TV Signal Delivery to Cable Operators and DTH Platform Operators

The paper discusses new business models of transmission of television programs in the context of definitions of broadcasting and retransmission. Typically the whole process of supplying content to the end user has two stages: a media service provider supplies a signal assigned to a given TV channel to the cable operators and satellite DTH platform operators (dedicated transmission), and cable operators and satellite DTH platform operators transmit this signal to end users. In each stage the signals are encoded and are not available for the general public without the intervention of cable/platform operators. The services relating to the supply and transmission of the content are operated by different business entities: each earns money separately and each uses the content protected by copyright. We should determine how to define the actions of the entity supplying the signal with the TV program directly to the cable/digital platform operator and the actions of the entity providing the end user with the signal. The author criticizes the approach presented in the Chellomedia and Norma rulings, arguing that they lead to a significant level of legal uncertainty, and poses the basic questions concerning the notion of “public” in copyright.

En Vivo: If We Call Them Will They Come? A Telephone-based Brief Motivational Enhancement Intervention Targeting TV Time

Introduction: The prevalence of overweight among children has doubled in the last twenty years, and Texas children rank near the top as the nation’s heaviest. Time spent television viewing may not only expose children to advertising for unhealthy foods, but may also take the place of physical activity.

Book Review: Benedetta Brevini, Arne Hintz, and Patrick Mccurdy (eds.): Beyond Wikileaks. Implications for the Future of Communications, Journalism and Society

This is a review of the highly informative and thought-provoking book, Beyond WikiLeaks: Implications for the Future of Communications, Journalism and Society, co-edited by Benedetta Brevini, Arne Hintz and Patrick McCurdy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).

Scheiden besser meiden! (TV-Diskussion)

Scheidungen nehmen zu. Sie kommen oft aus heiterem Himmel und sind schmerzhaft. Doch bloss ein Drittel der Geschiedenen fühlen sich danach glücklicher. Sollten Mann und Frau deshalb scheiden besser meiden? Karin Frei geht im «Club» dem fragilen Liebesleben auf den Grund.

Familienlust, Familienfrust - Auf der Suche nach einem Ideal (TV-Interview von Barbara Bleisch)

Weihnachtszeit heisst für viele Familienzeit - und dann fliegen oft die Fetzen. Warum reiben sich die Menschen in Familien so auf - und halten dennoch fest an ihr? Was zeichnet eine gute Familie aus, und was bedeutet sie heute? Barbara Bleisch spricht mit der Psychologin Pasqualina Perrig-Chiello.

Behavioral journalism newsletters to increase employee participation in a free worksite wellness center

Background. Providing an worksite fitness center for employees is an effective setting to increase an adult’s levels of physical activity, demonstrably reducing health care costs and elevating employee productivity. Increasing compliance and adherence among employees to consistently utilize an onsite facility remains a challenge.^ Purpose. To illustrate if two electronic behavioral journalism newsletters can increase employee participation in a free worksite wellness center.^ Design. A randomized control trial was implemented. ^ Setting. A large petroleum-producing corporation located in Houston, Texas Subjects.70 full or part time employees that had checked into visited the wellness center during September, October, and November 2009. ^ Intervention. Two behavioral journalism newsletters were created based on authentic community member role model interviews. Newsletters were distributed to intervention group participants via company email. Intervention and control group participant’s visits to the wellness center were monitored via a key card check in system at the facility for two weeks following the newsletter intervention.^ Analysis. Count variable statistics were used to identify rate differences between the intervention and control group wellness center visits. A binomial test for equality of proportions was used to identify differences between participants that had at least one visit to the wellness center compared with those with none.^ Results. Both intervention and control groups had a baseline of zero wellness center visits. The control group had a mean visit rate 0.441 and the intervention group had 0.857. A 0.416, almost one half more visits were found among the intervention group.^ Conclusion. This study indicates that behavioral journalism newsletters featuring a role model from within the worksite population can be a cost effective communication method to improve participation in an onsite wellness center. ^