Michael Powell announced today that he will step down as chairman of the FCC effective in March, reports the Washington Post, among others (official statement here). Powell said it was time for a change after "completing a bold and aggressive agenda," referring to his work to increase consumer access to broadband and new technologies like Internet phone service. But he'll likely be remembered for his bold, but largely thwarted, attempts to deregulate media ownership and his aggressive campaign against perceived broadcast naughtiness. Powell also told Reuters that he planned to "tie up some loose ends on the transition to digital television" before he left the commission. See also the Associated Press (via Newsday), and the New York Times.

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"Island at War," a "gripping, poetic" five-part mini-series that begins Sunday on Masterpiece Theater, gets a thumbs-up from New York Times critic Anita Gates.

The Washington Times pegs this mini-profile of NPR head Kevin Klose to Tavis Smiley's recent departure.