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Monday, January 30
Goodbye to Local News
by
Arron Wings
on Mon 30 Jan 2006 02:00 PM CST
 Goodbye to Local News
MediaCitizen
By Timothy Karr
In a final act of defiance, the anchor at Honolulu Fox
affiliate KHON-2 gives management a piece of his mind, before they pull the
plug.
THE BIGGEST THREAT to the type of broadcast journalism that
Edward R. Murrow championed in the 1950s comes today not from Congressmen of
the Joe McCarthy mold, but by way of the industry itself. Profit-driven
broadcast owners have strangled off local reporting to line their pockets with
more advertising dollars.
This crisis in journalism is explicitly tied to the dangers
of consolidated media ownership and speculation. We all suffer when media
corporations trample public service and local journalism in their drive for
larger profits.
Joe Moore, a veteran newscaster at Fox’s Honolulu affiliate, KHON-2, can speak well to
the issue. On Thursday, he anchored the station’s newscast as sweeping newsroom
layoffs were taking effect. As a small concession from management, Moore was allowed to
write and read his sign off to viewers. Courtesy of NewsBlues (a newscaster
gossip site).
The Transcript of the Final Newscast
Finally
tonight, this has been a difficult day for most of us here at KHON2. It
was the final day on the job for our general manager Rick Blangiardi,
who refused to carry out the mass firing of over one third of our
station employees as ordered by our new owners, who will take over
tomorrow.
The firings are not a matter of
cutting excess fat to improve efficiency; they will be a butchering of
an already lean workforce that will remove muscle, bone, and vital
organs.
(click here to read the rest of the transcript)
Don't let this happen in Iowa! If you would like
to be part of organized media reform efforts in Iowa, please consider joining
Iowans for Better Local TV.
To find out more, click
here
YOU Can Bring Air America Radio to Iowa!
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 30 Jan 2006 04:00 AM CST
 YOU Can Bring Air America Radio to Iowa!
Air America Radio is coming to Iowa! Well, that is, if you follow this easy recipe.
There are just a few ingredients you need to bring progressive talk
radio to your town and your local station. Why let Rush Limbaugh
have the last (or only) word on everything? Davenport
was the first in Iowa to pick up Air America at WKBF-AM 1270 –
and the popular liberal talk-radio format is working for them, so why not have Air America Radio all across Iowa?
Progressive radio is just good business. According to the Portland Tribune,
since KPOJ switched from oldies music to the new Air America network in
March, 2004, the progressive format has made the station one of the
most
listened-to in Portland. The number of listeners jumped from an
average of 33,000 with the old format to almost 127,000 in the first
six months with Air America. “We got advertisers who don’t
normally
advertise,” says Mike Lulich, national sales manager for Clear Channel
Radio Portland, KPOJ’s parent. “In the end, advertisers come to
the station because they know their customers like the format.”
And, of course, because there are so many more of them.
So click here
or click on Blog for Iowa's Fight Media Bias sidebar (on the left) to download
the flyer called "How to Bring Air America Radio to Your Local
Community" and get started! [in Word doc format]
Click here for the original post on Daily Kos. Scroll down for additional comments and ideas that can help you in your quest.
Saturday, January 28
Bush Job Approval Ratings Take Another Dive
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 28 Jan 2006 11:00 AM CST
 Bush Job Approval Ratings Take Another Dive
American Research Group, Inc.
If it's not on TV, is it real?
You would never know this if you get
your news from television, but "W" is not doing
so well with the American public. Is it possible that, contrary
to what the broadcast media would have us believe, the "brilliant"
Rove-ian strategy ISN'T WORKING?
George W. Bush's overall job approval rating has returned to
its lowest point as Americans again turn less optimistic
about the national economy according to the latest survey from the American
Research Group. Among all Americans, 36%
approve of the way Bush is handling "his job" and 58% disapprove.
When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 34% approve and 60%
disapprove.
A total of 14% of Americans say the national economy is
getting better, which is down from 30% in December and 52% say the national
economy is getting worse, which is up from 40% in December. When asked about
the national economy a year from now, 15% say it will be better, which is down
from 28% in December, and 62% say it will be worse, which is up from 39% in
December.
(click here for more results)
If you would like to be part of organized media reform efforts in Iowa, please consider joining Iowans for Better Local TV.
To find out more, click here
Wednesday, January 25
Legislation to Deregulate Cable TV, Reduce Consumer Rights, and Eliminate Free Access
by
Trish Nelson
on Wed 25 Jan 2006 08:54 AM CST
 Action Alert: Stop Legislation to Deregulate Cable TV, Reduce Consumer Rights, and Eliminate Free Access
Contributed by Drew Shaffer, Cable TV Administrator
There are lobbying efforts in many state legislatures and in Congress right now that intend to completely deregulate cable TV and phone companies. Several bills have already been introduced in Congress and one is on it's way to the Iowa State legislature.
If successful, these bills would effectively:
eliminate any operational support for all public access cable tv channels in the US;
eliminate local franchising authority;
eliminate the ability of cities to regulate any rates of cable tv or phone companies and
eliminate the ability of cities to protect their citizens, by
eliminating
the ability of cities to deal with citizen complaints about their cable
tv/phone companies, and to the largest extent possible,
eliminate franchise fees.
These
lobbying efforts are largely being carried out by Verizon and Southern
Bell (which will shortly become AT&T through a merger/buyout),
although some cable companies are assisting their efforts. The phone
companies argument is that local franchising is a barrier to entry -
they will not be able to roll out their tv offerings fast enough to
compete with cable tv. The cable companies are arguing they should not
have to supply all the offerings they now make to cities (including
such things as operational funding for access channels, franchise fees,
pass through funds, etc.).
The
Congressional representatives that have been approached by cities over
the last six months indicate that there will be a bill passed this year
and that it will NOT be public access channel/city/citizen friendly (although
they might not put it quite like that - that will be the effect).
If you
are concerned about these developments, please contact your
Congressional and state reps and let them know you do not want this to
happen - that phone companies and cable companies should not be de-regulated. In fact, there should be further regulation to protect citizens, cities and public access channels.
Click here to find and contact your state legislators
Click here to find and contact your Congressman and US Senators
E-mail,
fax and phone are the best ways to contact our Washington reps.
If you send a snail-mail, send it to their district office rather than
DC. (All congressional mail sent to DC is screened for anthrax
and therefore it will take much longer to get there).
Drew
Shaffer, is the Cable TV Administrator in Iowa City. This issue
was discussed with Nick Johnson on Ch.
18, Iowa City’s Public Access Channel on the "Live & Local”
program. For more information, IC residents can watch for this
program to be rebroadcast - check the PATV schedule here.
If you would like to be part of organized media reform efforts in Iowa, please consider joining Iowans for Better Local TV.
To find out more, click here
Monday, January 9
This Week in Media
by
Arron Wings
on Mon 09 Jan 2006 11:00 AM CST
 The Iowa Caucuses Are Here
Caucuses
of the Democratic and Republican Parties will be held Monday January
16th. This is a great opportunity to raise awareness of media
issues that affect all of us. The National Black Caucus of State
Legislators has passed four resolutions that are model planks for Party
platforms. These resolutions were proposed by Iowa State
Representative Wayne Ford.
1. A Resolution In Support Of Increased Funding And Federal Support For Public Broadcasting
2. A Resolution Supporting Municipal Provision Of Community Broadband
3. A Resolution To Encourage Competition And Speed The Deployment Of Advance Communications Networks On A Non-Discriminatory Basis
4. A Resolution In Support Of Diversity In Media Ownership
Resolutions can be found here (pages 85-93) and article from Free Press is here.
The Resolution in Support of Diversity in Media Ownership reads:
"WHEREAS, freedom of the press and public access to diverse media are prerequisites for a functioning democracy; and
WHEREAS, the broadcast airwaves are owned commonly by the public and should be managed to serve the public interest; and
WHEREAS, adherence to the highest journalistic principles is a public trust; and
WHEREAS, the public interest is best served by the availability of a broadly diverse range of viewpoints; and
WHEREAS,
media diversity is seriously threatened by further consolidation of
media ownership in an already highly concentrated market; and
WHEREAS,
increased consolidation has made it more difficult to expand minority
ownership of broadcast media outlets, a key driver of diversity in news
and cultural programming; and
WHEREAS,
deregulation of radio ownership rules under the 1996 Telecommunications
Act caused unprecedented consolidation, dramatically decreasing
competition, reducing local accountability and content diversity; and
limiting access to the airwaves for local artists, community groups and
public officials; and
WHEREAS,
the Federal Communications Commission approved an unprecedented
loosening of public interest limits on media ownership in June 2003
only to see it overturned by the Courts after millions of people across
America from every political orientation voiced opposition; and
WHEREAS,
despite the fact the courts rejected these rules, the Federal
Communications Commission will soon reconsider an unprecedented
rollback of media ownership regulations which protect competition,
content diversity and local accountability in our media; and
WHEREAS,
the elimination and weakening of these regulations are likely to reduce
competition, the quality of local media coverage, local accountability,
diversity of content, diversity of voices, and the amount
and quality of news coverage in broadcast and print media across the
country, while providing windfall profits for a small handful of
corporate media owners; and
WHEREAS,
we recognize that as citizens in a democracy, we require public access
to a diverse range of media voices and messages in order to participate
fully in our community's shared social, cultural and political life;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE 29TH ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS, ASSEMBLED IN WASHINGTON, D.C., DECEMBER 7 - 11, 2005, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators supports the following measures:
-We urge the Federal Communications Commission
to resist attempts to loosen public interest limits on media ownership
and further urge the Congress and the Federal Communications Commission
to protect content diversity and press freedom by retaining and
strengthening existing media ownership regulations, including
regulations that limit the number of broadcast stations one owner may
hold; and
-We urge the Federal Communications Commission
to hold public hearings scheduled by the Localism Task Force to truly
understand how media consolidation has adversely impacted communities
across the country; and
-We urge the Federal Communications Commission and the Congress to take necessary steps to encourage and facilitate increased minority ownership of media outlets."
Media
Ownership rules are also at issue in Springfield Missouri where a
small cable company, Cable America, challenged the broadcast licenses
of stations that it says are functional duopolies. Story is here.
Media Minutes from Free Press are here.
Howard Dean Knocks the Wind out of Wolf Blitzer
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 09 Jan 2006 04:00 AM CST
 Howard Dean Knocks the Wind out of Wolf Blitzer
CNN
Here
is a partial transcript of Howard Dean’s appearance
on CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer Sunday. Click on the
video link that follows to experience for yourself glazed-over
stares from Wolf, two awkward pauses, and
Wolf's final heavy sigh of frustration as Dean takes him from
stammering to speechless. Notice in his opening shot,
Wolf found a way to say not once but twice as if it were
fact, “Democrats who took money..." [from
Jack Abramoff]. Dean sets the record straight.
BLITZER: Should Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff,
who has now pleaded guilty to bribery charges, among other charges, a
Republican lobbyist in Washington,
should the Democrat who took money from him give that money to charity or give
it back?
DEAN: There are no Democrats who took money from Jack
Abramoff, not one, not one single Democrat. Every person named in this scandal
is a Republican. Every person under investigation is a Republican. Every person
indicted is a Republican. This is a Republican finance scandal. There is no
evidence that Jack Abramoff ever gave any Democrat any money. And we've looked
through all of those FEC reports to make sure that's true.
BLITZER: But through various Abramoff-related organizations
and outfits, a bunch of Democrats did take money that presumably originated
with Jack Abramoff.
DEAN: That's not true either. There's no evidence for that
either. There is no evidence...
BLITZER: What about Senator Byron Dorgan?
DEAN: Senator Byron Dorgan and some others took money from
Indian tribes. They're not agents of Jack Abramoff. There's no evidence that
I've seen that Jack Abramoff directed any contributions to Democrats. I know
the Republican National Committee would like to get the Democrats involved in
this. They're scared. They should be scared. They haven't told the truth. They
have misled the American people. And now it appears they're stealing from
Indian tribes. The Democrats are not involved in this.
BLITZER: Unfortunately Mr. Chairman, we got to leave it
right there.
Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic Party, always
speaking out bluntly, candidly.
Appreciate your joining us on "Late Edition."
Link to the transcript
Link to the video (scroll down when you get there to "Dean Issues Smack-Down on Wolfie")
Wednesday, January 4
Skirmishes in the Information Wars
by
Caroline Vernon
on Wed 04 Jan 2006 04:00 PM CST
Skirmishes in the Information Wars
By Mike Whitney
Online Journal Contributing Writer
onlinejournal.com
There
are only two weapons in the imperial tool chest: force and deception.
The brutal colonial occupation of Iraq has provided us with a lavish
example of the former, but the twin-axel of deception is more abstruse
and difficult to pin down. Sure, there's the flagrant propaganda that
floods right-wing radio and political talk shows, but that tells us
little about the state-sponsored disinformation-programs that permeate
every area of American life.
We now
know that the Bush administration authorized massive illegal spying
operations and is actively engaged in planting pro-American stories in
the foreign press. These suggest that the administration's overall
theory of information management is much more extensive then originally
imagined. In fact, news and information manipulation is at the
forefront of Bush's war on terror, a comprehensive strategy to control
of every bit of information a citizen hears, sees or reads from cradle
to grave. It is information warfare on a scale that would make George
Orwell cringe.
It is
only in this context that we can see that the threats made by George
Bush to bomb Al Jazeera are completely consistent with the
administration's overall approach. Controlling information is seen as a
military necessity and those who fashion an alternate narrative are
Washington's sworn enemies. In this respect, we can understand how Al
Jazeera would have to be destroyed to pave the way for greater
democracy.
When we
observe the isolated incidents of the Bush information strategy it
seems disjointed and incoherent. How does the killing of journalists in
Iraq connect to the "Swift-boating" of Dan Rather or Richard Clarke in
the American press?
How does
Condi Rice's new Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program for aspiring
American propagandists relate to blowing up of Al Jazeera facilities in
Kabul and Baghdad?
How does
the dissemination of false stories in the foreign press connect to the
massive surveillance operations being carried out home and abroad?
Until we
are able to combine the many disparate parts of the Bush information
strategy, we are at risk of seeing these illegal activities as mere
aberrations and not as vital cogs in the machinery of the police state.
There is
nothing arbitrary about the massive cloud of secrecy that has settled
on the Bush administration. The government has built an impervious wall
around itself that conceals the venality of the principle characters
and avoids the transparency required for a healthy democracy.
Conversely,
the administration has defended its use of the various investigative
agencies; including the CIA, the Defense Dept., the NSA, and the FBI,
to probe every area of American life. In fact, the USAPATRIOT Act's new
provisions (National Security Letters and "lone wolf" clause)
completely dispose of the 4th Amendment's right to privacy (or
"probable cause"), allowing the government to spy on anyone it sees
fit. The recent revelations that government organizations have been
spying on antiwar activists, Quakers and environmentalists, strongly
suggests that Bush is now vacuuming up every bit of available
information on political enemies real or imagined.
Is anyone really surprised?
To read the rest of this article, click here:
Monday, January 2
This Week in Media
by
Arron Wings
on Mon 02 Jan 2006 11:00 AM CST
This Week in Media
The good
news this week is that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is
likely to retain most of its current level of funding.
A new
study reinforces the notion that locally owned stations produce better
local news. Article is here and the study is here.
And two
“Year in Review” pieces. Kay McFadden in the Seattle Times offers
a month by month chronology, and the San Fransico Chronicle offers this
perspective.
“The
strains between the news media and the Bush administration, which came
to the fore often in 2005, are not likely to go away. To put it
plainly, this White House does not seem to fully appreciate the concept
of a free press.”
Listen to Media Minutes from Free Press here.
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