Good morning, and welcome to Minneapolis. If you didn't sleep last night because of the excitement, we understand -- the National Conference for Media Reform has never been more thrilling. We've got amazing activists in a great city fighting together for a vital social cause -- a media that’s accountable to the public.

It’s been over a year since we saw you last in Memphis. A lot has changed, and we have some tremendous victories under out belts. This year’s conference reflects the growing media reform movement, and the opportunities and challenges before us as we confront Big Media.

So let’s get started! This morning, local leaders and conference organizers will kick off the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform. The plenary session begins at 10 a.m. in the auditorium and will be live streamed for folks who couldn’t make it to Minneapolis.

Immediately following our Midwest welcome, media visionaries Adrienne Maree Brown, Keith Ellison, and Lawrence Lessig will lead the opening plenary – Media at a Critical Juncture: Politics, Technology and Culture. This can also be streamed.

Take a break for lunch, but get back quickly – we’ve only just begun a weekend chock full of inspiring sessions. From 1:30 to 3:30, you can attend sessions ranging from the future of the Internet to . Listen to a discussion about how independent media creates change, or join a workshop to learn how hip-hop can be used as an organizing tool.

The afternoon sessions continue to impress. From 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., join a discussion about the current state and future of diversity in the media, or explore the implications of the digital television transition. Media makers in Minnesota will share innovative new media projects that step in where mainstream media has stepped out. And Internet gurus will lead a highly interactive workshop on how to take on the corporate and government actors trying to take over the Internet.

And if you’re busy all day in workshops and sessions and are still itching to meet your fellow media reformers, head over to the State and Regional Caucuses from 5:30 to 7 pm. Here’s your chance to network and strategize with the people familiar with your local fight for a better media.

The day’s not a wrap quite yet. The film Body of War is showing in the auditorium from 8 to 10:30 pm. And Minneapolis is playing host to a flurry of media-related events and parties. But don’t stay out too late – Bill Moyers is opening Saturday morning with what’s sure to be an inspiring and rousing speech.