The media pundit's pundit. Written by NYC insider Jeff Jarvis, BuzzMachine covers news, media, journalism, and politics.
Copps the cop speaks… oh, no
: The most frightening FCC commissioner, Democrat Michael Copps, speaks to TV execs at the NATPE conference. The man is clueless about the state of media — all media, including the internet; he doesn’t understand the real dynamics of the media business today; he’s the most eager kneecapper of the First Amendment. A few choice remarks:
…I know that a lot of you in
this audience share my concern about the media track we
Yep, that’s why I bailed on the Federal Election Commission in the late ’80s; same problem.
And I could repeat the same statement for your post immediately below (earlier in time) about the FOIA.
Copps is hardly the most frightening member of the FCC (though he is wrong on indecency).
He actually has done what you advocate, have a dialogue with the community. He used his own budget to have the FCC to hold hearings on consolidation around the country and this led Powell to have hearings on localism (though Powell didn’t bother to show up at some).
And yes, there does need to be regulation of media. The tv landscape has changed radically in the last decade or so. Now most tv shows are either made by the network’s production division or an independent is forced to partner with their division. And that has resulted in some really bad tv shows getting on the schedule which might not have been considered if it hadn’t been for the network’s ownership.
Some of the best programs in the past were from independents whether from MTM or Norman Lear. There certainly are good shows from the network owned production companies, but there needs to be a role for independents. The WGA has some info on the impact of vertigal integration and consolidation.
Jeff, not every family can afford cable. There should be more programming for children on broacast as well as for teens who are really underserved. Locally produced shows for kids and teens have almost vanished. KRON in San Francisco used to have a great award-winning teen show which was killed in the 90s during one of many rounds of budget cuts.
Serious long form documentaries have almost vanished from local and national broadcast. Yes, PBS, HBO, and Sundance show great work, but they don’t have the impact or audience CBS Reports did (I’ve thought CBS should use some of the profits from Survivor to revive it on Saturday nights long before their recent troubles).
Peter Jennings to his credit does have a requirement in his contract to do several documentaries a year. The most recent was No Place to Hide which was done with the Center for Investigative Reporting (where I was an intern and researcher on a couple of Frontline documentaries a decade ago – Frontline put their latest show, Al Qaeda’s New Front which will air on PBS Tuesday online today).
But the loss of local documentaries is even more harmful. Bay TV, the short-lived attempt at a CNN for San Francisco, showed great documentaries KRON used to do weekly. And KRON used to have a contract to work with the Center For Investigative Reporting on local docs and investigations. Hyperlocal blogs are doing important work, but they won’t be doing hour documentaries based on a year of investigation anytime soon.
And local public affairs programs have almost vanished and most local news sucks.
At a rally on media consolidation during the summer of 2003 in front of Clear Channel in SF, I said Sinclair would become for the new ownership deregulation what Clear Channel was for radio deregulation. Sinclair has pushed hardest for the ability to own multiple tv stations in one market which get less attention than the overall ownership limits, but I consider that more dangerous.
There is no harm in prohibiting a company from owning two or three tv stations in a local market (except to Sinclair’s profit margins) and it helps preserve diversity.
If you say there should be less regulation, then what is ok? Should a company be able to own three, four, five, all the tv stations in a market? Half or three-quarters of the stations in the country?
This just scratches the surface, but the bottom line is local stations get incredibly valuable licenses for the public airwaves for almost no money and their should be public interest obligations and regulations to make sure there is diversity in ownership.
Steve said:
“Now most tv shows are either made by the network’s production division or an independent is forced to partner with their division. And that has resulted in some really bad tv shows getting on the schedule which might not have been considered if it hadn’t been for the network’s ownership.” Ahhh… Interesting, but not surprising. Thanks for cluing me in. And it probably also explains why this quote from Copps:
“So it is time
Elieen:
> We need to have reasons to turn On the tv, not off.
Why? I’d say the reverse.
(Currently, I find that I spend several hours a day on the net, but maybe one hour a week watching TV. And I’m not longing for reasons to be broadcasted to any more. Jeff is right: The people on the web give me control and I’m using it. The TV doesn’t have it and they’re losing.)
Maybe Jeff has an interest or two in moving it all to the web based on his own words; i.e., ad revenues for his ventures via moving the ball to the new ballroom.
But I absolutely agree that tv doesn’t have it and is losing it.
I’d still love to be able to find a decent movie or somethingorother on the public airways……
I am factoring in that Jeff said he gave failing grades to Hallmark productions during his tenure at TV Guide. Hello? Stern A+, Hallmark D-? I don’t think so.
Waiting for a few good productions that are NOT on my computer.
P.S., Dan,
To each, eh? I absolutely respect everyone’s choices.
But many millions don’t have computers, either.
Kind of like many millions don’t even have cable or satellite tv. The elites are going on to the next ‘technological’ stage, leaving Nothing for those millions left behind. How funny that I, a Libertarian, am speaking now on behalf of the little people the lefties are utterly content to leave behind. Interesting….
New entertainment choices and options now equal what we’ll find on the internet? How ‘exciting’. Bully. And how many millions still have no choice there at all? At best, they are left with the public airways back on miserable tv. How very sad, indeed.
Even people like me who are fortunate enough to be online still value occasional tv entertainment. Those without computers undoubtedly value it even more.
As for Mr. Copps’ argument about kids, why should we be forcing more programming for children? Encouraging children to watch more television isn’t really necessary. Besides, I’m sure Mr. Copps’ next speech will be ranting about kids watching too much television and how we should have “dark” periods when no television stations are allowed to broadcast.
And as for not being able to afford cable, cable television isn’t a necessity and good, free television isn’t a right. When bored, there’s always the public library. I hear the books can be borrowed for free.
Jeff, you’re on target with your argument about production and distribution.
Tony, there are plenty of porn books for you out their to satisfy your perveted tastes that should not be pushed on everyone. You are free to go to your nearest bookstore and drown yourself in all the indecency and obscenity that you want. Just don’t pollute the public airwaves with that crap.
If you don’t like what’s on TV, not edgy enough, well turn it off. Free porn is not a right.
Kat, you are truly marching to your own drummer. Although I’m starting to suspect you also hear an entire choir that isn’t there as well. Your straw man generator seems to be at three bars, to say the least.
Really, now. “Porn”?! Do you just see things that disagree with you and make stuff up? Do you ever address wat people are actually saying and not some make-believe America where Democrats are out there pushing drugs on children, force-feeding pornography to the masses and planning gay reeducation camps?
Well, today it’s Janet’s boob, what if tomorrow a leather clad Jacko grabs his crotch and a costume malfunction results in his flashing his wing wang?:)
>Man, this guy is enough to turn me into a libertarian.
Come on in! The water’s great…
Eileen, you’re welcome.
Kids are going to watch tv. Local stations which make profits from public airwaves should be required to provide quality programming they can watch.
There are good programs on television. There still is no other medium which has the possibility to reach as many people.
I was wrong about Frontline being online before it airs. That episode was on Tuesday (it has been a long week and I missed it).
Kat,
I don’t believe I mentioned pornography in my comment, but since you brought it up, I’ll defend the notion.
Do I believe that broadcasters should have the right to sbow nudity and sex and anything else they want to air? Yes. That’s because I read the First Amendment as an absolute. It’s impossible to uphold free speech with any government intervention into what is acceptable. The first incident of preventing one form of speech is censorship.
But that begs the question of reality. Do I believe that pornography will show up on Fox if we do away with the FCC? No. And there’s a simple reason for that. Television networks are in the business of making money. Nothing more, nothing less. The first snippet of porn on a network would cause every advertiser to bolt. An overwhelming majority of viewers would turn boycott the network. Which network believes in making a political statement enough to destroy its own business…
So there’s a lesson in all of this indecency fervor and the fear that our civilization is coming to an end because Janet Jackson bared her not-actually-naked breast. The free market works. Pure capitalism is the best censor that mankind has ever invented. And it’s the best censor because its a self-censor. Anyone who wants to publish pornography understands that the distribution will include a price tag, whether in a bookstore or video store or pay-per-view or over the internet.
Why is freedom for all such a scary concept to you?
ABC did sometimes show brief nudity on NYPD Blue.
At first, advertisers were resistant. But there were great reviews, good ratings, and good demos.
So the nudity continued. And civilization survived.
But we haven’t seen any this season and probably won’t see any in the show’s final 5 episodes.
Personally, I think it is fine without nudity. But I do think that shows for adults should have the option of using it.
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