Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Review of stock values by date::Closing Stock Price History?







Review of stock values by date::Closing Stock Price History?








In               an               interview               with               the               New               York               Observer,               former               vice-president               Al               Gore               once               stated:               "The               media               is               kind               of               weird               these               days               on               politics,               and               there               are               some               major               institutional               voices               that               are,               truthfully               speaking,               part               and               parcel               of               the               Republican               Party."               He               added               that               with               the               advent               of               cable-television               and               Internet               news,               the               "news               [has               become]               a               commodity,               available               from               an               unlimited               number               of               sellers               at               a               steadily               decreasing               cost,               so               the               established               news               organizations               became               the               high-cost               producers               of               a               low-cost               commodity."               (Benson,               pg               1).

Considering               the               drubbing               Gore               got               from               the               media               during               the               2000               presidential               election               his               disgruntlement               (albeit               mild)               is               understandable.

But               what               he               left               out               of               his               critique               was               how               his               administration               helped               to               degrade               journalism               even               further               with               the               signing               of               what               was               then               one               of               the               most               significant               pieces               of               legislation               to               change               the               entire               media               landscape.

The               1996               Telecommunications               Act,               signed               by               Bill               Clinton,               loosened               restrictions               on               media               ownership               first               set               by               the               1934               Communications               Act               set               a               feeding               frenzy               in               motion               among               the               major               media               conglomerates               as               they               divvied               up               the               spoils               from               a               legislation               they               wrote               themselves.

As               more               and               more               radio               and               television               stations               wound               up               in               fewer               hands,               budgets               were               slashed               and               homogenization               set               in               to               offset               the               enormous               debts               incurred               by               the               buyouts               and               mergers.

The               bottom-line               has               become               the               rallying               cry               among               media               executives,               shoving               public               interests               values               into               the               neglected               back               corners.

While               media               conglomerates               are               becoming               ever               more               bloated               by               the               excess               of               corporate               ownership,               critics               of               media               consolidation               are               hardly               twiddling               their               thumbs.

Increasingly,               more               people               are               not               only               coming               forward               and               complaining,               but               they               are               also               doing               something               about               it.

Everyone,               from               academics               to               youth               groups               to               microwave               radio               broadcasters,               have               become               a               disparate               group               of               warriors               in               a               movement               to               reform               the               media               and               make               it               more               accountable               to               the               people               and               not               just               to               corporate               shareholders               and               advertisers.

Their               message               is               simple:               the               commercialization               and               the               control               within               a               few               hands               of               our               public               airwaves               is               eroding               democracy.

Even               a               cursory               look               at               U.S.

broadcasting               will               show               that               their               argument               is               dead-on               target.

Where               debate               on               such               important               issues               as               poverty,               the               lack               of               affordable               health               care,               racism,               the               criminalization               of               young               people,               particularly               youths               of               color,               and               others,               are               often               shoved               into               the               background               for               meaningless               coverage               on               celebrity               profiles,               crime,               and               corporate               and               government               propaganda,               is               it               any               wonder               that               Americans               are               cynical               about               the               democratic               process?

As               the               saying               goes,               the               media               has               become               a               weapon               of               mass               distraction,               and               the               American               populace               has               become               its               primary               target.
               To               understand               how,               in               a               nation               that               prides               its               First               Amendment               rights,               we               have               come               to               this               pass,               it               is               important               to               look               at               the               history               of               media               in               this               country,               starting               with               the               advent               of               radio               and               the               affect               consolidation               and               overcommercialization               has               had               on               the               media               and               our               democratic               ideals.

And               while               this               information               can               be               ultimately               depressing,               media               reformists               are               still               continuing               to               find               ways               to               combat               what               amounts               to               an               attack               on               democracy.
               The               history               of               electronic               media               in               this               country,               of               course,               began               with               the               radio.

Invented               in               1895               by               Guglielmo               Marconi,               the               radio,               along               with               the               motion               picture,               became               a               new               source               of               mass               entertainment               and               information               to               the               general               public               twelve               years               following               its               invention.

By               1912,               hundreds               of               broadcasters               were               on               the               airwaves.

Congress               responded               to               this               new               medium               by               passing               the               Radio               Act               of               1912,               which               required               that               these               early               radio               innovators               become               broadcast               licensees.

After               the               Act               was               passed,               radio               broadcasting               skyrocketed.

Thousands               of               people               took               to               the               air               broadcasting               their               own               and               often               unique               programming,               some               of               which               ranged               from               public               affairs               to               religious               programs.

What               was               also               unique               about               the               early               radio               pioneers               was               that               the               large               majority               of               them               were               noncommercial.

In               fact,               during               the               1920s,               noncommercial               radio               stations               outnumbered               commercial               stations               by               a               two-to-one               ratio               (Ruggiero               16).

Clearly,               noncommercial               programming               was               popular               with               the               public.

The               number               of               stations               which               broadcast               such               fare               had               mushroomed               by               the               1920s,               so               much               so               that               the               narrow               and               limited               bandwidth               was               cluttering               and               interfering               with               radio               signals.

In               1927,               Congress               passed               another               act,               the               Radio               Act               of               1927,               to               address               the               problem               by               regulating               the               airwaves.

The               Act               also               helped               create               the               Federal               Radio               Commission               (FRC),               a               precursor               to               the               Federal               Communications               Commission               (FCC).
               While               the               FRC's               purpose               was               to               regulate               the               airwaves               "in               the               public               interest,               convenience,               and               necessity"               (ibid),               it               wasn't               long               before               the               federal               government               began               redefining               the               term               "public               interest"               almost               by               exclusively               pro-business               terms.

Believing               that               the               public's               interest               was               better               served               by               commercial               stations,               the               government               began               limiting               the               number               of               licenses               to               noncommercial               stations.

The               impact               was               immediate               and               devastating.

Between               1927               and               1934,               noncommercial               radio               all               but               vanished.

In               1934,               only               2               percent               of               air               time               was               devoted               to               noncommercial               programming               (17).
               The               Federal               Communications               Act               of               1934               further               carried               the               language               and               ideals               of               the               Radio               Act               of               1927               (It               was               at               this               time               that               the               FCC               was               founded).

The               Act               was               designed               to               fulfill               the               mandate               of               serving               the               "public               interest,"               through               one:               The               Fairness               Doctrine,               which               ensured               that               radio               be               open               to               opposing               opinions;               two:               Public               Affairs               Programming               (which               required               that               8               and               6               percent               of               air               time               on               AM               and               FM               stations,               respectively,               be               devoted               to               noncommercial,               nonentertainment-oriented               programming);               and               three:               Micropower               Broadcasting.

Yet               the               act               did               little               to               serve               its               primary               goal.

By               the               Carter               and               Reagan               Administrations,               every               single               one               of               the               mandates               were               either               banned               or               eliminated               (17-18).
               Here,               the               doctrines               of               laissez               faire               capitalism               run               counter               to               reality.

The               free               hand               of               capitalism,               so               say               neoliberal               enthusiasts,               can               do               just               fine               on               its               own,               even               better,               without               unfettered               government               intervention.

And               yet,               clearly,               throughout               history,               media               conglomerates               profited               unfairly               over               the               public's               vested               interests               precisely               because               of               federal               intervention.

When               it               comes               to               pro-business               interests,               our               government               can               be               generous               indeed,               and               its               generosity               continues.

The               1996               Telecommunications               Act               eliminated               restrictions               on               the               number               of               stations               and               signal               reach               a               company               can               own               locally               and               nationally.

And               last               few               remaining               FCC               rules               restricting               further               media               ownership               -               particularly               cross-ownership               rules               banning               a               single               company               from               owning               newspapers,               radio               and               television               stations               in               the               same               market               -               are               currently               under               review               after               recent               pro-business               court               decisions               forced               the               agency               to               justify               its               rules.

These               changes               are               the               end               result               of               heavy               lobbying               and               politicking               on               the               part               of               the               National               Broadcaster's               Association               (NAB),               one               of               the               most               powerful               lobbies               for               the               industry               in               Washington,               their               political               allies,               such               as               Senate               Majority               Leader               Trent               Lott,               President               Bush,               and               former               FCC               chairman               Michael               Powell,               and               the               appointment               of               conservative               judges               on               the               benches               during               the               Reagan               and               first               Bust               Administrations.
               According               to               microradio               scholar               Larry               Soley,               4,000               or               40               percent               of               commercial               radio               stations               have               been               bought               or               sold               by               large               media               conglomerates               to               the               tune               of               $32               billion.

The               top               ten               mega-conglomerates               own               1,134               commercial               radio               stations,               up               from               652               before               the               passage               of               the               telecommunications               act.

Only               15               percent               of               FM               and               AM               noncommercial               radio               stations               exist               and               most               of               these               are               affiliated               with               NPR,               who,               in               recent               years,               have               become               as               commercial-oriented               as               corporate-owned               stations               (Ruggiero               p               18-20).

And               that               is               just               for               starters.

AOL               and               Netscape               were               involved               in               a               $4.2               billion               merger               in               1998.

In               1999,               Viacom               and               CBS               merged               for               $35               billion,               making               it               one               of               the               biggest               media               mergers               in               history               at               the               time.

Also               in               1999,               AT&T               bought               out               MediaOne               for               $58               billion,               making               it               the               largest               cable               company               in               the               United               States,               with               Microsoft               investing               $5               billion               in               interactive               content.

Yet,               the               year               2000               was               a               boondoggle               for               mega-corporate               mergers               and               acquisitions.

The               Tribune               Company               bought               the               Times               Mirror               for               $8               billion,               placing               both               the               Chicago               Tribune               and               the               Los               Angeles               Times               under               the               same               corporate               umbrella.

But               the               mother               of               all               media               mergers               was               the               AOL               Time               Warner               deal,               costing               a               cool               $106               billion               -               beating               the               Viacom/CBS               deal               as               the               largest               media               merger               in               history               to               date.

Coming               two               weeks               later               on               the               heels               of               the               AOL               Time               Warner               deal,               Time               Warner               and               EMI               announced               the               merging               of               their               music               divisions               (www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june00/tribune-3-21.html).

Viacom,               which               also               owns               MTV               and               VH-1,               bought               out               Black               Entertainment               Television               (BET)               in               2001               for               $3               billion               (Covington               par.

3).

CNN               and               ABC               News               are               also               currently               rumored               to               merge               their               news               resources.
               Some               argue               that               media               consolidation               is               healthy               and               even               provides               more               choices               to               consumers.

Market               forces               and               consumer               choices,               they               argue,               demand               that               media               executives               provide               a               diverse               array               of               programming               in               order               to               stay               profitable.

Powell,               son               of               Secretary               of               State               Colin               Powell,               and               deregulation               champion,               concurs.

"Common               ownership               can               lead               to               more               diversity,"               he               said               in               a               recent               New               York               Times               article.

"What               does               the               owner               get               for               having               duplicative               products?

I               don't               know               why               you'd               want               to               have               two               newspapers               that               say               the               same               thing.

I               would               say,               "Let's               make               one               Democratic,               let's               make               one               Republican."               Of               course,               Mr.

Powell               ignores               the               fact               that               the               Democratic               Party               and               the               Republican               Party               are               themselves               nearly               duplicative               products.

Deregulation               proponents               also               ignore               that               quantity               isn't               the               same               as               quality.

Consolidating               media               properties               create               homogeneity,               not               diversity.

The               enormous               debts               companies               incur               through               buyouts               and               mergers               demand               tightened               budgets               and               strict               bottom-line               values.

One               perfect               example               of               this               is               AOL               Time               Warner.
               In               the               two               years               since               their               merger,               AOL               Time               Warner's               stock               has               seen               a               6               percent               decline               in               twelve               months               and               are               $28               billion               in               debt               (Shook,               par               2-3).

Their               financial               problems               show               in               their               programming,               particularly               on               CNN.

Since               the               merger,               the               cable               network               has               become               a               pale               version               of               its               earlier               incarnation,               when               former               owner               Ted               Turner's               motto               "news               is               king"               was               its               modus               operandi.

Now,               not               only               is               CNN               losing               to               FOX               News               in               the               ratings               battle,               it               is               also               mimicking               the               latter               station's               "talk               radio               with               pictures"               format.

Media               consolidation               isn't               providing               more               choices               to               American               viewers.

It               is               simply               giving               them               the               same-old               same-old,               offering               programming               that               is               increasingly               becoming               less               distinguishable               from               the               pack.

But,               as               media               reform               activists               insist,               it               is               doing               something               much               more               troubling:               it               is               eroding               our               democratic               values.
               In               order               for               a               genuine,               vibrant               democracy               to               exist,               so               say               media               reform               activists,               by               which               it               is               meant               that               the               people               have               a               direct               say               in               the               affairs               of               their               government               and               country,               it               is               necessary               to               have               a               well-informed               and               well-engaged               citizenry.

Therefore,               a               media               less               defined               by               its               responsibility               to               serve               the               "public               interest,"               i.e.,               providing               information               vital               to               common               republic,               and               more               characterized               by               its               self-interest               to               make               a               personal,               profitable               gain,               damages               the               true               intent               of               democracy.
               Media               deregulation               proponents               counter               argue               that               technology               has               changed               the               vast               media               landscape,               making               it               even               more               possible               for               people               to               seek               out               a               diverse               source               of               information,               particularly               through               the               Internet.

While               this               is               true               in               many               regards,               it               is               also               true               that               such               issues               regarding               broadband               ownership               will               also               change               the               nature               of               the               Internet,               making               it               highly               susceptible               to               the               pitfalls               under               which               traditional               media               has               now               fallen.

Already,               companies               who               have               cross-ownership               deals               use               synergistic               methods               to               promote               their               own               products.

A               good               example               of               that               was               the               minor               controversy               a               few               years               back               involving               a               dot-com               mascot.

The               spokes-sock               puppet               for               the               now               defunct               web               company               Pets.com               made               several               appearances               on               ABC               News               programs,               such               as               Good               Morning               America               and               Nightline,               that               amounted               to               little               more               than               promotional               shots               for               the               company.

It               was               later               revealed               that               ABC's               parent               company,               the               Disney               Corp.,               also               owned               shares               in               Pets.com,               a               fact               of               which               even               anchors               Diane               Sawyer               and               Ted               Koppel               were               sheepishly               unaware.

Synergy               has               become               a               popular               means               in               which               companies               can               promote               and               advertise               their               products               through               their               media               engines,               so               it               should               be               expected               that               companies,               like               AT&T,               which               are               interested               in               controlling               broadband,               will               do               the               same               with               Internet               content.

Alternative               voices               on               the               Web,               unable               to               compete               with               the               frills               of               MP3               and               streaming               video,               will               be               pushed               further               to               the               margins.
               Media               consolidation               also               makes               it               less               likely               for               news               organizations               to               do               critical               reports               on               their               parent               companies,               or               cover               political               issues,               such               as               the               heavy               lobbying               efforts               in               Washington               by               the               NAB               to               rewrite               media               ownership               rules,               that               contradicts               their               corporate               parents"               interests.

As               Mark               Crispin               Miller               writes,               "As               it               is,               the               cartel's               journalists               must               observe               a               complex               code               of               omerta               that               shields               the               advertisers               and               the               parent               companies               alike"               (Phillips               238).

But               what               media               reform               activists               implicitly               state               is               that               consolidation               has               rendered               the               public               mute               in               all               issues               concerning               their               personal               welfare.
               Diversity               has               become               the               major               casualty               in               the               battle               over               the               airwaves.

While               there               has               always               been               a               battle               to               include               dissident               voices               in               the               daily               dialogue               on               our               national               airwaves,               the               elimination               of               the               Fairness               Doctrine               in               the               1980s               has               made               it               harder               to               see               or               hear               voices               that               cut               through               the               fog               of               conventional               wisdom.
               A               recent               survey               conducted               by               Fairness               and               Accuracy               in               Reporting               (FAIR)               showed               just               how               uniformly               indistinguishable               many               of               the               voices               and               opinions               that               appear               regularly               on               the               evening               news               are.

Analyzing               news               reports               from               all               three               broadcast               networks               during               the               cycle               year               of               2001,               they               discovered               that               elite               (corporate               or               political)               white               male               Republicans               tended               to               be               the               dominant               source               of               opinions               on               all               issues,               ranging               from               government               policy               to               even               gender               and               racial               issues.

They               also               made               up               a               majority               of               partisan               and               professional               or               expert               opinions.

When               nongovernmental               organizations               were               covered               as               sources,               they               usually               represented               groups               such               as               the               Christian               Coalition               and               the               National               Rifle               Association               (Howard               255-263).

Women               and               minorities               not               only               do               not               have               a               say               in               issues               that               directly               affect               their               welfare,               but               their               opinions,               as               judged               by               the               three               networks,               are               either               dismissed               or               trivialized.

The               same               assessment               includes               even               National               Public               Radio               (NPR).

FAIR               conducted               a               similar               study               on               NPR               and               discovered               that               an               average               of               90               percent               of               hosts               on               their               syndicated               programs               were               also               white               males.

The               recent               addition               of               the               Tavis               Smiley               Show               to               their               programming               makes               it               the               first               and               only               predominantly               black-oriented               program               on               NPR               (Rendell,               par.

24,               demographics               bar).
               Minority-owned               radio               and               television               stations               have               historically               addressed               the               concerns               and               musical               tastes               of               their               respective               communities.

For               instance,               after               World               II               and               throughout               the               1960s,               black-owned               radio               stations               greatly               contributed               to               the               civil               rights               movement,               often               providing               vital               information               to               their               listeners               concerning               boycotts               or               upcoming               political               meetings.


               While               public               affairs               programs               suffered               during               the               1970s               due               to               standardized               programming               formats,               black-owned               radio               stations               increased               from               sixteen               to               eighty-eight,               somewhat               closing               the               gap               between               black-owned               stations               and               black-oriented               programming               (Burchett,               par.

8).

But               since               1996,               stations               owned               by               African               Americans               have               seen               a               steady               decline.

In               2001,               minorities               owned               less               than               4               percent               of               television               stations,               the               lowest               level               of               ownership               in               a               decade,               with               a               slight               increase               in               radio               stations.

The               impact               of               media               consolidation               and               limited               access               to               investment               capital               had               taken               its               toll               on               ownership               diversity.

At               the               time,               BET               founder               Robert               Johnson               stated:               "Consolidation               killed               the               onward               march               of               minority               ownership"               (St               Clair,               www.counterpunch.org/pipermail/counterpunch-list/2001-January/005527.html)               (Johnson               would               later               sell               BET               to               Viacom               that               same               year).

Public               affairs               programming               addressing               the               specific               needs               of               the               African               American               community               have               also               seen               a               direct               hit               with               the               cancellation               of               popular               BET               programs               "BET               Tonight               with               Ed               Gordon,"               "Lead               Story"               and               "Teen               Summit"               (Covington,               par.

1).
               But               people               of               color               are               not               the               only               ones               who               are               being               marginalized               in               the               mainstream               media.

Progressive               issues               and               opinions               are               also               locked               out               of               local               and               national               debate.

Talk-radio               and               the               op-ed               and               editorial               pages               of               daily               newspapers               tend               to               reflect               a               rightward               tilt.

Supposedly               nonpartisan               news               outlets               lend               gravitas               to               right-wing               opinion-makers.

Such               shrill               Republican               mouthpieces               as               Ann               Coulter               and               Rush               Limbaugh               warm               the               seats               on               CNN               or               Fox               News               with               far               more               regularity               than               progressive               voices               as               Molly               Ivins               or               Noam               Chomsky.

And               when               progressive               voices               do               have               access               to               the               airwaves,               their               views               and               opinions               are               often               censured               or               censored               outright.
               Shortly               after               the               September               11th               attacks,               local               radio               programmer               and               host               of               Local               Flava               Hour,               on               KMEL               106.1               FM,               David               "Davey               D"               Cook               interviewed               Boots               Riley               of               the               local               rap               group               the               Coup               and               Rep.

Barbara               Lee               on               his               KPFA-FM               program               Hard               Knock               Radio,               about               the               recent               events.

Lee,               who               was               the               only               representative               to               vote               against               President               Bush's               USA               Patriot               Act,               giving               him               unlimited               power               to               declare               war,               and               Riley,               whose               record               company               replaced               the               original               cover               on               their               just               released               CD               featuring               the               group               blowing               up               the               World               Trade               Center,               had               very               critical               opinions               about               the               direction               the               country               was               headed               in               the               wake               of               the               terrorist               attacks.

One               week               after               the               interviews               aired,               KMEL               fired               Davey               D.

The               station               claimed               Cook's               firing               was               due               to               "budget               cuts"               (Arnold,               par               1-2).

But               KMEL's               parent               company,               Clear               Channel               Communications,               had               distributed               a               list               of               250               songs               to               all               its               stations               suggesting,               in               effect,               that               they               be               banned               from               the               airwaves               for               their               unintentional               dissidence.

They               then               launched               a               series               of               billboard               displays               depicting               "Old               Glory"               (ibid).

Clear               Channel,               one               of               the               major               beneficiaries               of               the               1996               Telecommunications               Act,               owns               up               to               1,170               radio               stations               in               all               50               states               (Kennedy,               sidebar),               and               has               a               reputation               for               its               strong-arm               tactics               against               artists               and               competitors               in               the               radio               and               concert               promotion               arena.

Davey               D's               firing               had               little               to               do               with               "budget               cuts,"               but               was               a               clear               case               of               corporate               censorship.
               The               First               Amendment,               it               seems,               would               protect               people               like               Davey               D.

Yet,               the               First               Amendment               only               guarantees               freedom               from               government               censorship,               not               corporate.

"Congress               shall               make               no               law..."               it               states,               "abridging               the               freedom               of               speech,               or               of               the               press."               There               are               no               laws               protecting               citizens               in               or               out               of               the               media               from               corporate               censorship.

And               yet,               corporate               censorship               poses               an               even               greater               threat               to               free               speech.

Not               only               do               corporations               have               the               power               to               narrow               free               speech,               but               they               are               also               unaccountable               to               the               public.

Once               more,               they               profit               off               the               First               Amendment               through               political               ads.
               During               recent               mid-term               elections,               according               to               a               study               released               by               the               University               of               Wisconsin,               political               parties               and               interest               groups               spent               a               record               $996               million               dollars               in               upwards               of               1.5               million               TV               ads               (Harper,               par               1-2).

Politicians               and               interest               groups,               who,               as               the               FAIR               study               on               diversity               show,               have               an               equally               difficult               time               getting               their               voices               heard               on               the               air,               and,               therefore               turn               to               expensive               paid               ads.

The               ads               spend               more               time               cynically               attacking               opponents               than               addressing               the               issues.

And               with               the               broadcast               news               networks               devoting               less               time               to               political               coverage               and               the               media               conglomerates               stifling               any               legislation               demanding               free               airtime               to               candidates               (with               avid               support               of               politicians,               who,               like               corporations,               cannot               abide               by               real               competition),               corporations               are               stamping               out               what               few               democratic               means,               outside               of               protests,               we               have               to               have               a               voice               in               determining               the               course               of               our               nation               and               our               government.
               Yet,               media               reform               activists               are               not               taking               this               fight               lying               down.

While               there               has               always               been               a               movement               to               reform               the               media               going               back               as               far               as               the               1930s               when               Congress               passed               the               1934               Communications               Act,               there               has               been               a               ground               swell               for               media               reform,               particularly               in               the               wake               of               the               September               11th               attacks.

The               groups               around               the               country               calling               for               a               halt               to               further               deregulation               of               the               airwaves               are               disparate               enough               that               calling               them               a               movement               should               be               loosely               applied.

Yet,               they               are               all               devoted               and               passionate               advocates               of               free               speech               and               open               access               to               the               airwaves.

The               various               groups               involved               range               from               national               organization               like               the               aforementioned               Fairness               and               Accuracy               in               Reporting,               Media               Alliance,               Project               on               Media               Ownership,               the               National               Association               of               Women               (NOW),               Global               Exchange,               Cascadia               Media               Alliance,               Paper               Tiger               Television,               and               MediaChannel               to               local               groups               like               Chicago               Media               Watch               and               the               Bay               Area's               Youth               Media               Council.

They               include               such               critics               as               David               Barsamian,               Greg               Ruggiero,               Norman               Solomon,               Edward               Herman               and               Robert               McChesney,               who               are               prolific               in               the               number               of               books               and               articles               they've               published               on               media               criticism.
               These               groups               and               others               have               been               acting               to               voice               their               complaints               or               to               create               alternative               media               that               reflects               the               community.

Last               month,               Chicago               Media               Watch               held               a               press               conference               at               Columbia               College               in               downtown               Chicago,               which               then               turned               into               a               march               through               downtown,               bringing               attention               to               the               FCC's               challenge               to               its               own               ownership               rules.

Attendees               made               stops               at               the               local               affiliates               of               the               major               cable               and               network               stations,               singing               protest               songs               and               carrying               signs               which               read:               "Big               Media:               Weapons               of               Mass               Distraction"               and               "We               Own               the               Airwaves."               A               few               also               wore               costumes,               with               even               fewer               dressing               as               angels               of               the               public               interest               (this               was               a               take               on               then               FCC               chairman               Powell's               quote:               "The               night               after               I               was               sworn               in,               I               waited               for               a               visit               from               the               angel               of               the               public               interest.

I               waited               all               night,               but               she               did               not               come."               ("Media               Democracy               Day               Protest,"               par.

2-5).

Individuals               have               acted,               often               on               their               own,               to               hold               news               organizations               more               accountable               when               covering               dissident               voices               or               events.

When               the               New               York               Times               undercounted               the               number               of               people               who               attended               a               peace               rally               last               month               in               Washington,               D.C.,               irate               readers               sent               in               letters               and               e-mails               complaining               about               their               "shoddy               journalism,î               prompting               the               paper               of               record               to               publish               a               second               article,               including               a               more               accurate               head               count               of               the               rally's               attendees.
               During               the               1990s,               a               movement               sprang               up               around               micropower               broadcasting.

This               was               a               grassroots               movement               of               low               power               (100               watts               or               less)               micropower               broadcasters               who               took               to               the               airwaves,               broadcasting               on               the               narrow               spectrum               bandwidth               their               own               unique               local               programming.

Since               the               FCC               had               banned               any               broadcast               signal               lower               than               100               watts               during               the               late               70s,               many               of               these               broadcasts               were               illegal,               or               "pirate"               broadcasts.

They've               face               constant               opposition               from               the               FCC,               as               well               as               the               National               Association               of               Broadcaster's               and               NPR,               who               claim               low               power               signals               interfere               with               commercial               programming.

Yet,               the               microradio               movement               was               simply               addressing               the               programming               needs               of               local               communities               whose               voices               were               being               shut               out               of               commercial               radio.

In               an               article               on               the               Youth               Outlook               website,               a               teen-oriented               Bay               Area               magazine,               Bay               Area               rapper               Askari               X,               explains               why               he               joined               103.3               FM               Bay               View               Hunters               Point               Radio,               an               underground               station               in               San               Francisco's               black               community.

"Guerilla               radio               (another               term               for               microradio               or               "pirate"               broadcasting)               is               important               based               on               the               fact               that               we               (the               community)               are               mastering               the               waves               of               communication"               (Valrey               par.

2).

Askari               X               featured               on               his               program               such               groups               as               Ansar               El               Muhammad's,               a               spirtitual               organization,               and               The               Native               Youth               Movement,               a               youth               organizing               group               for               native               Americans,               and               other               voices               that               are               never               heard               on               commercial               radio.

Other               Bay               Area               guerrilla               radio               groups               like               Black               Liberation               Radio,               Radio               Libre,               and               national               groups               like               Steal               This               Radio,               88.7               FM               address               social,               cultural,               and               political               issues               that               often               go               under               the               radar               by               commercial               radio               and               allow               space               for               dissident               voices.
               The               absence               of               dissident               voices,               particularly               that               of               people               of               color,               was               the               focus               of               a               recent               community               assessment               of               106.1               KMEL               by               the               Youth               Media               Council.

The               Youth               Media               Council,               a               coalition               representing               ten               youth               organizations               in               the               Bay               Area,               studied               KMEL,               along               with               other               radio               and               television               news               broadcasts               between               September               10-30,               2002               to               determine               its               coverage               of               issues               important               to               the               community.

Their               assessment               isn't               surprising.

Researchers,               many               of               whom               were               made               up               of               the               young               people               most               likely               to               listen               to               KMEL,               found               that               the               station               "routinely               excludes               the               voices               of               youth               organizers               and               local               artists...neglects               discussion               of               policy               debates               affecting               youth               and               people               of               color...focuses               disproportionally               on               crime               and               violence..."               (source:               Is               KMEL               the               People's               Station?

A               Community               Assessment               of               106.1               KMEL).

They               also               examined               local               news               broadcasts,               such               as               KTVU               Channel               2's               "10               o'clock               News"               and               found               similar               results               regarding               their               coverage               of               crime               and               youths               of               color.
               The               report               suggest               a               number               of               recommendations               for               KMEL               to               build               a               bridge               with               the               community.

They               are               as               follows:               promote               the               voices               of               local               youth               organizers               and               support               Bay               Area               youth               organizations;               address               issues               concerning               the               exclusion               of               local               artists               on               the               airwaves;               build               and               sustain               relationships               with               local               youth               organizations               and               artists;               and               create               an               advisory               board               and               a               hotline               to               address               listener               concerns               and               complaints               (ibid).

The               survey               also               suggested               that               KMEL               meet               with               members               of               the               Youth               Media               Council               to               address               the               concerns               brought               up               in               the               report.

According               to               Youth               Media               Council               Director,               Malkia               Cyrus,               KMEL               has               agreed               to               meet               with               the               coalition               in               January,               but               they               have               not               yet               "responded               to               details               in               the               report."               In               an               interview               with               Michael               Martin,               Northern               California               VP               of               Regional               Programming               at               Clear               Channel,               he               claims               to               not               have               seen               the               Youth               Media               Council               report               but               imagines               its               conclusion:               "To               make               everyone               happy               we               would               need               to               stop               being               a               source               of               entertainment               and               become               a               nonprofit               organization"               (Scott,               e-mail               interview).

Ironically,               KMEL               no               longer               identifies               itself               as               the               "People's               Station."               "Actually               we               haven't               used               the               term               'The               People's               Station'               in               over               three               years,"               says               Mr.

Martin.

"But               we               did               such               a               job               of               promoting               it,               it               stuck"               (ibid).

He               could               also               add               that               the               expectations               from               a               station               that               promotes               itself               as               community-based               stuck,               as               well.
               Martin's               rather               dismissive               attitude               toward               community               concerns               and               his               opinion               that               KMEL's               commitment               to               reflect               the               diversity               of               its               listenership               was               little               more               than               a               promotional               campaign               reveals               the               struggle               ahead               for               the               Youth               Media               Council.

Yet               they               are               still               optimistic.

The               response               in               the               community               to               the               report               has               been,               according               to               Cyril,               "overwhelming."               And               the               Council               intends               move               forward               in               its               effort               "to               take               back               the               airwaves"               and               make               KMEL               and               other               local               news               outlets               "more               accountable               to               youth."               In               the               near               future,               they               intend               to               hold               public               campaign               meetings,               create               a               base               of               young               people               to               serve               the               public               interest,               continue               to               monitor               KMEL               and               other               news               outlets,               and               train               young               spokespeople               to               address               media               and               community-oriented               issues.
               The               actions               of               these               media               reform               groups               have               largely               been               local               in               scale.

Yet,               while               their               efforts               are               laudable,               they               are               often               uncoordinated               and               connected               only               tangentially               to               a               national               movement.

Since               media               deregulators               have               been               able               to               win               many               of               the               battles               politically               through               heavy               lobbying               efforts,               the               media               reform               movement               cannot               succeed               if               it               does               not               make               consolidation               a               political               issue,               as               well.

While               politicians               such               as               Senators               Fritz               Hollings,               Edward               Markey,               and               John               McCain               and               Representatives               Jesse               Jackson,               Jr.

and               John               Conyers               Jr.,               have               all               expressed               concern,               skepticism,               or               outright               criticism               about               media               deregulation,               most               of               the               politicians               in               Washington,               D.C,               Democrats               as               well               as               Republicans,               tend               to               ape               the               free-market               mantra               of               deregulation               cheerleaders,               and               with               good               reason.

According               to               a               2000               report               issued               by               The               Center               for               Public               Integrity,               "the               fifty               largest               media               companies               and               four               of               their               trade               associations               spent               $113.3               million               between               1996               to               2000               to               lobby               Congress               and               the               executive               branch"               (McChesney,               par.

7).

With               that               kind               of               firepower               at               their               disposal,               media               executives               can               and               have               literally               shaped               regulatory               rules               that               directly               affect               them,               often               with               little               public               scrutiny               or               debate               on               their               own               media               outlets.
               In               order               to               be               an               effective               voice,               the               media               reform               movement               will               have               to               organize               itself               into               a               national               movement,               coordinating               its               message               and               goals               and               addressing               them               forcefully               in               Washington.

This               might               include               forming               a               lobby               that               will               specifically               address               deregulation               concerns               to               Congress,               form               think               tanks,               similar               to               the               conservative               Independent               Women's               Forum,               to               train               spokespersons               who               will               deliver               their               message               and               provide               counter               arguments               in               mainstream               news               outlets,               to               coordinate               local               and               national               protests,               and               offer               real               reforms               to               make               the               media               more               accountable               to               the               public               and               not               to               advertisers,               shareholders,               or               executives.

But               more               than               anything,               a               media               reform               movement               should               be,               as               Robert               McChesney               correctly               writes,               "bathed               in               democracy.

The               coalition               we               envision               will               have               its               similarities               to               the               civil               rights               movement               or               the               women's               movement               -               as               it               should,               since               access               to               information               ought               to               be               seen               as               a               fundamental               human               right"               ("The               Making               of               a               Movement,"               par.

30).

Most               Americans               instinctively               know               that               something               is               not               right               with               our               media.

Whether               it               is               youths               who               complain               about               how               the               news               represents               them               (such               as               the               Goth               teens               after               the               Columbine               shooting),               journalists               and               columnists               who               struggle               to               do               good               work               in               the               face               of               corporate               and               advertising               pressure,               or               average               individuals               sick               of               the               media's               over-reliance               on               sensationalism               and               celebrity               profiles,               Americans               are               complaining.

Yet               coalescing               these               disgruntled               media               producers               and               consumers               into               a               national               movement               will               be               an               uphill               struggle               for               media               reform               activists,               especially               since               the               medium               in               which               these               concerns               ought               to               be               addressed               has               shut               its               door               on               any               meaningful               and               constructive               dialogue               on               the               issue.
               Yet               the               struggle               to               regain               control               of               the               media,               particularly               the               airwaves,               is               a               struggle               all               Americans               should               be               concerned               with.

Thomas               Jefferson               would               seem               an               unlikely               mentor               for               a               progressive               movement               like               the               media               reform               movement,               what               with               his               history               regarding               slavery.

Yet,               his               opinions               on               a               free               press               is               one               that               goes               to               the               heart               of               what               a               true               democracy               looks               like.

"Whenever               the               people               are               well               informed,               they               can               be               trusted               with               their               own               government;               that               whenever               things               get               so               far               wrong               as               to               attract               their               notice,               they               may               be               relied               on               to               set               them               to               rights."               Reforming               our               media,               so               that               it               best               reflects               the               rich               and               strong               diversity               of               the               United               States,               could               very               well               be               the               most               patriotic               thing               we               citizens               can               ever               invest               ourselves               in.






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