Breaking news: Verizon (VZ) tops the bidding for coveted 'C-block' 700Mhz spectrum, bidding a reported total $9.63 billion for regional licenses that cover the whole 48 continental states.

Google (GOOG) won nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. And won anyway, by virtue of the open-access provisions they demanded as a precondition before they bid. These provisions (anybody want to bet me a quarter that Verizon's legal team is even now crafting a challenge to them?) putatively guarantee all comers more-or-less equal access to the desirable WiMax-friendly frequency block, freed up as of early 2009 when those old useless UHF channels on your broadcast tuner go dark.

Oh. The other winner? You. The US Treasury nets about $19.5 billion - almost double the originally estimated take.

Today's New York media darling is Spitzer's Kristen Hulu. (That's the joint venture between Fox and NBCU, designed to 'compete with YouTube', and initially dubbed 'ClownCo' by Techcrunch's Michael Arrington.)

But the fawning coverage misses the mark. The real story? Hulu's short money and short dev cycle demonstrates exactly how low the barriers to entry to developing a good on-web video playback system have become (I correctly will refuse to abuse the English language by calling it a 'technology'.)

Sure, Hulu has gotten some good reviews (here, techcrunch, here CNN Money, and here, alleyinsider.)

What strikes me most is just how quickly (given who they are) Fox and NBCU were able to create the eyecandy which is at the basis of these positive reviews (let's face it, the yammering about 'great content' is bull - most of this stuff is already out on the web in dozens of unpoliceable venues.)  read more »

Revelations that New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, once known as as a crusading D.A., will now forever be known as "Client 9". It seems he used the services of The Emperor's Club, a high class hooker ring (the Feds appear to be alleging a violation of the federal Mann Act, transporting women across state lines for 'immoral purposes') -- and that may spell bad news for Hillary Clinton's White House bid.

Spitzer, remember, endorsed Clinton early. Alone, that isn't a potential problem for the New York senator. But his oh-so-public peccadillo brings back into the limelight tales of politicians behaving badly. And we all know who (in this alleycat way) was Commander and Chief Bad Boy Numero Uno. The Spitzer affair only brings Bill Clinton's philandering days back in stark relief -- certainly unwelcome news at Hillary's campaign headquarters.

The only winners here will be America's tabloid press, talk-show hosts and Saturday Night Live. What a belated Christmas gift to them all from the dishonorable Governor (at least for the time-being) of New York.

Photo of Obama in traditional African Garb leaked to the press. Getting the press to believe they had been in the tank for the Illinois Senator for months and it was time to stop Obamamania. A helpful big push forward from Saturday Night Live two weeks in a row and a charming appearance on The Daily Show with John Stewart the night before her wins in Texas and Ohio. Hilary Clinton is back from the precipice of defeat. Obama's not the big loser here. Once again, its the media that was played liked a Stradivarius by the Clinton campaign and the pollsters, who once again underestimated her strength. Obama, rightly, quickly counter-punched Clinton's attack ads, but it was a enough to stave off her scorched earth campaign against him.

Anybody who thinks Barack Obama has been getting a free pass from the so-called media, hasn't been reading The New York Times for months or missed "Saturday Night Live" the last couple of weeks. The Times has let its endorsement of Hilary Clinton slip into its biased coverage of Obama, looking for any grain of a story about him that might tarnish his White House run. Remember the front page story a couple of weeks ago, exploring Obama's drug use -- something he has written extensively about in his memoirs -- that had nothing new to say. Meanwhile, if Clinton pulls out a double upset, with big wins in Texas and Ohio tomorrow, no doubt pundits will be pointing to the "Saturday Night Live" factor -- the bit two weeks ago about lampooning fawning press coverage of Obama and her appearance last weekend -- as the beginning of her second coming as the comeback kid.