Murdoch's Way: Buying pols with book deals!

The halls of Washington and their lobbyists...who's representing you?

According to two former F.C.C. officials, Mr. Murdoch’s chief in-house lobbyist at the time, Preston Padden, confronted Mr. Hundt’s chief of staff at a meeting at a coffee shop near the agency’s headquarters. Mr. Hundt (the F.C.C. chariman at the time) would not be able to “get a job as dog-catcher” if the F.C.C. took away a single News Corporation television license, Mr. Padden warned, they said.

clipped from www.nytimes.com Murdoch Reaches Out for Even More In the fall of 2003, a piece of Rupert Murdoch’s sprawling media empire was in jeopardy. Congress was on the verge of limiting any company from owning local television stations that reached more than 35 percent of American homes. Mr. Murdoch’s Fox stations reached nearly 39 percent, meaning he would have to sell some. A strike force of Mr. Murdoch’s lobbyists joined other media companies in working on the issue. The White House backed the industry, and in a late-night meeting just before Thanksgiving, Congressional leaders agreed to raise the limit — to 39 percent. One leader of the Congressional movement to limit ownership was Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi. But in the end, he, too, agreed to the compromise. It turns out he had a business connection to Mr. Murdoch. Months before, HarperCollins, Mr. Murdoch’s publishing house, had signed a $250,000 book deal to publish Mr. Lott’s memoir, “Herding Cats,” records and interviews show.

Murdoch's Way: Buying pols with book deals!

The halls of Washington and their lobbyists...who's representing you?

According to two former F.C.C. officials, Mr. Murdoch’s chief in-house lobbyist at the time, Preston Padden, confronted Mr. Hundt’s chief of staff at a meeting at a coffee shop near the agency’s headquarters. Mr. Hundt (the F.C.C. chariman at the time) would not be able to “get a job as dog-catcher” if the F.C.C. took away a single News Corporation television license, Mr. Padden warned, they said.

clipped from www.nytimes.com Murdoch Reaches Out for Even More In the fall of 2003, a piece of Rupert Murdoch’s sprawling media empire was in jeopardy. Congress was on the verge of limiting any company from owning local television stations that reached more than 35 percent of American homes. Mr. Murdoch’s Fox stations reached nearly 39 percent, meaning he would have to sell some. A strike force of Mr. Murdoch’s lobbyists joined other media companies in working on the issue. The White House backed the industry, and in a late-night meeting just before Thanksgiving, Congressional leaders agreed to raise the limit — to 39 percent. One leader of the Congressional movement to limit ownership was Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi. But in the end, he, too, agreed to the compromise. It turns out he had a business connection to Mr. Murdoch. Months before, HarperCollins, Mr. Murdoch’s publishing house, had signed a $250,000 book deal to publish Mr. Lott’s memoir, “Herding Cats,” records and interviews show.

Bucs vs. Lions preview

Game 7 Preview: Lions
Published: October 19th, 2007
By Bucstats.com weblog

Five Things You Didn't Know About The Lions

1. Lions rookie guard Manny Ramirez is really tired of being asked how he balances his football and baseball careers. But coincidently, he doesn't give a shit how the season turns out, either.
2. Rod Marinelli once wrestled a bear. A real bear, not a furry gay guy. As far as I know. Hey, I'm not here to judge.
3. Shaun Rogers is being sued by a stripper who accuses him of groping her. Isn't that kind of like a waiter suing Rogers for asking for more ketchup?
4. Chris Cooley of the Redskins actually thanked the Lions for giving up in the second half of their game last week. The Lions would have responded to this criticism, but it seemed like too much work.
5. Lions defensive line coach Joe Cullen was arrested in August for "suspicion of indecent and obscene conduct" because he was driving around nude. I'll give you the keywords, and you write your own joke: crankshaft, drive-thru, DUI, Explorer, Matt Millen, spare tire, stick-shift, tailpipe.




Had to post this here; that's pretty funny! Lol