WILL POLITICIANS SAVE BIG BIRD FROM THEMSELVES?

If Republican politicians are successful in their efforts to eliminate funding for public television, the Big Bird broadcasters may be able to find alternative revenue — from the politicians themselves. In a scantly reported decision, a federal appeals court in San Francisco last month overturned the federal ban on political advertising on public broadcasting stations […]

NETWORKS, STATIONS BREAKING LAW ON PRODUCT DISCLOSURE

Experts who tout products on daytime television talk shows are frequently paid by the products’ manufacturers for their endorsement — despite FCC rules barring such paid recommendations without disclosure, the Washington Post observed today (Wednesday). The Post cited the case of Alison Rhodes, who is often introduced as a “safety mom” and touts products promoting […]

AN FCC COMMISSIONER HEADS TO COMCAST

Barely four months after voting to approve Comcast’s takeover of NBC Universal, FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell is stepping down from the broadcasting regulator to become a lobbyist for Comcast. The broadcast/cable giant maintained, however, that it did not begin discussions with Attwell about taking the job until after the FCC had approved the deal. Official […]

STUDENT GROUP CANCELS SCREENING AFTER LAWSUIT THREAT

Facing the threat of a copyright-infringement lawsuit, the Gender Studies Student Organization at the University of Maine has canceled an on-campus screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In a letter-to-the-editor appearing in the The Free Press, the campus newspaper, Hannah Schwenk-Sandau, who had helped organize the free screening said that her group received a […]

WATCHDOG GROUP PROTESTS PAY-TO-PLAY NEWS

The Washington D.C.-based media watchdog Free Press has filed a complaint with the FCC about the use of “experts” on shopping channels and television news and talk shows who are actually shills for the companies they’re talking about. The complaint cited articles by Los Angeles Times media columnist James Rainey in which he described numerous […]