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Saturday, February 5, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Keeping Up With Community Radio
By Megan Tady
Broadcasters, don't get angry about new neighbors making you look bad—just do better.SHARE THIS ARTICLE | Commercial broadcasters are less than thrilled that they’ll soon have new neighbors on the nation’s radio spectrum. They’re worried about keeping up with hundreds of new noncommercial Low Power FM (LPFM) stations that will soon launch.
Last month, after multiple failed attempts, Congress finally passed the Local Community Radio Act, freeing up the dial for new community radio stations (100 watts) with a three- to five-mile reach. (President Barack Obama signed the bill into law this month.) These new locally owned stations will be run by non-commercial and nonprofit groups, including schools, churches, civil rights and social justice organizations, and emergency responders. The new law is particularly helpful for urban areas, because it repealed past restrictions that kept LPFM stations out of cities.
The fight for community radio spanned a decade, as big radio broadcasters tried to block the bill, claiming—despite numerous studies saying otherwise—that LPFM radio stations will cause interference with their signals.
Now that the bill has passed, it looks like there were bigger reasons why the broadcast industry fought so hard against expansion: LPFM stations could be serious competition. A recent blog post at Radio Station Management by industry insider Doug McLeod says it all: “Before you dismiss Low-Power FM (LPFM) stations as ‘Amateur Night at the Bijou,’ consider this: All those volunteer program hosts will be talking about local issues, local music, local people. How often does any of that happen on your stations?”
It doesn’t happen—and that’s why the corporate broadcast industry fears the new stations. We’ve long known that commercial stations are piping in outside programming and skimping on local affairs. But now hundreds, if not thousands, of communities will have the option of listening to stations committed to localism.
Danielle Chynoweth of the Prometheus Radio Project, which led the fight for LPFM stations, says commercial broadcast stations’ failures have created opportunity for community radio.
“Community radio has more vitality and juice than many commercial stations,” Chynoweth said. “Although we don’t gouge their advertising base, we are competition for listeners. They make it so easy for us to be – they have gutted the local voices, programming and perspectives that people long for.”
In fact, McLeod’s post essentially lays out the case for LPFM stations, listing all the “interesting things” happening in community media that “local broadcasters used to do but often don’t anymore.” His list includes discussing community issues, giving a voice to communities of color and being a local resource.
Rather than pulling the “welcome” mat from the doorstep and coolly doing business as usual, let’s hope commercial broadcasters see the arrival of LPFM stations as a wake-up call to better serve listeners, rather than a threat to their current business model.
“If commercial radio takes the mass expansion of LPFM seriously, we could see a positive influence on mainstream media, especially in small and mid-sized towns where small interventions have large consequences,” Chynoweth said.
The need for quality, local reporting and programming is greater than ever. The good news is, there’s plenty of room for more than one station dedicated to local coverage, because community radio stations’ signals only travel so far.
So broadcasters, don’t get angry about new neighbors making you look bad—just do better.
Broadcasters, don't get angry about new neighbors making you look bad—just do better.SHARE THIS ARTICLE | Commercial broadcasters are less than thrilled that they’ll soon have new neighbors on the nation’s radio spectrum. They’re worried about keeping up with hundreds of new noncommercial Low Power FM (LPFM) stations that will soon launch.
Last month, after multiple failed attempts, Congress finally passed the Local Community Radio Act, freeing up the dial for new community radio stations (100 watts) with a three- to five-mile reach. (President Barack Obama signed the bill into law this month.) These new locally owned stations will be run by non-commercial and nonprofit groups, including schools, churches, civil rights and social justice organizations, and emergency responders. The new law is particularly helpful for urban areas, because it repealed past restrictions that kept LPFM stations out of cities.
The fight for community radio spanned a decade, as big radio broadcasters tried to block the bill, claiming—despite numerous studies saying otherwise—that LPFM radio stations will cause interference with their signals.
Now that the bill has passed, it looks like there were bigger reasons why the broadcast industry fought so hard against expansion: LPFM stations could be serious competition. A recent blog post at Radio Station Management by industry insider Doug McLeod says it all: “Before you dismiss Low-Power FM (LPFM) stations as ‘Amateur Night at the Bijou,’ consider this: All those volunteer program hosts will be talking about local issues, local music, local people. How often does any of that happen on your stations?”
It doesn’t happen—and that’s why the corporate broadcast industry fears the new stations. We’ve long known that commercial stations are piping in outside programming and skimping on local affairs. But now hundreds, if not thousands, of communities will have the option of listening to stations committed to localism.
Danielle Chynoweth of the Prometheus Radio Project, which led the fight for LPFM stations, says commercial broadcast stations’ failures have created opportunity for community radio.
“Community radio has more vitality and juice than many commercial stations,” Chynoweth said. “Although we don’t gouge their advertising base, we are competition for listeners. They make it so easy for us to be – they have gutted the local voices, programming and perspectives that people long for.”
In fact, McLeod’s post essentially lays out the case for LPFM stations, listing all the “interesting things” happening in community media that “local broadcasters used to do but often don’t anymore.” His list includes discussing community issues, giving a voice to communities of color and being a local resource.
Rather than pulling the “welcome” mat from the doorstep and coolly doing business as usual, let’s hope commercial broadcasters see the arrival of LPFM stations as a wake-up call to better serve listeners, rather than a threat to their current business model.
“If commercial radio takes the mass expansion of LPFM seriously, we could see a positive influence on mainstream media, especially in small and mid-sized towns where small interventions have large consequences,” Chynoweth said.
The need for quality, local reporting and programming is greater than ever. The good news is, there’s plenty of room for more than one station dedicated to local coverage, because community radio stations’ signals only travel so far.
So broadcasters, don’t get angry about new neighbors making you look bad—just do better.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Maureen Murphy Subpoenaed
Maureen Murphy is one of four additional people on whom the FBI served subpoenas yesterday. A rally to protest U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald's witch hunt was held today and the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago.
Here is Attorney Michael Deutsch with Maureen Murphy at the news conference in the lobby of the Dirksen Building.
Murphy is an active member of a movement to free Palestine. It is her exercise of her First Amendment right to support a cause that has made her the target of the grand jury. Palestinian well-wishers came out to support her and speak on her behalf.
Here is Attorney Michael Deutsch with Maureen Murphy at the news conference in the lobby of the Dirksen Building.
Murphy is an active member of a movement to free Palestine. It is her exercise of her First Amendment right to support a cause that has made her the target of the grand jury. Palestinian well-wishers came out to support her and speak on her behalf.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Stop-FBI-Raids Rally
Supporters of the individuals who got subpoenas to appear before a grand jury in Chicago held a rally on Monday, December 6, 2010, to demand that the subpoenas be stopped.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
National Lawyers Guild Convention - Friday
This day of the convention had a lot of fireworks. It started at the first plenary. The topic was What Happened to the Working Class Consciousness: Reminding Us of the Relevance of Labor Unions in the 21st Century. Elise Bryant, Staff, National Labor College, Silver Spring, Maryland, started if off.
Elise was followed by Stewart Acuff, co-author of a new book entitled "Getting America Back to Work." He hammered home the point that America will not get out of its economic crisis until the working class begins working again.
Stewart was followed by Jaribu Hill, Director, Missisippi Workers' Center for Human Rights in Greenville, Mississippi. I thought, how is she possibly going to follow these two acts? But she did. In fact, she raised the bar pointing out specific instances where corporations were abusing workers, and where unions were needed to correct those abuses. In one example she mentioned, workers were required to wear disposable diapers so they wouldn't have to go to the bathroom.
After the plenary, the Guild staged a demonstration in front of Tony Moran's restaurant in the French Quarter. Tony apparently doesn't want to have to pay his workers. So we crowded into the restaurant, ordered nothing, left big tips for the workers, and demonstrated out in front.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
National Lawyers Guild Convention - Thursday
The National Lawyers Guild held its annual convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, September 22 through September 26, 2010. The International Committee held its meeting on Thursday, September 23, where Steve Goldberg explained the implications of the holding in the case of Humanitarian Law Project v. Holder as it relates to the work being done by members of the Guild.
Here, Jimmie Leas listens as Steve outlines some of the pitfalls established by the holding.
A lively discussion followed Steve's presentation.
Later, at the Iran Subcommittee meeting, some of the newer members got to exchange ideas with members who had been in this subcommittee before.
Next, there was the Free Palestine Subcommittee meeting. Being a past-co-chair, I was interested in seeing who was new and who wasn't. There are always some interesting faces here.
John Thompson was the keynote speaker that evening. John is the founder and director of Resurrection After Exoneration, an organization he formed after having been imprisoned in New Orleans for around two decades. John was released after DNA testing proved his innocence. He has since won a handsome sum from the state for wrongful incarceration.
John shared with us his remembrances from the inside.
Later that evening, the Guild was treated to the music of one of the local bands. These young brothers smoked!
Here, Jimmie Leas listens as Steve outlines some of the pitfalls established by the holding.
A lively discussion followed Steve's presentation.
Later, at the Iran Subcommittee meeting, some of the newer members got to exchange ideas with members who had been in this subcommittee before.
Next, there was the Free Palestine Subcommittee meeting. Being a past-co-chair, I was interested in seeing who was new and who wasn't. There are always some interesting faces here.
John Thompson was the keynote speaker that evening. John is the founder and director of Resurrection After Exoneration, an organization he formed after having been imprisoned in New Orleans for around two decades. John was released after DNA testing proved his innocence. He has since won a handsome sum from the state for wrongful incarceration.
John shared with us his remembrances from the inside.
Later that evening, the Guild was treated to the music of one of the local bands. These young brothers smoked!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Summer Road Trip to Portland, Oregon
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