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Friday, September 30
TV Brouhaha in Iowa
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 30 Sep 2005 07:00 AM CDT
 TV Brouhaha in Iowa
by Allison Romano, Broadcasting & Cable
Hey, look at this - and just in time for Blog for Iowa's Focus on Media Week! Iowans for Better Local TV is featured in this week's Broadcasting & Cable!
The
article is actually accurate, except for the fact that IBLTV is located
in Iowa City, NOT Cedar Rapids. And they even mentioned next week's upcoming FCC meeting in Iowa City.
BFIA
hats off to our own Trish Nelson and the IBLTV team. Some
well-deserved recognition, to be sure - not to mention some great
coverage for an important cause. See an excerpt below.
Every
few weeks, 15 or so [Iowa City], Iowa, residents huddle at the library
to plot another attack on one of the country's biggest TV-station
owners. Iowans for Better Local TV is taking aim at the Sinclair
Broadcast Group, which operates 60 stations nationwide, including local
CBS affiliate KGAN. Frustrated by what the group says is inadequate
local-news and community involvement, they are noisily pressuring
Sinclair.
“We want
to put Iowa values back into the product,” says Arron Wings, one of the
group's founders. “We want [the] local aspect back in their news and
more connection to the local community.”
RIGHT-WING AGENDA?
Iowans
for Better Local TV (IBLTV) is circulating petitions and explaining
their position to the media, and even considering filing a petition
with the FCC to deny KGAN's license renewal. And when FCC commissioners
Michael J. Copps and Jonathan Adelstein visit Iowa City for a town-hall meeting on the future of media on Oct. 5, IBLTV members plan to further vent their frustrations.
KGAN,
like most Sinclair stations, mixes locally-created news with
mass-produced fare from its centralized newsroom, NewsCentral. One
feature is “The Point,” a nightly editorial by Sinclair PR head Mark
Hyman. Critics say Hyman's editorials are a way for the company to push
a right-wing agenda over public airwaves. In eastern Iowa, viewers see
Hyman on KGAN's 10 p.m. news and also on a Sinclair-produced newscast
on the local Fox affiliate KFXA.
(Click here to read the rest of the article.)
Tuesday, September 27
Which Way To The Internet?
by
Chad Thompson
on Tue 27 Sep 2005 12:40 PM CDT
 Which Way To The Internet?
As my contribution today to "Focus on the Media" week, I'll point out a rather contentious point in media control:
Freepress.net is featuring efforts and policy proposals that allow municipalities to create what is known as "community internet".
Several
communities in Iowa have offered, either through public solutions, or
shared public/private ventures: you can see a listing of some of
the efforts here.
What is of particular interest to Iowans is broadband internet access to rural communities and rural areas. The Rural Broadband Coalition notes the following:
Rural
America, which is home to nearly a quarter of the nation’s population,
comprises 75 percent of this nation’s landmass. Competition and active
participation in today’s vigorous new economy requires not only a
computer, but also high-speed, high-capacity (broadband) access to
information and data on the Internet. While the Internet is changing
the world economy, technology experts say, “large parts of rural
America are losing out on jobs, economic development and civic
participation” because of inadequate access to the Internet. Traversing
vast expanses of remote and often rugged topography presents unique
financial and technological barriers.
There are those that oppose
the notion that municipalites and communities should invest in
broadband internet capability, from the standard argument that the
private sector would be far better at providing said services.
The two
questions I have to pose in that regard: when did cable providers
finish putting in place the infrastructure for cable television in
rural areas?
(The answer: "They haven't, and were never that serious about it.")
Will
internet access be a far more important tool for economic development
than cable television? If so, communities have the right to
invest in their future - just as they have the right to provide other
basic utilities in lieu of private sector competition.
Please share with us your success stories in using - or fighting for - community internet access below.
Why You Should Care Who Serves on the FCC
by
Trish Nelson
on Tue 27 Sep 2005 04:00 AM CDT
 Why You Should Care Who Serves on the FCC
NicholasJohnson.Org
The following appeared as a guest column in the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
by Nicholas Johnson
It’s election time. School board? Nope, done that. City council? Not yet. U.S. senators? The president? Members of congress? None of their six-, four- and two-year terms are up this fall.
The election I’m talking about only comes round every eight years — and this is the year in Iowa. Mark Oct. 5 on your calendar.
Given
the attention this election receives, you’re excused for not knowing.
But the outcome may have more impact on you, your family and community
than many of the other elections combined.
I’m
talking about who gets to control the most powerful mass communications
medium humankind has ever unleashed upon itself. Who gets to use the
local airwaves that we, the public, own.
With
TV sets running seven hours a day, children spending more time with
television than teachers, each of us will have spent 13 years of life
watching TV before we die. Indeed, TV watching has become ‘‘life’’ for
many. So how do we vote?
Like
elected officials, broadcasters have limited terms. When I was a
commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, TV licenses
lasted three years. Now they’re eight.
Most incumbent officials get re-elected and most TV owners get renewed.
But neither has a right to get re-elected or renewed. They both have to
‘‘run on their record.’’
All TV licenses in a given state expire on the same day. Iowa’s
TV licensees file for renewal Oct. 1. Audience members have from
October through December to file comments with the FCC. Feb. 1 is
renewal day.
What’s unique this year are two FCC commissioners, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, who think Washington
should come to us. They sided with the millions of Americans who
opposed the FCC’s giveaway to big media. Now they’re about to hold what
may be the first-ever FCC hearing in Iowa. Sponsors include the national media reform organization Free Press, the University of Iowa’s Lecture Committee, Iowans for Better Local TV, and numerous other groups.
The hearing will be in Iowa City at the Pomerantz Center (at the corner of Market Street and T. Anne Cleary Walkway) at 7 p.m. Oct. 5.
Park in the Iowa Memorial Union or North ramps. This may well be
one of the fall's biggest events after football.
And
before the forum, Iowans will have a chance to find out about how media
policy affects broadcast ownership and content, and get help preparing
a two-minute statement to present at the forum.
Workshops will take place at:
7 p.m. Wednesday at the Community of Christ Church, 1500 Blairs Ferry Rd., Hiawatha;
10:30 a.m. Saturday at the LULAC Club, 4224 Ricker Hill Rd. in Davenport;
2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, in Room A of the Iowa City Public Library;
6 p.m. Oct. 4 at the AFSCME Office in Eastdale Plaza, 1700 S. First St., Iowa City.
For details, click here.
Why should we care?
It’s
said humans are no more conscious of the mediated environment in which
we live than fish are conscious of the water in which they live. Yet
polluted media is no better for us than polluted water is for fish.
Numerous studies document that violence in TV programs increases real-life violence in our communities.
Walter
Lippmann and Noam Chomsky speak of the media’s ‘‘manufacturing
consent.’’ Even when TV isn’t telling us what to think, it’s telling us
what to think about. Except when, druglike, it’s designed to obliterate
all thought.
Time
for ‘‘local news’’ can become so consumed with commercials, national
stories, weather, fires, commentary and sports that viewers are left
unaware of the most serious problems — and opportunities — they
confront. Such as Iowa’s employment challenges, trends in land ownership, high school student achievement, and polluted waterways.
The
FCC requires TV stations to provide programs that serve children’s
educational needs. Are they doing it? Or are they telling our daughters
‘‘success’’ requires they reshape their bodies to look like starved
models?
Contrary
to all the world’s great religions, TV preaches — with programs,
product placement and commercials — that happiness, indeed our very
identity and life’s purpose, is to be found in hedonism and conspicuous
consumption. We will be known by the companies we keep.
Meanwhile, the FCC is permitting licensees to control more and more stations and other media. When I was there, the limit was 7 AM,
7 FM and 7 television stations. Today, five corporations control most
of our country’s media. One operates 1,200 radio stations.
They’re your airwaves. Oct. 5 is your opportunity to speak up. Be there.
_______________
Nicholas Johnson of Iowa City is a former FCC commissioner who teaches at the University of Iowa College of Law. Click here to visit his website.
(Link to the article)
Click here to learn more about
Monday, September 26
Letter to Sinclair Broadcasting: 37 Cents. Taking Back Our Airwaves: Priceless
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 26 Sep 2005 06:00 AM CDT
 Letter to Sinclair Broadcasting: 37 Cents. Taking Back Our Airwaves: Priceless
Ted
Remington (above) is seen by many as a pioneer in the campaign to expose
Sinclair Broadcasting’s corporate excess. This guest opinion,
which appeared in the Iowa City Press-Citizen on June 4, 2004, made
many eastern Iowans aware for the first time that a local station,
KGAN, was owned by a huge media conglomerate, the already-notorious
Sinclair Broadcasting - the company that refused to allow its
local stations to air Ted Koppel’s “The Fallen.” To start off Blog
for Iowa’s Focus on the Media Week, here is Ted’s landmark piece.
~~~
Individual and PAC contributions by Sinclair Broadcasting Group executives to Republicans: Nearly $250,000.
The opportunity to foist off canned editorials on eastern Iowans from half a continent away: Priceless.
If you
flip by KGAN at about 10:30 on any given night, you’ll see someone
named Mark Hyman delivering his daily editorial, “The Point,” at the
tail end of the nightly newscast. Hyman is not a
journalist. He’s not a KGAN employee. He’s not even an
Iowan. So why is he prattling away on our airwaves?
The
simple answer to that is because he can. Hyman is the vice
president of Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc., a Baltimore-based
company that aims to do to local news what Wal-Mart did to local
shopping: offer low-cost, low-quality products in homogenous
outlets across the country to maximize profit. Sinclair owns or
operates 62 local television stations across the country, including
Iowa stations KGAN, KFXA, KFSB and KDSM.
Part of
Sinclair’s modus operandi is to gut local news operations and replace
them with a one-size-fits-all broadcast. In many markets, much of
the “local” news is actually created in Sinclair’s studios in
Baltimore, beamed to its stations, and presented as homegrown product.
No longer homegrown
Thus
far, Iowa viewers have been spared the worst of Sinclair’s excesses,
but we’ve hardly gone untouched. If you’ve noticed that Tiffany
O’Donnell anchors not only KGAN’s 10 p.m. news but also the 9 p.m.
newscast on KFXA and KFXB, you’ve seen Sinclair’s handiwork. And
if business takes you to Des Moines and you feel a little homesick,
just tune in to KDSM’s nightly newscast, hosted by your “local” news
anchor, the indefatigable Tiffany O’Donnell.
Has
O’Donnell conquered the laws of time and space in order to hold down
three anchoring jobs simultaneously? Not exactly. Sinclair
uses its stable of KGAN talent to create a generic newscast that
is shown on KFXA, KFXB and KDSM. The good people of Dubuque have
suffered most from this news cloning. The city no longer has a
newscast of its own but must do with the generic Sinclair-cast that
pays virtually no attention to stories of particular interest in
Dubuque. For all intents and purposes, KFXB no longer is a local
station.
Once
upon a time, Sinclair could not have pulled this off. Media
ownership regulations ensured that no single company ran multiple
television stations in the same market. But the current
incarnation of the Federal Communications Commission, with the approval
of anti-regulation crusaders in the White House and Congress, relaxed
these restrictions, delighting companies such as Sinclair, which can
now scoop up multiple stations at will.
And this
brings us back to the droit du seigneur that is “The Point.” Not
content to merely profit from owning scores of television stations,
Sinclair’s executives use the rights of ownership to compel stations
such as KGAN to run their prefab political editorials. Regardless
of how out of step such commentaries might be with the views and
concerns of local viewers in specific markets, all Sinclair-owned
stations must submit and provide Hyman access to their audience.
It’s
true that Hyman’s editorials are predictably conservative, far to the
right of the average KGAN viewer. But that shouldn’t surprise
anyone. Given that republican politicians and appointees
spearheaded media deregulation, one can understand why Sinclair’s views
(and money) support GOP concerns almost exclusively. But that’s
not the problem.
It’s
also the case that Hyman’s ramblings rarely rise above the level of
talk-radio blather, relying on name calling, hyperbole and shading of
the truth to create what passes for an “argument.” But that’s not
my primary concern, either.
Not an Iowa Discussion
What
should concern all of us in eastern Iowa is that Sinclair, a corporate
conglomerate based on the east coast, is exploiting a local
resource. If KGAN wants to take a right-wing editorial stance,
that’s fine. If KGAN decides to allot precious minutes of airtime
to the musings of a mid-level management type rather than a bona fide
journalist, that’s its prerogative. But “The Point” isn’t a KGAN
product. It’s the brainchild of a corporation as far away from
eastern Iowa in temperament and values as it is in geography.
We the
people own the public airwaves, not KGAN, Mark Hyman or Sinclair
Broadcasting Group. I, for one, would welcome greater use of
local broadcast time for the discussion of topical issues, but let it
be a truly local discussion. Let’s talk about school board
elections, local referendums and proposed city ordinances. Let’s
talk about who we want to represent us in Des Moines and
Washington. And when we discuss national and international
issues, let’s do it with an Iowan accent.
“The
Point” represents a misuse of a public resource, a resource too scarce
to be given away. Certainly, there are larger issues of media
conglomeration that bode ill for truly local news, and these issues
need to be addressed.
But
let’s begin the fight here. Write KGAN (Sinclair Broadcasting
Group Inc., 10706 Beaver Dam Road, Hunt Valley, Md., 21030) and ask
them to stand up for their viewers by standing up to their bosses in
Baltimore. Better yet, write directly to the Sinclair company and
tell it you will not watch its programming as long as it takes
advantage of their clients: us.
Sending a letter to Sinclair Broadcasting Group: 37 cents.
Getting back our public airwaves: Priceless.
~~~
Ted
Remington is an assistant professor of English and associate director
of writing at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
He holds a Ph.D. in communication studies from The University of Iowa,
where he specialized in rhetorical studies. He has written
articles and presented papers on a range of topics, including using the
Internet to teach writing, the political rhetoric of marginalized
groups, and the role of rhetorical critics as political activists. He
is also the author of the weblog "The Counterpoint," which features
near-daily refutations of "The Point."
Tuesday, September 20
Smithfield, Iowa Settle Packer Ban Lawsuit
by
Chad Thompson
on Tue 20 Sep 2005 12:46 PM CDT
 Smithfield, Iowa Settle Packer Ban Lawsuit
In a bit of "end of the week" news last week, Smithfield announced a settlement with the State of Iowa that would lift the ban on Smithfield owning hogs to contract to growers.
Smithfield
Foods, Inc. announced Friday what it termed "a landmark agreement" with
the State of Iowa that allows Smithfield affiliates to contract
directly with Iowa farmers to raise hogs for slaughter at Smithfield
facilities.
The
announcement brings to a close a five-year legislative and legal battle
over an Iowa statute forbidding meat packers from owning or controlling
livestock in Iowa that began when Smithfield, then the nation’s largest
processor of hogs, announced its intention to acquire Murphy Family
Farms, one of the country’s biggest hog growers. Iowa’s Attorney
General interpreted that statute to prohibit Smithfield from continuing
Murphy’s practice of contracting with Iowa farmers to grow hogs to
maturity. Smithfield twice challenged the statute in court and both
times it prevailed.
Background:
In February 2002, a state court rejected the Attorney General’s
interpretation. Later that year, the Iowa legislature amended the
statute to make it more restrictive. Smithfield challenged the 2002
statute in U.S. District Court in Des Moines, which declared the law
unconstitutional. While that case was on appeal, the legislature acted
again, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals remanded the case for
reconsideration under the existing statute. The parties reached an
agreement to settle that case and U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt has
signed an order approving the settlement.
The settlement was announced at a news conference in Des Moines, which
was attended by Attorney General Tom Miller, other Iowa officials and
Smithfield executives.
Under
the terms of the settlement, the Iowa Attorney General agrees not to
enforce the statute against Smithfield and its affiliates. This permits
Smithfield’s affiliates to continue to enter into “grower contracts”
with Iowa farmers, similar to those common in other hog producing
states. Farmers entering into grower contracts with Smithfield are
given expanded rights in their relationship with the company.
...
Smithfield also agreed to commit $200,000 a year for 10 years to fund
an environmental education program at Iowa State University and grants
to foster innovative swine production. The company also committed to purchase 25 percent of the hogs slaughtered at its Iowa facilities on the open market.
What
this means: the Smithfield settlement clears the way for
Smithfield to set prices based on contracts, rather than open markets
and sale barns.
It
shouldn't be surprising that this morning Linda posted an article stating the ever
increasing numbers of large confinment facilities - this settlement
will pave the way for even more such facilities. In fact, it may
be necessary for a farmer to build nuisance facilities just to stay in
business, even if it means staying in business on Smithfield's terms.
Iowa Hog Confinements Built at Record Pace
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 20 Sep 2005 04:54 AM CDT
 Iowa Hog Confinements Built at Record Pace
by Perry Beeman, Des Moines Register.com
The number of large sites continues to grow, despite their neighbors' concerns
Iowa
this year set a record for new large-scale livestock confinements, as
neighbors and critics continue to complain about pollution risks and
fight the industry trend toward larger operations.
...The
risks are documented. Studies . . . have associated hog confinements
with neighbors' complaints of nausea, respiratory problems, headaches,
depression and diarrhea. The University of Iowa estimated hog
confinements emit more than 100 chemicals and compounds, including
hydrogen sulfide and ammonia.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Also, according to the DMReg, the list of dangers from hog confinements includes:
HYDROGEN SULFIDE:
At even low levels, hydrogen sulfide can cause eye irritation,
dizziness, coughing and headaches. At higher levels, most often found
inside or in confined spaces, it can kill, as it did in Des Moines when
two sewer workers were overcome by the fumes in July, 2002.
AMMONIA: It can cause respiratory problems, and death at high levels.
METHANE:
The greenhouse gas contributes to global climate change. It can be
burned for power, if collected, and can smother at high levels.
ENDOTOXINS: The cell walls of these bacteria can lead to
respiratory problems.
TETRACHLOROETHYLENE:
These are associated with cancers, kidney and liver trouble, eye and
lung irritation, headaches and neurological problems at high
concentrations.
Monday, September 19
Media Consolidation is Threatening Our Democracy
by
Caroline Vernon
on Mon 19 Sep 2005 04:43 PM CDT
 Media Consolidation is Threatening Our Democracy
by Caroline Vernon and
Amanda Ballantyne - freepress.net
Do you want the media to do a better job of covering issues you care about? Do you want more quality journalism? Are you wondering whether a few giant media conglomerates will provide the diverse and independent viewpoints you need?
Right
now, 5 major corporations own and control the airwaves that reach most
of our citizens and they continue to lobby the FCC in an effort to
tighten their stranglehold on our media. Those corporations are General
Electric (NBC), Time Warner (CNN), Disney (ABC), Viacom (CBS), and The
News Corporation (Fox).
If this
happens, one company could control all of our local radio, television,
and print media. This does not reflect a democracy where a variety of
diverse viewpoints must be heard!
Now is
your chance to tell Federal Communications Commissioners Jonathan
Adelstein and Michael Copps how well your media are serving – or not serving – your community. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more and to make your voices heard!
Future of Media Town Hall Meeting,
Iowa City, Iowa
When: 7PM Wednesday, October 5, 2005
Where: University of Iowa
The New Pomerantz Center, Room C20
The building is located at the corner of Market Street
and the T. Anne Cleary Walkway, across from
John Pappajohn Business Building
Map, parking, and accessibility information: Click here:
For those residing in the Quad Cities and Cedar Rapids, transportation will be provided to and from this event.
Please come to our related workshops in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities:
Related Workshops:
Learn how media policy affects ownership and content control, and limits the information that we need to participate effectively in a democracy
Workshops will also give you the chance to consider your own hopes for a media system that would meet your community's needs as well as prepare a two minute testimony to present to the Commissioners at the Forum.
All Workshops are free and open to the public.
Iowa City:
Workshop sponsored by: FAIR!
2PM Sunday, October 2, 2005
Iowa City Public Library, Room A
For more information, contact:
Maureen Donnelly: 319-354-4169 or
Amanda Ballantyne: 413-585-1533 x 23
Workshop sponsored by: Iowa City Federation of Labor
6PM Tuesday October 4
AFSCME Office in Southdale Plaza
1700 South 1st Avenue, Suite 19
Right above the DMV
For more information, contact:
Maureen Donnelly: 319-354-4169 or
Amanda Ballantyne: 413-585-1533 x 23
Quad Cities:
Workshop sponsored by: Progressive Action for the Common Good
10:30AM Saturday, October 1, 2005
The LULAC Club, 4224 Ricker Hill Road
Davenport, Iowa
For more information, contact:
Caroline Vernon: 563-323-7852 or
Amanda Ballantyne: 413-585-1533 x 23
Cedar Rapids:
Workshop sponsored by: Community of Christ
7PM Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Community of Christ Church
1500 Blairs Ferry Rd, Hiawatha, IA
For more information, contact:
Larry McGuire: 319-393-5163 x 102 or
Amanda Ballantyne: 413-585-1533 x 23
For more information about this event, or to find out how your
organization can get involved, please contact Amanda Ballantyne
(amanda@freepress.net) or Maureen Donnelly
(Maureen.donnelly@mchsi.com).
Media is the issue.
Your voice is worth fighting for - Raise it now – or lose it!
Friday, September 16
Evolution-Schmevolution: So-Called 'Intelligent Design' Being Taught at ISU
by
Trish Nelson
on Fri 16 Sep 2005 10:38 PM CDT
 Evolution-Schmevolution: So-Called 'Intelligent Design' Being Taught at ISU
The Des Moines Register
By Lisa Livermore
Ames, Ia. —
Tom Ingebritsen is a science professor who leads a small class where he
pushes a hot button at the Iowa State University campus: God.
In his
class, "God and Science," he asks students to think critically about
why they do or do not believe a creator had a hand in the planet's
beginnings.
"This is an issue that we ought to be talking about," Ingebritsen said after class. "Everybody is afraid to talk about it."
The
issue of teaching about a divine role in nature reached a boiling point
last month when more than 120 ISU faculty members signed a petition
opposing the teaching of intelligent design as a scientific theory.
(click here to read the entire article)
To view videos of Jon Stewart's week-long tribute to this topic, click here.
You
can
help stop media bias right here in the Hawkeye state!
 Click
here to join
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