Airwaves & Liberty

Authorities today announced that a former member of the KOOP radio staff has been arrested after confessing to starting the January 5th fire that destroyed the station’s new offices on Airport Blvd.

24-year-old Paul Webster Feinstein posted occasional music reviews to the KOOP website, and assisted with getting music loaded into the station’s digital library. According to KOOP-FM executive director Kim McCarson in a statement issued today, Feinstein left in December under what seemed to have been good terms, except for an ominous “disagreement with another programmer regarding the specific music” that had been installed in the library.

“The idea that something as minor as a dispute over what music to put in our digital library could possibly trigger someone to set fire to our radio station is unfathomable,” stated Andrew Dickens, KOOP President.

Whether Feinstein’s motivation for setting a fire that caused over $300,000 in damages truly stemmed from an absurd disagreement over playlists remains to be determined. He now faces up to twenty years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.

Read McCarson’s full statement:

The arrest of Mr. Feinstein has come as a great shock and disappointment to KOOP Radio. Mr. Feinstein had joined KOOP in 2006 as volunteer. In November, 2007 he announced that he would be leaving KOOP to pursue other opportunities. He completed his last show and ceased being an active volunteer in December 2007. During his time at KOOP, he was well-liked by and was friends with several programmers. Even after he left KOOP, he had planned social outings with his friends from the station. His decision to leave was voluntary.

The KOOP community feels great shock and confusion following this news.

The motive for the attack is not understood. When he was a volunteer, one of Mr. Feinstein’s responsibilities was to help programmers load music onto the station’s digital library. It has come to light that there was a disagreement with another programmer regarding the specific music loaded onto this system. It is not clear how or if that disagreement between volunteers escalated. It is unknown if events in Mr. Feinstein’s personal life, his health, or his emotional state contributed.

This landed in my inbox via one of my Appalachian coalfield activism listservs. Feel free to pass it on to anyone at your stations or elsewhere who might be interested (and is a college student). Independent journalists are definitely eligible, as the list of this year’s grantees attests. ~Nathan

ATTENTION STUDENT ACTIVISTS!

The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund has applications available for student activists nationally who are building the progressive movement and will be enrolled in school during the 2008-09 academic year. Our website provides access to the application form, answers to questions about the Fund, the application process, and the students we support. If you know of students working for peace and justice, or if you have a list of activist contacts, please send this announcement along and refer potential applicants to the Fund*s website: www.davisputter.org.

Since 1961 the Davis-Putter Fund has provided need-based grants to students who are able to do academic work at the college level and are involved in building movements for social and economic justice. Grantees are both graduates and undergraduates enrolled in accredited schools for the period covered by their grant. Although citizenship is not a consideration, applicants must live in the United States and plan to enroll an accredited program in the US in order to qualify

The maximum grant is $8,000 and may be considerably smaller depending on the applicant’s circumstances and the funding available. All the funds come from individual donors and there are 25-30 grants awarded each year. Grants are for one year although students may re-apply for subsequent years.

Applications and the supporting documents — transcripts, a personal statement, two letters of recommendation, a photograph, financial aid reports — must be postmarked by April 1. Those selected to receive a grant will not be notified until July. Thank you!

This post is cobbled together from a few souces, including “Tim’s El Salvador Blog” and PNB member Don White. ~N

The owner and journalists of radio station Radio Cadena Mi Gente have reported receiving death threats since the beginning of the year. The radio station has headquarters in Virginia, and also broadcasts over the internet and on an AM station in El Salvador. The editorial stance of the station is often critical of the current government’s policies. The threats have been denounced by the El Salvador journalists association, the human rights institute of University of Central America, and other civil society organizations.

This is the radio station that Salvadoran alternative media journalist Sanchez Roque helped create. Sanchez was murdered in September, allegedly by a Salvadoran gang member who believed that the journalist had incriminated them in his reporting.

The progressive political party in El Salvador, Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation (FMLN) has nominated Mauricio Funes as its candidate for president of El Salvador in the 2009 elections. Don White of CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador) says that Funes is leading in polls, so death squad activity and terrorism directed toward the Left has increased in recent weeks.

Berkeley, CA - January 23, 2008 — This Saturday, January 26th, KPFA Radio will introduce to its airwaves two new programs from the Pacifica Network.

Behind the News is a radical program of economics and politics hosted by Doug Henwood, acclaimed economic journalist and contributing editor to The Nation magazine. Behind the News originates from Pacifica Radio’s WBAI in New York City. Uprising, the weekly digest of the daily program on Pacifica Radio’s KPFK in Los Angeles, is hosted by award-winning broadcaster Sonali Kolhatkar, who is the Co-Director of the Afghan Women’s Mission. Uprising provides news and analysis from a progressive, internationalist perspective and features regular commentaries by journalist Rahul Mahajan and Glen Ford of The Black Agenda Report.

“I’m honored and excited at the opportunity to join KPFA’s programmers in providing progressive journalism to Northern California listeners,” says Kolhatkar.

Behind the News and Uprising will air at on Saturdays at 10am and 11am respectively.

“With the global economy in precarious shape and left perspectives on war, the environment, racism and social injustice missing in the mainstream media, we are very lucky to be able to air these two excellent programs from Pacifica”, says Lemlem Rijio, KPFA’s Interim General Manager.

“I’m excited that KPFA is adding shows from other sister stations in the network,” says Pacifica National Programming Coordinator Nathan Moore. “These two shows are very good programs and I expect Bay Area listeners will enjoy them as listeners in their home signal areas do. In a network where stations are very autonomous, it’s great to see this kind of proactive cooperation in our network and our programming.”

###

Founded in 1949, KPFA is the United States’ first listener-sponsored radio station and the flagship station in the Pacifica Radio Network. Broadcasting on 94.1 FM in Berkeley, CA, and 88.1 FM on KFCF in Fresno, KPFA’s signal reaches one third of the state of California. KPFA’s website, kpfa.org, serves thousands of listeners all over the world. KPFA’s innovative news, arts, public affairs, and music programs have won numerous awards and have helped define radio in America.

From the Broadcast Law Blog:

The FCC Order establishing new rules for Low Power FM (LPFM) Stations was published in the Federal Register on January 17. This sets the date of February 19 for the filing of comments on the question of the relationship between LPFM stations and both FM translators and full-power FM stations. These comments will address two issues, (1) whether LPFM stations should remain secondary stations, subject to being knocked off the air by new full-power FM stations and (2) whether LPFM stations should get some sort of priority over some or all FM translator stations.

LPFM stations have been “secondary” stations, meaning that they could be knocked off the air when a new FM station came on the air, or when improvements to the facilities of an existing FM station were constructed, if the new full-power FM facilities would be caused interference from the existing LPFM station. As we wrote here, at its November meeting, the FCC decided that it needed more information to determine whether LPFM stations should continue to be secondary to new or improved FM stations. While not reaching a final determination on that issue, the FCC adopted temporary processing policies which essentially force the full-power stations to deal with LPFM operators in cases where such interference arises - potentially blocking improvements in the facilities of a number of FM stations.

On the translator issue, the FCC is asking whether LPFM stations should get some sort of preference over FM translator stations - perhaps allowing a new LPFM station to knock some or all translators off the air. The Commission asks whether LPFM stations better serve the public interest than do FM translators in some or all circumstances. For instance, the Commission has suggested that only a certain number of FM translators per main station should be protected, or some other criteria should be used, to determine which translators should be given protection from LPFM interference.

These are important issues that broadcasters should consider carefully as it could affect the ability of many stations to expand their service (or for translator operators to continue to serve areas that they currently serve). Parties affected by these proposals should file comments on or before the February 19 deadline.

As we celebrate and remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week, “From the Vault” from the Pacifica Radio Archives has produced two episodes featuring excerpts of Dr. King.

In the first program, we’ll excerpt three of the most enduring Dr. King recordings. We begin this broadcast with longtime Pacifica producer Ambrose Lane, who introduces the earliest surviving record of Dr. King recorded by Pacifica Radio - June 24th 1957 - when Pacifica station KPFA-Berkeley recorded Dr. King at the Wheeler Hall at the University of California-Berkeley, where he delivered a speech entitled “The Power of Peaceful Persuasion” to students and faculty.

Then we’ll hear from KPFK-Los Angeles producer Margaret Prescod who introduces an exerpt of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “America’s Chief Moral Dilemma” from May 17, 1967 at the University of California-Berkeley. Finally, host Jerry Quickley of Pacifica Radio KPFK-Los Angeles / Beneath the Surface introduces Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speech in Los Angeles, “Men and Women In the Arts Concerned with Vietnam,” from March 16, 1968.

Part 1: TRT: 53:19

In the second “From the Vault” program, we dig deep into our historic audio collection and present two more recordings of Dr. King in his own voice. First, Mark Maxwell, host of Rise on KPFK-Los Angeles, introduces an excerpt of Dr. King’s speech, “Dimensions of a Complete Life,” from January 14, 1962 at Battell Chapel, Yale University. In it, Dr. King demonstrates his expertise at the pulpit, using biblical references to help teach us to work towards bettering humanity. Then we hear a selection of Dr. King’s speech on the domestic consequences of the Vietnam War entitled “Domestic Urgency vs. Military Costs,” recorded at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on February 25, 1967.

Finally, we jump to New York’s Central Park April 5th, 1968… the day after Dr. King’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. There, in an impromptu gathering of rage and sorrow, thousands mourned along with Ossie Davis, Pete Seeger, Ritchie Havens, Dr. Spock, and Pacifica Radio. When WBAI-New York broadcast The Memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it brought the experience of collective rage and grief to the listeners not able to be there in person. Today, Pacifica Radio Archives is proud to present select portions of this historic broadcast.

Part 2: TRT: 58:58

Published Thursday 17th January 2008
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/17/tanya_andersen_riaa_attorneys_fees/

Tanya Andersen, a single mother and unlikely file-sharers’ champion for hoisting the RIAA with its own petard, has scored another victory.

A US District Court judge in Oregon affirmed an earlier decision to award Andersen attorneys’ fees for the two-and-a-half year legal pursuit by the Recording Industry Ass. of America, that ultimately ended in dismissal. The latest poop on Andersen was spotted by hawk-like focus of Recording Industry vs The People.

The whole mess started when Andersen was sued by the RIAA in February 2005. The label cabal accused the disabled 44-year-old mother of downloading and distributing gangster rap over the Kazaa music sharing network under the handle “gotenkito.” (Titles such as the 2003 Ludacris tune, “Hoes in My Room,” in which the artist inquires who invited several undesirable women into his penthouse, and describes them in humorous detail.)

Andersen denied the allegations and countersued the RIAA later that year for fraud and racketeering.

Throughout the legal battle she accused the RIAA of using threats underhanded tactics to find evidence. (The RIAA couldn’t find proof on her computer that she shared files). Notably, she claimed RIAA agents tried to contact her then 10-year-old daughter at school by impersonating the girl’s grandmother on the phone.

In June 2007, the RIAA agreed to drop charges against Andersen, just hours before the court deadline to submit proof that she illegally downloaded the copyrighted material.

The case was then dismissed with prejudice, meaning Andersen could attempt to recover attorneys’ fees from the RIAA. Andersen also dismissed her own countersuit without prejudice in order to pursue a separate malicious prosecution lawsuit against the RIAA.

The fees were awarded to Andersen by a federal magistrate judge last September. The RIAA quickly appealed the decision. But the magistrate’s ruling was affirmed yesterday by Judge James Redden.

As a result, the RIAA will have to pay some amount to Andersen, but the amount is not apparent.

Andersen is also still pursuing her lawsuit against the RIAA and is seeking class-action status for others to join her.

Just came across this article recapping the US Social Forum and promoting the Jan 26 World Social Forum Global Day of Action. Nice mention of Pacifica. FYI, Norm was the organizer of AMARC’s side of the Pacifica-AMARC collaboration.

~Nathan

A VIBRATING US SOCIAL FORUM
By Norman Stockwell
http://ipsterraviva.net/TV/wsf2008/CurrentExtraItem.aspx?new=27

On January 26th, 2008, people and organizations will join together – individually – to create a day of global actions around the theme of “another world is possible”…. The seeds of many of these actions have grown in the soil that was fertilized in Atlanta last June, when the first-ever US Social Forum was held.

….Great efforts were made to promote diverse and community-based media coverage as well. A well-outfitted press center - albeit a bit “off-the-beaten-track” - was set-up behind the main plenary stage. A collaboration between Pacifica Radio (the world’s oldest community radio network – begun in 1949) and AMARC (the world’s community radio network) working together with ALER - based in Quito, Ecuador was able to provide daily live and downloadable coverage of all the forum’s events in English, Spanish, and French to a global audience. In addition, scores of independent reporters blogged, and posted articles, photos, and raw tape of events to a common website.

[...]

KBOO Community Radio, Portland’s listener-sponsored, volunteer-powered radio station, is seeking a MEMBERSHIP RECRUITER. Start date for the position is February 18, 2008.

General Description: Recruit membership renewals and increased pledges from membership database information regarding certain lapsed and current members.

Compensation: This is a commission-only sales position for an independent contractor.

Qualifications: The candidate must have a proven ability to succeed at commission-based sales and an ability to communicate the importance and value of KBOO Community Radio.

Essential Functions:

• Work with Manager and Development Coordinator to develop a list of talking points and responses to various scenarios to ensure that calls are appropriate for KBOO members and productive
• Solicit renewing and increased KBOO memberships from contact information provided by Membership and Development coordinator.
• Maintain accurate and complete records of persons contacted, membership pledges and financial transactions.
• Report progress on a monthly basis to station manager and/or membership and development coordinator.
• Meet targeted monthly minimums for membership renewals.

TO APPLY: Please email your resume, cover letter and professional references to Arthur Davis at manager[at]kboo.org.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Must be received no later than 12 noon Monday February 4, 2008 (PST)

For a full job description please visit www.kboo.fm and under About KBOO, click on Employment at KBOO.

KBOO Community Radio is an equal opportunity employer. Our organization does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, class, creed, physical or mental disability.

This week on “Earthbeat,” host Daphne Wysham speaks to two pioneers who combine environmental equality and climate change — the Reverend Lennox Yearwood of The Hip Hop Caucus, and Van Jones, the founder of Green for All.

The aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita — as well as the Bush Administration’s incompetent response to the disaster — underscored how environmental disasters do not affect our nation’s Haves while devastating the Have-Nots. Joining us with an update on the rebuilding effort is Wilma Subra, a chemist with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, and Marylee Orr, the group’s executive director.

Music used in this edition of Earthbeat: The Magic Number by De La Soul. Our theme music is Baladi by Tony Anka, Bellydance Superstars vol. 2.

Earthbeat is now heard on more than 25 Pacifica , National Public Radio and community radio stations across the US — all for FREE.

011508 Clock:
00:00 - 01:00 - Billboard (1:00)
18:30 - 20:00 music break (1:30)
38:30 - 40:00 music break (1:30)
54:00 - 55:30 credits - theme music tail until end.