"News Sharing Agreement" Has It's First Casualty!

Lately, the trend in TV news has been to put together a consortium of stations and send them to stories that are similar in nature, such as press conferences, low-priority ceremonies and events or meeting.

The agreement was supposed to save news departments money. I made issue about whether the "experiment" would actually work. Well, it looks like we know the answer to the question in one city. WGCL-TV in Atlanta pulled out of it's news sharing agreement with WAGA (FOX) and WXIA (NBC).

The CBS-affiliate got out after a series of questionable LNS assignments. According to one blog, they reported, "It shot press conferences WGCL didn’t want to use. It shot a promotional event for a grocery store. It shot AFLAC night at a Braves game. And LNS is apparently slow to respond to breaking news, probably because the TV stations are playing chicken with one another to see who knows about what breaking news, and how soon."

Local News Sharing agreements may work on fluff stories, but on the issue of "breaking news", I'm not sure why anyone would agree to do such a thing. As I've said before, why would you give your competition exclusive video?

I'm pretty sure this isn't the last TV station to pull out. There's just too much at stake.

Live365: "Webcaster Agreement Doesn't Fit All Sizes" This, According to FMQB.com article.

In a statement published on FMQB.com's website, Live365 is seriously concerned with the agreement reached this week between SoundExchange and "Pureplay" broadcasters.

Among their concerns is the possibility that smaller broadcasters, such as "Smooth Jazz and More" could be subject to higher rates in order to continue broadcasting.

Please read the article below!

FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!

Posted using ShareThis

Live365 has sent SoundExchange a counter proposal to address the issue.

X Games 15 Is Coming Up Fast!

It won't be long now! The 15th edition of the XGames will take place the weekend of July 30th through August 2nd in Los Angeles, California.

This is an annual event that showcases extreme sports, such as Bungee Jumping, Eco-Challenge, In-line Skating, Skysurfing, Sport Climbing, Street Luge, Biking and Water Sports & Skateboarding.

It was the creation of ESPN in 1995. Originally generated every two years, it's popularity has exploded to be an annual event. In 1997, a winter version of the X Games was created. The popularity of the X Games led to the inclusion of some of its sports into the Olympic Games.



The most popular sport in the X Games is skateboarding. It's most recognizable ambassador is Tony Hawk. In 1995 he took home the first XGames gold medal in the vertical skateboarding category. His popularity has generated numerous skateboarding video games starting in 1999 with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Since then, the series has spawned over 10 titles.



Another popular skateboarder is Shaun White, who is nicknamed "The Flying Tomato", because of his shaggy red hair. White also performs in snowboarding and received a gold medal at the 2006 Olympics in Men's Halfpipe.

It takes lots of practice to perfect the stunts skateboarders do. Years and years of it. It's not uncommon for skateboarders to have various injuries, such as broken arms, legs, necks & torn cartilage.

It helps to have a high quality skateboard. One website has a wide selection of longboard skateboards, ranging from $64 dollars up to $489 dollars. The site also has a web page devoted to what to look for when buying a skateboard.

Now, whether your purchase for the website will lead you to become the next Tony Hawk or Shaun White is clearly up to you.

Deal Reached with Some Internet Broadcasters, Still Await Live365's Decision.

"Pureplay" Internet broadcasters have reached an agreement with SoundExchange on sound recording royalty rates for the period of 2006-2015. The 10-year agreement resolves disputes with Pandora, AccuRadio, Digitally Imported, and radioIO.

In an article published yesterday by Bloomberg.com, Live365 (our parent broadcaster) opposes the agreement. Johnie Floater, general manager of media for Live365, "the new rates are less favorable for smaller Web radio. These little DJs, which are really the diversity and the promise of the Internet, are being squeezed out." Floater continued on by saying, "Today’s announced rates raise the hurdle on these little guys even further."

So, the question is, can Live365 come to an agreement with SoundExchange within the next 30 days? If so, what does that mean for Internet radio stations like "Smooth Jazz and More"? Will our rates go up even more?

More than likely, rates at Live365 will go sky high to the point that they can no longer afford to broadcast anymore. This is a bad sign for hobby broadcaster like myself.

We wait nervously for the outcome of Live365's negotiations with SoundExchange.

Michael Jackson Memorial Reflections

With all the logistics that had to be put together within the last week, I would have thought yesterday's memorial for Michael Jackson would have been a disaster in the making.

Yesterday proved me wrong.

The two and a half hour send off for the "King of Pop" turned out to be his greatest concert of all. It was a fitting end to an incredible life, filled with triumph and tragedy.

Most heartbreaking was the sudden remarks at the end of the service by Michael's daughter, Paris. Normally shielded from public eye through most of their lives, she said to the audience fighting back tears, "...ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine, and I just want to say that I love him so much."

It showed that he was not just a pop icon, but simply a human figure who loved his kids dearly. As the Rev. Al Sharpton said in comments to his kids, "There weren't nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with but he dealt with it."

It was Michael's message of love through his music, his charity and his children that will live forever.

Figure Skater's Sad Fall From Grace

Had to do an entry on Nicole Bobek.

The Hudson County (New Jersey) Sheriff's Office released a mugshot of her. This, after the former figure skating champion was charged with conspiracy to deal methamphetamine during a drug bust.

Her look is totally different than the one we're used to. Her hair is no longer blonde. Her "bangs" are shorter and her face looks like she's been through withdrawal.

Pretty sad, considering this is not the first time she's been in trouble with the law. You would have thought she'd learn before.

New Website Shows The Finer Side Of Wine!

One of this most beautiful places I found to visit for a Sunday afternoon drive is the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York. The area is home to a number of small and large wineries nestled around 6 different lakes.

However, there is one shortcoming with the region. How do you know what wines are appealing those that are not? Well, there's a website that helps with that decision making.

SuppleWine.com is a fully search able, web database of thousands of wines available at your local stores. The site describes the flavors and the quality of wines. It also tells you which ones are worth your while with comprehensive Wine Reviews.

These reviews are written by wine experts and consumers themselves who give their opinions on what wines are good and what are not so good. There's plenty of videos on the website of winery trips around the country to visit. There's also a Wine Pairing section that lists the type of wines and what's best to serve with.

Whatever your favorite wine is, or if you're discovering a new wine for your next party, you should check out the site, SuppleWine.com.

Martin Bashir Backtracks On Allegations Of Michael Jackson

The day Michael Jackson died, ABC's Nightline correspondent Martin Bashir backtracked on allegations made in his documentary, "Living with Michael Jackson".

Even though the video shown below is edited together, the comments Bashir made on Jackson, in retrospect, are pretty revealing.

We now know the documentary was made to advance Bashir's career goals. Now that he's where he is now and Michael Jackson is no longer alive, we see the real side of what happened through Bashir's comments.

Too little, too late.

Peter King is a "Gutless Coward"!

Republican US Representative Peter King from Long Island had some choice words on the media coverage of Michael Jackson's death and memorial.

Rep. King called Jackson, " a pervert, a child molester and a pedophile". He went on to say that, "...society should be paying tribute to police officers and troops overseas."

The last time I saw it, Jackson was found "NOT GUILTY" of all charges.

If Jackson was guilty of anything, it would be of being too generous. His record of philanthropy, from giving millions of dollars for "USA FOR AFRICA" back in 1985 to helping those with life-threatening illnesses was second to none. A few people "hungry for the big payday" took advantage of his generosity.

Rep. King's comments on Jackson was cowardly, which is no surprise coming from Republicans. Rep. King is also a so-called "Christian", a Catholic to be exact. Talk about the ultimate in hypocrisy!

It's pretty easy to kick a man when he's down or in Congressman King's case, when he's dead. If he's truly a Christian, if he really believes in the criminal justice system, he wouldn't have made those comments.

Jackson may have had questionable behavior in his life. But then again, he was a flawed man, just like everyone else. We're not perfect.

In Piano Playing, Practice Makes Perfection!!

I've always admired the piano. It's an instrument that takes incredible hand coordination. In order to master the piano, practice must be constant and precise. It can take years and years of practice to become a great pianist.

One website I found can help piano novices become experts. It's run by Yoke Wong, a native of Malaysia with an accomplished musical resume. She has enabled many of her students to learn basics steps of piano playing.

In Sight Reading, she teaches her students that, "their eyes are always a step ahead of their hands". She mentions, "When your hands are playing the first beat of a measure, the eyes are already glancing at the second beat of the same measure."

She also says that in order to perform Sight Reading properly, students should, "keep a steady tempo" and if they miss a few notes, they should continue to keep counting. Students should also, "watch for keys and always start a piece by knowing the key signatures."

See this sample lesson, one of many given on her website.



Her website also has Free Sheet Music for her students, including genres such as Celtic, Country and Gospel. Many of Wong's students have given her high praise, calling her teaching methods, "easy to understand" and "amazing".

If you've ever wanted to play the piano, then give Yoke Wong's website a try!

Webcaster Settlement Act Now Law!

As First Reported by Kurt Hanson's RAIN Newsletter:


President Obama signed the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009 into law yesterday, giving the weight of law to any royalty agreements reached by SoundExchange and webcasters within the next 30 days. GovTrack notes however that the legislation, H.R. 2344, “will become law once administrative actions are complete.”

The bill was sponsored by Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Frederick Boucher (D-VA), John Conyers (D-MI) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) in the House, and Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) in the Senate. RAIN thanks and congratulates these members of Congress for their efforts in passing the Settlement Act.

The Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009 amends the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008, which was passed last year under the Bush Administration. The original bill gave Congressional approval to any royalty deal reached before February 15, 2009.

However, SoundExchange was not able to reach deals with all webcasters by that date, including “pureplay” webcasters, small commercial webcasters, and religious broadcasters.

The updated bill, just enacted by President Obama, will give these groups additional time to agree on royalty deals.

Touching Michael Jackson Video Memorial

I was just sent a YouTube video done by Chester Thomas of the group, 2GoodtoGo.

There are some amazing photos from him as a child and culminating into what he turned into.

It's a remarkable transformation.

Enjoy!!

-----------------------------------

Note: I'm working on my own Michael Jackson memorial special. Hope to get it completed this week.

Stay Tuned!