Frank Beacham is a New York City-based writer and producer. Visit his Web site at
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Wilmington—Spin From The Other Side
by Frank Beacham, 10.15.2008
A closer look at what happened in Wilmington only confirms what's been known for years: Simply knowing the DTV transition will occur doesn't fix the antenna and reception problems certain to follow. More...
CNN Introduces 'All-Platform' Journalists
by Frank Beacham, 09.17.2008
CNN has turned "one-man bands" into "all-platform" journalists, and announced an "expansion" of newsgathering with such people in 10 American cities. More...
Test from Peter
by Bob Kovacs, 09.08.2008
This is a test. More...
A War for Control Of the Internet
by Frank Beacham, 08.06.2008
Internet for Everyone is a new organization with a single premise: all Americans should have access to fast, open, and affordable Internet service. Unfortunately, that’s not the case today. More...
It’s a New Game for Television News
by Frank Beacham, 07.23.2008
Though technology has vastly improved, human excellence has been decimated through pay cuts, layoffs and downsizing. Though there is more so-called “news” programming, its quality has generally hit bottom. More...
NBC, Microsoft Raise The ‘Broadcast Flag’
by Frank Beacham, 06.25.2008
In a remarkable case of viewer “gotcha,” NBC and Microsoft were recently caught red-handed playing footloose with the broadcast flag. More...
Ah, Back to Antennas Again!
by Frank Beacham, 05.28.2008
Does anyone actually believe that hordes of Americans will climb onto their rooftops—just as in the 1950s—to install an antenna in order to receive their local DTV stations? More...
The Replicating Nature of ‘News’ in Cyberspace
by Frank Beacham, 05.14.2008
There are fewer people reporting genuine, long form hard news stories today than anytime in the past 25 years. More...
Could It Be the End Of TV News?
by Frank Beacham, 04.14.2008
One of the great mysteries to me in these final months of the DTV transition is why call letter television stations continue to allow their news departments to operate in such an abysmal way. More...
The Expensive Afterlife of Digital Movies
by Frank Beacham, 01.23.2008
Surprise, surprise! Now after the shift to digital filmmaking is almost complete, we discover that archiving film for the future is more expensive than expected. More...
Trapped in an Endless Commercial
by Frank Beacham, 11.21.2007
In the spring of 1987, I was privileged to attend a 10-week series of lectures at UCLA by Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, a remarkable broadcast pioneer who served as president of NBC between 1953 and 1956. More...
The Dark Side Of Apple’s iPhone
by Frank Beacham, 07.25.2007
The controversy involves a very real threat to “net neutrality.” It was spawned from a remarkable statement made by a top executive at AT&T, the telco that has exclusive network rights to the iPhone. More...
World Events Provide Window To Turbulence in Big Media
by Frank Beacham, 02.21.2007
Open your eyes and ears. Observe. Think. Note that we're experiencing rapid changes in how we learn about world events. More...
The New Video Crafts For Multimedia
by Frank Beacham, 11.15.2006
In the film industry, new technology has traditionally come at a snail's pace. Because of this, filmmakers have had time and tradition for perfecting their craft. More...