Category: media

“Facing close questioning from a House subcommittee, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin denied criticism that the plan to relax ownership restrictions in the top 20 U.S. markets would also open the door for local newspapers and TV broadcasters to combine in smaller markets around the United States.”

“No one can convince me that there isn’t a link between some of the gory, gritty, horrendous crime that we’ve been seeing in the past few years, particularly in the 18-25 year old group, [and] these games.”

“Comcast’s announcement today is the worst of all possible worlds. The promise of the cable stocks has always been as growth decelerates so too will capital intensity and free cash flow will rise.”

“Four boy actors in the movie The Kite Runner have left Afghanistan out of concern they could be ostracized or subjected to violence because of a rape scene in the movie… The four boys, each accompanied by a relative, left Afghanistan and arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday.”

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have issued charges against a Montreal man who they claim plays a major role in the online distribution of pirated films. Geremi Adam was actually arrested 14 months ago, but the RCMP has spent the intervening time gathering additional evidence of his online transactions.

“The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously passed a bill that would stop Martin’s plans for a Dec. 18 Federal Communications Commission vote to relax the newspaper-TV station cross-ownership restriction.”

Directors of film festivals from all over the world get together. “One anxiety left unvoiced at the fourth annual Intl. Film Festival Summit, was that there may simply be too many fests, with an estimated 4,000-7,000 worldwide.”

Seattle is the center of a category of video games known as “casual games.” “It probably would account for at least half if not two-thirds of the industry in casual games. It’s also a part of the gaming world in which women are the dominant players — and 74 percent of the payers.”

“Given several events and proceedings over the past year, I am rapidly losing confidence that the commission has been conducting its affairs in an appropriate manner. While this is certainly not true for every commission proceeding, a trend appears to be emerging of short-circuiting procedural norms, suggesting a larger breakdown at the agency.”

Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin J. Martin is now the target of a congressional investigation into whether he is abusing his authority and if his leadership has led to “a breakdown in proper procedure at the FCC.”