Friday, February 25, 2011

Media Ownership Dilemma Placed In Court's Hands...

(Weekend Edition)

A three-judge panel hearing arguments in challenges to the FCC's media ownership rules in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia will either offer a ruling or decide to throw the whole thing back to the FCC. According to Media Access Project attorney Andrew Schwartzman and Broadcasting Cable, "they were clearly troubled by the arguments that we made about what the commission did wrong. We were coming at it from kind of opposite directions. It seems open to the possibility that they will just kind of throw up their hands." Schwartzman was arguing the case yesterday on behalf of those who say the move was too deregulatory...

The FCC had previously asked the court to remand the rules back to them given that there are three new commissioners - a majority - since the most recent 2007 rule rewrite. Judge Ambro wanted to know where the FCC stood on its quadrennial review of those rules, and asked whether the agency would continue that with the remand. Schwartzman says "So, it is really unclear whether they are going to do nothing or something, and if so, what." Just what we need, another body afraid to make a decision!!!

The judge should just bite the bullet and make a decision. Judge Ambro pointed out that when he wrote the original opinion back in 2004, he didn't expect it to come back to him seven years later. That opinion had remanded the rules back to the commission to better justify its deregulation. This triggered a series of hearings and studies, decisions, congressional confabs, and more legal challenges, leading to yesterday's latest chapter in a case with no ending. This is where our tax money is going???

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1930] Go at the green - not in between: New York City installs traffic lights. Prior to that New Yorkers start what’s commonly known as ‘flipping the bird’ (2/26)…
2.1950] Debuted on this date: “Your Show of Shows” debuts on NBC-TV. Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris become household names. Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and Neil Simon were writers on the show (2/25)…
3.1955] The ‘45′ rules: Billboard Magazine reports that the 45 rpm single is outselling 78’s for the first time (2/26)…
4.1964] Eat your words: That’s what Cassius Clay told Sonny Liston after upsetting Liston to win the heavyweight crown. Liston couldn’t answer the bell for round 7 (2/25)…
5.1982] Guilty as charged: Wayne B. Williams is found guilty of murdering 2 of the 28 bodies found in the Atlanta area in a two-year period (2/27)…1990] The Exxon Corp. and Exxon Shipping are indicted on 5 criminal counts in reference to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (2/27)…
6.1989] This Cowboy gets roped: After 29 seasons and 2 Super Bowl Championships as Dallas coach, Tom Landry is dumped by new Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jimmy Johnson replaces Landry (2/25)…
7.1991] Saddam backs down: Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein orders his troops to withdraw from Kuwait (2/26)…
8.1993] The first WTC bombing: Six are killed and more than one thousand injured when a van explodes in the World Trade Center parking garage. An act of terrorism by Islamic extremists and a precursor to something far worse in 2001 (2/26)…
9.1997] Guilty as charged: A jury in Media (PA) convicts multimillionaire John E. DuPont of third-degree murder but decides he was mentally ill when killing world-class wrestler and neighbor, David Schultz (2/25)…2005] Municipal employee and church leader Dennis Rader is arrested for the BTK serial killings that terrorized Wichita, Kansas. Rader is now serving 10 years to life (2/25)…
10.2008] “Happy Trails“: “Voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers” Myron Cope passes away from respiratory failure at 79 (2/27)…2008] Conservative author and commentator William F. Buckley Jr. is found slumped at his desk. His death at 82 is attributed to the results of emphysema and diabetes (2/27)…

Music Memories:

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": (2/25) Rashida Jones (35), Sean Astin (40), Nancy O'Dell (45), Tea Leoni (45), Carrot Top (Scott Thompson) (46), Sportscaster James Brown (60), Sally Jessy Raphael (69), Diane Baker (73), Bob Schieffer (74) & Baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin (92)...(2/26) James Brady (27), Corinne Bailey Rae (32), Michael Vettor (53), Michael Bolton (58), Mitch Ryder (66) & Fats Domino (83)...(2/27) Josh Groban (30), Chelsea Clinton (31), Howard Hesseman (71), Ralph Nader (77), Elizabeth Taylor (79), Joanne Woodward (81) & Ariel Sharon (83)...

Timeline Countdown: 16 days until Daylight time, 23 days until the first day of spring and 34 days until MLB opening day...



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