The weekend has arrived and it will be a hot one. The weather will be hot. The news, well, it looks like a weekend full of the same old same old with partisan bickering continuing about healthcare, jobs, and the economy. Here are some articles that may ease you through the campaign silly season.
Media News
When Tim Russert died, leaving NBC without at least the appearance of objective reporting, a White House correspondent was picked to succeed him. David Gregory was selected to lead the longest running network news program. Gregory was known for his far-left tendencies and his spot on impression of Tom Brokaw. Are those traits enough to maintain the Meet the Press legacy? The answer is a solid, "No!."
Following the ouster of Ann Curry on Today, rumors are flying again about the longevity of Gregory in the anchor chair. Ratimgs for the venewrable program have hit new lows especially in the 25 - 54 age group - the prime target for news and interview programs.
On the first Sunday in June, Meet the Press had an audience of 2.46 million viewers of all ages, but less than 700,000 were in the target age group.
Since Gregory became anchor for the program guests primarily come from the left and praise for Obama is prevalent. Gregory chooses to criticize guest from the right, but lets far left apologists skate by with softball questions.
Will Gregory stay or go? It is in the hands of viewers and the non-responsive management at Press and NBC News.
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Retransmission consent is one of the most contentious rules promulgated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The rules have been around for decades, but in recent years more and more broadcasters want more and more money from cable companies as subscription rates continue to rise.
To simplify the rules, a broadcast station or group owner has a choice it can negotiate with a cable operator for cash which allows the cable operator to use the stations copyrighted material on its system(s). The other choice is the broadcaster can opt for "must carry" which gives the cable operator the same permission to distribute, but no money exchanges hands. Public television stations under FCC Rules opt for the second option.
Part of the negotiations for retransmission consent also include channel placement, carriage of multicast channels, and carriage of HD and analog signals.
While cable operators are more than happy to pay for cable networks like Fox News and ESPN, they despise paying broadcasters who continue to broadcast their signals over-the-air. Cable operators contend that is the equivalent of double-dipping. This is an argument that defies logic and could hurt the cable operator.
When negotiations fail or flounder, broadcasters air ads saying the "mean-old" cable operator is going to take away your favorite channel and local news. They fail to mention the possible millions of dollars in revenu they stand to lose. If the negotiations reach a deadline without resolution, the cable operator is required to remove the channels under FCC rules.
One cable operator in Louisiana decided not violate those rules and kept to local channels on their system after the deadline for retransmission consent expired.
The two Baton Rouge stations complained to the FCC. The FCC fined the cable operator $30,000. The operator said it would pay one fine for $15,000 as it was a single violation of the law. The FCC disagree.
More from Broadcasting and Cable
You remember Charlie Sheen. He was the actor who claimed he was "winning" after being fired from the successful comedy Two and a Half Men".
Sheen has resurrected in a comedy on FX call Anger Management. In its second week, the series lost 38 percent of its initial audience. FX officials told Broadcasting and Cable there was no ratings threshold for the series as long as "it's
consonant with our best comedy ratings for our original comedies."
I'm not sure that a 38 percent loss in one week meets that criteria.
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That's all for now.
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