CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION NEWSLETTER: August 1, 2005 http://www.chicagomediaaction.org In this month's newsletter... * Lots of action opportunities: Public file viewings, internet hearings, low-power radio * Lots of local media developments: WTTW questionable funds, Chicago trains for sale * Lots of national media developments: A new Telecom Act, cable franchises, Adelphia sale protests * A busy month for CMA: Two talks, a national letter co-signing, a public forum on Iran * New TV channels about Africa and Latin America, and a "Medium Cool" remake (1) ANNOUNCEMENTS * All of the television broadcasters in Illinois have their broadcast licenses up for renewal in 2005, and Chicago Media Action will soon begin visiting Chicago-area TV broadcast stations to examine their public files and beginning one or more license challenges. If you would like to join in this effort, contact CMA (respond to this email, or call 1-866-260-7198). We may help challenge one or more Illinois TV stations with petitions to deny later in 2005. * There has been series of public hearings on a possible community internet project in Chicago. The next one is scheduled for Thursday, August 11, from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 South Shore Drive. For more information and to reserve a place to comment, call the office of Chicago Alderman Laurino: 773-736-5594 or email ward39@cityofchicago.org. (A fourth "wrap up" hearing is planned for a downtown site later in the year.) * CAN TV, Chicago's public access cable network, will air a number of assorted events: + CAN-TV will air the CMA's July 13 Forum on Sunday, August 7, 2005 at Noon on Channel 21. + The first Chicago hearing (at Truman College) on wireless community internet hearing on July 21, 2005 will be cablecast: - Sunday, August 7, 2005 at 2pm on cable channel CAN TV21 - Thursday, August 19, 2005 at 9am on cable channel CAN TV19 + The second Chicago hearing (at Malcolm X College) on wireless community internet on July 28, 2005 will be cablecast: - Sunday, August 14, 2005 at 3pm on cable channel CAN TV21 - Thursday, August 18, 2005 at 9am on cable channel CAN TV19 (2) WHAT'S NEW WITH CMA? * On July 13, CMA held a public education forum on The Threat of Intervention in Iran, hosted by Cliff Kelley, and featuring a panel including commentators Stephen Kinzer, Hamid Akbari, Danny Postel, and Saman Sepheri. See photos of the event, and hear the complete audio of the event, here: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/index.php?link=2005-07-13_iran * CMA organizers gave two presentations in July 2005. One was at the California Clipper on July 5, 2005 about the concentration of media ownership. Another was on WZRD to discuss this month's PBS senate hearings. You can hear the complete audio for both here: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/audiofiles/great_wurlitzer_2005-07-05.mp3 http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/audiofiles/cma_wzrd_2005-07-14.mp3 * CMA was one of ten organizations to sign a letter calling for increased transparency of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the wake of recent controversial decisions from the CPB. Read more: http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0728-06.htm (3) WHAT'S NEW IN MEDIA POLITICS? No, the question should be "What _isn't_ new in media politics?" * Senator John Ensign (R-NV) has announced a proposed update of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, named the Broadband Consumer Choice Act of 2005 -- a piece of legislation fantastic for big media and big telecom interests, and lousy for consumer prices, for local and community digital rights, and for America's international digital standing. (Digital television is not included in this rewrite.) Read the bill, and commentary, and CMA's statement to the legislation: http://ensign.senate.gov/static_media/072705_telecom_bill.pdf http://www.wetmachine.com/totsf/item/326 http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=338 * The Alliance for Community Media has alerted us to two bills in Congress now which would hobble public access and public-service cable channels nationwide. Learn more and act: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=332 http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=337 * Comcast and Time Warner, the top two cable companies in America, are trying to divvy up the remnants of the third largest cable company, the bankrupt Adelphia. Also, the FCC is considering rules that could potentially allow just 3 cable companies to control over 90% of broadband and cable access across the United States. But a campaign, which has drawn tens of thousands of responses in under a week, is underway. Learn more and act: http://www.freepress.net/fcc/comment.php?d=92-264 * On July 7, 2005, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking about the future of the Low Power FM (LPFM) radio service. This may be the most important opportunity for you to comment on the direction of LPFM. Act today, and you can help expand LPFM to reach your community: http://www.prometheusradio.org/comments_fcc.shtml http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=327 * Phil Rosenthal in the Chicago Tribune reports on July 3, 2005: "Line item: Two weeks after saying he discovered a $1.5 million shortfall that led him to sign "Chicago Tonight" host Bob Sirott to just a six-month contract extension, WTTW-Ch. 11 [Chicago's PBS affiliate] boss Dan Schmidt managed to submit a balanced 2005-06 budget to the public station's board. The board then renewed Schmidt's deal, which has paid a salary of around $300,000, for another year..." * Speaking of PBS, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) deems a controversial "analysis" of PBS' NOW with Bill Moyers "a little nutty" and a "complete waste" of $14,000 in taxpayer funds. Read more, and more about the the man who authorized the "analysis", Kenneth Tomlinson, chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/CA622584.html http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4724317 http://www.q-and-a.org/Program/?ProgramID=1033 * In a day and age notorious for hyper-advertising and the erosion of public spaces, the naming rights and advertising rights to Chicago elevated train stations and routes are coming under consideration: http://tinyurl.com/9qmw9 (4) FACT OF THE MONTH To quote from an article by Michael Deibert: "Set to compete with the established Black Entertainment Television (BET) and relative newcomer TV One, a new 24-hour channel focusing on news and entertainment from the African continent, The Africa Channel, will be ready to launch by the third quarter of 2005, its president said on Monday. The channel hopes to provide a voice and image in the United States for the little-covered region." Read more: http://mediachannel.org/blog/node/222 (5) QUOTE OF THE MONTH "There really is nothing more amusing than members of the mainstream U.S. press getting on their high horses about the state of journalism in other countries. A classic case in point is the article written by Gary Marx of the Chicago Tribune on the new Latin American satellite channel, Telesur." -- Christian Christnesen, commentator. Read the full source of the quote: http://mediachannel.org/blog/node/206 (6) RECOMMENDED WEBSITE http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/161/report_display.asp The Pew Internet and American Life Project researches Americans' use and understanding of the Internet. The most recent report explored public awareness of a variety of internet-related terms. (7) MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS * The next CMA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 9, at 6:30pm, at 3411 W. Diversey, in Chicago (at the intersection of Milwaukee, Diversey, and Kimball, near the Logan Square blue line stop). We encourage all those interested to attend. * This Revolution, a remake of the film "Medium Cool", is the first feature film from the Guerrilla News Netowrk (which CMA has partnered with in the past). This Revolution stars Rosario Dawson as an Iraq War widow who turns to radical protest during the Republican National Convention, and will play at the 12th Chicago Underground Film Festival at the Music Box Theater, 3733 N. Southport Ave. 60613-3718 (773-871-6604) The film is slated to play Friday August 19 at 6:00 PM with a repeat Monday August 21 at 10:00 PM. Read reviews and see a trailer for the film here: http://gnn.tv/videos/29/This_Revolution_with_reviews *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 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: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org E-mail: cma@chicagomediaaction.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, simply send an email requesting removal to mailinglist@chicagomediaaction.org