Los Angeles

Fox L.A. Lot Prepares for Protests

Stevie Converse — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:00:36 -0400

Full article: Television Broadcast
Employees at Fox's Los Angeles studio lot have been warned to be prepared for protesters. The parent company will be holding its annual stockholder meeting on the lot at 10 a.m. PST. Employees were asked in a memo to be "respectful and polite" if they are approached by protesters. "Our goal is to minimize disruption," the memo states.

News Corp. Protesters Issue List of Grievances

Stevie Converse — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:31:35 -0400

Full article: SavetheNews.org
Timothy Karr
A coalition of concerned citizens, labor organizations, advocacy groups and OccupyLA protesters will demonstrate outside News Corporation's annual shareholders' meeting on Oct. 21. Under Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. has accumulated toxic levels of media power -- including cable channels, news networks, newspapers, television stations, movie studios and more. News Corp. leverages its news and entertainment empire to bully regulators, elect compliant politicians, gain regulatory favors and undermine the public interest.

Media Minutes: October 21, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:31:03 -0400

A street protest outside News Corp.'s annual shareholders' meeting in Los Angeles is sending a message to Rupert Murdoch and his investors that "News Corp. Is Not Above the Law." And community members spoke eloquently at the Rural Broadband Summit about Appalachia’s need for high-speed broadband service.

After Dropping PBS, Los Angeles Station Makes Deal of Its Own

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:33:35 -0400

Full article: New York Times
Elizabeth Jensen
KCET-TV, the Los Angeles public television station that quit carrying PBS shows Jan. 1 because it said the dues were too high, has found a new source of original programs that it will get free.

Los Angeles Sues AT&T for Unpaid Taxes

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:46:49 -0400

Full article: Los Angeles Times
Stuart Pfeifer
Anyone who's ever taken a close look at a cellular telephone bill knows there's a lot of fees and taxes buried in the fine print. But it's nothing like the bill that city of Los Angeles has slapped on AT&T. The city sued AT&T Mobility in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking $4.9 million in unpaid "communications user tax," plus penalties and interest.

How $50 Million in Donations Led KCET to Split from PBS

Stevie Converse — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:48:00 -0400

Full article: Los Angeles Times
Scott Collins
In 2004, KCET-TV, the PBS affiliate in Los Angeles, began raking in generous grants for preschool programming that would eventually total $50 million. Half of the money came from BP. But a combination of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a complicated PBS dues structure and a faltering economy placed the station in a precarious situation.

Los Angeles TV Station Severs Ties with PBS

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:43:36 -0400

Full article: New York Times
Ian Lovett
KCET-TV is preparing to cut ties with PBS at the end of the year, when it will become the largest independent television station in the country -- and leave the nation's second-largest city without a major PBS station either. After KCET-TV drops PBS, the PBS flagship in the Los Angeles area will be KOCE-TV in Orange County. Residents have reacted to the plan with a mix of frustration and indifference.

Witness List for Los Angeles Comcast-NBCU Hearing Shaping Up

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:06:34 -0400

Full article: Los Angeles Times
Joe Flint
The witness list for the House Judiciary Committee's hearing to be held June 7 in Los Angeles about the Comcast-NBCU deal is likely to include a mix of industry executives and academics, many of whom will raise concerns about the combination of the cable giant and the programming behemoth.

Local TV News Doesn't Share the Public Interest

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:25:08 -0400

Full article: Los Angeles Times
James Rainey
The FCC says that, in exchange for the right to use the airwaves we all own, a broadcaster must operate in the "public interest," airing "programming that is responsive to the needs and problems of its local community." Yet a new study shows that Los Angeles area news broadcast devote only 22 seconds per 30 minutes to local government coverage. Is it likely to get better?

Los Angeles Media Reform

Jordan Berg — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:37:06 -0500

The Los Angeles Media Reform Group is a volunteer-run project of California Common Cause that focuses on holding news accountable to the public interest and encouraging citizens to create their own media, and to be critical consumers of the mass media. Click here for contact information.