Friday, October 27, 2000
Another update on LPFM in the Senate, this time from the Virginia Center For the Public Press: Last night the Senate passed an appropriations bill containing a rider to kill LPFM (s.3020), with a vote pretty much down party lines. It's reported that President Clinton has promised to veto this bill, with LPFM being one of the reasons for the veto.
The VCPP has digitized some interesting sound clips from the debates surrounding this bill and made them available on their website.
Big thanks go to Christopher Maxwell at the VCPP and Radio Free Richmond for keeping track of this Congressional activity and for keeping folks updated!
posted 10/27/2000 03:39:46 PM [link
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Thursday, October 26, 2000
I just received the following breaking update on the LPFM situation in Congress from the Low Power Radio Coalition:
Friends-
At 5:30 this morning, the Commerce State Justice
Appropriations bill was submitted to both houses of
Congress. This bill includes a rider (S. 3020) that guts
the FCC's Low Power Radio proposal. The House is scheduled
to vote on the package later today, with the Senate voting
tonight.
As things stand right now, the President will veto the
bill. We are hopeful that his veto message to Congress
includes LPFM as one of the reasons for the veto - we will
know in a few hours. If the President vetos the bill, then
there will be a final negotiation between the Republican
leadership and the White House, then a new bill be will
brought before Congress early next week. We need the White
House to stand firm in support of LPFM.
Regardless, this is the final showdown. If the bill goes
through with the rider, LPFM is essentially toast. It will
take a number of significant victories in the November
election for LPFM to have any credible short-term future
(Gore over Bush and a Democratic house, for two).
Please, please, please:
Call and email your congressman and senators TODAY! Tell
them this back-door attempt to override the long public
process held by the FCC is totally unacceptable. You can
get contact information for your representatives from this
site: http://congress.nw.dc.us/lpr
Please spread the word. 10,000 emails to congress may be
our last best chance to preserve the FCC plan.
Best,
Michael Bracy
Low Power Radio Coalition
mbracy@bracywilliams.com
posted 10/26/2000 03:17:40 PM [link
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Wired News has an article today on the congressional fight for the future of LPFM. Unfortunately, the article reports that Clinton is unlikely to veto an appropriations bill just because anti-LPFM language is attached. That's bad news, and should give even more reason to deluge Clinton with faxes and letters urging him to support LPFM even if it means vetoing an appropriations bill.
posted 10/26/2000 11:02:00 AM [link
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Tuesday, October 24, 2000
FCC Chairman William Kennard wrote an Op-Ed piece in Monday's Washington Post defending LPFM and lambasting the broadcast industry for sneaking anti-LPFM language into unrelated apporpriations bills.
posted 10/24/2000 05:29:18 PM [link
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Several sources have reported that Free Radio Austin is back on the air, after being shut down by the FCC on Oct. 10.
posted 10/24/2000 05:26:34 PM [link
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Saturday, October 21, 2000
Good News: Mbanna Kantako and Human Rights Radio are back on the air in Springfield, IL., reports the Independent Media Center. According to the report, Kantako returned Human Rights Radio to the air Friday afternoon at 3pm Central time, "in defiance of a court order prohibiting him from further broadcasting. This comes after a large-scale raid which took most of his gear from his home while his family watched."
Scroll down to see earlier reports and links to audio about the raid on Human Rights Radio.
posted 10/21/2000 06:05:47 PM [link
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The Continuing Disintegration of Pacifica: This week a memo from Amy Goodman, host of Pacifica's Democracy Now, to the Pacifica Board of Directors was leaked. The memo outlines the harassment and censorious rules that Pacifica management is forcing on the program, in an effort to strip it of the honest and forthright journalism that has become its hallmark. This is the latest move in the widely recognized effort to neutralize Pacifica, move it to the center and potentially make it more appealing to the moneyed liberal cetner.
For more information and to read the letter, go to Media Democracy Now!
In my opinion (since you asked), unfortunately I think Pacifica as it once was is a lost cause. Those in power will not let go until it is pried from their lifeless hands, and the foundation itself is dead and bloated. Due to ludicrous contract stipulations Pacifica's core affiliates are jumping ship like rats, and 2 of the 5 owned stations are in constant turmoil. It seems all that will be left are the stations, which will probably be sold for quick cash to pay off mounting legal debts and the loss of income from subscribers and affiliates. I really don't see this situation changing, regardless of court victories by those who are trying to take the system back. While I don't think it is a waste to try and do something to put pressure on the Pacifica Board to not completely screw up Democracy Now, they have shown no willingness to listen to listeners, affiliates, or anyone else for the last 5 years, so I don't know why they'd start now. Instead, I think that efforts are best placed in building new resources and systems, like the growing Independent Media Center movement, which might also provide a new home for journalists like Amy Goodman, that might even exceed the reach of Pacifica--whose reach now is only dwindling anyway.
posted 10/21/2000 04:57:51 PM [link
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In light of the recent shutdown of Mbanna Kantako's Human Rights Radio in Springfield, IL, it's important not to forget about Napoleon Williams and Black Liberation Radio In Decatur, IL, just 40 miles East of Springfield. Napoleon's station was shut down not by the FCC, but by local authorities who, after years of harassment, finally railroaded him on Illinois' first ever conviction for felony eavesdropping (not even Linda Tripp received such punishment!) for recording a telephone call between himself and a DCFS case worker who told him that there was no reason for DCFS to have custody of his children. By comparison, note that Katako was permitted by Federal Marshals, local police and the FCC to videotape and audiotape the raid on his home and station as it happened.
Visit these sites to learn more about Napoleon Williams' struggle:
The old RFC news page on Black Liberation Radio
About.com Pirate/Free Radio Page Article on Napoleon Williams and BLR
To Whom It May Concern: Decatur Illinois' Untold Story
Break the Blackout
Petition to Break the Blackout on Napoleon Williams
posted 10/21/2000 03:49:05 PM [link
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Christopher Maxwell from the Virginia Center for the Public Press and Radio Free Richmond (VA), sent out the following update on the LPFM battle in Congress, from Senator Robb's Telecom Legislative Assistant, Jeremy Grant:
"still no sign of when we'll get out of here.
the president signed a bill to keep the government
temporarily funded through next wednesday
(10/25), but it's uncertain whether congress
will be able to get done with its work by then.
on a positive note, john mccain sent a letter
yesterday to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman
Ted Stevens urging him not to add any
telecom-related legislation to year-end spending bills.
will let you know more as i hear more. "
In the event that anti-LPFM legislation gets attached to an unrelated appropriations bill it's important to let President Clinton know that there is tremendous public support for LPFM--enough to give him reason to veto that appropriations bill and risk making Congress work overtime to get the budget worked out. Contact the president:
E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov
Phone: 202-456-1414
Fax: 202-456-2461
For more information, check out the Radio Citizen website, also conveniently linked at the right.
posted 10/21/2000 03:16:17 PM [link
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Saturday, October 14, 2000
On Sunday's show: I'll play segment's from Mbanna Kantako's tape of the Federal shutdown of his micropower station, Human Rights Radio. I'll also have updates on the most recent micropower station shutdowns and the final push to convince President Clinton to veto legislation aimed to kill LPFM.
posted 10/14/2000 08:46:50 PM [link
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Wednesday, October 11, 2000
Stephen Dunifer of Free Radio Berkeley posted an article to the Indymedia site declaring "FCC Declares WAR on Micropower Broadcasting - Fight Back!" He notes that there a number of new transmitter designs in the works to make getting on the air easier for new microbroadcasters interested in civil disobedience.
posted 10/11/2000 11:39:41 AM [link
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Friday, October 06, 2000
A post to the Downstate Illinois Radio Watch message board reports that there may be a new unlicensed station on the air in Decatur. The posted says the station is at 99.9 FM and is going by the name "Human Rights Radio."
Perhaps this broadcaster is on the air in solidarity with Mbanna Kanatko and Springfield's Human Rights Radio, put off the air last Friday? If anyone has any information, please e-mail me.
posted 10/6/2000 04:51:15 PM [link
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Wired News has a story about Alan Freed and Beat Radio Minneapolis. Freed, who operated ulicensed Beat Radio until being shut down, lost his last appeal in the 8th circuit, challenging the constitutionality of the ban on low power stations and unlicensed operations. Like the outcome in the Free Radio Berkeley case, the judge ruled that Freed would have had to apply for a waiver from the FCC, and then been denied in order to challenge the consitutionality of the rule. If accepted, Freed's next step is the Supreme Court.
The ruling in this case and Berkeley's should not be surprising, since the judiciary typically holds the law and regulation in the highest esteem. It rarely looks kindly upon those who attempt to work outside the system, or those who dare reject the system outright (like Mbanna Kantako). Apperently you still need to bang your head against the brick wall in order to prove that it's a brick wall.
posted 10/6/2000 01:05:57 PM [link
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Thursday, October 05, 2000
More on the Human Rights Radio Shutdown:
As soon as the raid started Mbanna started recording things on his tape recorded. The full 36 minute undedited recording is now available in RealAudio at the Indymedia site, and in mp3 at the A-Info Radio Proejct site. Listen and hear our government at work. If you have a station (licensed or unlicensed), download the mp3 and broadcast it! Thanks go to Sheila Nopper and Ron Sakolsky of the Springfield, IL Media Activist Coalition for sending me the tape to digitize and upload.
Mbanna appeared in court yesterday, and I received this report on it from the Media Activist Coalition in Springfield.
Finally, Springfield's newspaper, the State Journal-Register, finally reported on the bust and court appearance. Please don your mainstream media filter glasses before reading.
"FCC threatens to shut down broadcaster."
"Court Issues Injunction Against Broadcaster"
I will post more information as I receive it!
posted 10/5/2000 04:38:15 PM [link
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Monday, October 02, 2000
On Friday, Sept. 29 at 5:15pm, pioneering Micropower
Broadcaster Mbanna Kantako and his Springfield, IL, unlicensed
micropower radio station, Human Rights Radio, were shut down
by Federal Marshals and the Federal Communications
Commission. The FCC charges that Kantako's station, operating
at less than 100 watts of power, threatened the radio
communications for the Air Rendezvous Air Show planned for
Springfield this weekend.
The raid, conducted by Federal Marshals, lasted from 5:15 PM to
6:00 PM CDT, during which Kantako's transmitting and computer
equipment. Luckily, his recordings library, containing valuable
archive recordings of Human Rights radio broadcasts, were left
untouched.
Mbanna Kantako, widely recognized as the founding father of the
micropower radio movement, first went on the air with Black
Liberation Radio in November 1987, broadcasting to the residents
of the John Hay Housing Projects in Springfield, the capital city of
Illinois. Since that time Kantako has broadened his message from
one of black liberation to one looking to help empower and liberate
all oppressed peoples. Noted micropower radio activists like
Stephen Dunifer of Free Radio Berkeley cite Kantako as the
inspiration for the nationwide micropower radio movement that
has grown so strong that the FCC was moved into recreating a
licensed low-power radio service this past January.
Kantako's court date is set for Wednesday, October 4 at 10:00 AM
in the Federal Court, Federal Building in downtown Springfield, IL
on Monroe Street (between 6th and 7th Streets). Supporters of
Kantako, Human Rights Radio, and right to use the airwaves are
strongly encouraged to attend this date and show your support in
the courtroom.
For more information, contact Ron Sakolsky & Sheila Nopper at
217-498-8497 or
Michael Townsend at 217-483-6100
posted 10/2/2000 12:24:03 PM [link
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The Downstate Illinois Radiowatch has a listing of the LPFM applications made in the state of Illinois. Note how many applications are filed by churches or other religious groups. I count 38 out of 83 total applications, which makes for 46%. Also note that all of these applications are for Christian groups--no other religion is represented.
Since there are already so many Christian stations on the dial, I hope that the FCC would take this into account when parceling out the new licenses, especially due to the fact that in many cases there are 3-5 applicants for a single frequency (like 99.7 FM in Urbana-Champaign, IL). It should be abundantly clear that there is a real lack of true public-access community radio stations, not for another cookie-cutter praise Jesus station.
posted 10/2/2000 12:13:50 PM [link
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