“Facing close questioning from a House subcommittee, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin denied criticism that the plan to relax ownership restrictions in the top 20 U.S. markets would also open the door for local newspapers and TV broadcasters to combine in smaller markets around the United States.”
Tag: 12.05.07
Media, Entertainment Companies Worry About Economic Downturn
“A U.S. economic recession could hammer those media and entertainment companies that rely heavily on advertising next year, curtailing experimentation when the industry needs it most.”
Turkish Publisher On Trial For “Turkish Insult”
“Ragip Zarakolu is facing up to three years in prison for publishing a book – promoting reconciliation between Turks and Armenians – by George Jerjian, a writer living in London.”
Comcast Suffers As Cable Companies Languish
“Comcast’s announcement today is the worst of all possible worlds. The promise of the cable stocks has always been as growth decelerates so too will capital intensity and free cash flow will rise.”
Calgary Board Bans Golden Compass Book
“The Catholic school board in Calgary has followed the lead of a Catholic school board in Burlington, Ont., in pulling the children’s fantasy book The Golden Compass off school shelves.” The book’s author is an acknowledged atheist, and some view his work as anti-Christian.
Norval Morrisseau, 76
Norval Morrisseau, arguably the most prominent First Nations artists in Canada, and a painter referred to in all seriousness as “the Picasso of the North,” has died. “The hyperbole is forgivable. They are part of the legend – the story of a true primitive who emerged from the Northern Ontario wilderness to awe the sophisticates in the major art centres of the world.”
Breaking News: UK Still Not A Christian Theocracy
“A Christian group has lost its High Court battle to prosecute the BBC’s director general over the screening of Jerry Springer – The Opera, in 2005… Two judges ruled that broadcasters and theatres staging live productions could not be prosecuted for blasphemy.”
Phillips Taps Dallas Curator
“Dorothy M. Kosinski, a curator and administrator at the sprawling Dallas Museum of Art, has been named director of the [Washington, D.C.-based] Phillips Collection, becoming the third official outside the Phillips family to lead the modern art facility.”
Radcliffe Picks Broadway Over Harry
The infamous London production of Equus, starring a sometimes-nude Daniel Radcliffe, is coming to Broadway. To commit to the show, Radcliffe told Warner Brothers that he wouldn’t agree to film the next two Harry Potter movies back to back, as the studio had wanted.
The Good And Bad Of SF’s Gockley
It’s been a full year since David Gockley stepped into the general directorship of San Francisco Opera, with big ideas and endless ambitions for the company. His first season has been “an unpredictable mixture of impressive successes and odd disappointments.”