Category: media

“When the engineers at Apple originally designed the iPod, it’s doubtful they thought of their gizmo as a potential security risk. But in corporate and military circles, that’s exactly what the digital music player has become. Circles like Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MOD), which last week added the iPod to its list of restricted devices.” At issue is the ease with which an iPod user can download information of any kind (not just songs) from other machines.

The new chief of the CBC’s English-language TV division has had a rough first week on the job, as he seeks to distance himself from a controversial memo which recommended privatizing large chunks of the public broadcaster and splitting the TV channel into three specialty networks. Richard Stursberg insists that, while he may have been involved in discussions which touched on the subjects contained in the memo, he does not support any of its proposals, and wants to use his position to strengthen the CBC’s regional presence, and to make it “more Canadian” in general.

A $1.6 million gift from a Cleveland foundation has jumpstarted the funding campaign for a unique multimedia center which will combine the operations of the city’s public TV station WVIZ and public radio station WCPN (known collectively as Ideastream) with “broadcast and dance studios, offices, classrooms and a small theater.” Organizers hope that the project can revitalize Cleveland’s theater district while providing a much-needed center for arts education. $17 million of private money still needs to be raised for the center to become reality.

It’s clear now that we are in the midst of a documentary boom, says Geoff Pevere, and the more controversial, the better. So what’s driving the rush to fact-based films? Well, technology has made such films a lot easier to make than they used to be. The world is a polarized and dangerous place at the moment, which whets the appetite for information. And the Bush administration, with its constant attempts to “manage” information, has certainly made a certain sector of the populace thirst for alternative knowledge. “One more thing: When [documentaries] work, they can knock you flat on your ass.”

Lost amid all the hype surrounding the iPod and its copycats is the fact that, despite the obvious consumer interest in digital music, no one audio file format has yet emerged as the industry standard. Songs downloaded in iPod’s format, for instance, cannot be played on Sony’s player. More importantly, with a few major media companies (like Sony) controlling the majority of the available product, Apple is running a significant risk of having the iPod become the new Betamax if its format doesn’t become the standard, and soon.

This was supposed to be the summer that year-round TV programming took hold. No repeats, new series… “We’ve heard all these big grandiose announcements about the year-round programming and what a great strategy it is. We’ve seen no evidence to back up the rhetoric. In fact, we’ve seen quite the opposite.” CBS, the only network running reruns, is the only network doing well. “Midway through the summer season, CBS is the only major network to increase its number of total viewers, adding 3 percent to an average of 8.5 million.”

A new “dispoable” DVD that self-destructs is being touted as an anti-piracy tool as well as a challenge to the traditional movie rental. “The discs are created using an oxygen-activated chemical, and are shipped in vacuum-sealed packages. Once the disc is exposed to air, the chemical starts working; 48 hours later, it turns black, and the DVD player can’t read it anymore.”

The US Congress is considering two bills this week that will impact the entertainment industry. “The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the Family Movie Act, which would exempt from legal liability anyone who uses filtering software to “clean up” purportedly indecent, violent or pornographic movie content. The following day, the Senate Commerce Committee will decide whether to renew the satellite TV industry’s right to transmit network programming.”

So Canada is going to begin showing the Al-Jazeera network on TV (though its programming will be censored). “Many people applauded how cable operators must tape and monitor Al Jazeera 24/7 to head off possible offensive material. So, now that the cable industry has yet another application to import Fox News before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), will anyone call for Fox to be similarly muzzled to stop potentially ‘abusive comment’ on the U.S. channel?”

The UK film industry posted a record level of production last year, while admissions at UK cinemas reached their second highest level in 30 years. “About £742m was taken at the UK box office. The box office tally marks an increase of 136% on the previous decade, with one in four people now attending the cinema once every month.”