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Media Ownership Rules Forum
Press Release
COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL KERNOCHAN CENTER FOR LAW, MEDIA AND THE ARTS ANNOUNCES A FORUM ON THE FCC MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES
New York, NY - The Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts at Columbia Law School hosted a forum for the discussion of Media Ownership Rules currently under review by the Federal Communications Commission. This forum took place on January 16, 2003 at the Frank Altschul Auditorium at Columbia University from 9:30am - 5 pm.
FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell created the Media Ownership Working Group (MOWG) and charged it with developing a solid factual foundation for re-evaluating FCC media ownership policies. These policies are: the Broadcast-Newspaper Cross-Ownership Rule; the Local Radio Ownership Rule; the Television-Radio Cross-Ownership Rule; the Dual Network Rule; the Local Television Ownership Rule; and the National Television Ownership Rule. The FCC has affirmed its interest in seeking public input about them as part of the Public Comments process related to the consolidated rule- making. (The FCC studies can be found at http://www.fcc.gov/ownership/studies.html)
These findings have been debated and widely interpreted. "This forum gives an opportunity to those who will be directly affected to voice their thoughts and opinions regarding these proposed changes," said June Besek of Columbia Law School's Kernochan Center. "We have invited a wide range of panelists from studio heads to independent producers, from politicians to the public in addition to the FCC Commissioners who will ultimately make the decisions. We hope that this forum will present a comprehensive discussion of the changes and how they will affect the entire country."
Columbia's Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts was established to contribute to a broader understanding of the legal aspects of creative works of authorship, including their dissemination and use. The Center has encouraged the development of instruction at the Law School in topics such as intellectual property, copyright, trademarks, the regulation of electronic media, and problems arising from new communications technologies.
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Program
FORUM ON MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Thursday, January 16, 2003
Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts
435 West 116th Street at Amsterdam Avenue
New York City
PROGRAM (speakers are listed in alphabetical order )
8:30 a.m. Registration
Registration required for admission to event; journalists are encouraged to arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m.
9:30 a.m. Welcome
Jane C. Ginsburg
Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property Law, Columbia Law School
9:45 a.m. Remarks from FCC Commissioners and other Dignitaries
The following FCC commissioners are scheduled to attend:
Chairman Michael K. Powell
Commissioner Michael J. Copps
Commissioner Kevin J. Martin
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein
Morning Session:
Moderator: Harry Jessell, New York Editor in Chief of Broadcasting & Cable
10:15 a.m. Opening Panel: The Media Ownership Rules: Overview and Legal Issues
Ellen Agress
Senior Vice President, Fox Entertainment Group, Fox Television Stations
Charles Lewis
Founder and Executive Director, Center for Public Integrity
Richard Masur
Actor
Member of AFTRA, DGA, EQUITY, SAG
Former President of SAG
Former member of the Gore Commission
James Winston
Executive Director & General Counsel, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters
11:15 a.m. News/Civic Discourse
Juan Gonzalez
President, National Association of Hispanic Journalists
Columnist, New York Daily News
Amy Mitchell
Associate Director, Project for Excellence in Journalism
Robert McChesney
Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Author of "Rich Media, Poor Democracy"
Dennis Swanson
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Viacom Television Stations Group
** 12:15 p.m. - 1:20 p.m. ** BREAK
Afternoon Session:
Moderator: P.J. Bednarski, Editor, Broadcasting & Cable
1:30 p.m. Entertainment
Thomas Fontana
Creator of HBO series OZ, Executive Producer of Homicide
Writers Guild of America - East, Council Member
Clark S. Herman
Clark S. Herman Associates Business Consultant
David Poltrack
Executive Vice President, Research and Planning, CBS Television
Jenny Toomey
Executive Director, Future of Music Coalition
Elizabeth Ziff
Performer, recording artist, Star/writer "Betty Rules", Member, rock group "Betty"
2:30 p.m. Community Voices
Katina Paron
Executive Director, Children's Press Line
William O'Shaughnessy
President & CEO, WVOX, WRTN
Florence Rice
Harlem Consumer Education Committee
Dorothy Thigpen
Third World News Reel
3:30 p.m. Business Concerns
Martin D. Franks
Executive Vice President, CBS Television
Michelle Jennings
Executive Vice President, Sherwood Outdoor
James C. Joyce
Vice President, NABET-CWA
Jon Mandel
President & CEO, MediaCom
Tom Wolzien
Senior Media Analyst, Sanford C. Bernstein and Company
4:30 p.m. Conclusion
June M. Besek
Executive Director, Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts, Columbia Law School
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Web casts
Web casts of the forums are available.
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