Stop Big Media

2008 Big Media "Hall of Shame:" Worst Corporation

mthompson — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:15:13 -0700

These Big Media behemoths, cronies and sell-outs make us sick -- from 2008's "Worst Corporation," to the "Worst Shill or Astroturf," to the coveted "Worst of the Worst" prize!

Resolution of Disapproval: Federal Communications Commission Media Ownership Rules (S.J. Res. 28/H.J. Res. 79)

Migrated Content — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:52:42 -0700

Senate Joint Resolution 28, introduced by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), would rescind the Federal Communications Commission's December 2007 vote to remove the "newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership" ban prohibiting one company from owning a broadcast station and the major daily newspaper in the same media market.

Newspaper Industry Should Not Treat Diversity like a Passing Fad

Stevie Converse — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:58:58 -0700

The last few weeks in the newspaper industry have been horrible, leaving many people scared, frustrated and wondering what this business will look like in five years. What will it look like in a year? Or a month even?

GE Goes for the Gold

Stevie Converse — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:37:59 -0700

For years investors have been asking why General Electric owns NBC Universal, and GE has been making the case that despite having little to do with the rest of the business, the network was a one-of-a-kind asset worth hanging on to.

NBC Universal to Buy The Weather Channel for $3.5 Billion

Holiday Shapiro — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:51:21 -0700

NBC Universal and two partners said Sunday they have reached a deal to buy The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications Inc., ending a drawn-out process that had attracted interest from several major media companies.

Media Could Use Diverse Voices

Stevie Converse — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:38:39 -0700

The hosts and guests on the Sunday morning talk shows as well as the cable networks, where every evening commentators debate the top political issues, are predominately middle-age white males.

There are exceptions: Gwen Ifill on PBS, Clarence Page, an analyst on the "McLaughlin Group" and the "Chris Matthews Show," and Juan Williams and Geraldo Rivera, regulars on FOX News.

You Can Stop the Vile Media

Stevie Converse — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:55:35 -0700

F YOU'RE lucky, you missed getting a bloody e-mail promoting Ashanti's new single, "The Way That I Love You." It was disturbingly violent and, given the homicide rate plaguing many American cities, it was in unbelievably bad taste.

Producers, Writers Take on FCC Indecency Regime

Stevie Converse — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:39:30 -0700

Some big-time Hollywood producers and writers said the Federal Communications Commission's content-chilling regime needs to be reined in for the sake of viewers, content creators and the First Amendment, but reining in consolidated media rather than content might be the solution to the FCC's "understandable" concern about some objectionable TV content.

The Hidden History of U.S. Broadcasting

Stevie Converse — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:05:51 -0700

The US broadcast media regime, in which greedy, amoral corporations enjoy completely free monopoly licenses to run their highly profitable businesses upon the scarce public property that is the broadcast spectrum is usually presented to us as the only “natural” and sensible media order.

Tampa Tribune Newsroom to Lose 21 More Jobs by Year's End

Stevie Converse — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:24:30 -0700

Executives at Media General's Tampa Tribune and WFLA-Ch. 8 are informing employees today of a new plan to ramp up convergence at the company's media outlets in Tampa -- a plan that will include the involuntary layoff of 21 positions from the newspaper's editorial staff and a loss of 10 positions from the television station's newsroom.

Localism Not Just for Disasters

Megan Tady — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:48:34 -0700

You might have seen some of the coverage the national press gave to recent floods in Iowa. It was a dramatic event that frequently brought comparisons to Hurricane Katrina. Eighty-three of Iowa’s 99 counties have been declared disaster areas and some of the worst damage was done in Cedar Rapids, where it is estimated that up to one-fifth of the population was displaced by the damage.

Buckling Under Boldface Debt

Holiday Shapiro — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:19:17 -0700

Media giant Tribune Co. has found itself trying to wage a war on two fronts. And the struggle is starting to take its toll.

Even the healthiest U.S. newspaper companies are battling declining circulation and advertising revenue. The same is true at Tribune's nine daily English-language newspapers, which include the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and the Baltimore Sun.

Oh, 'Courant': Hartford Paper to Cut Staff, Pages

Holiday Shapiro — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:48:54 -0700

In apparently keeping with Tribune Co. boss Sam Zell's directive to seek both staff and page cuts if needed to save money, The Hartford (Conn.) Courant has announced plans to do both.

In a memo to staff, first posted on the Poynter.org Romenesko site, Editor Cliff Teutsch has revealed plans to cut news pages from 273 per week to 206, while cutting staff positions from 232 to about 175.

L.A. Times Headquarters May be Sold

Holiday Shapiro — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:44:17 -0700

Cash-strapped Tribune Co. is considering putting two of its signature properties -- the Los Angeles Times' main office downtown and Tribune Tower in Chicago -- on the block.

Sinclair to Buy Raycom Station for $85M

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:08:23 -0700

Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Tuesday that it will buy the assets of WTVR, the CBS affiliate in the Richmond-Petersburg, Va., market, from Raycom Media for $85 million.

The House that Rupert Built

Stevie Converse — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:44:58 -0700

American News Project takes a humorous look at the grand achievement of the Newseum - a multi-million dollar shrine to the news industry brought to you by today's corporate media titans. Despite all the money, the curators might have failed on one key question: What is news?

Diversity in Entertainment: Why Is TV So White?

Stevie Converse — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:31:20 -0700

Cleveland Brown favors gentle words, and few words at that. He likes yellow T-shirts and baths. He is also fiercely proud of his African-American heritage, as evidenced by his ''Two Decades of Dignity'' board game and that nice talk he had with a racist cop about how a black bowling ball might feel when surrounded by white pins.

Iraq Story Buried by U.S. Networks

Stevie Converse — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:48:28 -0700

The three major U.S. networks spend on average 2 minutes per week covering the Iraq war, this according to the New York Times. The networks aren't telling the public about the deaths of Iraqi civilians since the invasion (anywhere from 600,000 to 1.2 million) or about the displaced Iraqis both internally and outside the country (more than 5 Million).

July 18 Deadline for Cross-Ownership Move Requests

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:19:46 -0700

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals gave broadcasters and media activists until July 18 to file their requests for moving the appeal of the Federal Communications Commission's decision to loosen the ban on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership.

Does Local TV Care About the News?

Stevie Converse — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:27:55 -0700

June 3 was a historic moment in our nation's history. But if you were watching broadcast television that night, chances are you never would have known it. After a seemingly endless, exorbitantly expensive, hard-fought primary in the first truly “open seat” presidential election in decades, the presidential candidates for the two major parties were decided.