2007: The Year of Magical Thinking? - MediaBizzBuzz for December 17, 2007

Then there are the embarrassing conflicts of interests and/or ethical blunders at both the FTC and the FCC. As the FTC considers whether or not the Google and DoubleClick merger violates antitrust, Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras and Commissioner William E. Kovacic each have spouses with fiduciary ties to law firm Jones Day, which is of counsel to Doubleclick. Despite lobbying by the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy, neither has agreed to recuse themselves.

And the FCC? Even as Kevin Martin is being warned by a bi-partisan Congressional effort to delay this Tuesday's vote on changing media ownership rules, he was made aware Thursday that not only is his long-time chief of staff Daniel Gonzalez a director of MCube Petroleum, but that said company is being investigated for fraud. We're not done yet with Martin:

Then there are the embarrassing conflicts of interests and/or ethical blunders at both the FTC and the FCC. As the FTC considers whether or not the Google and DoubleClick merger violates antitrust, Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras and Commissioner William E. Kovacic each have spouses with fiduciary ties to law firm Jones Day, which is of counsel to Doubleclick. And the FCC? Even as Kevin Martin is being warned by a bi-partisan Congressional effort to delay this Tuesday's vote on changing media ownership rules, he was made aware Thursday that not only is his long-time . We're not done yet with Martin:GAO say that the FCC has no plan around our 2009 digital conversion. FCC sez, "Yes we do." Be very afraid.

Memo to both Majoras and Martin: Perception Counts.

Let us not forget George Mitchell's report on widespread steriod use in baseball. While it was hardly an eyebrow raiser, the Players Association's firewalling of ballplayers from Mitchell seems almost as shameful as the substance abuse. Almost.

Anger.[ Stage 3]
T-Mobile turns off Twitter. Statement from their customer service: "T-Mobile is not in violation of any agreement by not providing service to Twitter. [P]lease note that if you remain under contract and choose to cancel service, you will be responsible for the $200 early termination fee[...] Way to piss off your (early adopter) customers.

Bargaining.[Stage 4]
Writers Strike. There's a new wrinkle even as talks have broken down between the WGA and the AMPTP. Jack Myers opines how writers are meeting directly with advertisers and agencies, while LA Weekly's Nikki Finke is tracking that David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants is seeking a waiver with the WGA. Depending on the spin, these moves either: undermine or strengthen the hand of the WGA. 
That imminent walkout at MTVN that we reported last week? It seems a partial success. MTVN's permalancers have their health benefits intact, and some (probably due to Gov. Spitzer's current probe) positions are going to be re-classed as permanent.

Ad Spending: TV Versus the Web.
It was a good year for online advertising, but according to some, not good enough. As a group they want the Web to be more like TV. Silicon Alley Investor's Henry Blodget insists the opposite: TV should be more like the Internet, where accountability is concerned. Sidebar: CNET reports that piracy is not only the sincerest form of flattery, but a gauge of your brand's success.

R.I.P.
Intel ViiV. The once touted home entertainment hub is being put (in the lingo of the networks) on permanent haitus. Well... not entirely, but it's certainly losing its place of pride in the Microsoft hierarchy and will be recast as Core 2 with ViiV come 2008.
MovieBeam. Investor's Business Daily uses the demise of the service as an excuse to consider the fate of movie downloading in the main. While Brightcove is alive and kicking, it did put its consumer-facing side out to pasture. PaidContent has a wide-ranging interview with CEO Jeremy Allaire.

Yuletidings.
Rupert Murdoch finally got the keys to the Wall Street Journal. Following the enormous gains (up 64% since end-August) in NewYorkTimes.com's readership since ended TimesSelect, will the WSJ end its premium content model - per Murdoch's marching orders?

In the interest of Holiday Mirth (and laughing in the face of the abyss), may we present Jib Jab for Web 2.0? Here Comes Another Bubble is a genius viral video warning of the You-Know-What (Thank you $1,500 Kindles and Facebook's $35 Billion valuation). Sadly, it's been taken down on YouTube thanks to a photographer with a litigious attorney. TechCrunch's Michael Arrington convincingly explains why she's wrong.