• Covert Consolidation: Out of Control and on the Rise

    Amy Kroin
    May 29, 2012

    The Texas city of San Angelo bills itself as “the place to come for good times.”

    Forbes ranked it seventh in its 2012 “Best Cities for Jobs” rankings.

    And CNN called it one of the best places to launch a business.

    Unless, of course, that business is a local TV newscast. 

  • Sen. Kohl Stands Up to Verizon

    Josh Levy
    May 24, 2012

    Sen. Herb Kohl  just sent a forceful letter to the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department about Verizon's proposed deal with big cable. 

    "I believe these transactions present serious competition concerns which should be examined closely by your agencies," Sen. Kohl wrote.

  • Deep Cuts at the New Orleans Times-Picayune Trigger Thoughts About Journalism's Future

    Josh Stearns
    May 24, 2012

    Since 2008, we have seen dramatic newsroom cuts at America’s major daily newspapers, and we’ve even seen some of our nation’s longest-running papers cease operations altogether.

    Today the New York Times is reporting more big cuts. David Carr writes that "The New Orleans Times-Picayune, which distinguished itself amid great adversity during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, is about to enact large staff cuts and may cut back its daily print publishing schedule, according to two employees with knowledge of the plans."

  • Open Wireless ... the Answer to Everything?

    Wally Bowen
    May 21, 2012

    Once upon a time, Internet enthusiasts made the following comparison: The Internet is to 21st-century economies what navigable waterways and roads were to 19th- and 20th-century economies.

  • Twin Cities Community Radio Aims to Diversify the Dial

    Danielle Mkali
    May 21, 2012

    When President Obama signed the Local Community Radio Act, we at the Main Street Project knew we wanted to be part of this new era in radio. The LCRA created the potential for thousands of stations to join the airwaves across the United States. A Low Power FM station has the strength of about a 100-watt light bulb and a signal that typically covers a range of three to five miles.

  • Comcast Keeps Capping

    Jenn Topper
    May 18, 2012

    On Thursday, Comcast announced plans to raise its data caps from 250 GB per month to 300 GB in some areas.

  • Seattle: A Great Place to Listen to the Public

    Libby Reinish
    May 18, 2012

    Seattle’s a great place to visit.

    The Space Needle, Mount Rainier, good music, great coffee, the list goes on.

    But if you’re the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, there’s another good reason to visit Seattle: Sen. Maria Cantwell’s personal request that the FCC hold a public hearing on media consolidation.

  • The First Amendment and the Smartphone Journalist

    Timothy Karr
    May 18, 2012

    World Press Freedom Day came and went earlier this month. While it’s important to take a day to recognize our right to speak and share information, threats to our First Amendment freedoms happen all the time, everywhere.

    It's a threat that will become very real on the streets of Chicago this weekend as a new breed of journalists and onlookers attempt to cover the protests surrounding the NATO summit.

  • Super PACs Tell Lies, but the Media Spread Them

    Timothy Karr
    May 17, 2012

    If you think presidential politics have gotten ugly, just wait.

    With wealthy corporations and individuals spending billions of dollars to influence your vote, the real dirt is about to hit your TV screen like mud on a linen bed sheet.

    According to the New York Times, which got its hands on a conservative proposal from a shadowy Super PAC, wealthy Republican strategists are working overtime on a billionaire-fueled campaign to flood the airwaves with race-laced attacks against President Obama:

  • Verizon Dishes Up a Mobile Nightmare

    Josh Levy
    May 17, 2012

    It’s been just about two years since Verizon announced it was planning to end unlimited data plans for smartphone users. And in 2011, Verizon made good on its promise, getting rid of unlimited plans for new customers and forcing them to pay at least $30 a month for limited plans.

    Meanwhile, existing users with unlimited data have been able to “grandfather” in their special plans, carrying them over when they upgrade to new devices. But this week Verizon is dreaming again, this time of a future in which everyone must surrender their grandfathered plans.

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