Media Minutes, the weekly 5-minute podcast produced by Free Press has a 30-minute special edition on
Pacifica Radio's weekly program, Sprouts Radio from the Grassroots.

The Media Minutes' Sprouts program, Stopping Big Media at the FCC, puts you in the middle of the raucous
media ownership rally that was held in DC on Halloween and then takes you
inside the hearing room. Communications professor and co-founder of Free Press,
Robert McChesney, places the rally in historical context.

In Stopping Big Media at the FCC, you'll hear Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) talk
about the need to leave a democratic system of media distribution for our
children and grandchildren. Community organizer and hip-hop activist Rev. Lennox Yearwood fires up the crowd
and warns the audience, "If they control our media, they control our message."

University
of Maryland student Christian Melendez takes us through his
process of becoming a media reform activist. Hip-hop activist Rosa Clemente describes turning on the radio one day to hear New York's Hot 97 FM
playing the racist "Tsunami Song."

Wade Henderson,
president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and Rev. James Coleman of the Missionary Baptist Ministers Conference
of Washington, D.C., connected the First Amendment and
the struggle for civil rights. Cheryl
Leanza of the United Church of Christ talked about what media consolidation
means for social justice movements. And Carrie
Biggs-Adams of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and
Technicians union shares her view the rally, describing the Prometheus Radio Project cheerleaders
and Code Pink’s colorful outfits and
songs.

Inside the hearing, Kevin
Martin claim that the ownership proceedings have been
transparent and open, and commissioners Michael
Copps and Jonathan Adelstein
forcefully disagree with him. And then we hear panelist after panelist hammer
at Martin and the FCC about the detrimental effects of media consolidation on
their local media.

Former NPR host Bob
Edwards spoke on behalf of the American Federation of Television and Radio
Artists about how media consolidation has negatively impacted journalism. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder of the
Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said media ownership is a civil rights issue. Kim Gandy, president of the National
Organization for Women testified to the numerous public interest benefits to
increasing women’s and minority ownership and S. Derek Turner of Free Press used the commission’s own data to
prove that cross-ownership is bad news for local news.

To listen to Stopping Big Media at the
FCC, click here. (Audio 29:01)