According to today's NY Times, in an age when private citizens are publishing blogs that have become a "critical source of news," the courts are being asked by Apple Computer to decide to whether or not bloggers should enjoy the same protections as mainstream journalists. In the past, the courts have extended latittude to journalists "in protecting the identities of confidential sources."
Spent two days in Washington last week meeting with people I trust in the Administration and congress. Don't expect a kinder, gentler President Bush in his second term. He is going all out for tort reform, private social security accounts, and tax reform. Not a good idea to bet against him.
WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Bonneville Broadcasting's Internet-only station, FederalNewsRadio.com, has begun simulcasting its programming on the air.
"It's a bit ironic that we started out as an Internet product and now have grown to a terrestrial signal," said VP and general manager Joel Oxley. "Typically, the reverse is true." The station's programming is focused on federal employees. It signed onto the Web in February of 2000. Federal News Radio can be heard at 1050 AM in the Washington D.C. area and on FederalNewsRadio.com.
And in New York City, one of Viacom's all news radio stations began simulcasting its programming on the Internet Monday morning. Available at www.wcbs880.com, it is Viacom's first independent Webcasting effort. The company has made available several of its major stations' programming available on America Online. In the initial hours, WCBS news anchors were heavily, and frequently, promoting the Webcast as way listeners could listen to the station at work.
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Ironically, today's Wall Street Journal tagged Internet radio as the biggest threat facing regular radio. Concluding that while much of the industry buzz and speculation is about satellite services, Sirius Radio and XM Satellite Radio , a Journal article reported 19 million Americans listen to Internet radio in an average week, up from 11 million three years ago. Evidence broadcasters see the looming threat was seen in Clear Channel Broadcasting's recent hiring of Evan Harrison, general manager at AOL Radio Network, to lead the nation's largest broadcaster's online radio efforts.
Usage of Mozilla.org's free Firefox Web browser has grown more than a third in the past month, according to WebSideStory Inc. The firm which analyses Internet traffic and consumer behavior said use of the alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer grew from 3.03 percent of all Internet users to 4.06 percent in November. And over the weekend, Cnet News added, Firefox was downloaded for the 10 millionth time. In October, its developer, Mozilla.org, announced Firefox had been downloaded 5 million times. "Firefox's gains are clearly accelerating," said Rand Schulman, chief marketing officer for WebSideStory. "Firefox's goal of gaining 10 percent of the market over the next year no longer seems unattainable," he said in a statement.
There is more evidence that Real Simple Syndication has exploded as a way for people to get content from Web sites quickly, easily, and without mousing around with a browser. A report this morning listed 142 U.S. newspapers which now offer material through RSS feeds. The list includes some college and university publications. Tom Biro published the list on his Weblog, TheMediaDrop.com. You can see it at http://themediadrop.com/archives/001581.php .
Adam Curry has found that no good deed goes unrewarded. The self-proclaimed Prince of Podcasting pointed out on his Weblog that the world's largest brewery has begun its own audio programming which can be downloaded to a computer or portable player. "It appears my quest to secure a Heineken sponsorship for the Rock 'n Roll Geek Show through my Dutch channels has resulted in Heineken starting their own podcast," he wrote at live.curry.com. "The more the merrier of course, but I can't help a bit of bad taste in my mouth. A short note would have been enough."
The ballot box closed on the 2004 Weblog Awards Sunday. "A couple tight races are still up in the air," the official Web site reported, and it will take a day or two to tally the votes. About a week ago, Powerline.com was barely ahead of Little Green Footballs for Best Overall Blog, one of about 20 categories.
While America Online continues to draw media coverage of its new strategy to bolster the AOL.com Web site to compete against Yahoo and Microsoft for online advertising revenues, the Associated Press over the weekend offered an update on the careers of several former AOL leaders. Gerald Levin, the former chairman of Time Warner, is now an adviser of Moonview Sanctuary in Santa Monica, Calif. The AP described it as an upscale facility for treating emotional and psychological conditions. Former CEO Steve Case is a majority owner of Miraval Life in Balance Resort and Spa, north of Tuscon, Ariz. Ted Turner, the former vice chairman of AOL Time Warner, is expanding his chain of Ted's Montana Grill restaurants, serving bison steaks and burgers. And Bob Pittman, former COO, founded an investment group and purchased an Internet publisher, DailyCandy.com.
AP WorldStream via COMTEX
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