RAIN NEWS FLASH: SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE TO LOOK AT WEBCASTING ROYALTIES: At a hearing of the Senate Judiciary committee this morning, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS, pictured) revived the issue of Internet radio performance royalties. Brownback proposed adding the Internet Radio Equality Act as an amendment to a copyright bill called the Orphan Works Act. Committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) had words of support for webcasters, but countered by suggesting that his committee look at the issue in June in the context of broadcast radio performance royalties. More coming soon on the SaveNetRadio website here.

CBS EXPANDS ONLINE WITH CNET ACQUISITION: CBS Corp. is buying online tech news publisher CNet for $1.8 billion as it continues to expand its online reach. CBS acquires a well-established content distribution network with CNet. CNet publishes technology reviews, news and advice, and owns entertainment sites like ZDNet, GameSpot.com, TV.com, mp3.com. It also owns the prestigious News.com domain. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves told reporters, “Our idea is to have our content wherever, whenever you can get it, and adding CNet just makes that happen faster.” Read more from the AP here.

VOTE FOR RADIO’S TOP INNOVATORS: The website Radio-Info.com, which publishes journalist Tom Taylor’s daily newsletter “Taylor on Radio-Info,” is conducting a poll this week that asks “Who are radio’s top innovators?” Candidates include Triton Media’s Mike Agovino, CBS Radio’s David Goodman, RAIN/AccuRadio’s Kurt Hanson, Clear Channel’s Evan Harrison, Apple’s Steve Jobs, CBS Radio’s Dan Mason, and RadioTime’s Bill Moore. Cast your vote here (simple registration required).

AD AGE DISCUSSES CC/CBS DIGITAL “ARMS RACE”: Cracking that “it only took them about three years to catch up with their traditional media counterparts,” Advertising Age recently covered (here) what it positioned as a “battle” between CBS Radio and Clear Channel for the Internet radio domain [Recent RAIN coverage here, here, and here]. Ad Age pegs the similar strategies of both companies on Evan Harrison, the current head of CC’s online department who headed AOL Radio until 2005. Both companies have also penned deals with StudioNow, “an online production company that enables local advertisers to convert their raw radio or video spots into fully edited online pre-rolls compatible with Clear Channel or CBS’ radio players.”

HD ALLIANCE INITIATES HD2 PROGRAMMING PR: The HD Alliance is hoping to draw some attention — and listeners — to HD2 programming with a press initiative (see press release here) highlighting the range of new channels and stations. Presumably, the press statement is intended to demonstrate that broadcasters can match the breadth of programming available on Internet and satellite radio (which FM radio has long been criticized for lacking). The group offers a list of two dozen or so offerings that play local and unsigned acts (like Greater Media’s Radio You Boston), “resurrected” formats (CBS’s WNEW/NY), and hyper-focused niche formats (e.g. CBS/Dallas’ Chick Rock and Citadel Atlanta’s Country/Southern Rock). As far as we could tell, some, but not all, of these HD2 stations are also available for online listening.

AUSTRALIAN INTERNET RADIO’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS: Former stock broker Michael Kelly launched Australian Internet Radio this past April, an internet radio station featuring entirely Australian artists. Featuring no on-air ads or DJs, the project took Kelly 3 years and $300,000 to complete. Run out of his home, the station has already picked up hits from 23 countries, in addition to listeners from Australia. Though one wonders how Kelly will win back his massive investment, “he is convinced it can become a successful money-making operation” through technologically-based expansions. Read the full article here.

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