- - - Iridium Files For Bankruptcy - - -

Iridium filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in Delaware court late Friday, days after the sat-phone company defaulted on payment on more than $1.5 billion in debt.

Iridium plans to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceeding. "The major stakeholders in this restructuring - banks, bondholders and Iridium's strategic partners - have voiced support for this course of action. Iridium believes they will continue to cooperate during this process," Iridium said in a statement.

Iridium shares closed down to $3.06 after hitting a new low of $2.75 early in Friday trading. That compares with a 52-week high of $49.875. Iridium's bonds dropped about 30 percent to trade at about 13 cents on the dollar, a bond trader said.

Also on Friday, a group of bondholders who hold about 25 percent of Iridium's $1.45 billion outstanding senior notes filed an involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition against Iridium.

"We have been in active negotiations with the company for the past month. Despite the best efforts of the parties involved, consensual agreement could not be reached on a restructuring plan," said Talton Embry of Magten Asset Management Corp., a member of bondholder group.

Iridium made its Chapter 11 filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. The bondholders' filing was in New York.

- - - British Programmers Eyeing U.S. Market - - -

Britain's two biggest programmers, BBC Worldwide and Granada Media, announced recently that they will join forces in an effort to stake a higher claim in the U.S. television market.

The two companies have set up a joint venture called GB Productions. The new entity will focus on adapting British situation comedies and dramas for American audiences.

One British news source reports that this strategy has had mixed results in the past. One of the most successful American adaptations of a British TV show was "All in the Family," which mirrored a British program called "Till Death Us Do Part." Other ventures, however, have not enjoyed that kind of popularity. Market research indicates the reasons for other British programs not succeeding in the U.S. generally were that a given series had a relatively short run, or the fact that the actors had strong regional accents.

GB Productions will be led by Scott Siegler, president of Granada's U.S. branch, which is based in Los Angeles.

- - - Dominion Sky Angel Expands Niche Package - - -

Dominion Sky Angel DBS launched 12 new channels last week, bringing the company's total number of television and radio channels to 30.

Dominion provides a complete niche package of Christian and family programming. It also offers kindergarten to 12th grade home school programming using high-power DTH technology. In May, the FCC granted Sky Angel permanent operating authority to expand the number of channels available to its nationwide subscriber base.

The additions to Sky Angel's lineup were five 24-hour television channels and seven 24-hour radio channels. The company also has plans to add three more channels to its package within the next two weeks.

"No longer are families who want Christian religious television and radio programming limited to only what's available in their marketplace," said Dominion Sky Founder and CEO Robert Johnson. "Virtually any household in the 48 continental United States can receive the multi-channel Sky Angel package."

- - - SKYBOX: An FCC For The 21st Century - - -

Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard last week presented his vision for revamping the agency during the next five years and beyond, hoping to make the government service a legitimate entity in the quickly changing communications landscape.

According to Kennard, "We.ve developed a well-thought-out plan that reflects input from consumer groups, industry, state and local governments, the academic community and FCC employees. It will allow the FCC to enter the next century able to respond fully and quickly to emerging technologies and the inexorable movement from regulation to competition."

Changes include realigning bureaus according to function instead of the current focus on different industries. Kennard also said he wants to consolidate rulemaking and licensing functions, which hopefully will streamline regulatory processes and provide one-stop shopping for license applicants.

However, if Kennard wants the FCC to have more muscle, the agency must become more accessible to the public. For example, the web site is un-navigable, especially pages maintained by different bureaus. Also, individuals often have to pay an independent office to locate and provide FCC documents.

There have been calls from Congress to eliminate FCC outright. But the agency does serve an important function within the federal government and the communications industry. It also has been a champion for consumer rights, even though the FCC's own record with assisting consumers is rather spotty, in our opinion.

The timing of Kennard's reorganization plan is also interesting given there are simple things the FCC could have done years ago to improve its effectiveness, like hiring a PR staff that actually answers the phone, or overhauling the way it provides information to the general public. If the FCC made its resources more accessible in a more timely manner especially the general public - particularly those outside of the Beltway - it could go a long way in boosting the agency's effectiveness.

- - - PEOPLE: - - -

• Sony Exec Joins Turner Broadcasting -
  William Humphrey has jointed Turner Broadcasting System as executive vice president of business development, technology and operations. Humphrey, who comes to the newly-created position after 15 years with Sony Pictures Entertainment, will be responsible for identifying and developing new business opportunities.

• Softcom Grabs Industry Veteran -
  Douglas Warshaw, an entertainment industry veteran who has worked for NBC, ABC, ESPN and Classic Sports Network, has joined Softcon as senior vice president, content programming. Softcom develops interactive video programs for the Internet and other broadband platforms.

• New Additions To BBC -
  Nancy A. Gendimenico has joined BBC Worldwide Americas in the newly created position of vice president, licensing and merchandising. She had been vice president, retail services at United Media. Luc LaFontan has been promoted to director of information technologies, North America, from project manager, information technologies.