Comments on: Aereo and “Free” Broadcasting http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2013/04/18/aereo-and-free-broadcasting/ Responses to Media and Culture Fri, 12 Feb 2016 19:35:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5 By: Cynthia B. Meyers http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2013/04/18/aereo-and-free-broadcasting/comment-page-1/#comment-402817 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:53:28 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=19701#comment-402817 Jeff Bercovici at Forbes tries to do the math and points out that Fox could possibly profit from leaving OTA:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2013/04/18/heres-how-fox-could-make-billions-by-ditching-broadcasting/
On the other hand, Barry Diller says Carey is just trying to rattle Congress into changing copyright law!
In any case, the gauntlet has been thrown.

]]> By: Cynthia B. Meyers http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2013/04/18/aereo-and-free-broadcasting/comment-page-1/#comment-402666 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:35:50 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=19701#comment-402666 Hi Amanda,
Yes, that’s why most observers see Carey’s comments as mere saber rattling! And Carey has also told affiliates (the non-O&Os) at the NAB this week that they would be part of any transition, if there is one. Although there are plenty of reasons to stick with the affiliate system, my guess is that issues like this one with Aereo allow the networks to begin to articulate an exit strategy, if needed. The affiliate system may very well collapse rapidly as the radio network affiliate system did–despite public claims to the contrary and despite network O&Os–if enough disruption occurs. What the tipping point might be, who knows?

]]> By: Amanda Lotz http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2013/04/18/aereo-and-free-broadcasting/comment-page-1/#comment-402660 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:37:22 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=19701#comment-402660 Hi Cynthia–Can you help with one aspect I haven’t been able to quite figure out? Last I looked into such things, the “networks” made all their money (or a very large percent of it) from their O&O stations–i.e. advertising in large, but local markets. It is for this reason that Fox’s threats seem so empty to me. Has this changed that you know of?

]]> By: Kyle Conway http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2013/04/18/aereo-and-free-broadcasting/comment-page-1/#comment-402643 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:04:36 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=19701#comment-402643 Thanks for this concise summary. I think it helps me see one of the things (well, two of the things) that my students struggle with — the idea of public interest (or what the term might mean outside of the neoliberal, commercial, convergent media environment through which they navigate with relative ease) and, in a more basic sense, the idea of over-the-air broadcasting as a distinct technology. Of course, their confusion about the technology contributes to their confusion about public vs. commercial interests. But the Aereo suit brings those two aspects into crisp focus.

I anticipate incorporating this blog entry into my readings when I teach our intro course again.

]]> By: Aereo and “Free” Broadcasting | A Word from Our Sponsor http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2013/04/18/aereo-and-free-broadcasting/comment-page-1/#comment-402639 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:13:35 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=19701#comment-402639 […] Broadcast networks are suing Aereo for copyright infringement because Aereo retransmits free over-the-air signals to subscribers online. How might this case reflect broadcasters’ changing commitment to “free” over-the-air broadcasting supported by advertising? In this post at Antenna: Responses to Media & Culture, I consider the historical context of &#82… […]

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