CMA's version of "And remember: Death is not an option"
May 6, 2008
Posted by Mitchell
Entry 596
The Chicago Tribune sports page, years ago, had a column that was actually funny. It was written by Steve Rosenbloom, and listed a number of various snippits of the day's sports news, each accompanied by a snarky remark about the news item in question. One item, which listed a damned-if-you-damned-if-you-don't choice, imaginatively named The Choice, accompanied by the title "And remember: Death is not an option".
CMA, and probably the media activist movement on the whole, seems to have such a Hobson's Choice of its own this past week, when the Tribune agreed in principle to sell the New York Newsday (yay!) to Newscorp billionaire tyrant Rupert Murdoch (boo!).
So, which of the following is the lesser of two evils? (1) The Tribune keeping its media monopoly. (2) The poster child of media concentration (if someone who's 76 years old is a "child") continues building his own media monopoly.
I think the answer is, ironically enough, Tribune not selling it off. The Tribune lobbied like mad in the past year to change FCC media ownership rules to its favor (which still might unravel in the wake of Congressional action this week and legal challenges to come), and yet is forced to go against its concentrated media wishes under sagging debt of the ownership change from last year. By acquiring control of Newsday, Rupert Murdoch would now go on to gain control of three of America's ten-largest daily newspapers.
But it's a false dichotomoy in some ways. Note that the Tribune wouldn't relinquish total control of Newsday. Tribune would still hold 5% of Newsday's ownership under the proposed arrangement, and the newspaper would be held in a joint arrangement. It can keep some control (thereby not losing its stated claim to shareholders that it's not hemhorraging media properties), while gaining some cash.
There are other wrinkles; New York Daily News owner Mortimer Zuckerman is also interesting in getting Newsday. (One person owning two newspapers in New York? Sounds like concentrated media.) The terms of the deal may take a while (perhaps a year) to finalize; by that time, the FCC could have a Democratic majority (with good Democrats, not those invertebrate types) who could throw some obstacles at Murdoch by the time the deal gets their way. Maybe the markets may continue to tank and Newscorp may not have the capital to go on with the deal. Maybe we abolish markets by critiquing their Soviet-style corporate spawn and establish a more participatory economy in its place.
And maybe the Tribune can sell off the Cubs. Oh, wait.
FCC seriously entertains CABs; Big Media seriously entertains policy strangulation
April 11, 2008
Posted by Mitchell
Entry 595
Well, there's some good news. The FCC has been seriously considering a proposal which would require all commercial TV stations in the United States to have a community advisory board (CAB).
A community advisory board is pretty much what the name suggests: a board comprising members of the community served by a given TV station. Those community members then serve as an advisory function for the station itself, to get an additional measure of feedback from the community.
It sounds like a nice idea, but it's crucial to keep in mind three things about this proposal. One, the FCC isn't providing this proposal out of thin air, or out of some concern for the public interest (despite its ostensible mandate). It's one of the bones they're throwing to the media democracy movement to fend off the considerable opposition to its December media ownership rules rewrite -- opposition which still stands a good chance to scuttle the rewrite again.
Two, speaking of fending off opposition, CABs in practice are regrettably little more than a figleaf, for stations to make it appear like they care about the public when the actual reality is little . CMA has plenty offirst handexperience with the CAB for Chicago's major PBS affiliate, WTTW Channel 11. CABs have little no power over actual day-to-day programming or other decisions, and more often a measure to defuse public opposition.
Three, the members of the community who actually comprise the board aren't very representative of the community. In Chicago and elsewhere, CABs that do exist aren't a representative sample of the community (which would be far preferable), but often are stacked with corporate whores "business leaders".
While we're critical of CABs, it bears mentioning that it's worth fighting for this proposal, since it is something that has official support and can serve as the basis for additional future activism. Moreover, it's been announced that the commercial broadcast lobby -- which reacts to public interest proposals like Lon Chaney does to a full moon -- has begun pressuring the FCC to block even this small gesture towards the public.
The Stop Big Media coalition, of which CMA is a member organization, is working to pressure the corporate bastards back. While the criticisms about the proposed regulation are justified, having the rule is better than not, especially since it offers another way for the public to smack Big Media with a wet noodle. We encourage you to comment using this easy-to-use form, and tell your friends.
Comments on the recent LPFM article in the Tribune...
March 3, 2008
Posted by Mitchell
Entry 594
We haven't had a radio-related post in a while, so why not now?
Recent legislation is afoot, which actually stands a chance to pass, to expand low-power FM to the cities. An effort which would have done in 2000 was effectively killed by the National Association of Bastards. There's hope that this legislation can help remedy that wound.
Interesting that the Tribble opted to cover this, and from a fairly decent perspective. Many of the folks have worked with CMA in the past (like CHIRP and Radio Arte), particularly during the recent FCC media ownership hearing in Chicago, were quoted in the article. But there were two points in the article that reeked:
(1) There's this quote: "If the legislation does not pass, CHIRP will donate funds it raises to Prometheus Radio Project, which sprung from an illegal pirate radio station and now advocates for low-power FM and helps build LPFMs nationwide."
(2) The NAB, whose special place in hell is already reserved, was given way more benefit of the doubt than they deserve. They have been throttiling LPFM with bullshit arguments since forever, then were quoted disputing the Mitre report which blew away their last purported figleaf they had.
There was no mention in the article of, for example, the recent high-power window for broadcast licenses. Hundreds of community groups filed broadcast licenses, and some may even get some licenses to help counteract the deluge of corporate "radio".
CMA website awakens from deep, restful sleep
February 12, 2008
Posted by Mitchell
Entry 591
So, yes, the CMA website has been in hiberation for pretty much all of January. But evidently so has the FCC. Even though the agency rammed through a controversial media ownership rule provision right before Christmas,
without even bothering to fill in all the details, it didn't even bother to actually release the until last week.
I don't know about you, but it sounds to me like the FCC was trying to ram through a decision in order to appease some deadline for the sale of some media company, and throw precedent and widespread opposition to the wind. But that's obviously some kooky conspiracy theory, so never mind.
Actually, I take that back. The FCC hasn't been in complete cryonic freeze. It has been busy launching the biggest spectrum auction in years -- which is
probably rigged -- which has the potential to markedly improve
the media and telecommunications environment, but which we'll look back on years from now as a missed opportunity.
But CMA hasn't been in stasis -- just the website. For example, CMA has been collaborating with promotional efforts for an innovative presentation of the classic Sophocles play "Oedipus The King". What's more, there are promising efforts underway involving both media justice and collaborative media creation projects. It looks to be a promising year for media organizing in Chicago -- and a way
to unite a lot of folks and efforts.
Plus lookie here, it's another short film about the involving our media singalong:
Some Actions and Media for the Holidays
December 21, 2007
Posted by Mitchell
Entry 590
Since the FCC voted to rescind cross-ownership, petitions by both Free Press and MoveOn.org have been making the rounds. What's more, actions is now afoot now in the House (HR 4835) as well as the Senate (S 2332). If you want to vent your outrage, be sure to sign up, and while you're at it, get 50 of your friends to do the same.
Also, the Tribune decided to chime in on the issue, after giving it oh so much advance coverage. To their credit, the Tribune (a) acknowledged their conflict-of-interest, and (b) posted their op-ed in a commentable online form. So, be sure to comment. (All the comments thus far have taken the Tribune to task. Let's keep this streak going.)
And finally: Amidst all this activity, CMA was honored as the first contributor to the "We Are Many" monthly series at the New World Resource Center. The complete audio of the event -- more than 90 minutes' worth -- is online here.
Four years ago, when the FCC voted to rescind far more than just cross-ownership, FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein remarked:
"This is far from over. Congress may prove more responsive to the citizens who passionately plea for the independence and diversity of their media. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, this is not the end, or even the beginning of the end, but just the end of the beginning."
Four years later, we broach another such End of the Beginning, but oh how far we've come, with the victories we've won thus far -- in blocking the FCC's 2003 vote, in getting more than 800 people to attend an FCC hearing in Chicago, in even getting the damn issue on people's radar.
Yesterday, I received an email which read:
I am in a panic about FCC rule changes that apparently are coming despite public outcry. I attended and spoke out at the public hearing that was held in Harrisburg. I have written to my members of Congress and several times to the members of FCC. Over the weekend (after Bill Moyers' excellent program) I wrote a scathing letter to Kevin J
Martin. I am wondering who else I could write to or call before the damage is done tomorrow, Dec 18.
I am well aware of the long arms of the Bush/ Cheney neo-con influence in this matter. I see that Mr Martin is just another low level soldier in this war against our democracy. I'm sure he will be well rewarded and promoted for his willingness to take the heat for the sake of the greater vision of this group. He cannot possibly be ignorant of the desire of the public yet he pushes forward, without even a blink of the eye.
Still, I hold out hope that there is always some way to combat such corruption and apathy toward the well being of the masses for the sake of the elite.
I wrote back with the following:
At this point, I would encourage you to do two things: One, contact folks who can contact their representatives in Congress. The more people who can chime in (especially to the House), the better. There's an easy-to-use form on the stopbigmedia.com website:
And two, spread the word as much as you can. Indymedia has been a great resource for doing so, and has been very receptive to this issue when damned few news outlets were, or are. You can also organize an impromptu holiday singalong, as we did in Chicago two weeks back. More info, including songbooks with media-themed Christmas carols, are on the Chicago Media Action website.
I will say this as well: We've been here before, and have won before, under far worse circumstances. In 2003, then-FCC-chair Michael Powell approved a far-more-sweeping revision of the media ownership rules, but an unprecedented outcry fueled an emergency court order which blocked
the rules, leading to a lawsuit which overturned them and forced the FCC to do over.
The more people know about this and speak out, the better our chances. The work you'll do today will help fuel the future victories yet to come.
Follow-up from the 2007 Chicago Media Action Holiday Singalong
December 8, 2007
Posted by Mitchell
Entry 584
Greetings to everyone who saw us outside of Tribune Tower during rush hour on Friday, December 7. Feel free to look around the website, and let us know if you have any questions.
Written accounts, as well as photos and videos of the event, are forthcoming -- and will be linked from the CMA website in the coming days and weeks. Stay tuned to this website for media around of the event.
Tribune might get waiver extension, and definitely gets a protest on its doorstep
November 29, 2007
Posted by Mitchell
Entry 582
We've been talking at length about the FCC's push to seriously repeal the cross-ownership rule, which if successful would wreak certain havoc on the national media landscape (which isn't exactly paradise at the present moment).
But the Tribune Company -- arguably the leading advocate for, and biggest beneficiary of, the proposed rewrite -- has been pushing to get a temporary extension of the waivers for its current duopolies, which would be potentially illegal (there's even a pending and longstanding petition-to-deny against it) and which would rather change the law rather than obey it.
There's been some concern among the corporate-hack crowd that proposing a temporary waiver would only add fuel to the opposition fire, and even the Tribune noted that Kevin Martin "is afraid new waivers would give ammunition to his opponents."
So, they're pushing, and it's time to push back. In addition to forthcoming efforts in Congress, and in other spheres, we at CMA have been organizing an action -- right on the Tribune's doorstep -- which we now announce.
UPDATE 2: The FCC announced today that it is granting the necessary waivers to the Tribune. What sucks more is that the waiver indefinitely grants Tribune a cross-ownership duopoly in Chicago. Gloria in excelsis deo!
DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed on this
website are those of the individual members of Chicago Media
Action who authored them, and not necessarily those of the entire
membership of Chicago Media Action, nor of Chicago Media Action
as an organization.
The Chicago Tribune sports page, years ago, had a column that was actually funny. It was written by Steve Rosenbloom, and listed a number of various snippits of the day's sports news, each accompanied by a snarky remark about the news item in question. One item, which listed a damned-if-you-damned-if-you-don't choice, 
Well, there's some good news. The FCC has been 
We haven't had a radio-related post in a while, so why not now?
So, yes, the CMA website has been in hiberation for pretty much all of January. But evidently so has the FCC. Even though the agency rammed through a controversial media ownership rule provision right before Christmas,
without even bothering