Senate on UMG-EMI

UMG-EMI ON CAPITOL HILL: According to insiders, it's a "50-50" chance this Thursday's (6/21) Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee hearing on the UMG-EMI merger will be telecast on CSPAN or available as a live stream, but check here for frequent reports from our own man inside the meeting, which will include Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge, EMI topper Roger Faxon and Live Nation/Ticketmaster majordomo Irving Azoff on the pro side, with former WMG boss Edgar Bronfman, Beggars Group's Martin Mills and Public Knowledge's Gigi Sohn arguing against. Remember, this is just a fact-finding hearing, and has no bearing on either the EC or FTC's approval processes. The session will be chaired by Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl, who fought AT&T’s proposed $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile last year, a transaction that was also opposed by the FTC and never closed. Insiders who favor the merger call Kohl "a good guy." (6/18p)