mediageek

Author: Paul

  • Geek Gear Tidbits

    p>Although it has absolutely nothing to do with X-Mas, a load of electronics has arrived at work in the last few weeks, with some interesting items in the mix. I have no inclination to do a full review of anyting, but would like to record some impressions. Here’s the first shot: JVC DV/VHS Combi-VCR (SR-VS30V)…

  • Hacker Gets Back On Air

    After blowing $16000 on legal fees, the famed (and once jailed) hacker Kevin Mitnick had his ham radio license restored by the FCC, though he’s still barred from using the Internet until later in 2003. His license was revoked due to the so-called “character clause” in telecomm law that basically says licensees should be of…

  • Unauthorized Biography of the Baby Bells

    The New Networks Institute is giving away PDFs of a book that “the Bells Don’t Want You to Read.” At first blush it looks interesting and may open some eyes about how our telecomm infrastructure is actually operated (and not operated in our best interest). As far as I can tell the NNI is essentially…

  • Talkin’ ‘Bout Consolidation

    This was the weekend for media ownership and consolidation talk for me on the radio. Last Friday’s edition of the mediageek radio show featured a discussion with Ivy Glennon on the topic of media ownership and community media. Ivy is an associate professor of communicaitons at the University of Illinois and a member of WEFT’s…

  • Today’s Consolidation Watch

    p>It looks like the media attention to the issue of ownership is slowly starting to ratchet up. Like all media coverage, these things tend to snowball — coverage begats coverage. However, these stories are still running in the business section or in media-specific arenas. I’m still waiting to see something on the front page of…

  • A Leaky FCC Is an Unhappy FCC

    According to this Hollywood Reporter article, the FCC’s proposal to raise cable ownership caps wasn’t supposed to be public yet, and so “A top FCC official” is asking the FCC’s inspector general to investigate. Yes, we wouldn’t want the public to know how they’re getting screwed until just before they get jabbed.

  • Berkeley Liberation Radio Is Back

    Less than a week after being raided by the FCC, John at DIYMedia reports that Berkeley Liberation Radio is back on the air. He also notes that “While the FCC has conducted at least three enforcement actions within the last three weeks, the good news is at least three new microradio stations have signed on…

  • More Notes on Media Ownership

    Last week the interim Pacifica National Board released a statement expressing “alarm” over the FCC’s upcoming owner rules review, in light of Chairman Powell’s agenda for raising or eliminating several limits. Also, recent mediageek entries on media ownership and consolidation are gathered together on a single page, thanks to Moveable Type’s category archive feature. With…

  • Denver Rap Pirates Visited by FCC

    p>A Westword article details the quick life and death of a pirate rap station in Denver that played local music when the local commercial urban station wouldn’t. It looks like the station wasn’t particularly clandestine. They apparently were just visited by field agents who served a “written warning” (probably a “notice of apparent liability”) but…

  • A Look at Copps

    The LA Times takes a look at FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, for a time the lone Democrat on the Commission, who is taking Chairman Powell head-on over Powell’s public stance in favor of loosening media ownership restrictions. Copps favors a much more in-depth and public review of current ownership rules, rather than the expedited backroom…