Obama’s FCC Starts Coming Into Focus…

Monday, November, 10, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

The new FCC transition team will be headed by former agency member Henry Rivera, a partner at communications law firm Wiley, Rein, the same firm Kevin Martin worked at.  Martin, the current FCC Chairman can only leave voluntarily.  His term doesn’t end until June 30, 2011 but he will be replaced as chairman by either Rivera or FCC member Michael Copps - both Democrats.  In addition to Martin, the only other Republican at the agency is Robert McDowell.  The third Republican, Deborah Taylor Tate is required to leave the agency no later than the first week of January.  Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat will likely stay at the FCC…

Barack Obama will oversee the nation’s switch from analog to digital television and he’s likely to stick to his preference for network neutrality.  Obama’s administration prefers the idea that network owners, such as telephone companies and cable TV operators should not discriminate against Web-based content providers like Google.  The caustic relationship between outgoing FCC chairman Kevin Martin and the cable TV industry will end and a warmer and fuzzier FCC will replace it - at least as far as cable goes.  The relationship with radio remains unknown…

Apparently the switch from analog to digital TV may not be that smoothly done.  Nielsen Media Research reports that nearly 9 million U.S. TV homes are “unready” for the digital transition.  Have these people been living under a rock since the FCC started inundating us with that TV spot that looks like it was done by a third-grader???  

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1775] Semper Fi: The U.S. Marines are organized under authority of the Continental Congress…
2. 1871] Dr. Livingstone, I presume?: Journalist-explorer Henry M. Stanley finds missing Scottish missionary David Livingstone in central Africa and delivers his famous greeting: “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” to which Livingstone replies: “And you arrrrrre?”…
3. 1954] Dedicated to the ones we love: The Iwo Jima Memorial is dedicated in Arlington (VA)…
4. 1969] Debuted on this date: ‘Sesame Street’ on PBS…
5. 1975] Down with the ship: The ore-hauling ship Edmund Fitzgerald sinks during a storm in Lake Superior with all 29 crew members on board (leading to the hit by Gordon Lightfoot, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” or as one CBS-FM caller asked: “Can you play the ‘Wreck of Ella Fitzgerald?”)…
6. 1980] Cabnapping: CBS-TV network anchor Dan Rather claims he was kidnapped in a cab but it turns out that Rather refused to pay the driver for the ride (leading to the R.E.M hit: “What’s the cab fare Kenneth?”)…
7. 1982] Memorialized: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is opened in Washington (D.C.)…
8. 1984] Comeback Terps: Backup Maryland QB Frank Reich stages one of the greatest comebacks in college football history, throwing 6 TD passes in the 2nd half and overcoming a 31-0 deficit as the Terps beat Miami 42-40…
9. 1993] With malice toward none: John Wayne Bobbitt is acquitted on the charge of marital sexual assault against his wife Lorena Bobbitt (a.k.a. “The blade”) who is later acquitted of malicious wounding of her husband. Apparently cutting off one’s genitals is not malicious enough in Virginia…
10. 1997] Wedding Bells: WorldCom Inc. and MCI Communications Corp. walk down the $37 billion dollar aisle, link by link and chip by chip…

Music Memories:

• 1965] Number One on this date: 1965] “Get Off My Cloud” - Rolling Stones…1974] “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” - Bachman-Turner Overdrive…
• 1967] Released on this date: “Nights in White Satin” - Moody Blues…1973] “Rock On” - David Essex…1986] “Live 1975 - 1985” Box Set - Bruce Springsteen…
• 1969] Gold Standard: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” - Gene Autry. The song was recorded and released in 1949…
• 2003] Country tribute: Country and rock stars gather for a tribute to Johnny Cash, who passed away in September ‘03, by singing his songs at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville…

Commentary:

Miriam Makeba collapsed late Sunday at the end of a concert in Italy and died early this morning of a heart attack.  She was 76.  We leave you with Miriam Makeba’s ”Pata Pata” video from happy times… 

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“:

Ellen Pompeo (39), Tracy Morgan (40), Mackenzie Phillips (49), Sinbad (52), Ann Reinking (59), Greg Lake (61), Dave Loggins(61) and Russell Johnson (The Professor on ‘Gilligan’s Island’) (84)…

Timeline Countdown: One day until Veteran’s Day, 17 days until Thanksgiving and 41 days until winter…

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