Hard News

OUR TOP STORY THIS MONTH CONCERNS SMALL TV STATIONS.

  • In the early 1980's the FCC allowed for low-power tv stations for those rural areas that can't get full-power stations and for minority owned stations in large towns. Start up fees can be as low as $20,000 but are more normally in the $350,000 range. Today there are 2,083 of these low power stations, but ½ of them could shut down by 2003. The reason is that full power stations are converting to digital- 1600 of them. And to do this they need an extra channel. Since low power stations have `secondary status' they can be bumped out. About 1200 are in jeopardy. And switching channels costs bucks-big bucks, ex. it cost $100,000 to install a net antenna. "The only really local and minority-oriented television done these days is on these stations, and they're being squeezed out." Sherwin Grossman, pres. of CBA, Community Broadcasters Assoc. (USA Today P. Davidson.)

  • FILMS: Unlike mainstream media, we believe film grosses are hard news and don't belong on the entertainment pages- they have nothing to do with quality! But with that in mind we'd like to bring you perhaps the 1st countdown of the best attended `indie' films of the summer. They are from biggest on down: THE OPPOSITE OF SEX, SMOKE SIGNALS , PI , THE GOVERNESS, HIGH ART , and BUFFALO 66. And speaking of summer movies, remember that bomb DEEP IMPACT? Well after CNN turned the studio down and refused to let them show their news room in the movie, MSNBC accepted. We ask: did that in any way effect their review of the film? (Remember almost all critics panned it). Well movie critic Jeff Shannon in his May 8 review for MSNBC used phrases like `fine writing', 'prestigious cast' 'compelling scenario', 'intimate human focus' and `surprisingly powerful effects add up to one of the best event movies ever made.' ISN'T THAT SPECIAL! (Columbia Journalism Review)

  • FOR DISCUSSION: Would Western Civilization as we know it, fall if a single school house was built in the shape of a castle? i.e. Why do we always punish kids even to subjecting them to mean, cold, hard prison-cell architecture?

  • COMICS: When we recently did our scummiest ad questionnaire (Musea #71) the overwhelming response was on the AMA & Sunbeam ads, and drug ads in general. Well, our CHUMP OF THE MONTH fits right in. Claritin Syrup (for allergy relief) has gotten together with Warner Bros. (see list, bottom left) to make Vol. 1 Looney Tunes comics SPECIAL ALLERGY ISSUE from Schering Corp. Poor Daffy can't act in Shakespeare's play "Much AH-Choo! About Nothing, and after trying over-the-counter medicines (that make him too drowsy) he hits on Claritin and the play is saved. Oh yeah, and the whole thing is scummy promotion to push drugs on kids! Want a free copy to see what I mean? Call 1-800-Claritin.

  • IN HOUSE NEWS: Musea is again calling for a NO AD NOVEMBER 15. For the second year in a row we're asking all readers to do your best to avoid all ads for a single day - It's tough, almost impossible. Also our WEBSITE, (see bottom left) now has 4 full issues of Musea plus a lot of extras. That's 1/3 of a year. Check it out and link up or e-mail your comments to Web Pres. Donna... .Also many stories in this, and Art Surfin' were supplied by Musea's reporter-at-large, Alden Scott Crow.

  • NEWSPAPERS: This is a newspaper issue so the rest of this column is on the media. 1st: "What's black & white and crud all over?" dept. or why have mainstream newspapers gotten so bad? David Shaw, L.A. Times, says "Today many newspaper owners insist on high quarterly dividends.. thus depriving the papers of money that could be invested in improving quality, there is little question that the shift from individual and family ownership to public ownership has increased the demand for higher short-term profits." (Columbia Journalism Review)... In the "IS G FOR U" dept. the Mesa, Arizona Tribune has changed to an all good news newspaper called Good News Tribune and initial results are lots of favorable calls, media interest, and larger circulation. Musea doesn't know if this is a solution but we do know it's an option! (Editor & Publisher)...A US News & World Report article suggests that our fear of crime might be from the media (which is plenty scary in itself). When asked why they think the nation has a bad crime problem 76% cite what they have seen on TV or read in the news while only 22% base their belief on personal experience..

    NOW DON'T GET US WRONG - some newspaper reporters are doing great work. Ex. The American Journalism Review cites the work of Will Englund, from the Baltimore Sun, and later, co-writer Gary Cohn who together investigated the shipyard business of buying old Navy ships and tearing them apart for scrap metal. Their story "The Shipbreakers" (Dec. 97) detailed all the dangers to workers and the environment caused by the industry from Baltimore to Calcutta. In April of this year it earned the Baltimore Sun a Pulitzer. And we salute them as our CAMP CHAMP!... And finally who are the World's 10 Worst Enemies of the Press? (and no Musea didn't make the list). According to the Committee to Protect Journalists Worldwide, they are: GENERAL SANI ABACHA, the leader of Nigeria (21 Nigerian journalists are jailed), SENIOR GEN. THAN SHWE of Burma (he outlaws fax machines, photocopiers, and computer modems), FIDEL CASTRO of Cuba, JIANG ZEMIN, Pres. of China, PRESIDENT SUHARTO of Indonesia, PRES. ALENANDER LUKASHENKO of Belarus, RESIDENT SARARMURAT NIYAZOV of Tiurkmenistan, PRES. ZINE ABDINE BEN ALl of Tunisia, PRIME MINISTER ABD al-SALAM al-MAJALI of Jordan and PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI of Ethiopia. (Editor & Publisher).

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