| A Non-Profit Educational Media Organization. |
| Mission: |
To produce/promote the broadest
possible spectrum
of news/views/culture in the Virginia media. |
Why is this necessary? (Community Radio)
Competition between radio station owners used to prevent
too many ads or overly bland or insulting programming.
You could turn the dial to "the other guy".
Then the 1996 Telecom Act allowed a huge merger frenzy
so that ...
Now "... we
are the Other Guy", says George Sosson, Clear Channel Inc. Senior Vice
President.
Many assume that "the free market" produces shows for
all the news/views and cultures worth programming for.
If your culture and views aren't aired, you're not
worth listening to.
Not so:
In
the February 1997 American Demographics article "The Emerging Culture",
Paul H. Ray argues that media ignores so many Americans because those
who make the programming decisions don't care about or care for
our news/views values and culture.
Do you find yourself both "liberal" and
"conservative" ...
or reject this binary choices as worthless?
This research has found three major groupings of values in America;
the two that are commonly thought of as "liberal" and "conservative"
...
and a third emerging culture referred to as "Cultural Creatives"
that combine aspects of both.
"Cultural Creatives" are generally well educated,
well paid and hungry for news and culture ...
yet we have very few radio or TV programs designed for us ...
because we are not making the programming decisions.
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Click on chart to see it full-sized.
Click here
for the full story. |
"Despite their numbers [24% of the U.S. population] Cultural
Creatives tend to believe that few people share their values. This is partly
because their views are rarely represented in the mainstream media,
which is mostly owned and operated according to the Modern world view.
Little of what they read gives them any evidence of their huge numbers."
"It's not too far off to say that Moderns see the world
through the same filters as Time magazine." |
Paul H. Ray
Luckily, we needn't wait until the market recognizes
all Americans as available for exploitation. We have the right to assemble
and petition for redress of grievances.
Radio Free Richmond
seeks to be a light unto those
who are not illuminated by existing commercial, religious or public
radio stations.
We will play the News Views Jazz and Blues techno and
free-form other radio stations would rather not use.
In this way we will contribute to a stable and just
society where everyone can become who they want to be.
We seek to enable
the weakest links in our society to become strong so that no-one
can thrive on the pain and weakness of others.
We are
"Radio For
The Rest Of Us."
Get on the air before 2000:
More information
on LPFM
Effort to defend
our ability to hear WDCE 90.1FM as well as any new LPFM stations.
The Fall 2000 "Murrow's Hope"
newsletter is the Video SlideShow and Audio File (playing now on AT&T
and Comcast Cable Public Access channels)... or you can read the script
here.
Read more details on
the LPRS in Spring'99 Newsletter "Murrow's Hope"
Radio Free Richmond Founding Premises:
| Premise: |
Our Democratic Republic depends on a careful balance of power and an
effective “free press”
that is neither onerously influenced by government or
overly centralized private influence. |
|
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| Premise: |
"Freedom of speech does not exist in the abstract. On the
contrary, the right to speak can flourish only if it is allowed to
operate in an effective forum -- whether it be a public park
or
a radio frequency.
For in the absence of an effective means of communications,
the right to speak would ring hollow indeed. And, in
recognition of these principles, we have consistently held that the
First Amendment embodies,
not only the abstract right to be free from censorship,
but also the right of the individual to utilize an appropriate and
effective medium for the expression of his views."
Justice of the Supreme Court William Brennan
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| Premise: |
The American Dream is
to be who you want to be
as you define it. |
To realize this
you must be informed
|
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| Premise: |
"Media is the lifeblood of a Free Society",
Newt Gingrich
"Information is the currency of democracy.",
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| Premise: |
A stable society is an inclusive and just society..
Media is the feedback loop
between those who make policy
and those who suffer from policy. |
|
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| Premise: |
America can only function with justice so
long
as the media includes the broadest possible
spectrum
of news/views and culture. |
|
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| Concluding
Premise: |
A truly free press, free of concentrated
control by any group of people, governmental, business or
religious
and that provides a place for everyone's stories
to be heard ... is vital to the continued success and just stability of
the Great Experiment, the United States. |
|
 |
Subscribe to eMurrow's Hope |
|
 
 .......
------------------------
WHAT IS LPFM?
------------------------
LPFM stands for "Low Power FM". LPFM is essentially
the re-legalization of small affordable radio stations for new entrants
to create competition to serve audiences ignored by larger stations.
The Big Broadcasters have had the rules bent for
decades to make room for their 40,000 and 100,000 watt stations to squeeze
onto the dial and spew horrible morning shows and repeat the same music
over and over and over ...
for DECADES!
Now a few thousand churches, educational and community
civic groups want to get the same deal and make space on the FM dial to
build affordable radio stations to bring those stories, values, culture
and music that the big religious, NPR and commercial networks can't be
bothered with.
Your stories, values, culture and music.
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) received
13,000 requests for a slot to
build a station in 1997.
Thousands of "pirate" radio stations have taken
to the air for $1000 each or less.
The FCC received over 3000 formal comments
in the Low Power FM hearings, more than any other issue in FCC history!!
And so the FCC created the "Low Power FM" broadcast
service. Designed to be affordable (less than a new car) and protected
from the big boys (only new and only new local ownership can apply for
one).
LPFM has BROAD public support, half of
the LPFM applicants are (often) conservative churches, half are educational
organizations or radical change organizations.
And the Big Broadcasters know this and can't stand
the competition. The Big Broadcasters are trying to cut costs, cut jobs
by running all their radio stations by remote control. They don't want
to have to hire back that staff because some 98 watt LPFM weakling is doing
a better job on local music, culture and news than they can remotely.
And so here we are at the tail end of a Senate
Session. They were due to adjourn last week.
Many Senators want to go home and campaign for
reelection.
The Big Broadcasters are working hard to get our
Senators all lined up to kill LOCAL COMMUNITY AND CHURCH radio
that would increase their expenses because they
would have to compete with us for your heart and soul.
The Big Broadcasters hope that President Clinton
will not follow through on his promise to veto
any bill that harms Low Power FM.
We need to provide Clinton with the support he
needs to veto anti-LPFM legislation no matter what.
American Democracy needs 10,000
emails, faxes or phone calls this week in order to Show Clinton
that he has the support of the American People to follow-through on his
threat to veto any bill that harms LPFM.
President@whitehouse.gov
202-456-1414 Voice
202-456-2461 Fax
ALSO: remind Clinton that you
don't appreciate NPR President Kevin Klose going against his own NPR membership
stations in opposing Low Power FM, using tax money to kick thousands of
church and educational LPFM radio stations off the air.
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