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The Big Picture: Frank Beacham
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Frank Beacham is a New York City-based writer and producer. Visit his Web site at www.frankbeacham.com. E-mail: frank@frankbeacham.com.
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Newest Reporter Tools Get Better & Quicker
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by Frank Beacham, 8.18.2004
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There are some new tools that can aid in reducing the grunt work and assure bulletproof accuracy of quotes from fast-breaking events.
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Dumbing Down the Kids
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by Frank Beacham, 7.21.2004
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For too many, apparently, it's just another day parked in front of the TV set - the nation's most popular baby sitter.
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Infoganda: The Real Indecency in Broadcast
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by Frank Beacham, 6.23.2004
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In a publicist-driven culture where it's an art form to blur the line between truth and fiction, local TV news is becoming a powerful enabler.
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The Death of Live Television
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by Frank Beacham, 4.21.2004
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The fervor by politicians this election year to rid America's airwaves of "indecency" is not only a threat to the constitutional rights of performers but a dangerous threat to over-the-air broadcasters.
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A Big 'What If' for Local Broadcast Stations
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by Frank Beacham, 3.26.2004
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What if a court overturns "must carry" and simultaneously the broadcast networks move away from the affiliate system to become exclusive content producers for pay television? Under these twin circumstances, how would your television station prosper in the future?
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Making TV News Relevant To a New Generation
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by Frank Beacham, 2.18.2004
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Television stations - with their aging Ken and Barbie news formats - are under intense pressure to reinvent themselves for a media-savvy generation unencumbered by nostalgia or loyalty.
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Toast to Larry Thorpe
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by Frank Beacham, 1.21.2004
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It was during the Thanksgiving holiday that Larry Thorpe, one of the major figures in modern television technology, decided at age 63 to leave Sony.
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Analog: The Fat Lady Refuses to Sing!
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by Frank Beacham, 11.26.2003
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Having missed the last couple of AES audio shows, it was good to spend some time catching up on the latest buzz in New York City. In fact, I enjoyed these passionate, creative audio folks so much I stayed an extra day just to muck around and hear their stories.
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For Those Living in Fear, Broadcasters Offer Comfort
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by Frank Beacham, 10.29.2003
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Justified or not, many Americans are living in fear. Since Sept. 11, 2001, too many of us, especially in urban areas, jump at the sound of every explosion or wailing siren. Suddenly, there's the fearful need of reassurance from some authoritative source that all is well in the community.
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DVD: A Simple, Elegant Idea
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by Frank Beacham, 9.17.2003
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It is difficult to comprehend how much, in only six years, the invention of the DVD has changed consumer television technology.
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Looking Back to TV's Future
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by Frank Beacham, 8.20.2003
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The vote was a stunning 400 to 21 -- one of most overwhelming rebukes by the U.S. House of Representatives of a regulatory policy in the history of American broadcasting. Though the bloody fight over media ownership is far from over -- the fat lady has yet to sing -- few would argue all is well in TV land. Fact is, there's trouble, big trouble, in River City.
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Media Ownership Surprise: The People Respond!
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by Frank Beacham, 7.23.2003
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The public outrage over the FCC's action came in at hurricane force.
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The Coming Wave of Homogenized Media
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by Frank Beacham, 6.25.2003
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I couldn't help but feel a bit sick to my stomach after the FCC's historic media ownership vote on June 2.
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Does Better Technology Mean Better Programs?
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by Frank Beacham, 4.23.2003
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Introducing Beacham's Law: As TV technology improves, there is a corresponding decline in the artistic excellence of television programming.
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The 'Digital Transition' Becomes the 'IT Transition'
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by Frank Beacham, 3.19.2003
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Underlying all the noise about information technology (IT) at NAB2003 is a quiet subtext that renders the phrase "digital transition" obsolete and signals huge changes ahead in the business of over-the-air broadcasting.
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A New Voice At the FCC
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by Frank Beacham, 2.19.2003
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The FCC's newest member, Jonathan Adelstein, began the new year by making his first public speech as a commissioner. Skipping the bureaucratic niceties, the new man in town cut to the chase-letting his audience know he's playing a different soundtrack than the recent "market-driven" rhetoric of chairman Michael Powell.
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Film Stakes Out a Future in Digital Television
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by Frank Beacham, 1.22.2003
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One of the genuine successes in today's otherwise sluggish professional video industry has come in high-end acquisition, where 24p HD video technology is challenging 35mm film as the preferred medium for making primetime television programming.
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Of a Certain Age
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by Frank Beacham, 11.27.2002
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As one who grew up watching Johnny Carson regularly, I found myself gradually tuning out. The programming became so irrelevant to me that I never thought about it enough to even question why.
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Tauzin Falls Off the Bully Pulpit
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by Frank Beacham, 10.23.2002
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Tough talking Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA) tried to use his Cajun bravado and perceived political clout to spook broadcasters into doing as they originally promised - convert to DTV by the end of 2006. What a miscalculation!
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The FCC Drinks Its Kool-Aid
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by Frank Beacham, 9.18.2002
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The sweltering summer heat finally got to the FCC. Michael Powell, the Republican chairman who claimed not to believe in intrusive government, got very intrusive. With the great tuner mandate came Act III of the DTV Demolition Derby with spectators gathering for the predicted climax: a BIG train wreck.
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