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Prometheus Newsletter
Prometheus in the News
Political activists, music buffs and church groups are
eagerly pursuing low-power radio licenses that will allow them to reach
neighborhoods rather than regions. But commercial stations--and NPR--want
Congress to slow down this bandwagon.
"The commission bent over backwards to appease the
competition-fearing radio industry, which has argued, with little
evidence, that low-power radio will cause a marked increase in signal
interference."
"Radio Pirates Drop Anchor Together; Seeing Chance for FCC
Support, Advocates of Low-Power Stations Share Advice"
"Digital Radio Wars Heat Up; And why do people hate low power FM
stations?"
'Pirates' a threat to commercial radio stations?
Prometheus Articles
Ralph Nader on Low-Power FM July 9, 1999
"What's the use of free speech if noboby can afford
it?"
Prometheus Releases
In response to underhanded political maneuvering in Congress,
hundreds of advocates of neighborhood radio are sending their receivers to
their Senators.
Coalition tells NPR Board: Stop the Crusade Against LPFM September 22,
2000
FCC Commissioners Create New Low Power Radio Service In Response
To Overwhelming Public Support
Study Finds Clear Signals for Low Power Radio August 1999
"The FCC publicly released today a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
on legalizing low power broadcasting in the United States. If the proposal
is a good one, and is not defeated by pressure from the National
Association of Broadcasters, Low Power FM radio broadcasting (LPFM) could
become legal soon."
Lawyers Welcome FCC Move on Low-Power January 28,
1999 "The Committee on Democratic Communications (CDC) of
National Lawyers Guild praises FCC initiative on low power radio but warns
against commercialism. Micro-radio lawyers urge the FCC to consider only a
democratic, local an." - NLG Release
Prometheus statement from a 1998 protest in front of the
FCC
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September 2000
Contents
[New
Prometheus Email List] [Radio Barn
Raising in Opelousa, Louisiana] [Slam the NAB
in San Francisco] [Application
Windows] [Don't Give
Up!] [Prometheus
Launches Outreach Campaign]
Prometheus De-Livered Right to Your Email Box!
All of the laughs, compelling drama, rants, musings, and
important news you've come to expect from this award winning newsletter.
Prometheus has created a new email distribution list for
Prometheus De-Livered, low-power fm announcements, and articles. This will
be a very low traffic list, and only Prometheus staff will be able to post
to it. Anyone can submit updates and articles to us for it (mailto:%20petri@critpath.org), but
Prometheus staff will be the only ones that can actually post stuff (we
consider your inbox space precious- and will make sure that this is not
cluttered up like some of the list-servs). [Subscribe to
Prometheus De-Livered online]
Radio Barn Raising!!!November 17-19, 2000
Opelousas, Louisiana
Prometheus is hosting a conference and master class in radio for new
LPFMs and applicants. One of our favorite radio engineers will come to
supervise a "radio barn raising," in which all the groups we've worked
with come out and help put one of these stations on the air. At the end of
the weekend, we hope to flip the switch and let one of the first LPFM
signals fly! It will be a time where new programmers will meet, new
stations can compare notes on fundraising and equipment, and broadcast
professionals can share their skills with the new low power radio
stations. We'll also plan the course for media activism for the next year,
and plot for the continued fight to take back the media from the greedy
corporations.
Conference cost: $10-$100/day sliding scale. Meals and simple
lodging included.
[Register Online
Now!]
Media Democracy NowProtest the National
Association of Broadcasters San Francisco • September 20-23,
2000
Act up, party down, raise hell, shout out.
The National Association of Broadcasters is the WTO of the broadcasting
industry. It spends millions of dollars every year lobbying to keep the
airwaves out of the hands of the public.
Join Media Alliance • Project Censored • Fairness and
Accuracy in Reporting • Ella Baker Center for Human Rights •
Micropower Action Coalition • Global Exchange •
Prometheus Radio Project • Direct Action Network and others in
protest!
We can thank the NAB and the media giants that it represents for:
Putting out the trash called commercial radio and TV
Stereotyping youth, people of color, and working class people.
Censoring and misrepresenting the issues we care about - from
homelessness and immigrant rights to the environment and labor.
Pushing for legislation like the Telecommunications Act of 1996,
which legalized media monopolies, creating The Gap and Starbucks of the
airwaves.
Engineering the giveaway of billions of public dollars by handing
over the digital TV spectrum to the corporate media
Fighting tooth-and-nail against grassroots media efforts like
low-power radio that would bring hundreds of new voices and perspectives
to the airwaves.
Bring your microradio transmitters, your dancing shoes, and your
militant nonviolent attitude.
[Download this
handy flyer in pdf format] [Dig all the developments at
www.mediademocracrynow.org]
Filing Window Reminder:
The filing window for Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan,
Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Virginia, and Wyoming is
right now! If you want to apply and haven't you must do so before
the end of the day on September First! No ifs ands or butsŠand definitely
no extensions. We're around for last minute help. The next window, for the
end of November includes the following states: American Samoa, Colorado,
Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Wisconsin- So get out your ink pens and your phone book and start
getting ready now.
Don't Give Up 'Til You Are On The Air!
Well, we hope your town is applying for a LPFM. If you hit any
stumbling blocks, contact us and we'll see how we can help. Don't let any
two-bit professional tell you that you can't apply- there is no group in
this entire country that can't apply for an LPFM. Some groups have less
chance of getting a license - former pirates, people in big cities,
etcetera - but if you are determined, we will help you find away to get
your neighborhood on the air. We get a lot of calls from people who have
misunderstood the rules and think they are ineligible for some reason or
other. Nine times out of ten, they are completely eligible! Even if you
are ineligible, you should apply anyway and ask for a waiver of that
specific rule. The big broadcasters ask for (and receive) dozens of these
waivers every day of the year. Don't give up till you've called us!
215-476-2385 mailto:%20%20prp@tao.ca
Prometheus Launches Outreach Campaign
Perhaps the most ironic rumor we've heard going around is that the new
low power radio stations are " not for groups like us- they are for the
religious right churches." This was not the intention of the FCC when they
created the service, and these organizations do not have any advantage
over any other groups. If you are not a "non-profit organization that has
been locally based for at least two years," you may want to find one to
help sponsor your project, because any such organization- a school drama
club, a horticututral society, a groundhog day observation organization-
can be eligible for a point in the competetive licensing process. But you
do not need to be in existence for two years to apply.
Give Us Your Money or Burn in Hell
The whole thing is a little depressing to us here at Prometheus. About
half of the applicants in the first window were religious stations, and
about half of them were nice looking ones, and the other half seemed like
they were probably nasty fundamentalist give us your money or go to hell
radio evangelist operations. As advocates of freedom of expression- we
have no problem with Christian, right wing radios stations. The Christian
Right, however, has been particularly adept at bending the FCC's rules to
allow for nationwide repeater networks built out of stations that are
supposed to be allocated for local use.
The Time is Now
Prometheus Radio Project seeks to counter this trend by getting as many
legitimate, local progressive organizations and publicly minded
institutions to apply for stations as possible. There will be just one,
five day opportunity to apply for a low power radio station in your town,
sometime within the next months. If you ever wanted to have a community
media project - the time is now. We need your help. Visit our outreach
campaign in the projects section of
the web site to learn how you can plug in.
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