FCC Town Meeting in Iowa City a HUGE Success!

Iowa City, Iowa Update: Town Meeting a huge success…more than 500 people packed the Pomerantz Center at the University of Iowa to participate in a forum on media ownership. – Free Press

“FCC official warns against media consolidation” – Des Moines Register

“400 Attend FCC Forum” – Iowa City Press-Citizen

"Residents air media complaints; FCC officials listen to criticism, ideas" - Cedar Rapids Gazette

“Forum Criticizes Big Media" – Daily Iowan

"Iowans irate with media," says Adelstein, Broadcasting & Cable, October 6

Wow!  Is the only word to describe it.  The FCC Town Hall Meeting on the Future of the Media was a phenomenal success!  500  people packed the University of Iowa’s Pomerantz Center Wednesday night.  One-hundred people gave 2-minute testimony before Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps’ aide Jordan Goldstein, describing how our media is failing our communities.

The FCC Town Meeting in Iowa City, Iowa, on October 5, 2005, was a
 smashing success.  From left to right:  John Nichols of The Nation; Mark
 Smith, President, Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO; Nicholas
 Johnson, Professor, University of Iowa College of Law, former FCC
 Commissioner; and Amy Johnson Boyle, former KGAN anchor, currently
 Marketing & Communications Director, Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of
 Commerce.  Photo courtesy of Dennis Roseman.

People came from across Iowa to make sure their voices were heard.  The Quad Cities’ group, Progressive Action for the Common Good, was there in force as were Johnson County DFA’ers and of course Iowans for Better Local TV.  All three groups were co-sponsors of the event. 

Other co-sponsoring organizations were:  University of  Iowa Lecture Committee,  FAIR!,  Iowa City Federation of Labor, SEIU Local 199, Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Iowa Civil Liberties Union, Linn County InterReligious Council, American Federation of Teachers Local 716, AFSCME Local 12, League of Rural Voters, Iowa City GLBT Pride Committee, Quad Cities Interfaith, Iowa City Public Access Television, Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Johnson County League of Women Voters and ICAN.

Special thanks to Amanda Ballantyne of FreePress for the incredible job she did organizing her first ownership meeting.

Adelstein and Jordan Goldstein, Copps' senior legal adviser, listened attentively until nearly midnight, as more than 100 concerned citizens each offered two minutes of testimony. All testimony was recorded and will be submitted to the FCC and Iowa's congressional delegation.
FCC commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein made the following statement after the hearing:

"We learned last night that people in the heartland see many good reasons to oppose further media concentration. We heard a lot of solid evidence that the area's media may be failing to address key issues of local concern. People decried the lack of serious coverage of the problems faced in their communities. They pleaded with us not to let it get any worse.

"The verdict was unanimous - from elected leaders, teachers, workers, minorities, nurses, parents and grandparents - people are dissatisfied their with local media outlets. The message I will take back to Washington is that we had better address the very real issues raised by concerned citizens of Iowa before we consider further media consolidation."

To read more about the Town Meeting on the Future of the Media, click here.

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