Radio Webcasters tuning out

Radio Webcasters tuning out

Many major radio station groups are backing out on their Webcast
operations. Stations owned by Clear Channel Communications (CCU), Radio
One (ONE) and ABC/Disney (DIS) have removed live listening options from
their sites, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The catalyst could be
word broadcasters may find streaming audio more expensive. Last month, a
unit of the American Association of National Advertisers and the
American Association of Advertising Agencies reminded members of a rule
requiring that they pay unionized talent 300 percent of their normal
session fee if their radio commercials are used in Webcasts. Webcasts
continue on several of the most popular radio stations, including on
ABC’s KABC in Los Angeles and WMAL ion Washington on Tuesday morning.
New York’s WABCRadio.com was, however, not available.

MP3.com jury verdict in doubt

Jurors in the latest MP3.com (MPPP) copyright infringement case
reportedly erred in calculating an award that they assessed. The U.S.
District Court advised company executives on Monday that a $300,000
copyright infringement award in favor of Tee Vee Toons Records last week
might actually be almost $3 million. Jurors told the judge in the case
in New York they made an error in calculations. "The total was
supposed to be between two and three million," Judge Jed Rakoff
said, according to Bloomberg News. "This matter is far from obvious
in how it should be adjudicated." The judge quizzed jury members on
Monday and said he will issue a ruling in several weeks.

Gemstar cuts support for e-books site

Gemstar-TV Guide International (GMST) has shut down its Web site
devoted to sales of e-books and the distribution of news about
electronic publishing. A message online says "Gemstar believes
strongly in the future," but "has decided to step out of the
e-book journalism space at this time." Ebooknet.com came into
Gemstar’s hands as part of its acquisition last year of Nuvomedia,
developer of the RocketBook reader for e-books.

Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) said its e-book reader software will be
distributed free through Amazon.com (AMZN). The online retailer will
also offer nearly 2,000 thousand e-books published in the Adobe PDF
format.

Microstrategy’s millions for Web addresses

The saga of Microstrategy Inc. (MSTR) now includes the fact that the
software developer spent $3.2 million on Internet domain names. They
include glory.com, hope.com and wisdom.com, according to the Washington
Post. "The strategy we pursued was getting names that were easy to
spell, easy to associate with a useful service and easy to type,"
spokeswoman Jennifer McDonald said. "We basically thought these
domains would make great brands long term."

NBA to tip off video Webcast

The National Basketball Association’s production of the first
streaming video Webcast of an NBA game will air Friday night. "We
are proud to participate with RealNetworks (RNWK) to make the first live
professional sports game available online to fans on a global
basis," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. Available in Spanish and
English, the game pits the Dallas Mavericks against the Sacramento
Kings. Fans worldwide will be able to access the game in free on NBA.com
and Real.com, using RealNetworks’ RealPlayer More than one-third of
NBA.com’s traffic comes from outside the United States, the league said.

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