Airwaves & Liberty

by Brooke Jarvis, [ Brooke Jarvis wrote this article as part of Liberate Your Space, the Winter 2008 issue of YES! Magazine. ]
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/71656/

Grassroots voices are increasingly being denied legal access to radio space.

“It’s like radio used to be during World War II, when the airwaves were used to get messages out to families and friends … to get important information out to the community.”

Renessa Lopez may sound more like Franklin Roosevelt than Blackbeard, but technically she is a pirate. As DJ icecreamlopez for Pirate Cat Radio in San Francisco, Lopez is part of a growing movement of people fed up with radio dominated by corporate giants like Clear Channel and fighting to take back the airwaves any way they can.

But grassroots voices are increasingly being denied legal access to radio space. In 2000, the FCC responded to activists’ pressure for more democratic media by licensing non-commercial stations that transmit only a few miles. Recently, though, complaints lodged by established broadcasters from corporations to NPR have slowed the number of licenses to a trickle. And even for those who can get them, licenses and approved transmitters can cost thousands of dollars.

For those without the money or the desire to be officially sanctioned by the FCC, cheap and accessible technologies are making pirate radio an increasingly popular option. Websites, books, and seminars teach people to build their own low-power transmitters. You can do it for under 50 bucks, according to Lee Montgomery of Oakland’s Neighborhood Public Radio, who runs free start-up seminars. Another option is to buy a transmitter kit online–the kind used by realtors, drive-in theaters, and the like–for $100-$300.

It may not be legal, but it gets alternative voices on the air. Some, considering corporations to be the real thieves of public airwaves, call it microbroadcasting, Micro Radio, or simply unlicensed. Others, like Lopez, prefer to be pirates.

While those behind Pirate Cat Radio do consider their actions revolutionary, they also point out that they’re just doing what they can to fill a basic civic need. On their show, Lopez and her co-host John Hell spin independent music and interview people from the community. The station is also supporting a local Get Out The Vote campaign, running announcements and programming about the upcoming election.

And in their eyes, it’s not really illegal. The producers at Pirate Cat cite title 47 section 73.3542 of the Code of Federal Regulations, updated as part of the Bush administration’s “War on Terror.” The Code grants authority to operate an unauthorized radio transmitter “in extraordinary circumstances requiring emergency operation to serve the public interest.” That, say proponents, is what pirate radio is all about.

I received the following very brief statement from PNB Chair Dave Adelson today:

Statement by the Pacifica National Board (PNB) regarding foundation leadership:

Dan Siegel is presently serving as interim Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation. The Pacifica National Board is in discussion with Nicole Sawaya.

Not sure what this foretells. Methinks that if she resigned after just two weeks, Sawaya doesn’t intend to come back. But hey, I could be wrong.

Back in October, I reviewed a few presidential candidate selectors, giving VAJoe.com the highest marks of the bunch. I recently discovered another one that rivals it in terms of ease of use, issues covered, weighting system, etc. And the layout is very simple in that Craigslist / Circa-1997 internet sort of way. Check it out for yourself at http://www.dehp.net/candidate/.

The page is designed by a fellow named Matt Waterman, a 23-year-old student studying electrical engineering and a former Marine who recently returned from working as a U.S. Army telephone switching contractor in Afghanistan. He recently told the Institute for Public Accuracy,

“Five months after launch we’ve had over 200,000 people use the tool to find out how well candidates’ views match up against their own. Records from the submissions have shown the most common top match-up to be, by a wide margin, Dennis Kucinich, with Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Mike Gravel as the distant runners-up.

[Nathan's note: Obama and Clinton have now moved ahead of Paul and Romney in the site stats.]

“The data that have been collected are far from scientific, but do seem to demonstrate a large disconnect between where people stand on the issues and who conventional polls have indicated they plan to vote for. I would be interested to see the results if pollsters asked questions like these.

“People may not know where the candidates actually stand on many of these issues, or perhaps they’re making their decisions based on only a few key political issues. It’s also likely that people simply don’t see some candidates as being electable.”

By Hamil R. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 20, 2007; Page DZ07

Three decades after WPFW (89.3 FM) went on the air, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center was packed with people and significance Saturday night for a celebration of the legacy of the station as an outlet for community activists, world issues and progressive thought juxtaposed with pure jazz.

WPFW, one of five stations in the Pacifica Radio Network, for 30 years has mixed the volatile with the peaceful, whether covering an anti-apartheid protest outside the South African Embassy or playing the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and the other jazz masters.

Read the whole story at the Washington Post.

Congratulations to Pacifica friends and affiliates who participated in this year’s International Migrants Day broadcast! And even though December 18th has come to an end, you can still download the audio from Radio1812.net and use it on your station.

The mission of December 18 is to promote and protect the rights of migrants worldwide, with dignity and respect as basic values. Its goal is to ensure that the human rights of all migrants are recognised and protected effectively, and that an environment is created for migrants to be full participants in any society.

Radio1812.net is an initiative of December 18, the International Advocacy and Resource Centre on the Human Rights of Migrant Workers. It is a global event dedicated to International Migrants Day, producing and broadcasting programmes from radios worldwide.

Free Speech Radio News contributed to the Radio1812 broadcast with a half-hour documentary, “From Africa to Italy”. Info here. Listen to the audio using the player below:

Making Contact contributed a half-hour piece to the webcast called “Border Stories: On the Frontlines of the Immigration Debate.” Info here. Listen to the audio using the player below:

Pacifica affiliate WORT contributed an hour-long series of interviews with an immigrant student in Wisconsin, author and professor Aviva Chomsky, and Nigerian poet Akinloye Ojo. Info here. Listen to the audio using the player below:

Also, KPFK’s Midday News on Tuesday included stories on International Migrants Day. Listen to the audio using the player below:

More info about the December 18 broadcast below:

On 18 December, kicking off with broadcasts in Asia, programming on the issue moved across time zones to reach the west coast of the Americas; an amazing 54 radio stations in more than 25 countries participated in the event.

Radio 1812 also brought together interviews by high profile contributors such as Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as opinion pieces on international migration issues contributed by well know migrant rights activists.

Why Radio 1812?

Since 2000, the international community has used 18th of December, International Migrants Day, to highlight the human rights of migrants. Making migrant voices heard is the common thread throughout International Migrants Day events and this is precisely what is at the heart of Radio 1812: linking communities worldwide around the pressing and ever present issue of migrant rights.

What will Radio 1812 do?

To provide extra impetus to the activities of International Migrants Day, Radio 1812 encourages broadcasters and migrant organisations to:

– Contribute and share with others their existing audio material on migration on the Radio 1812 website in the months leading up to 18th of December.

– Broadcast and share programming on the 18th of December 2007, therefore contributing to the only global migration broadcast event.

From the folks at Reclaim the Media:

Today, Washington State Congressmen Jay Inslee and Dave Reichert introduced legislation that will counteract the FCC’s decision to allow further consolidation of media companies. The Media Ownership Act would retroactively prevent the FCC’s rushed decision from becoming law by requiring more time for public comment. In the Senate, Senator Maria Cantwell is cosponsoring a similar bill.

This legislative action shows the power of grassroots organizing for media democracy in Seattle and in the Northwest. Let’s push it further - Take action to urge Congress to pass these bills and reverse the FCC.

“This legislation changes technical provisions but is simple in its message and effects,” said Reichert. “We want local media to remain local, diverse and free. I’m pleased to join with Jay Inslee to counter the damage that this ruling could bring. I’m not only disappointed in their ruling today, but also the process in which it came about. Last month when the FCC held one of the rushed public hearings in Seattle, I spoke out, calling for retention of the current rules. Relaxing restrictions does not serve our citizens, and would lead to the detriment of localism and diversity that we still enjoy. We’re taking swift action to hopefully prevent these changes from affecting our communities and the families at home. I respect the free market and want a marketplace that allows corporations to operate as freely as possible. However, I believe it is a role of government to stand between corporations and consumers when the public interest is at stake. I will continue to do what I can to maintain a diverse, free and unbiased source of news for my constituents and across this nation.”

Specifically, the Inslee/Reichert bill would:

• Require the FCC to publish any proposed revisions to its media ownership rules at least 90 days prior to a vote.
• Require at least 60 days for public comment and the FCC must respond to these comments within 30 days.
• Require the FCC to complete a separate proceeding to evaluate the effects of consolidation on broadcast localism before any vote.
• Require the establishment of an independent panel on female and minority ownership. The panel would provide data and offer recommendations to the FCC on how to increase female and minority ownership. The FCC must receive and act on these recommendations prior to voting on any proposed ownership rules.

The bill applies to any attempt to alter rules made by the FCC after October 1, 2007. Take action to urge Congress to pass these bills and reverse the FCC.

About a month ago, I sent out some bad news about Juan Ruiz, a WORT reporter who produced a Sprouts and participated at the 2006 Grassroots Radio Conference. He was arrested on felony charges at the No Borders Camp in November. Some decent news below, but there is still work to do on Juan’s behalf. These items and more posted at http://freejuanruiz.blogspot.com/.

HEARING RESULTS: GOOD BUT NOT PERFECT!
Good news from the court hearing today in San Diego. The government has dropped all felony charges against Juan. Instead, they are charging him with a class C misdemeanor of impeding a federal officer. Juan pleaded “not guilty” to this charge. The next hearing date is January 22, 2008 for motions related to this case. The trial, if it should be needed, is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2008. Most likely, the judge will allow Juan to return to Wisconsin in the interim.

It is likely that the support shown to Juan by folks who signed the petition and wrote letters, etc, was instrumental in helping the prosecution to see Juan as the good kid that he is. We really appreciate everyone’s support and thank them.

While this is certainly better than the initial charges, it may still be a problem for Juan’s immigration status and ability to obtain US citizenship. We will be consulting with immigration attorneys, as has his attorney in San Diego, and proceeding cautiously.

Next steps: 1) help Juan get home to Wisconsin, 2) legal help with immigration, 3) prepare defense for this case 4) fundraising for transportation and legal costs. Donations are still needed!
More information: No Borders.

- - - - -

Friday, December 7, 2007
Letter from Juan

Dear Friends,

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your kindness. Even in the smallest ways, every supportive act counts in my situation. As you probably know, I’m in a lot of trouble. As you probably also know, it’s really unfair what there trying to do to me. I was only exercising my right to protest the Border. So many other Latinos, either illegal or legal, suffer discrimination from the Border Patrol. It isn’t fair what they do to illegal immigrants. What there trying to do to me is only the tip of the iceberg. This is larger than me. I appreciate the support and love from all those who have cared enough to sign the petition. Know that I’m doing well. Hopefully the courts will see the injustice before me, and decide to drop these absurd charges. Thanks again for the support and friendship.
Thank you…

Sincerely

Juan E. Ruiz

From Bob McChesney at Free Press:

It happened. A few minutes ago, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and his two fellow GOP commissioners approved new rules that will unleash a flood of media consolidation across America. The rules will further consolidate local media markets — taking away independent voices in cities already woefully short on local news and investigative journalism.

In 2003, the FCC tried to do the same thing, but millions of people demanded that Congress reject the FCC’s rules. And they did. It’s time to do it again.

We need 100,000 people to get Congress to reverse the FCC’s rules right now.

Sign Our Open Letter to Congress. Then get three of your friends to do the same.

This is about whether we will have access to the information that democracy requires. It is about whether or not we’ll have real news and local voices on radio, television and in the newspaper in your town. It’s about whether the public airwaves will represent our nation’s diversity.

Just yesterday — spurred by your calls and letters — 26 senators from both parties sent a letter to the FCC Chairman promising “to revoke and nullify the proposed rule” if the FCC voted to lift the longstanding ban on “newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership.” But Chairman Martin did it anyway.

Congress has the power to throw out these rules — and if 100,000 people demand it, they’ll have to listen.

Some say that nobody listens to letters like this. Well they definitely do, and it’s a way you can truly help the cause with just a few clicks. Sign on now — and get your friends to do the same.

Your actions are making a difference. Let’s keep up the pressure. And stay tuned — this fight is far from over.

Thanks for bringing us this far,

Robert McChesney
President
Free Press
www.freepress.net

P.S. Spread the word: Recruit three new friends to sign on to this letter and send the message to Congress.

P.P.S. Read Senator John Kerry’s blog post on today’s decision on the Free Press Action Network.

From the December 17 episode of Democracy Now:

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin has refused to delay a vote on his proposed changes to rewrite media ownership laws. Martin would increase media consolidation by relaxing the rules for companies seeking to own both a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same city. The vote is set for Tuesday.

The FCC Chairman says he has suggested a “relatively minor loosening of the ban on newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership.” But there has been a groundswell of public opposition to his proposal. Last Tuesday, the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously voted to block the FCC’s December 18th vote.

Listen to the interview with Craig Aaron at Free Press:

This just came in from Matthew Lasar’s blog. One would think that I would have received official word about this news from the in-the-know staff or from the Board before it ended up in a public forum. One would be wrong. Still, aside from my personal gripes, the news itself is fairly shocking. We shall see what happens next.

*Nicole Sawaya quits [sigh]
* by Matthew Lasar Dec 13 2007 - 8:40am

LLFCC is dismayed and embarrassed to report that Nicole Sawaya has resigned, following a very brief tenure as Executive Director of the Pacifica radio network.

What happened? Without going into all the details, Sawaya found the level of internecine dysfunction at Pacifica overwhelming, and fled her job.

LLFCC will not conceal its chagrin at this development. The author of this blog had high hopes for Sawaya, but they were obviously too high. Her quick departure reminds us that there are no saviors, no simple solutions to complex problems. And Pacifica radio is always a complex problem.

LLFCC also regrets not acknowledging something important when Sawaya accepted the position: despite the unfortunate denouement, the Pacifica National Board (PNB) deserves great credit for having unanimously approved her hiring. Sawaya made it clear during her interviews that she wanted to do radio, not spend her days putting out office politics fires. That the board responded favorably to this stance gives LLFCC hope, even now.

Pacifica remains in a perilous situation, however. It is pursuing an ambitious experiment in media democracy in a hostile external environment, with inadequate resources, and without the help of significant forces that rhetorically supported the Pacifica Revolution of 2001 but are now nowhere to be found.

And the organization is besieged by zealots whose vision of Pacifica boils down to a public access network that doles out air time to whoever screams the loudest at a four hour meeting.

But there are new voices entering into this debate at the various Pacifica stations; tough, smart people, not afraid of the mob. And somewhere out there is a creative, young someone, a leader who sees this merry mess as a opportunity. Without holding out for yet another savior, LLFCC hopes that person arrives soon.