Center for Creative Voices in Media Blog

Creative Voices Seek FCC Carve-Out for Indie Productions

In the FCC's proceeding on "Localism," Creative Voices and a broad coalition of public interest groups asked the FCC to promote creativity, diversity, originality, and just plain better TV by changing its rules to allow independent producers not affiliated with the broadcast networks -- like the people who made All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Murphy Brown, and The Rockford Files -- to again make TV for primetime. For more details and a copy of our filing, go to this link: Center for Creative Voices in Media: News. Read the Broadcasting and Cable article on our filing, here.

Hollywood taking sides in network neutrality debate

The LA Times has some good quotes in its story on Net Neutrality: "If the outcome is the studios will have preferred access for delivering content because of a deal they would get with the [Internet service providers], I think that would be a really bad thing for the industry," said Gilles BianRosa, chief executive of Vuze Inc., a Palo Alto-based company that uses a version of BitTorrent technology to let people watch and share video, music and games.

(Justine) Bateman, best known for her role in the 1980s as Mallory Keaton on "Family Ties," said other actors and producers should be more concerned."You need to have a distribution avenue that's free and open, and that's the Internet," Bateman said in an interview. "I don't think it occurred to anybody that would be threatened. But, boy, you could get 5,000 more witnesses if you start spreading that around in Hollywood." Link: Hollywood taking sides in network neutrality debate - Los Angeles Times.

MPAA, RIAA going steady with ISPs

Looks like our prediction in our recent HuffPo post  was spot-on that Big Media has made its deal with broadband ISPs to exempt its content from the ISPs' discrimination and degradation on the Internet in exchange for supporting the ISPs against net neutrality rules. Variety reports that at an Institute for Policy Innovation panel addressing online piracy, leaders of Hollywood, the recording industry and the wireless industry touted the beginnings of a long-term relationship built on a foundation of making the Internet a thriving market for legal content and a dead end for bootleggers. "We're all in this together," said MPAA chairman-chief exec Dan Glickman.

"We're moving toward a world where all our interests align," said RIAA chairman-CEO Mitch Bainwol. "The long-term relationship is much more complex and partner-based," Bainwol said, suggesting that congestion, while a serious issue for content generators and ISPs alike, is only one common interest. Could it possibly be that degrading and discriminating against video that competes with Big Media, Big Cable, and Big Telco could be another "common interest?" We'll predict again what we did in HuffPo: You'll see a very hot place freeze over before Comcast or any other ISP blocks Big Media's Hulu.com video distribution service, while at the same time they'll freely block BitTorrent and other competitors. Link: MPAA, RIAA going steady with ISPs - Entertainment News, Music News, Media - Variety. Read our HuffPo post for more detail and analysis, here.

Senate Panel To FCC: Take Your "Deregulation" and Shove It

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a rarely used "Resolution of Disapproval" that would roll back the FCC's latest attempt to permit even more media consolidation and concentration. A similar resolution has been introduced in the House. But to become effective, the Resolution must be signed by the President, who has already promised to veto it. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the resolution was meant to combat "galloping concentration" in the media. Link: FOXNews.com - Senate panel rejects new media ownership rule.

Writers, Actors Support Net Neutrality at Senate Hearing

In testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday, Writers Guild of America West topper Patric Verrone and thesp Justine Bateman described the Internet as the only remaining open market for truly independent creators. Both emphasized the need for Net neutrality -- the notion that Internet and broadband service providers should be mandated to provide consumers with equal and unfettered access to all legal Web sites and online content. Link: Hollywood split on net neutrality - Entertainment News, H'w'd and D.C., Media - Variety. The Benton Foundation has an excellent page devoted to the hearing, with Verrone and Bateman's testimony, as well as the statements of FCC Chair Kevin Martin and other witnesses, here. Martin's comments on enforcing net neutrality and making more explicit the FCC's authority to take action against Comcast-style blocking of websites and applications went farther and were stronger than we'd ever heard before, and we welcome them.

Creative Voices' 1Q 2008 Update

Check out our latest newsletter. We report on our indecency case going to the Supreme Court, the fight against media consolidation, and our work on Internet Freedom and Net Neutrality. Link: Center for Creative Voices in Media: News.

Tim Robbins' Brilliant Keynote at NAB

At times hilarious and profane, at others serious and insightful, Tim Robbins' keynote speech to the NAB is a must listen, available here. As Variety reported: The fun started to get uncomfortable when Robbins referred to both the Reagan and Clinton administrations having eased limitations on media ownership -- all to the "benefit" of communities, which then no longer had to listen to diverse, complex opinions "or alternative rock." NAB has supported relaxing ownership rules.

Robbins peaked with what he called a three-pronged proposal that broadcasters should adopt in order to eliminate "confusing, complex issues" such as diversity of thought and opinion."First, erase all diversity," he said. "You only need two opinions. Second, stay focused on sex scandals. We don't want any kind of reporting outside the soundbite. I don't know about you, but show me a drunk starlet getting out of a car with no panties on, and I think the world is a better place. Third, more distraction. The economy sucks? Chaos in Iraq? It is a moral responsibility to distract."...

"In all seriousness, folks," Robbins said, dropping the good-natured satirical tone, "We're at an abyss as an industry and a country." He talked of pervasive cynicism in the country and added that "you, as broadcasters, have the power to turn the nation away from cynicism. Or you can hide behind the old adage, 'I'm just a businessman, just providing what the audience wants.' " Link: Tim Robbins delivers keynote at NAB - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety.

"Fair Market Value" Bill makes it to CA Senate

A bill aimed at regulating self-dealing transactions among the majors cleared its first hurdle in the California state Senate with its passage Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The "Fair Market Value" bill, sponsored by Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles) and supported by WGA, passed the CA Senate Judiciary Committee and is on its way to the full Senate. It would mandate that the majors pass the "fair market value" sniff test on all transactions between related entities of a conglom. See our discussion of this bill here. Link: WGA bill makes it to CA Senate - Entertainment News, Legal News, Media - Variety.