Month: December 2001

NPR Investigates Newspaper-TV Duopolies A report aired on today’s Morning Edition examining the cross ownership of different media outlets in a given market, since the FCC is looking into revising or killing rules that limit such cross ownership. Click here to listen to the segment in Real Audio. The report was reasonable if not particularly…

(Relatively) Short Pacifica Update So much is going on at the embattled Pacifica radio network and I really don’t want this topic to dominate the mediageek newsblog. Thus I’ll just post a bunch of short updates when a critical mass of news is gathered. For those who don’t want to wait for me to post,…

Broadcasting and Cable is reporting that the radio industry and the recording industry reached an agreement over royalty rates for radio stations to stream their music on-line. This brief report doesn’t disclose any of the details, but does note that the Copyright Office is under no obligation to accept the terms, even though the Office…

DIY Net-Radio Provider Shuts Down CNet reports that Live365.com, which provided free and low-cost streaming audio hosting for just about anyone, has shut down, citing problems with their broadband Internet provider. CNet says they didn’t get a comment from Live365, so it’s unknown what the specific problem is. This is just another chink in the…

Some updates to the DIY Files today…

And yet, more cable modem…. @Home announces that it will stay on for three months and then shut down in Februrary 2002, after getting a $355 million cash infusion from its cable system partners (except AT&T). My local cable company, Insight Communications, says it paid out $10 million out of the $355 total, since it’s…

More Cable Modem David Coursey from the ZDNet Anchor Desk takes AT&T to task for their role in screwing up Excite @Home and says this an example why there needs to be regulation on Internet service. Wondering why the FCC never stepped in, he asks the keen question, “Since when has a bankruptcy court been…

Mainstream Props to Indymedia? Lynn Steffens posted to the Chicago IMC a review of the July/August issue of the venerable Columbia Journalism Review, entitled “Mainstream Columbia Journalism Review Takes a Look at IndyMedia; Finds Merit.” I looked for the article in question in the on-line edition of the CJR and found it in the Sept/Oct.…

Those Wacky Cable Modems I had a bit of a panic Saturday morning when my cable modem was down. I thought to myself: “those bastards at Excite @home and their creditors!” That afternoon service came back on and I felt a swell of relief. I must admit, I’m a cable modem junky. For those few…