CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION NEWSLETTER: June 1, 2004 http://www.chicagomediaaction.org In this month's newsletter... * A monthful of June events * The FCC comes to Rapid City, and CMA is there * A critical juncture for CAN TV; your help is needed * Quote from a colleague of Amy Goodman's * Website: Antiracism work at the University of North Dakota (1) ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS * CMA will be participating in Radfest, the Midwest Social Forum, the weekend of June 6, in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Of particular note is the "Seize the Media" workshop with Bob McChesney and Salim Muwakkil. Learn more: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=190 http://www.havenscenter.org/radfest/radfest.htm * CMA will also be participating in a panel at the Student Zine Festival at June 5th at Kelvyn Park High School, 4343 W. Wrightwood in Chicago. Learn more: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=191 * Save the date: Wednesday, June 16. Robert Jensen, professor of journalism at the University of Texas, will be coming to Chicago to give a presentation on media activism, accompanied by excerpts of two films. The presentation will be at the University of Illinois-Chicago campus at the College of Medicine West (the corner of Polk and Wolcott), 1853 W. Polk, Room 106. The anticipated start time is 7pm. * Chicago Media Action is also organizing a rally (as part of a planned nationwide series of rallies) planned for the Philadelphia ruling in the court case against the FCC. A decision could come within the next month. Watch your email for further details. (2) WHAT'S NEW WITH CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION? * A team of four CMA members made the 14-hour drive from Chicago to Rapid City, South Dakota, and back, on May 25-27, 2004. Rapid City hosted the FCC's Midwest Hearing on Localism in Media. Excerpts from the trip -- writing, audio, and photos -- are forthcoming, and will be posted soon to the Chicago Media Action website. * CMA participated in a Racial Sensitivity Forum at the Native American Educational Services College on Monday, May 17, at 2838 W. Peterson in Chicago. CAN TV recorded the proceedings and will likely broadcast the forum. (3) WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MEDIA POLITICS? * A flashpoint has come in the funding fight for CAN TV, Chicago's fleet of public access TV channels. On May 5, Chicago alderman Bernard Stone introduced an ordinance before the Chicago City Council which would place CAN TV on a much more firm footing financially. If you haven't already done so, please take a few minutes to write or fax Mayor Daley to encourage him to support the ordinance. One of the remaining open media resources in Chicago could depend on it. Learn about the issue, and how you can help, here: http://www.cantv.org/rcn.htm * The FCC held its Midwest Hearing at the Surbeck Center in Rapid City. FCC chair Michael Powell was in Rapid City, but left town on the morning of the hearing, ostensibly because he was called to Washington to attend a White House meeting. Nevertheless, activists count the hearing as a victory for popular involvement in media policy. A transcript of the hearing is forthcoming, but the entire audio feed of the hearing -- all six-plus hours of it -- has been archived online and is available here: http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/publicforums.html Learn more about the hearing here: http://www.freepress.net/townmeetings (4) MEDIA FACTOID OF THE MONTH Michael Eisner, the CEO of the Disney media conglomerate and an embodiment of the media establishment, is the son of a victim of the Hollywood blacklist. (5) MEDIA QUOTE OF THE MONTH "You can surf through hundreds of channels before you realize there is nothing on TV." -- Juan Gonzalez, co-host of Democracy Now!, as quoted in The Exception to the Rulers By the way -- Amy Goodman will be making a return visit to the Chicago area on the June 17, at the Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare International, 5440 North River Road St. in Rosemont, IL. Details at: http://www.democracynow.org/book/tourpage.php?id=204 http://tinyurl.com/2op9n (6) THIS MONTH'S WEBSITE http://www.und.nodak.edu/org/bridges/ http://www.und.nodak.edu/org/bridges/index2.html BRIDGES (Building Roads Into Diverse Groups Empowering Students) is a student organization at the University of North Dakota, committed to fighting racism and the systems which make it possible -- including the mascot of UND, "Fighting Sioux." (7) ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS * Labor Express, Chicago's only labor news and current affairs radio program, is holding a fundraiser. Headline bands include Putrefaxion Adipocer, Shred, Advent Wrath, EvilXInnocence, and Anorexic Dogs. The fundraiser will be Saturday, June 5th, at U.E. Hall, 37 S. Ashland, Chicago IL, doors open 6:00 P.M. $10.00 donation at the door. * The next CMA meeting will be on Tuesday, June 8, at 6:30pm, at 3411 W. Diversey (corner of Diversey and Kimball, near the Logan Square stop on the CTA Blue Line). All are invited. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** This is an email from Chicago Media Action, a Chicago activist group devoted to media issues. Chicago Media Action, P.O. Box 14140, Chicago IL 60614-0140 Call toll-free: 1-866-260-7198 Web: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org E-mail: cma@chicagomediaaction.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, simply send an email requesting removal to mailinglist@chicagomediaaction.org