Michael Copps

Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein, who clashed with some of his fellow commissioners over such issues as expanding telephone competition and loosening media ownership rules, is being renominated by President Bush. The Democrat, whose appointment was disclosed on the White House website this week, had been written off until recently by FCC watchers as a lame duck.

One of two Democrats on the Federal Communications Commission called Thursday for the agency to review News Corp.'s pending deal to acquire Dow Jones & Co. Commissioner Michael J. Copps wrote to FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin, a Republican, saying the deal would create a company with "enormous influence over politics, art, and culture across the nation and especially in the New York metropolitan area." Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

As more Americans receive TV and radio programming uncensored via cable, satellite and the Internet, the Supreme Court said Tuesday that traditional broadcasters can be required to offer families a "safe haven" from foul language. In a 5-4 decision, the court upheld the government's crackdown on "fleeting expletives" and said broadcasters could face heavy fines for airing the F-word or the S-word even once during prime time.

An old actor I know would watch a plodding drama and growl, "If you watch closely, it almost moves. " That's the feeling I'm getting, taking a look at the federal government's flimsy and fitful crackdown on news outlets and experts that fob off public relations drivel as news. I raised the subject earlier this week in a column about Elizabeth Werner, the perky spokesmom who pitches toys during news broadcasts on local stations around the country. She is just one of a pack of paid touts presented to viewers as if they were independent experts.

The proposed marriage of Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable and broadband provider, with NBC Universal, a Hollywood powerhouse, presents the Obama administration with its first big chance to weigh in on the controversial issue of media consolidation. The deal, announced with fanfare Thursday at NBC Universal's Rockefeller Center headquarters in midtown Manhattan, had politicians and consumer activists calling for an intense review in light of the perceived market domination the new entity would enjoy when it comes to ownership and distribution of movies, TV shows and cable networks that get piped into the home.

The nation's top communications regulator Wednesday denied that his proposed media ownership rule has a major loophole that would allow newspapers and broadcast stations to merge in any size market. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin said he was willing to work with the two Democrats on the commission to change the wording of his proposal to make sure that any transaction resulting in cross-owned properties would face a "high hurdle" in the approval process.

The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that it would vote next week on whether to require 414 digital television stations to air educational children's programming, a plan pushed by the agency's Democratic members. The proposal has been opposed by more than 1,000 local TV stations that are members of the National Assn. of Broadcasters. They say it's premature to impose such a requirement during the early stages of U.S. conversion to digital TV. Democrats led by Michael J.

SBC Communications Inc. won federal approval Monday to offer long-distance service to Nevada residents after finally getting government recognition that certain wireless companies are eating into its telephone business. For the first time, the Federal Communications Commission determined that a wireless carrier of broadband personal communications service, or PCS, provided sufficient competition to satisfy a key criterion for allowing SBC to enter the long-distance market.

Foes of media consolidation are wringing their hands over Rupert Murdoch's $5-billion acquisition of Dow Jones & Co., publisher of the Wall Street Journal. The purchase gives News Corp., Murdoch's global media conglomerate, control over the country's second-most popular newspaper -- a nice addition to such assets as Fox Broadcasting Co., the FX cable network, the 20th Century Fox movie studio, 35 local TV stations, MySpace.

The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to reject a request by television broadcasters such as ABC to force cable companies including Comcast Corp. to show both digital and analog versions of network programs, FCC lawyers familiar with the matter said. Broadcasters want shows such as ABC's "Monday Night Football" to be carried on cable both in the current analog format and in digital form to expand their audience to viewers with new high-definition televisions.