analysts to “generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance.” Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino defended the program, claiming “