Herbert G. Klein, 91, a San Diego newspaperman who was a longtime aide to Richard M. Nixon and was White House communications director during much of the Watergate era, died July 2 at his home in La Jolla, Calif., after a heart attack.

Genachowski vows "commission's doors will be open" to broadcasters still struggling in the wake of the analog shutoff.

Gray Television, owner of KKTV in Colorado Springs, Colo., has asked the FCC to substitute its ch. 10 allotment with ch. 49 in order to improve the station's coverage.

The court seeks further arguments in case that could undermine the longstanding ban against corporations spending on issue advertising.

A half-dozen public interest groups argue the waiver has opened the floodgates to similar requests that together threaten to "lock consumers into low-cost, low-function set-tops."

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of a tight U.S. Senate race over Republican Norm Coleman, which should give Democrats the 60-seat majority they need to overcome procedural obstacles and push through their agenda.

Less than 24 hours after being sworn in, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has sent a memo to the acting chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau calling for a "top-to-bottom" review of the FCC's own preparedness for an emergency. And he wants it fast.

Jen Howard, who has been press director for media activist group Free Press, has joined the FCC as press secretary for new chairman Julius Genachowski, serving as his spokesperson and liaison with the press.

Hollywood studios and television networks lost their bid Monday for the Supreme Court to block the use of a new digital video recorder system that could make it cheaper and easier for viewers to record shows and watch them when they want, without commercials.

"The FCC should be a model for excellence in government," the new chairman says as he unveils the names of key aides and advisors. Akin, Gump attorney Edward P. Lazarus will be chief of staff.

Newly confirmed FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is expected to begin his tenure at the commission on Monday, June 29. The FCC's first public meeting is Thursday, July 2. He released a statement thanking the president and Congress and praising his future colleagues, including giving a shout-out to the president's picks for the two open seats on the commission.

The Senate Thursday approved by unanimous consent the nomination of Larry Strickling as assistant secretary of Commerce for communications and information, which is the title for the top executive at Commerce's National Telecommunications & Information Administration.

The full Senate voted Thursday to confirm Julius Genachowski as the next chairman of the FCC. Also approved was the re-nomination of Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell.

If the former NTIA chief is confirmed by the Senate, Meredith Attwell Baker will join Robert McDowell as the Republican voices on the commission along with Democrats Julius Genachowski, Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn.

The Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act passed unanimously in the House Communications, Technology & Internet Subcommittee today with essentially no entangling amendments. A full committee markup will come later in the summer.