During copyright protection hearings in Washington the last week of February, South Carolina Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings labored mightily to please patrons Michael Eisner, CEO of Walt Disney Company, and Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA). Hollings' questioning of panelists from concerned industries was generally even-handed, according to several reports, except for his treatment of Intel executive vice president Leslie Vadasz, whose opposition to government-mandated copy control provoked an especially vindictive outpouring of vitriol from the 80-year-old Senator.

Dave McCurdy, president of the <A HREF="http://www.eia.org/">Electronic Industries Alliance</A> (EIA), announced last week that Dr. Sidney Harman, executive chairman of <A HREF="http://www.harman.com">Harman International Industries</A>, has been selected to receive EIA's prestigious Medal of Honor for 2002.

At its January CES presentation, Sony announced that this is the year that SACD will roll out big time to the masses. News from EMI/Capitol and Silverline Records would suggest that DVD-Audio may not be far behind, at least as far as available software is concerned.

The most entertaining part of the 44th Annual Grammy Awards wasn't the "Lady Marmalade" production number that opened the show or Alicia Keys' awkward tango later. It was Recording Academy President Michael Greene's rant about the criminal enterprise of electronic music swapping, a phenomenon that, he warned, threatens the music industry's very existence.

Michael Fremer says he has heard many phono preamps in his career as vinyl's pre-eminent advocate, but a few do stand out. MF lived with the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//analogsourcereviews/525/">Conrad-Johnson Premier 15 phono preamplifier</A> for several months to see if it would be one of the medalists. Jonathan Scull also adds some thoughts on the Series 2 version.

An intriguing loudspeaker technology which generates believable surround effects from only two small enclosures will be arriving at stores later this year, according to a February 24 announcement from <A HREF="http://216.87.12.168/enf/nirotek/niroson.html">Nirotek America Corporation</A>.

The music industry's in a deep slump, but you won't know it by the glitz, glamour, and hype surrounding the <A HREF="http://www.grammys.com">44th Grammy Awards</A>.

One of the most revered names in the audio industry is seeking legal protection from its creditors. On November 19, <A HREF="http://www.nakamichi.com">Nakamichi Corporation Japan</A> "applied to the court of Japan for a civil rehabilitation," in the words of a company press release on the development, issued the next day. On the 19th, Nakamichi stock closed at &#165;22/share (approximately 17&#162;); the Tokyo Stock Exchange announced that the company would be de-listed effective May 20.