FCC Broadband Plan: Genachowski to Appear at Senate Hearing

03/19/10 FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will be the only witness at next week's hearing on the national broadband plan in the Senate Commerce Committee.The hearing has been slated for Tuesday, March 23, at 2:30, according to an e-mail alert Friday.On the House side, all the commissioners have been invited to a March 25 hearing on the plan, which the FCC officially unveiled this week.A he..... ...Read More »

NAB 2010: Genachowski to Keynote NAB Show

03/18/10 Fresh of declaring that he wants more than a third of their spectrum by 2015, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has agreed to give a keynote speech at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas.The chairman will speak Tuesday, April 13, at 9 a.m."[W]e're pleased to present Chairman Genachowski with a high-profile platform to share his views on communications p..... ...Read More »

House Passes Bill Extending Satellite Blanket License to April 30

03/17/10 The House passed HR 4851 on March 17, according to a Hill staffer following the satellite bill's progress. The bill is a stop-gap measure that extends until April 30 the satellite blanket license, along with other programs--like unemployment benefits--that had been scheduled to sunset back in December. Now the bill must go to the Senate for passage before March 28, when the curre..... ...Read More »

NAB 2010: Sony to Showcase Augusta 3D in Vegas

03/16/10 After striking a deal with Augusta National Golf Club to sponsor the 3D production of the 2010 Masters Tournament from Apr. 7-11, Sony Electronics plans to make the 3D footage a highlight of its exhibition at the 2010 NAB Show in Las Vegas. Sony, which is providing cameras and switchers for the production, will show recorded Masters footage on 3D displays in its booth on the show f..... ...Read More »

Wharton: Broadcasters Could Work With FCC on Voluntary Spectrum Reclamation

03/16/10 Broadcasters would be willing to work with FCC on a "truly" voluntary spectrum reclamation plan, according to Dennis Wharton, spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters,??who said Tuesday (March 16) that he thought some broadcasters would be willing to give up some of their spectrum if the FCC's plan is "truly voluntary." The broadband plan, being officia..... ...Read More »

Aretha Franklin does "own thing" with new album

03/19/10 NEW YORK (Billboard) - As Aretha Franklin celebrates her 68th birthday this month, she shows no sign of slowing down. She pla ...Read More »

ESPN HD Connects With Home Run Derby

03/19/10 ESPN3D has added the State Farm Home Run Derby to its lineup of enhanced telecasts. The home run contest is slated for July 12 at 8 p.m., and will be played at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the day before Major League Baseball will stage its All-Star Game in Orange County.?? Fox and DirecTV already announced that they would be producing and televising the All-Star G..... ...Read More »

MMOD Scores Double-Digit Gains With Tourney

03/19/10 With a slew of thrilling games and upsets, NCAA March Madness on Demand got off to a record start with the first day of the Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship. CBSSports.com said the online platform, which streams the tourney games for free, connected with 3 million unique visitors on March 18, 11% more than on the initial day of??the 2009 version of March Madnes..... ...Read More »

Pan-Asian Group Pans Comcast/NBCU In Petition To Deny Deal

03/19/10 The Comcast/NBCU merger has drawn its first petition to deny, according to the FCC, whose doors were opened wide for comment and criticism this week. It came March 15 from a self-described "Pan-Asian" group called the Mabuhay Alliance, which felt dissed by what they said was a lack of references to their constituency in the proposed deal's filing, including its public interest fi..... ...Read More »

Icahn Ups Lions Gate Ante

03/19/10 Icahn Ups Lions Gate AnteInvestor Launches Hostile Bid for All Studio SharesBy Mike Farrell About a week after being rebuffed by Lions Gate Entertainment's board of directors in his partial tender offer for about 13 million shares of the studio's stock, http://www.multichannel.com/article/450175-Lions_Gate_Rejects_Icahn_Offer.php former corporate raider Carl Icahn has raised..... ...Read More »

Liberty's Malone Presents Inaugural 'Media For Liberty' Award

03/19/10 Liberty Media Chairman John Malone gave out the company's first "Media For Liberty" award Thursday night to 60 Minutes for "Congo Gold," a segment about how precious minerals have helped fuel the deadliest war since World War II.The award is for journalism that "explores the relationship between political and economic liberty."The Congo suffers from a lack of both, with their min..... ...Read More »