CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION ALERT, January 23, 2004
http://www.chicagomediaaction.org

This alert includes a notice about a funding struggle with an ally of 
CMA's and how you can help--plus a reminder of two upcoming CMA-related 
events.

Our thanks to everyone who attended and participated in CMA's forum on 
Martin Luther King.  The turnout was outstanding (it rivaled the record 
we set for our Sept. 11 forum), as was the enthusiasm.

Thanks are due especially to our gracious hosts, Salim Muwakkil and Cliff 
Kelley, along with the staff at the Chicago Temple, and CAN TV for recording 
the event.

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Speaking of CAN TV...

For the second time in two years, the cable company RCN has defaulted
on a significant payment to Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV),
Chicago's public access cable television network.  The January 7 default 
amounted to $215,000, and poses a serious threat to CAN TV's future.

CAN TV is a precious resource for Chicago; many citizen organizations 
(including Chicago Media Action) rely on CAN TV as a crucial voice
to address the greater Chicago community.

To learn more about the default, please read:

http://www.cantv.org/rcn

http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=136

Here's a Chicago media action from Chicago Media Action: help protest
this default.  Citizen protest helped win a similar funding fight once 
before, and we can win it again.

(1) If you live in the Chicago city limits, contact your alderman and ask
them to get involved.  Contact information is available by calling 311
or visiting:

http://www.ci.chi.il.us/CityCouncil/index.html

(2) Contact Chicago Mayor Daley, urging him to act on this default.  And 
also contact RCN CEO David McCourt, urging him to complete the due payment.  
Contact information and suggested letters may be found at:

http://www.cantv.org/rcn.htm#help

Be sure to copy CAN TV in your correspondence.  

(3) Help spread the word about this default and what people can do.
Please forward this email, and speak about this issue with your 
family, friends, and neighbors.

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Here's a reminder of two upcoming events:

(1) Come hear Robert McChesney, author of "Rich Media, Poor Democracy" 
and a leader in the media reform movement, speak on "The Emerging 
Struggle for Control of the Media in the U.S." Tuesday, January 27, 
7:30-9:00pm, White Activity Center, North Central Colllege, Naperville, IL. 
The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, please 
call 630-637-5369.  To read more, please visit:

http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=129

(2) Chicago Media Action will be holding a workshop (with the Chicago 
Independent Media Center) in the 2004 Chicago Social Forum.  The forum 
will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2003, at Jones High School, 606 
S. State, Chicago, from 9am to 6pm.  For more details, please visit:

http://www.chicagosocialforum.org

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This is an email from Chicago Media Action, a Chicago activist
group devoted to media issues.

Chicago Media Action, P.O. Box 14140, Chicago IL 60614-0140  
Call toll-free: 1-866-260-7198  
Web: www.chicagomediaaction.org
email: cma@chicagomediaaction.org

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