Public Broadcasting

Cable Association OKs Digital Carriage with Public TV

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:59:33 -0700

Funding for Public Broadcasting

Holiday Shapiro — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:09:44 -0700

Among American institutions, public broadcasting ranks No. 1 in public trust and is considered “money well spent” by a large majority of U.S. taxpayers. More than a third of Americans watch public television. And public broadcasting’s commitment to serious, independent journalism stands in stark contrast to the shouting and spin of commercial news media.

ReelChanges.org: Tax-Deductible Public Financing of Quality-Screened Documentary Projects

hplotkin — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:19:00 -0700

documentary film on decline of television

Mark Tollefson — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:47:00 -0700

I am producing a documentary film about the current state and future evolution of television. It is a critical examination of how the broadcasting industry has been steadily corrupted by the influence of media consolidation, greed and mismanagement.

Unsafe Radio

alicelee727 — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:55:00 -0700

It has been a hidden fact that these days, the radio isn’t
as safe as it used to be when they were the prime source of news and
entertainment. You might be wondering what I’m talking about. Well, recently
there have been some cases brought up in the FCC regarding radio alert systems.
In one particular case, Action Radio, a radio licensee situated in the Portland area, was being
investigated for their violation of the Emergency Alert System requirements.

A Comprehensive PBS Documentary on the Iraq War Becomes a Big Hit Online

Stevie Converse — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:50:20 -0700

Executives at “Frontline” do not yet know how many people watched their recent four-and-a-half hour documentary, “Bush’s War,” because of PBS’s complicated Nielsen ratings. Online, however, “Bush’s War,” which was produced for the fifth anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq, has set a record, with more than 1.5 million views of all or part of the program, which was streamed in 26 segments.

Wireless Mesh May Be The Right Choice

tompoe — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:41:00 -0700

Wireless Mesh May Be The Right Choice

The pentagon has opted for wireless mesh technology as the right choice for Afghanistan and Iraq. San Francisco, California, has opted for wireless mesh technology as the right choice for local broadband infrastructure. Ypsilanti, Michigan, has opted for wireless mesh technology as the right choice for a nontechnical approach to local broadband infrastructure, monitored and operated by two fellows with laptops. Perth Amboy, New Jersey, has opted for wireless mesh technology as the right choice for their "Canopy" approach to local broadband infrastructure for their city.

Saving Public Airwaves

Stevie Converse — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:06:01 -0700

Federal funding for public television and radio would be cut in half in 2009 and 2010 under a budget proposal President Bush issued last month.

Will You Be Ready on February 19, 2009?

tompoe — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:08:00 -0700

Will You Be Ready on February 19, 2009?

Covering the election story—“indy-style”: Election Day the documentary

Maggie Bowman — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:09:00 -0800

As the 2004 presidential election approached, Katy Chevigny knew that the country would be paying more attention to the process of voting than they had in the past, due to the debacle at the polls in 2000. She wanted to step back from the horserace that the media so often focuses on to figure out what those voters were thinking. What would their experience of and perspective on voting be like in the wake of 2000? As an independent documentary filmmaker, Chevigny knew that she was in a position to go after this story. After all, while we in the independent documentary community don’t have the financial resources of CNN or MSNBC, we do have the editorial freedom to go after the story we think is important.

C-SPAN Favors Conservative Think Tanks

Lynn Erskine — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:12:00 -0800

A new study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research has found that C-SPAN overwhelmingly favors conservative think tanks in its coverage.

NCMR: Got suggestions?

yolandafp — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:08:00 -0800

We need your brainpower and creativity as we plan the program for the next National Conference for Media Reform.

Please contribute your suggestions for conference session topics, presenters, and workshop proposals through our online system: http://www.freepress.net/conference/CFS.

Rocking Out Against ‘Voldemedia’

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:27:00 -0800

This guest post is by Andrew Slack, the founder of the Harry Potter Alliance, a movement dedicated to bringing together Harry Potter fans to apply the book series' lessons of love, tolerance and social justice to our own world. He made headlines for his hit viral video and activist Web site "Waldemart Watch," and is the driving force behind "Rock Out Against Voldemedia," a compilation of ten original songs by ten Harry Potter-themed "Wizard Rock" bands. The compilation album and accompanying Web site draw the link between the perils of media consolidation in the Wizarding World — and our own.

The Harry Potter series presents a world where media consolidation fails the Wizarding World.

RIAA, ASCAP, and Free Software

PirateParty_Utah — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 23:45:00 -0700

Creating a Public Interest Policy Agenda for Children and Youth in the Digital Age

Kathryn Montgomery — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 06:43:00 -0700

I am delighted that Free Press has invited me to write about my new book, Generation Digital: Politics, Commerce, and Childhood in the Age of the Internet (MIT Press, 2007), and to encourage discussion of some of the issues I have raised in it. One reason I wrote the book was to alert readers to the critical need for intervention in some of the important policy issues that will influence the future of our media system, as well as our democracy. Generation Digital comes out of my experience as a media policy advocate in Washington, D.C. From 1991 until 2003 -- when I returned to full-time teaching at American University -- I ran the Center for Media Education, a public interest group I co-founded with Jeff Chester. It is both a personal history of my own media reform policy efforts in Washington and an in-depth investigation of the major trends that are shaping the digital media culture.

Public Takeover

flotron9 — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:29:00 -0700

We should allow for full local ownership, control, and public access of all electronic media in the United States right away.

The Voices of Chicago Media Reform

Josh Stearns — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:40:00 -0700

Robin Amer at Chicago's new public radio station, Vocalo.org, has done anice series of interviews with some of the organizers behind Chicago's big FCC hearing that happened on Sept. 20th. These are the folks who pounded the pavement, posted the posters, and helped to get more than 800 people to attend the event. Robin is working on some more interviews from the event itself, and when they are posted I will link to them from here as well. In the meantime, check out some of the voices of Chicago's media reform movement.

I am Disabled/Retired and depend on the Internet for so many things!

nickster2 — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:47:00 -0700

To Who it May Concern:

And, this concerns everyone: young and old: poor or wealthy: it is in the national interest that the Internet be free and available for every mothers daughter or son!

A Critical Juncture for Media Reform

Bob McChesney — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 06:19:00 -0700

Welcome to the Free Press Action Network. On Thursday night, we had a great discussion about the state of the U.S. media and why we are at a critical juncture for media
reform. Check out the conversation and add your comments.

This Week's Media Minutes

candace.jeanne — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:28:00 -0700

The FCC is holding a public hearing on media ownership in Chicago on Sept. 20, and local organizers are busy educating the public about the issues.