Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The primary purpose of this study is to examine the network effects in the cable television industry that could explain the observable benefits to subscribers. This study examined whether cable systems with a larger network would provide more benefits to subscribers than cable systems of smaller size. Two-stage least squares and logistic regression analyses, using the data from the 2004 Television & Cable Fact Book and the U.S. Government Census showed the existence of indirect, positive network effects for cable television networks of significant size. Specifically, the regression analysis indicated that cable systems that have a larger network are likely to have a greater possibility for two-way network capability and a more channel capacity for basic-tier cable service.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Since the passage of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, cable television operators have been required to protect cable subscriber privacy rights with respect to the accumulation and distribution of personally identifying information. As convergence has led to cable operators also increasingly operating as internet service providers, the law has struggled to determine what activities of cable modem subscribers are protected under or subject to the privacy protections found in the Cable Act. This paper discusses the statutory, judicial and regulatory law that has developed regarding cable modem service subscriber privacy rights under the Cable Act. It goes on to argue that the law has thus far developed and has been applied in an inconsistent manner and is presently inadequate to address the continued technological convergence currently being witnessed in the telecommunications industry.

Publication Type: Session Paper
Abstract: From the earliest days of radio, efforts to limit the public's access to media characterized telecommunications policy in the U.S. Therefore, it is nothing short of astounding that, with the growth of cable television, a window opened for ordinary citizens, especially women and minorities, to actively create both media content and policy for the first time in decades. Although structured by FCC constraints, cable franchising promised an important new policy role for citizens in identifying and negotiating for local and subaltern communicational needs and desires. This study examines how media activists sought to translate federal policy into workable local solutions, drawing on competing visions of local identity and cultural citizenship. The study indicates the conditions within which a media-minded public can emerge and organize itself for reform, but also illustrates the often gendered pitfalls of the policy translation process in the struggle for more democratic media.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The proliferation of specialized/niche television markets broadens the number of venues for group representation, but narrows the focus of any given station. The literature has not yet explored the degree to which television advertising mirrors this effect or its possible implications. Additionally, the recent discussion of “a la cart” cable television options has niche stations debating the potential impact of increasingly selective viewing. Minority targeted stations are doubly-concerned about not only the potential of losing valuable audience and resources, but also the potential loss of a positive minority presence in the overall media landscape. This concern assumes that niche stations matter and that they influence the way that minority groups are presented. This article analyzes the impact of niche markets on minority representations by reporting on a content analysis of television commercials (n = 434) aired during prime-time on both the general networks and an African American niche market (BET) in 2002. In-group/out-group representations are explored in relation to depictions of agency and domestic/romantic fulfillment. The findings reveal that although the majority of characters were white males, the niche market did provide a venue for alternative minority representations. Specifically, characters in the African American niche were more likely to be portrayed as respected and as sex-objects. Although the niche market represents a venue for minority voices, it also has the potential for negative ramifications suggesting that the loss of these niche outlets could have a complicated impact on the number and quality of images of minorities in the media.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Journalists faced numerous physical, emotional, and professional challenges in covering Hurricane Katrina and the devastation the storm brought to the Gulf Coast of the United States in late summer 2005. This study focuses on reporting by three cable news journalists, exploring their performances in comparison with established norms of detachment and objectivity, as well as routines of sourcing and newsgathering. It suggests that although the reporters were passionate and engaged, and their efforts generally well-received by news audiences, their participatory approach to on-air coverage ultimately may have been more effective as an expression of their own frustration than as a way of alleviating the suffering of others.