Voluntary guidelines for digital standards to be built into TV receivers have moved a step closer to reality with an agreement announced Mon. by broadcasters and set manufacturers to let the Advanced TV Systems Committee (ATSC) move forward on their development. The action comes after “months and months” of “historic opposition to standards of any sort for digital receiver performance” by the consumer electronics industry, a broadcasting official claimed.
New FCBA officers: Alexandra Wilson, Cox Enterprises, pres.; Diane Cornell, CTIA, treas.; Harry Martin, Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, pres.-elect; Michele Farquhar, Hogan & Hartson, secy.; Jennifer Warren, Lockheed Martin, asst. secy.; James Blitz, Davis Wright Tremaine, asst. treas… Brian Greif, ex-Frank Magid Assoc., appointed vp-news, Young Bcstg., new post… Douglas Wiley, ex-Alcatel, named senior vp-govt. relations, EIA… Art Bell named pres.-COO, Court TV; Galen Jones appointed exec. vp-chief corporate strategist… New in Intelsat’s Media & Entertainment Business Unit: Doug Triblehorn, ex-GlobeCast Asia, named regional vp-Asia Pacific; Jean-Philippe Gillet, ex-GlobeCast N. America, appointed regional vp-Europe, Africa and Middle East… Changes at Starz Encore: Robert Clasen, ex-Comcast, appointed pres.-sales and mktg.; Que Spalding, pres.-- distribution, to retire; Jillaina Wachendorf promoted to exec. vp-affiliate sales & mktg… Joining Ellacoya: Bob Schack, as a dir. and member of exec. team; Dean Gilbert as a dir… Changes at MTV Networks: Alex Ferrari promoted to COO, MTV-International; John Cucci, ex-Comedy Central, named CFO… Tenn. Regulatory Authority member Deborah Tate selected chmn., succeeding Sara Kyle, who remains a member.
Brad Sonnenberg, ex-Covad Communications, named exec. vp-gen. counsel, Adelphia… Douglas Wiley, ex-Alcatel Americas, appointed senior vp-govt. affairs, Electronic Industries Alliance.
Not surprisingly, most ex-FCC commissioners end up at law firms after their tenure ends, often doing communications law. However, former chairmen have tended recently to end up as executives of corporations in the telecom, media or Internet industries. But neither trend is universal. Some of them have faded into obscurity and others have moved into new businesses entirely. For example, former Comr. Rachelle Chong (1994-1997) now heads a retail jewelry business in San Francisco.
FCC ex-commissioners generally pass up the fame of high- profile govt. work to return to the private sector after they leave the Commission, according to our informal survey. Despite their prominence while they're at the FCC, in some cases it’s even hard to find them now, apparently indicating FCC seats aren’t necessarily good stepping stones. In general, ex-chairmen since 1980 seem to have more post-FCC success than commissioners, and there appears to be a growing trend toward both groups’ moving into the corporate world, rather than into law firms or other govt. jobs.
Senate Commerce Committee members will have an opportunity to vote on the 35% broadcast ownership cap, despite the fact that Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.) is likely to vote against it, he promised at a committee hearing Wed. that examined the FCC’s media ownership proceeding. McCain said he would let the committee consider a bill that would codify a 35% ownership cap, but he didn’t support the proposal. The bill (S-1046), by Senate Appropriations Committee Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska) with considerable Republican support, will be on the agenda of the June 19 committee executive session. While McCain said he wouldn’t vote for a 35% cap, he said there should be some form of cap, but the difficulty was finding the right balance: “I am not sure that even an expert agency can predict with precision where the lines should be drawn.”
On the day after the FCC established new broadcast ownership regulations, companies, Wall St. analysts, consumer groups and others were picking apart the decision, and while some said they saw opportunities for deal-making, others said legal challenges to the decision might threaten those deals. All predicted increased consolidation, but there was some debate over whether the deal-making would begin immediately or would happen over time. Meanwhile, all 5 FCC commissioners were preparing to answer questions before the Senate Commerce Committee today (Wed.), where ranking Democrat Sen. Hollings (S.C.) was expected to be especially tough on the FCC’s 3-Republican majority.
The Minority Media & Telecom Council (MMTC) marked Sun. (May 25) as the 25-year anniversary of what it called “one of the most significant achievements in the history of communications policy.” In 1978, under then-Chmn. Richard Wiley, the FCC adopted its statement of policy on minority ownership in broadcast facilities, which included tax certificate and distress sale policies. The tax policy allowed companies selling stations to minorities to receive a deferral of capital gains taxes on the sale. The distress sale policy allowed a company facing an FCC license renewal or revocation hearing to avoid the loss of its investment by selling its stations to minorities for 75% or less of fair market value. MMTC said those policies were largely responsible for increasing the number of minority-owned broadcast properties to 320 by 1995 from 60 in 1978. “Few civil rights initiatives have been so effective,” the MMTC said. The tax policy was repealed by Congress in 1995, and the distress sale policy is rarely used today, MMTC said. The council noted that current FCC Chmn. Powell announced last week (CD May 20 p6) that he was forming a federal advisory committee to find new ways to create opportunities for minorities and women in telecom.
“The Vast Wasteland Revisited” is the subject of the spring Federal Communications Law Journal, published Wed., which reexamines then-FCC Chmn. Newton Minow’s 1961 speech at the NAB convention and includes articles by Minow and more than 2 dozen others, including present and former commissioners.
There’s no indication that the prominent Washington telecom law firm will change its name to Wiley Rein and Deep Throat. However, according to published reports, Fred Fielding, named partner in the firm, was determined by a U. of Ill. journalism study to be the legendary unnamed source in the Watergate scandal. Journalism professor Bill Gaines and a class of investigative reporters conducted a 4-year study into the identity of the unidentified source that helped Washington Post journalists uncover the Watergate scandal. Fielding didn’t comment on the report and Post reporter Bob Woodward has said he won’t reveal the name until the source has died. Fielding was a deputy White House counsel in the Nixon administration. Gaines was reported as saying that Fielding, as an assistant to Nixon’s chief counsel John Dean, was in a position to observe the cover-up without participating in it directly. Gaines said the study is based on investigation and documents, not guesswork. Published reports quote Gaines as saying: “There’s very little that we do not connect with him.”