Indies such as Zattoo and TVCatchup argue “Sections 73 and 73A of the UK Copyright Designs & Patents Act 1988, which allowed ‘cable’ operators to re-transmit channels, also lets online operators re-air the channels, on which many such services place their own advertising”, it says, continuing >>>

Swiss-based IPTV app Zattoo had publicly argued a Section 73 defence for re-airing UK TV channels, but caved last year and yanked the channels.

Channel 4 and Channel 5 are currently taking TV streamer TVCatchup to court for re-airing their channels, though TVCatchup says Section 73 is not the basis of its defence, according to Out-Law.

Meanwhile, says the story, “the 2009 addition to the Communications Act “appears to replicate or supersede the Copyright Act’s similar provision, stating:

‘”The channel … is at all times offered as available (subject to the need to agree terms) to be broadcast or distributed by means of every appropriate network’, whereby ‘appropriate network’ means an electronic communications network by means of which public electronic communications services are provided that are used by a significant number of end-users as their principal means of receiving television programmes’.”

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paidContent – Channel 4 Asks UK Government To Outlaw Online Re-Transmission, March 18, 2011

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

World War III will be a global information war with no division between civilian & military participation ~ Marshall McLuhan

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But he doesn’t count himself as a member of the ungroup.

Or does he?

“When Raw Story called out Stephen Colbert’s Feb. 24 show for running a nearly subliminal image of the ‘V for Vendetta’ face over the host’s chiseled mug, we speculated that he’d perhaps joined the protest group”, says Stephen C. Webster on Raw Story.

The post quotes Colbair as stating >>>

Believe me folks: the only way I’d be a member of something called ‘Anonymous,’ is if my name was ‘Stephen Anonymous.

But, “The segment ultimately leaves us feeling we were right”, says the item, “that Colbert has indeed sided with the group, even if he’s reticent to admit it.

“He’s certainly helped them win the public relations battle, although their actions would seem to speak for themselves in many cases.”

Still, Webster adds, “this would seem to make Colbert the first ‘non-anonymous Anonymous.”

“Or, perhaps just “non-anonanon” for short?

“Feel free to correct us, Mr. Colbert.”

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Raw Story – Colbert calls out Raw, claims he’d never join ‘Anonymous’, March 1, 2011

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

World War III will be a global information war with no division between civilian & military participation ~ Marshall McLuhan

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That’s the main message on the ivi site. But it won’t be there for much longer if a long list of corporate entertainment companies, determined to make sure they, and only they, control what people see and hear, can help it.

Shut ivi, which re-broadcasts TV channels, down, they demand.

However, that shouldn’t be allowed to happen, say Public Knowledge, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Media Access Project and Open Technology Initiative.

So the four public interest organisations have filed a support brief with the US District Court in New York City.

They say ivi is part of a new trend of Online Video Providers (OVD) championed by both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and e Justice Department (DoJ) “in those agencies’ analysis of the Comcast takeover of NBCU”, says Public Knowledge, going on >>>

The groups said:  “OVDs must be allowed to operate and innovate in this space if their promise is to be fulfilled. Issuing a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against ivi would frustrate this potential by effectively shutting down ivi’s business.”

In addition, the groups said that ivi fits the definition of a cable system under the Copyright Act and that its actions are permissible under FCC rules.  The groups also argued that no broadcasters are being harmed by ivi’s operation: “It seems doubtful that ivi’s continued operation would spur the cancellation of any programming during the pendency of this litigation.”

Just the opposite seems true, that ivi’s operation is helping broadcasters to increase their audience, the groups said that, “broadcasts are retransmitted by ivi in their entirety, including all commercials. ivi makes no attempt to edit the broadcast feed by inserting its own commercials. Arguably, ivi helps to increase viewership of Plaintiffs’ broadcasts.”

A hearing on the request for a temporary restraining order is scheduled for today.

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Public Knowledge – Web Site That Rebroadcasts TV Should Be Allowed To Operate, Groups Tell NY Court, February 1, 2011

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World War III will be a global information war with no division between civilian & military participation ~ Marshall McLuhan

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[Digression: I have one of the very first Red Dwarf Ts and No, I won't sell it. Unless some makes me a ridiculous offer. JN]

“Rejoice! Rejoice! For Rob Grant and Doug Naylor’s Red Dwarf is returning!” – I posted on p2pnet almost exactly two years ago, going on, “But only briefly.”

It was around for the Easter weekend, 2009, but now it seems the crew will re-boot for 2012, with shooting slated to start this coming November!

Says Robert Llewellyn, the android Kryten on the show, on The LlewBlog >>>

So, the thing is, the whole point was that I was told not to say anything. Doug told me, face to face, ‘don’t tweet this bobby. Not yet.’

So I didn’t. I was really good. I said nothing.

Then I spend a day in my voice over cell and know nothing of the interview Craig had done on the radio, which was, it appears, picked up by the Daily Mail, which, as you know is my fave all time newspaper. Ahem.

http://bit.ly/hFd11E

So then I get back to my trusty lappy and there’s a great slew of tweets telling me that Craig has once again spilt the beans. You’ve got to love him, he knows how to spin the scoop.

I’ve just spoken to Craig, he was as usual gloriously funny about it. He said, and I quote.

‘I did a radio interview and it just sort of slipped out.’

So yes, we are making a new series, commissioned by Dave, not a special or a movie or a one off dooberry. A full 6 half hour episodes of a brand new series.

In front of a live audience.

But, he says, there’s a problem. Or, rather, three of them.

Fa$ebookand. Twitter. YouTube.

“The plan at the moment, and this could change, the plan is that we record the new series in front of an audience”, says Robert, continuing >>>

The fear among the producers now is that it’s impossible to imagine an audience of around 400 people at the recording of a TV show like Red Dwarf, where nobody does a bit of a hint on Twitter, or sneaks a picture on Facebook or posts a bit of badly shot video on YouTube.

It’s just too tempting, it’s too easy.

The producers are very worried and I can see why. The gap between recording a show and it’s eventual broadcast is quite long, especially on Red Dwarf. It’s a show which uses a lot of post production time. Special effects, tweaking shots, CGI, even, dare I hope for it, model shots, all take time.

By the time the shows are released on Dave in 2012, half the potential bloody viewers could know an enormous amount about it.

What to do? What to DO?

Stay tuned.

Jon

(Cheers, Jazz)

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p2pnet- Red Dwarf! The Return!, January 30, 2009
The LlewBlog – “It Just Sort of Slipped Out.”, January 20, 2011

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

World War III will be a global information war with no division between civilian & military participation ~ Marshall McLuhan

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Ring of steel, eh? And for the uninitiated, ‘Corrie’? Figure it out.

“Al-Qaeda are desperate to pull off a ’spectacular’ in Britain”, wrote Guy Patrick. “The police clearly are acting on fears that a strike on the Corrie studios is a very real possibility …”

But, says the Sun — the Canadian version, not the one in the UK — “turns out the story, which quoted a source from the show who said security was being ramped up for a pre-Christmas live episode because of threats from terrorist group al-Qaida was not entirely accurate”, going on.

“In a note published online and on page two of the newspaper on Dec. 28, The Sun clarified the main facts of the story.

” ‘We would like to make clear that while cast and crew were subjected to full body searches, there was no specific threat from Al-Qaeda as we reported,’ the note reads. ‘We apologise for the misunderstanding and are happy to set the record straight’.”

Al-Qaeda was not immediately available for comment.

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Sun – Brit soap not threatened by al-Qaida after all, December 29, 2010

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“The footage I watched today nearly provoked my gag reflex”, he says in his online petition Stop Lake Shore from airing!

“What’s got the Canadian press talking?” – ask the site.

“The premise of the show is fun like a guilty pleasure. We promise to appeal to the audience’s voyeuristic instinct like any good reality TV adventure. Lake Shore fans engage and participate in this TV show in a way which has never been seen before.”

No kidding.

“Fellow Americans, if you think our country has problems, I urge you to watch the extended preview for Lake Shore, a Toronto-based reality series that explicitly imitates Jersey Shore but turns up the boozy-sexy insanity and the caveman-like racial sensitivity. The eight cast members are all described by their ethnicity: ‘The Turk,’ ‘The Jew,’ ‘The Albanian,’ etc.”

That’s PopWatch.ew, going on:

“But this is Canada, so surely everyone will come together peacefully to break down stereotypes, right? Wrong … ”

Now “The makers of a new Toronto reality TV show have apologized for a controversial online trailer in which one of the program’s characters expresses hatred for Jews, even as two former cast hopefuls allege they felt pressured to make racist and sexualized comments during the audition process”, says the National Post, quoting executive producer Maryam Rahimi as stating:

“Our intention is to make provocative television. On one hand, we received a lot of attention, but on the other hand it was not necessarily the kind of attention that we wanted. For the record, we are not a racist show. If we offended anyone in any way, we apologize.”

The show “sparked outrage earlier this week after the online preview hit the Internet”, says the Toronto Star, stating, “In it, Sibel Atlug (branded The Turk) says: ‘I’m not racist because I hate everybody equally. Especially Jewish people’.”

The trailer was taken down after the CBC “objected to the use of its radio programming in a portion of the video”.

Says Orenstein’s petition >>>

[...] while in my New Media Business class at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, I came across an online promotional video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-kpzWbv2Tc) for the new Toronto-based reality show, “Lake Shore.” Almost instantly, I was offended as a television audience member. Then, I was embarrassed as a Torontonian and a Canadian. A few seconds later, I was deeply insulted as a Jew. Finally, I was humiliated and mortified as a human being.

Every day, I am proud to call myself a Canadian and even prouder to call Toronto my home. The footage I watched today nearly provoked my gag reflex. I’ve come to an understanding that in popular culture and modern society there are few things sacred. The ability to poke fun at oneself can be endearing and appreciated. Additionally, I’m sure that the multicultural cast of “Lake Shore” takes pride in their respective national identities and heritages. However, I am compelled, mostly as a Torontonian, to plead with and beg the citizens of Toronto to stand up against this show, which will surely prove to be both a local and national indignity. It is offensive to all Torontonians as it highlights the most racist, xenophobic, philistine, and unearthly residents that our great city has to offer.

Although it’s difficult to judge the merits of a television show based on an eight-minute clip, I am quite confident that “Lake Shore” will not impart any social, cultural, political, or artistic wisdoms and revelations upon its potential viewers.

We are residents of an alpha world city that boasts culture as its calling card, home to the National Ballet of Canada, the Canadian Opera Company, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Stage Company, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Roy Thomson Hall, the Princess of Wales Theatre, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Massey Hall, the Toronto Centre for the Arts, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Caribana, Pride Week, The Toronto International Film Festival, and according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the most multicultural population among any city in the world.

Please sign this petition to save Toronto from the potential embarrassment and disgrace.

Sincerely,

Matt Orenstein

Please direct your comments to:

Executive Producer of “Lake Shore” – Maryam Rahimi
416-878-3636 or 514-799-3631

Mayor of Toronto – David Miller
mayor_miller@toronto.ca

Mayor-elect of Toronto – Rob Ford
rob@robfordformayor.ca

Manger of the Diversity Management and Community Engagement,
Strategic and Corporate Policy/Healthy City Office – Ceta Ramkhalawansingh
cramkhal@toronto.ca

Toronto Executive Director of Culture – Rita Davies
rdavies@toront.ca

Toronto Heritage Preservation Services
heritagepreservation@toronto.ca

Stay tuned.

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PopWatch.ew – Canada’s ‘Jersey Shore’ will either save civilization or destroy it, November 9, 2010
National Post – Lake Shore creators apologize for anti-Jewish trailer, November 12, 2010

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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• View RSS Feed
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• Download Petition

Sponsored Petition:

Save 10 Things I Hate About You

Information

Goal: 1,000,000 signatures

Creator:

Matt Orenstei

Users:

125 signatures

Category:

Entertainment & Media

Started:

2 days ago

Status:

Active

Target:

David Miller, Rob Ford, and Ceta Ramkhalawansingh

Most Recent Signatures

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STOP “LAKE SHORE” FROM AIRING

That’s the way The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening, are described on IMDb.

And they’re back again, consolidating their position as the longest-running TV comedy in history.

“The upcoming 23rd season (just think about that for a second)”, says E! Online, adding:

“The new season will continue to serve as a pit stop for the who’s who of smart Hollywood, with Halle Berry, Paul Rudd, Ricky Gervais, Rachel Weisz, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Alyson Hannigan, Martha Stewart and Katy Perry among the stars set to guest star.”

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E! Online – Will The Simpsons Ever Be Killed?, November 11, 2010

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His Fox TV has banded with other US networks to block Google TV, says the BBC.

“Fox held out after CBC, ABC and NBC refused to let full shows air on Google’s new platform – where users can view the web and video on home TV’s”, says the story. “The networks are concerned they will suffer because online advertising is less lucrative than TV commercials.”

The Fox decision “will come as a blow to Google, which needs the backing of the major media companies to thrive”, it says.

But it’ll only be a temporary setback, and might also be viewed as a bargaining position.

Because when you’re an 800-lb advertising gorilla able to defy entire nations and governments, you don’t worry too much about mere US stations and a cranky old Oz billionaire.

Stay on this channel.

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everything else it covets – Google TV – in your living room, May 21, 2010
BBC – Fox TV joins US networks to block Google TV, November 11, 2010
CBC, ABC and NBC refused – ABC, CBS, NBC, say No! to Google TV, October 26, 2010

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The ad — very wierd — shows a suit using a blow-gun to dart a projectionist so he can steal a bunch of movie cannisters.

Playing is Robin Hood and the idea seems to be DirecTV will get it before Netflix.

Someone was paid a lot of money to come up with that brain fart.

“DirecTV is presently part of Liberty Media, which also own the StarZ movie channel”, says Captain555.

“So it’s kind of funny for a media company to spoof the thief of a film in a theater to present it on Pay-per-Vu before Netflix.”

No kidding.

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October, 2010

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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It has plans to use people’s TV sets and their living rooms to foist itself and its adstuff on them.

Logitech International and Sony have already started trying to sell boxes running Gargle software to consumers.

But the three television majors are blocking TV programming on their websites from being viewable on Google ’s web-TV, “exposing the rift between it “and some of the media companies it wants to supply content for its new products”, says the Wall Street Journal.

They’re “skeptical that Google can provide a business model that would compensate them for potentially cannibalizing existing broadcast businesses”, says the story.

In other words, it’s a bargaining tool as they ‘negotiate’ with Eric and the Boyz for maximum returns.

Rupert Murdoch’s Fux Broadcasting and MTV “confirmed they are not currently blocking Google TV, but a spokeswoman said ‘a firm decision has not yet been reached’ News Corp”, says the Wall Street Journal.

“For its part, Google has tried to assure broadcasters and content owners such as Disney that Google TV’s search feature is optimized to promote their TV broadcasts and own websites’ video content rather than pirated content, according to a person familiar with the matter”, says the story, going on:

“In addition, Google has also told broadcasters and content owners they can submit requests to Google to delete unauthorized results from the Google TV search feature, just like they do for results in Google’s traditional Web search engine, this person said.”

Google “won’t directly make money from the sale of the Google TV software” states the post, “but the software’s use will benefit Google’s ad-supported Web search engine and is expected to increase viewership of the ad-supported YouTube site, which is owned by Google.

It’s also “been in talks with Madison Avenue’s media-buying firms to discuss how to sell ads on the Google TV interface without interfering with TV commercials, people familiar with the matter have said”, it ads.

Google ads not interferring with other ads? heh

Will Google prevail? Will it succeed in penetrating the Front Rooms of America and later, The World?

Stay tuned for the next exciting installment.

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Wall Street Journal -Networks Block Web Programs From Being Viewed on Google TV, October 22, 2010

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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That’s Pierre Karl Peladeau, boss of Quebecor Media, the company behind Fox New North, aka Sun TV.

He’s just had his hopes of seeing Harper TV, its other name, force-fed to Canadians, dashed.

FoxNorth/Sun TV/Harper TV was begging for a “mandatory carriage license” under which cable companies would’ve had to offer its channel for three years.

Peladeau was quoted by the Hollywood Reporter, which went on >>>

The media glare on Quebecor’s plans for a conservative all-news channel was turned up this summer when the Canadian Press newswire service reported Harper had lunch in New York City with Fox News’ Rupert Murdoch and Roger Aisles, and that [ex Harper spinster Kory] Teneycke, the future head of Sun TV News, was also at the table.

That news stirred criticism that Harper’s federal government had a vested interest in seeing Sun TV News receive a national TV broadcast license.

Now, Peladeau has had to announce his Quebecor is “dropping its demands for special government treatment for the right-wing ‘controversially Canadian’ cable news channel”, says Toronto Life, going continuing:

“This is a big change from the first application Sun News TV made in which they effectively demanded the government force cable and satellite operators to put them on the dial of every TV in the nation.”

Taking credit for the climb-down, Avaaz raised more than $115,000 in a campaign to stop the deal, and organised an online petition signed by 83,000 people who sent 25,000 sent letters to the CRTC.

Quebecor “dropped their request to the government to force cable companies to carry them” it says in an email today, adding:

“It wasn’t easy.” The Sun media empire “threw everything they had at us — smear pieces, legal threats, even insider knowledge of sabotage of our campaigns — but our united voices proved more powerful than even a Harper-allied corporate giant.”

Stay tuned to watch Murdoch’s Fux News North go south.
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Hollywood Reporter – Fox News North denies hate propaganda, October 6, 2010
Toronto Life – Fox News North accepts defeat (or, as they’d put it, stops begging for welfare), , October 6, 2010

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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He succumbed to complications associated with melanoma at his Pasadena at his California home “surrounded by family and loved ones”, says CNN, adding:

“He created, wrote and produced several iconic TV series, starting in the 1970s with ‘The Rockford Files.’

His other hit series included: ‘Greatest American Hero,’ ‘The A-Team,’ ‘Hunter,’ ‘Riptide,’ ‘Hardcastle & McCormick,’ ‘21 Jump Street,’ ‘Wiseguy,’ ‘The Commish,’ ‘Profit,’ and syndicated shows ‘Renegade’ and ‘Silk Stalkings’.”

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CNN – Legendary TV producer Stephen J. Cannell has died, October 1, 2010

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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Avaaz has been running an online campaign to halt the proposed Sun TV in its tracks, forcing ex Harper spinster Kory Teneycke to resigned in disgrace as head of “Fox News North”, it said.

Now, “Send a message“, says Avaaz, going on, “the CRTC’s staff will be reading all the messages sent in by Canadians as it makes its decision on whether to force every cable provider to offer Sun’s channel, regardless of demand from customers.”

It adds >>>

Now we’re down to the heart of the matter. In its application to the CRTC, “Fox News North” admits that it cannot survive in the open market. That’s why it’s asking for a “mandatory carriage license” — forcing cable companies to offer its channel for three years.

That’s not free speech, that’s forced speech — and every message opposing it that we send to the CRTC during the next three days will be added to the public record and considered in the CRTC’s ruling. Click the link to add your message — Avaaz will hand-deliver the messages Friday to the CRTC headquarters outside Ottawa:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/crtc_no_handouts/?vl http://www.avaaz.org/en/crtc_no_handouts/?cl=764759316&v=7257

The public consultation process is vital to CRTC decision-making. It’s the key way that individual citizens can weigh in to the formal process; the CRTC is required to consult these messages before reaching its final decision.

If we stay silent, and “Fox News North” gets its way, the public’s voice won’t matter: every cable provider will have to offer their channel. This is not what Canadians want: Sun’s own poll shows that only 5% of us are likely to voluntarily sign up. But Sun TV has friends in high places. (Teneycke has already been replaced by another conservative spin doctor — former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s press man.) Even though the CRTC has previously said that it would stop issuing mandatory carriage licenses for news stations, this decision could go either way.

These next 72 hours are crucial. Let’s urge the CRTC to enforce its own rules and deny “Fox News North” mandatory carriage — add a message now, and forward this email:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/crtc_no_handouts/?vl http://www.avaaz.org/en/crtc_no_handouts/?cl=764759316&v=7257

Since Teneycke’s resignation, Avaaz has been flooded with messages from Canadians brimming with enthusiasm and optimism for what we can accomplish together. It is indeed exciting — but the fight is far from over. After the public comment period, Avaaz and many others will formally present to the CRTC in mid-November — and so will Sun’s allies. Quiet political pressure is likely to rise and rise until the final moment. There’s no time to lose in making our voices heard.

But although this fight has just begun, it’s already inspiring. Together, we’re taking on one of the country’s largest and most unscrupulous media empires — and we’re winning. It’s a beacon of hope in a world where crony media is growing as fast as Rupert Murdoch and Silvio Berlusconi can spread it.

“Canada and worldwide, the Avaaz community is premised on the idea that if enough of us join together, public voices can be heard above the private whispers of the powerful”, it says.

And this week, “the CRTC is listening”.

Stay tuned.

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Harper TV – Make sure Fox News North goes south, September 22, 2010
spin doctor – Teneycke out, Lavoie in, September 17, 2010

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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Kory Teneycke, PM Harper’s former spin doctor, resigned in disgrace last week as head of “Fox News North, citing our campaign“, says the email, going on >>>

Sun media threw everything but Canadians didn’t back down. We’re winning, but we’re not done. “Fox News North” still wants the government to force cable companies to include them in our cable packages. Let’s finish the job and rally thousands of voices asking the CRTC to stand up to “Fox News North”:

Send a message

http://www.avaaz.org/en/crtc_no_handouts/?cl=759927186&v=7193

We’ve got them on the run! When 80,000 of us signed a petition refusing to be forced to pay for “Fox News North” (aka SunTV) on our cable bills, the Sun media empire threw everything they had at us – smear pieces in their newspapers, threatened lawsuits, and SunTV frontman Kory Teneycke even admitted insider knowledge of a criminal sabotage of our petition!

But Canadians didn’t back down – we donated over $110,000 to meet the legal threats, conveyed our concerns in the media on several news shows, and demanded a criminal investigation into the sabotage of our campaign. And it’s working! Kory Teneycke, PM Harper’s former spin doctor, resigned in disgrace last week as head of Fox News North, citing our campaign and admitting he had “debased the debate”.

This isn’t over. Teneycke was replaced by yet another conservative Prime Minister’s spin doctor and “Fox News North” still wants the government to force cable companies to include them in our cable packages. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will make the decision and their deadline is approaching — let’s send a flood of public messages directly asking the CRTC to enforce its own policies, and deny a government handout to boost the crony-propaganda and smear journalism of “Fox News North”:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/crtc_no_handouts/?vl http://www.avaaz.org/en/crtc_no_handouts/?cl=759927186&v=7193

Teneycke’s resignation came 24 hours after we requested a criminal investigation into the sabotage of our petition. But his spin suggested it was attempt to cleanse “Fox News North” (aka Sun TV) of its reputation for crony journalism and smear tactics. That reputation was immediately upheld, however, as Sun Media just replaced Teneycke with Luc Lavoie, who was Brian Mulroney’s spin doctor and left office amid questions about a $300,000 corruption scandal.

The smears in Sun-Media’s echo chamber are that Avaaz is all Americans (why would they care about this issue?!), that our petition is fraudulent or signed by Americans, that we’re a front group for billionaire George Soros, that we’re pro-censorship, and a half-dozen other ridiculous untruths. Canadian author and national treasure Margaret Atwood has responded with an Op-Ed answering smears against both her and Avaaz in Sun Newspapers. (see links at bottom of email — also see Avaaz director Ricken Patel debate Kory Teneycke on the CBC).

This kind of crony-media and it’s smearing and often hateful tactics is undermining democracy in many countries by offering it’s propaganda services in return for political favours. We have just 10 days left to get a tidal wave of public comments into the CRTC asking for this toxic new network to be denied a special government favour to fund their launch. Click below to send a message directly to the CRTC:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/crtc_no_handouts/?vl http://www.avaaz.org/en/crtc_no_handouts/?cl=759927186&v=7193

Since Teneycke’s resignation, Avaaz has been flooded with messages from Canadians brimming with enthusiasm and optimism for what we can accomplish together. Together we’re taking on one of the country’s largest and most unscrupulous media empires, and we’re winning. Just imagine what’s possible for the future.

Also see Margaret Atwood’s Op-Ed in the Sun: http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/2010/09/17/15388296.html

Ricken discuses Teneycke’s departure LIVE on CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Featured_Videos/ID=1592304620

Ricken debates Kory Teneycke LIVE on CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Featured_Videos/ID=1582123926

And stay tuned.

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goes south – Harper and Murdoch and Fox North, September 17, 2010
spin doctor – Teneycke out, Lavoie in, September 17, 2010

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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Code named Fox North because of its close ties with Australian media billionaire Rupert Murdoch, the “Fox News-style” SunTV News has been dubbed Harper TV.

Now, “it appears that plans for the station were hatched in March 2009, when Harper and Teneycke had a secret meeting in New York with Ruper Murdoch and Roger Ailes”, says mediaite.com, going on >>>

It is almost certain that it was at that meeting that a plan was hatched to bring Fox News’s faux-populist liberal-baiting style of journalism to Canada.

Given his deep ties to the Harper government, the 36-year old Teneycke (pronounced ‘Ten-IKE’) instantly became one of the most powerful media honchos in the country. He came on like a hockey enforcer, firing reporters suspected of being not politically onside, hiring more ideologically flexible journalist talents, and generally building the new station’s brand around his own brash image.

Teneycke’s favoured medium was the Twitterverse, where he argued with enemy columnists, made cocksure pronouncements, and routinely denounced the elitist lefty politics of the ‘lamestream’ media. (His twitter account has since been deleted.)

Apart from baiting liberals, Teneycke’s primary concern was to get SunTV News rolled into Canadian cable packages.

Hate media

“One man stands in the way of this nightmare — the Chairman of Canada’s Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Konrad von Finckenstein”, says the Canada: Stop “Fox News North” petition, continuing, “And now, news reports suggest that Harper may be trying to pressure the CRTC.”

Sign the petition below to “send a wave of support to von Finckenstein and forward this campaign to everyone”, says Avaaz, organising the move.

“We’ll publish full page ads in Canadian papers when we reach 100,000″, it promises.

When I signed signed the petition yesterday afternoon for p2pnet, it brought the number of people who’d registered to 81,962. Its now (5:13 am Pacific) at 82,028.

Says the petition >>>

To CRTC Chair von Finckenstein and PM Harper:
As concerned Canadians who deeply oppose American-style hate media on our airwaves, we applaud the CRTC’s refusal to allow a new “Fox News North” channel to be funded from our cable fees.

We urge Mr. von Finckenstein to stay in his job and continue to stand up for Canada’s democratic traditions, and call on Prime Minister Harper to immediately stop all pressure on the CRTC on this matter.

Meanwhile, “In July, the CRTC (Canada’s version of the FCC) denied Quebecor’s request to have the channel classified ‘Category A’, which would have required all cable/satellite providers to offer the service”, says mediaite.com, continuing >>>

In response, Quebecor came back at the CRTC with a new application under a different category, but asking for an exception that would have had the same result – it would have been a “must-carry” station for three years.

This prompted the international civic organization Avaaz to launch an online petition to block the creation of SunTV News. The petition was signed by tens of thousands of people, most notably by the novelist Margaret Atwood, who promoted the Avaaz petition on her Twitter account, saying she signed it in protest against what she saw as interference in the approval process by the Harper government (see here, here and here). Atwood has over 84,000 Twitter followers. The story picked up.

Kory Teneycke took to the pages of one of his own newspapers to blast Atwood (whom he accused of putting “her political agenda ahead of principles and patriotism”), and Avaaz (which he denounced as a front for George Soros). But Teneycke also pointed out that the petition was of dubious legitimacy, since in addition to Atwood, other famous celebrities had signed on.

These included Dwight Shrute (from The Office), Boba Fett (of Star Wars), Snuffalupagus (Sesame Street) and Homer Simpson.

While true, Teneycke’s knowledge of these bogus signatures was strange, since Avaaz hadn’t yet published a list of names on the petition. When this was pointed out, Teneycke claimed that he had an inside source who had told him about the fake names. But Avaaz executive director Ricken Patel (himself a Canadian living in New York) pointed out that the fake signatures had all come from the same Ottawa IP address (Teneycke lives in Ottawa), and on September 14 Avaaz asked the RCMP to look into the petition fraud.

The next morning, a few Canadian Twitter-obsessives noticed that Teneycke’s account had been suspended. A few hours later, Quebecor held a press conference to announce that Kory Teneycke was resigning immediately from Quebecor. He acknowledged at the press conference that the fight over the new station had become “vicious and vitriolic,” conceding that his own behaviour had contributed to the debased nature of the debate.

Quebec “media mogul” Pierre Karl Peladeau quickly dumped Teneycke, replacing him with Luc Lavoie, “a veteran executive in his Quebecor empire, which owns a host of broadcasting, communications and publishing companies in the Francophone province”, says Agence France-Presse.

“We would like to thank Kory for the excellent work he has performed for our company, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,” a statement from Peladeau said.

Riiight.

Teneycke is gone, but “Lurking behind the Fox hysteria is an even bigger threat to democratic media. Rupert Murdoch waits patiently as Stephen Harper sets out to create Murdoch-friendly ownership regulations and a more compliant regulator”, says Rabble.ca, adding:

“Perhaps he’ll be meeting again soon with Murdoch in New York City to report on how things are going.

“This time, though, we’re not likely to find out.”

Stay tuned.

Jon Newton – p2pnet

(Cheers, Marc)

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p2pnet – Fox North: Harper TV, June 10, 2010
mediaite.com – Fox News North Claims its First Casualty (With Help From Margaret Atwood), September 16, 2010
Agence France-Presse – Front man quits planned conservative news channel in Canada, September 16, 2010
Rabble.ca – Harper’s meeting with Murdoch — the real story, September 17, 2010

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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It was roasted for its efforts, but that didn’t stop if from trying to con them into buying over-priced, DRM-loaded movie downloads.

Predictably, it failed. And now it wants marks to buy into its online TV product — Fibe TV.

It’s an “an outstanding new service only available on Canada’s most advanced network”, it promises. “It’s not cable or satellite – it’s first of its kind. Using our latest fibre optic technology, Bell Fibe TV brings the best TV experience right to your door.”

First of its kind? Well, not exactly.

Telus already has online TV running in Alberta, BC and eastern Quebec.

Bell guy “Kevin Crull was standing in front of a smart phone streaming a live NFL game, a laptop displaying TV programming and a flat-screen TV showing a news program on CTV Inc., which BCE (aka Bell) bid $1.3-billion for on Friday”, says the Globe and Mail, going on:

“At one point, a long advertisement started playing for a new wireless network being launched by rival telecom provider Vidéotron Ltée., a division of Montreal-based media powerhouse Quebecor Inc.”

Yes? Well, this is Bell we’re talking about.

So how much will Bell’s latest effort to stay relevant cost punters?

Neither Bell nor any of the stories we saw, say.

But whatever it is, it’ll be too much.

After all, this is Bell we’re talking about.

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roasted – Canada traffic throttling cited in OECD report, May 21, 2008
blocking their accounts – p2pnet traffic shaping digest, April 19, 2008
failed -  Bell Canada dumps video store, June 16, 2009
Globe and Mail – Bell officially launches Internet TV service, September 14, 2010

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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As “instructed by the Ministry of Education (MOE)”, they were tuned in to an “inspiring television show ‘My Dream, Chinese Dream’ Wednesday, says state news agency Xinhua.

“The program, seeking to promote ambitious goals and a hardworking spirit among students, invited celebrities, including Yuan Longping, a scientist dubbed the ‘father of hybrid rice,’ Ma Yun, a self-made Internet business tycoon, movie star Li Lianjie, and disabled piano talent Liu Wei, among others, to share their dreams with the students, says the story.

“The TV program is hoped to inspire and educate young people to have dreams and work hard to realize them,” says Wang Dinghua, “an official in charge of primary and middle school affairs with the MOE”, it says.

“A person’s dream might be small, but when we get together, we will have a very big dream,” it has Li Lianjie, “the action movie star better known to English-speaking audiences as Jet Li (right), when delivering a speech in the program” stating.

He “hoped that children across the country would uphold their personal dreams with one hand and the nation’s dream with the other”, according to the story.

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Xinhua – Chinese students start new semester by watching “Chinese Dream” TV program, September 1, 2010

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But that doesn’t mean he’s given up on the online newspaper bidniz.

Steve Jobs wants to charge people $1 for Apple TV episodes and Walt Disney is “willing to go along with Apple’s new pricing plan — at least for now”, says the Los Angeles Times.

What a surprise. Steve Jobs is, of course, Disney’s largest shareholder

However, “Many in the entertainment industry fear that the low price could break the economic model that supports the high cost of producing TV shows”, says the story, stating “CBS and NBC don’t want to get locked into a pricing formula that could encourage people to watch TV shows on mobile devices rather than subscribe to cable or satellite TV services that pay hefty fees for programming”.

But “News Corp. executives are divided over selling TV shows at such a discount, according to people close to the conversations”, it says.

Some of them worry “offering 99-cent episode rentals will cut into lucrative DVD sales and pull viewers away from watching network TV, thereby eroding a $20-billion advertising market, these people said”, says the post, continuing >>>

But other top officials at News Corp. — especially Murdoch — are prepared to join Apple’s six-month pricing trial because it could cement a relationship with Apple’s powerful chief executive, Steve Jobs, and reap benefits for other divisions within the company, namely newspapers.

Murdoch … has said that the Apple iPad will rescue old print media by luring readers who will not subscribe to a newspaper. That makes the iPad a keystone in Murdoch’s ambition to launch a digital national news product this year.

Meanwhile, “The outcome of News Corp.’s internal debate should become clear Wednesday when Apple is expected to announce the rental service”, says the Los Angeles Times, going on CBS and NBC have rejected the proposal because “They worry that Apple’s commercial-free offerings will eat into DVD sales, people close to the companies said”.

And some “major TV producers say privately they fear the industry is about to fall into the same trap as the music industry”, says the story, adding:

“Faced with burgeoning Internet piracy, music labels struck a deal with Apple to sell 99-cent song downloads in 2003 — inadvertently torpedoing CDs sales. Warner Bros., for example, refuses to jeopardize its lucrative syndication business, which can haul in an as much as $2 million per episode for the sale of reruns of shows such as ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ a comedy it produces for CBS.”

Media consultant Mike Vorhaus is quoted as stating:

“What I’m saying to these guys is, ‘There’s no guarantee your traditional businesses are going to pay you the volume or the margins they are today forever’.”

But there’s “no cause for panic”, he says. The business “will probably decay slowly.”

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driving people away – Times paywall drives off online readers, July 21, 2010
Los Angeles Times – Murdoch may be key to Apple’s plan to offer 99-cent digital rentals of TV shows, August 30, 2010

August, 2010

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Now it’s up for sale.

Raymond Bennelsworth, admin of dedicatedtv.net, “one of the larger television-download sites on the internet, announced late last week that he was retiring from running the site, which he’d funded for three years out of his own pocket, and that if a new owner wasn’t found the site would go offline”, says a slugsite post.

Now it’s gone, the domain is up for sale, “and most of the auxiliary webpages – the two Twitter feeds, the Facebook group, and so on – have disappeared down the memory hole, without any word or notice”, says the story, going on

No goodbye, no farewell, no teary-eyed sentimentality. No ’so long, and thanks for all the fish’. Just… poof. Gone. And this just days after Facebook messages suggesting new owners had been found for the site.

Ah, well. Easy come, easy go. Screw you too, Bennelsworth, and your little dog Bertie, too.

The dedicatedtv domain is for sale, apparently, should you have a thousand pounds to spare and a desire for an obscure bit of internet piracy history. There were at last count eight or nine others that pointed to the same site; perhaps some of them are valued a bit more realistically?

“It is indeed a blow to TV lovers, during the time I was using Ubuntu via Live CD I was surfing the website it was pretty cool had a lot of Aussie Shows as well”, says Andrew aka Comeonecomcast, adding >>>

It was forum website which had Rapidshare and other DDL links to the shows

You can still find the shows by using your fave Rapidshare search engine and searching for ‘dedicatedtv.net’, uploaders put the domain in the filename

http://www.slugsite.com/archives/1377

R.I.P dedicatedTV, you will be missed <3

DTV’s YT channel is still live http://www.youtube.com/user/dedicatedtv

Keeping a site online without any money is tough going. You have to get creative to survive.

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slugsite – DedicatedTV, RIP, August 2, 2010

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Despite the experience in other countries that left consumers without digital converter boxes staring at blank screens, the Canadian government seems content to leave the switch to the private sector, implausibly claiming “industry-led solutions will ensure a smooth transition for consumers.”

The basic notion of the transition is fairly straightforward.  For decades, Canadian broadcasters have used spectrum to transmit over-the-air analog broadcast signals.
Before the widespread use of cable and satellite, many Canadians used antennae – “rabbit ears”- to access those broadcast signals.

On August 31, 2011, Canadian broadcasters will switch from analog to digital broadcasts. The shift to digital brings several advantages including better image and sound quality as well as more efficient use of spectrum that will open the door to new telecom services.  It also requires those relying on over-the-air signals to obtain a digital converter box to convert the digital signal back to analog.

Contrary to popular belief, many Canadians still rely on over-the-air signals.  In its latest update on the transition, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission estimated that up to 857,000 households in larger markets do not subscribe to either cable or satellite.  On top of those households, tens of thousands of rural households also depend upon over-the-air signals.

The CRTC has opened the door to a satellite alternative for rural communities, but households that rely on over-the-air signals in larger markets will need a digital converter box in order to continue to watch programs on their existing televisions.

In the United States, the government subsidized the cost of the transition, establishing a coupon program that ultimately cost over $1 billion and forced a six-month delay of the transition when politicians feared that too many consumers were not ready.

Unlike the U.S., there will not be a Canadian subsidy program.  While the additional costs could affect lower income Canadians, who are also more likely to rely on the over-the-air signals rather than cable or satellite services, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore has firmly rejected a similar approach.

A successful transition also depends upon educating Canadians about the changes. For example, the United Kingdom has established Digital UK, an independent, not-for-profit organization to the lead its process.  The organization is funded by the country’s private broadcasters and was established at the request of the government.  It maintains a comprehensive website and has launched a nationwide advertising campaign.

By contrast, other than the occasional CRTC release – Chair Konrad von Finckenstein has been sounding the alarm bells on the digital transition for months – the issue has attracted virtually no public attention in Canada. Moore has told Canada’s broadcasters that Canadians had “fair notice” about the transition and that the broadcasters should be prepared to complete the switch on schedule, emphasizing the transition “must remain on track.”

But most Canadian broadcasters see little value in investing in a public education campaign without government support, particularly since they are already spending millions on digital transmitters. In fact, the mandatory deadlines for the transition were only established after it became apparent the broadcasters would not make the switch voluntarily.

The CRTC has tried to push the issue onto the public agenda, but has thus far faced government opposition and broadcaster indifference. As a result, when Canada’s broadcasters flip the switch next summer, hundreds of thousands of Canadians may find themselves on the wrong side of a new digital divide.

Michael Geist – Michael Geist’s Blog
[Geist is the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa. He can be reached by email at mgeist @ uottawa dot ca]

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July, 2010

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