Learning By Experience Put the Students on the Air

It's a new year and I will be more aggressive writing about issues that touch me. After 12 years of teaching, I have learned and experienced enough about teaching to have something to say about what is a good education in media communications. Here is my first issue of the new year. Why aren't more students on the air at WKKC FM?

WKKC FM is licensed as an Educational Non Commercial Station. According to the FCC, 73.503 Licensing requirements and service. A noncommercial educational FM broadcast station will be licensed only to a nonprofit educational organization(City Colleges of Chicago) and upon showing that the station will be used for the advancement of an educational program. What that means is WKKC meets the FCC requirement by serving as a laboratory for students to gain practical experience that will benefit them in their careers. What students lack in ability should not be judged it should be the basis for the training program.

A college radio station is the place where the students can discover both freedom and responsibility in broadcasting. If students are not on the air how is WKKC FM meeting the FCC license requirement of an educational non commercial station advancing a program?

Here is what happens for students Howard University. Each year the General Manager of WHUR manager and the Faculty Adviser of the Department of Radio Television and Film chair a committee that selects student managers to run the station. The selected students are then trained during the summer in the operation of running a radio station. Each student manager is mentored by a professional counterpart from the station benefactor WHUR 96.3 FM, the 2009 Winner of the NAB "Urban Station of the Year" Award. The selected student managers are paid during the summer internship and receive a stipend for each semester.

At the beginning of the academic year the student managers select from a pool of over 125 applicants the personnel to man the station. This procedure though not perfect keeps the mission and purpose of the station in line with the mission and purpose of the Department of Radio Television and Film in that the student station is dedicated to embodying professional, ethical and legal standards while promoting a leadership experience for its students and providing broadcasting services to the Howard University campus and the world via the Internet.

The student managers along with the professional mentor and Howard University faculty work together in training the student managers to run the student radio station. Students run the day to day operation of the station and are accountable to the faculty adviser. Instructors who teach audio production classes assigns projects to produce content for the student station. Exceptional audio production students also are given extra opportunities to create and produce content for the HD radio stations of Howard University. There is a commitment to encourage students in the classroom to be "content" creators. In media today, the mantra is "content is king."

Student policies and procedures vary from school to school but educators agree that the student need is the most important. Every effort should be made to educate and train media communications students through hands on experience with an emphasis on leadership and critical thinking. The beauty of College Radio is that it is a place where desiring students can learn, stumble, fall down, and get up with the assistance of academicians and professional staff that care. Not the cold shoulder of the industry that will consolidate, downsize, voice track and syndicate operations closing doors of any opportunity. Teaching radio is more than preparing the student for a board operator position. There is still a need for communicators. It is the job of the academic institution to educate and train the students.

College radio may be the only place where a student can develop into a personality. Niche radio is for commercial radio stations. College radio can be eclectic. Why not encourage the desire of a young student or any student for that matter? Put students on the air and connect the faculty with the station to assist in teaching them. It's about teaching and "learning" the art of being a good broadcaster.

Here's a historical fact. Students in the early 70's at the old Wilson Jr. College worked together with faculty and petitioned the FCC to obtain the license for WKKC FM. Students wanted a radio station to learn and practice radio broadcasting in the program. Over the 35 year history of WKKC FM, the students desire to learn and participate on WKKC FM has not changed just the people and philosophies of those that run the station.

Thank God, that the Local Community Radio Act was passed and more "community stations" can surface in the area. Maybe some other schools will get a chance at owning a LPFM station.

Just my take.

An October to Remember

The month of October in the year of 2010 is one that will
not be forgotten. Two giants in their respective fields made their transitions both of whom I knew. One I knew very well. The sense of loss after a loved one is sometimes hard to overcome and when multiple occurrences happen restoration in more challenging. O but thanks be to God for grace, mercy and knowing how much each one of us can bear.

On October 8th 2010, Albertina Walker the "Queen of Gospel" made her transition. "Tina" as she was affectionately called was more than just the queen of Gospel. She was a star maker, humanitarian, and a down to earth individual who you could touch. Albertina Walker loved the Church, Gospel Music, and the Gospel Music industry. At this time, I'm not going to list all of the things that she accomplished. I'll say this there will never be another "Queen of Gospel" like Albertina Walker and the Queen that passed the crown to her Mahalia Jackson both of whom hailed from Chicago. Gospel music is one of the best things to come out of this great city. The history of the proliferation of Gospel music comes directly through Chicago with such giants as Thomas A. Dorsey, Sallie Martin, Roberta Martin Kenneth Morris, and a host of others all of whom helped to shape the foundation of Albertina Walker.

I had the privilege and honor to speak to her regularly being a member of Gospel Music Workshop of America and the vice president of the Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild. She was always at every major affair and attend the GMWA convention religiously. She encouraged the founder of the organization the late Reverend James Cleveland to start the organization. Her support of the GMWA was unyielding. Throughout my 15 years as a member of the GMWA Alberina probably did not know my name but she called me baby and that was good enough for me because she always smiled when I came around. Now that smile and her not knowing my name was not fake, when I got married in 2004 she did not attend the ceremony but she showed my family love with a generous gift. Three years later in 2007 when daughter Morgan was born she again showed her love and blessed us with another generous gift. I can't tell you a specific reason why she blessed us. Albertina was just that kind of person.

I made it to Chicago to look at her and say thank you one last time. My heart was very heavy as I stood there thanking God for knowing her. Albertina gave me a tremendous opportunity to produce a tribute of her life from photographs that was one of my most treasured moments with the Queen. Each year at the Gospel Festival in Chicago, I would see her smiling and would go to her just to hear her say "I'm Still Here." Yes Albertina you will always be in my heart. God Bless You Queen Albertina.



God does what he does, in the way that he does and no one can question his actions or his wisdom. God doesn't make mistakes. Two weeks later on Friday October 22, 2010. Bishop Arthur M. Brazier quietly went to sleep. Not since the passing of my beloved grandfather Jesse McGee Bey had I felt such a tremendous loss. Bishop Brazier I honored and respected as a man and my pastor.




The Apostolic Church of God where Bishop Brazier was pastor for 48 years changed my life. I remember like yesterday after becoming a member of the Church, it wasn't two weeks later that the head of the Church engineering staff saw me in the Church corridor and asked are you Reggie Miles? I said Yes, He went on to say "your reputation precedes you and we have something for you to do in the Church." The engineer took me inside the television audio control room and boldly told me. "This is where you will be working!" I was so stunned and overwhelmed at the hand of God working in my life at that moment I said, Yes and faithfully manned that post for 8 years becoming a qualified audio engineer.

Now Bishop Brazier is a very special pastor. The Apostolic Church of God has over 20,000 members. He was a good shepherd. Many people would say "with so many members how can he be a good pastor?" Bishop Brazier made it a point to return all of his calls. I called him in his office and he got back to me in the same day. One of the proudest days of my life happened when I received a letter from Howard University and Bishop read the letter to the Congregation telling everyone that I had been selected to join the faculty at Howard University.

The next proudest moment is when Bishop Brazier stood with me at my wedding in 2004 at my wife's church with her pastor doing the ceremony. Bishop Brazier with all his things that he had to do made the time to be at my wedding. In the 8 years since being in Washington there was never a time when Bishop would not tell me "Brother Miles when are coming back home. We need you!"

During the years of his illness I saw Bishop get weaker and prayed for more time with him. It hurt really deep to see him grow weaker but he prepared us. And he let us know that he wanted to see Jesus. However even with knowing and the preparation of the inevitable the sense of loss still has a way of making its presence known but the devil is a liar. Bishop Arthur M. Brazier lives in my heart and I will continue my support of the Apostolic Church of God and my pastor Dr. Bryon T. Brazier. This was an October that I will never forget !!

It Worked Out For My Good

It was in the winter of 1995 and one morning I turned on the radio to 89.3 FM and heard Gospel Music. I was shocked and excited because I was a new Christian and a member of The Apostolic Church of God. I was working at the Church in the audio ministry and attending Columbia College.

The morning I heard Gospel Drive changed my life. The next day, I went to see Kevin Brown and we began talking about the new "Christian" experience. Kevin invited me to join the Gospel Drive team and every morning at 6:00 AM "without pay" I faithfully made my way to WKKC FM and began producing the "Gospel Drive Show" and following the program I would head to Columbia College for school.

The Gospel Drive program exploded in Chicago. Now I can't give you any specific numbers regarding how many people were listening but I will say that program captured the South Side of Chicago took the reputation of WKKC in another direction and influenced the decision of some commercial station managers to consider the Gospel format in Chicago. Gospel Drive became so visible that the administration was worried that the playing of Gospel music on WKKC would violate the First Amendment of the Constitution and bring lawsuits to the station. The paranoia by the administration of Kennedy King College towards Gospel music became an issue and would ultimately lead to a management change in 1997.

I continued volunteering at WKKC FM and in the summer of 1996, was given an internship at CBS during the 1996 Democratic Convention. I along with several other KK College students enjoyed the paid internship put together by the City Colleges of Chicago. In the fall 1996, because of my excellent work ethic I was given a part-time position as an audio engineer in the Theater.

Although my title was theater engineer, I was charged with assisting in the operations of WKKC FM under James Kelly who became the point person for the radio station. Mr. Kelly's new designation came from the Director of Broadcasting. I was being thrust in the middle of Kennedy King College/WKKC politics and did not have any interest in being part of the mess. I determined that I wanted to join my mentor and teacher Professor Hemphill as a colleague at Kennedy King College.

On Thursday June 5, 1997 everything changed for me at WKKC. Kennedy King college politics were raging like a forest fire. James Kelly had been suspended from WKKC FM over religious statements made by an announcer and there was student unrest over his suspension. At the City Colleges of Chicago board meeting several students protested the suspension of Mr. Kelly and other things. The actions of the students resulted in the resignation of the Director of Broadcasting. WKKC was in turmoil and at 5:30 PM the Director of Broadcasting resigned and I was asked to oversee the operation of WKKC FM.

The decision to accept overseeing WKKC was the best and worst decision I made in my life. The best part of the decision would be realized after I was terminated. The worst part was ongoing. I had just graduated from Columbia College and was very inexperienced. In the early days of managing I had to teach myself and learn everything about the business of commercial radio, non commercial radio, and educating students in a very short time. I was alone being baptized by fire, a real on the job training experience however Mr. Hemphill was there for me and held me up through everything.

Accepting the management duties of WKKC was the worst situation for me because my decision created many enemies. Every moment of my 6 year employment at WKKC was being scrutinized. I'm not sure if there was ever a day that I rested being in that position. I was never paid just value for my efforts or recognized for anything other than the last days at WKKC but that did not stop me from doing my best. I knew from the moment that I accepted the position that I could/would not be able to match the accomplishments of my predecessors however I envisioned my place to be in the classroom.

As the point person of WKKC I left the programming as it was. There was no need to change the format it was not broken. WKKC FM's programming was eclectic. I hated the urban radio stations in Chicago. They all sounded the same and I felt they were not serving the community. There was nothing unique about any commercial radio stations playing urban music in Chicago. Their uniqueness was lost due to the philosophy of media deregulation, consolidation and the pursuit of corporate profits.


The early days of managing WKKC were filled with challenges. The Dean instructed me to write a "Station Manual" to structure the operation of WKKC. Student access and participation was paramount. The procedures for being on radio were clearly defined. I believed in learning by doing. Any student who desired to be in radio, I encouraged to create and develop themselves into a unique personality and "not worship" anybody on the radio. And at the same I stressed the importance of being a critical thinker and innovator.

The opportunity to teach surfaced after enrolling in graduate school. I found solace in the classroom. Professor Hemphill guided me on being an instructor. It was in those sessions that I felt the magnitude of being a teacher and I relished the responsibility. Mr. Hemphill directed me in balancing the management of the station and the classroom experience. We talked on a regular basis and Virgil helped me to develop an educational framework for training and managing the station. Each semester students in the advanced radio production class produced a public affairs program. I was on a mission to involve as many students on the radio station that I could and everyone had to spend time in the news department.

WKKC became the "Station Making the Difference!" My perspectives about radio changed in graduate school as I began to look at radio's future differently. It was in a future of technology course with Dr. Mel Muchnik that I saw the future of radio on the Internet. Dr. Muchnik assigned a book entitled "Being Digital" by Nicolas Negroponte which had a profound effect on me. After reading the book, I spoke with my graduate adviser the late Professor Eli Segal and decided that I would write my thesis on "Webcasting" a project based on putting WKKC FM on the Internet.

The first changes were made to the station slogan and WKKC 89 point three FM to WKKC 89 dot 3 FM, the signaling of WKKC heading towards the Internet. Now back in 1997, people were deeply entrenched in terrestrial radio and discounted the presence of the early Internet. Most people called me crazy for making the change but today those same people realize I was being a visionary. Everything is on the Internet. Researching the Internet, developing the infrastructure for placing WKKC on the web, finding funding for the project then writing about it earned me a Masters Degree in Media Communications from Governor State University, unfortunately despite having everything technically to complete the project the journey stalled for numerous reasons beyond my control.

The students coming to the Broadcasting Department at Kennedy-King College were full of hopes and dreams. Enrollment under my watch tripled from 100 to 357. As I studied the broadcasting industry in graduate school. I realized that because of industry deregulation and consolidation that the job market would become smaller and smaller however that did not discourage me from telling students the truth of the industry and still encouraging them to be the best that they could be. Everyone one my former students will tell you that I said to them "kick everybody's a-- there is no one better than you on the radio!" Today several students under my watch are working or have worked in the industry.

WKKC was awarded the Black College Radio Station of Year and the award came as a surprise us. While I did not make the trip to Atlanta in 1997, the reaction of the students when they returned inspired me to continue the annual journey to the BCR. In traveling to the Black College Radio Convention the students met students from other HBCU's and built relationships especially with students of WTST Tennessee State University's Student Run Internet radio station. One of most rewarding things about the college experience is networking with students from other campuses.


The students of Kennedy King College continued making the trips to the Black College Radio Convention becoming enterprising and raising funds to help sponsor the trip. The broadcasting club organized fund raising activities during the basketball season. Everybody worked together. WKKC FM was broadcasting home games of the basketball teams and the Broadcasting Club was allowed to sell concessions to raise money for the Atlanta trip. As manager of WKKC FM, I had a focus on public affairs programs as well as music. I added several talk shows to the line up along with more gospel music and because of those efforts I received the "Station Manager of the Year Award" from the Black College Radio Convention in Atlanta.


The Kennedy-King College experience suddenly came to an end on January 3, 2003. It was a surprise to me, but insiders knew that the "termination" was going to happen at the beginning of the year. I was crushed. I remember the students coming to my house asking me what do you want us to do. I told them nothing. What it is, Is What it is. I'll be fine. I just couldn't understand why there was an attempt to "destroy" my reputation after I had worked so hard trying to develop a program to educate students and build the college.

In addition the dream of giving back to the community as a professor ended. Despite the accomplishments I made as a teacher/manger it amounted to nothing because I was an "AT WILL" employee which meant I could be terminated for good, bad, any, or no reason. However, the experience I gained from Kennedy King College prepared me for where I am today. I could not have had a better opportunity than I had at Kennedy King College. The experience lead me into research and scholarship on Internet radio, college radio management, media ownership and digital production. I managed a nationally recognized college radio station, taught in a Junior College completed an MA degree and established a reputation in the Gospel Music industry all at the same time. What others meant for harm turned out to be "for my good!"

In my years at Kennedy King College I met some very influential persons Alex Snipe, Drew Dawson, Chris Squires, Jamillah Muhammed, Lee Michaels(WCAO), Taft Harris and many other broadcasters. I authored how to set up an Internet Radio station, installed the first computer automation system for WKKC FM and began the 24 hour broadcasting schedule. Under my leadership, Crawford Broadcasting recognized the impact of WKKC's gospel programming and offered me a job on Power 106. I had the opportunity to go to many professional and educational conventions and met Sherman Kizzart, Michael Jaye Jackson, Dr. Turk Logan, Professor Shannon Levingston and Shirley Ellis. All of these individuals impacted my career in one way or another. When I arrived in Washington, DC I was hired at WCAO Heaven 600 in Baltimore and all of this came from the hard work during the WKKC experience. And most of all the students at Kennedy King College under my watch were some of the best students I have experienced. They cared for me and those that did not respected me.

I have to call out a few KK students especially Bruce, Kevin, Nicole, Drewsean, Traci, Latrice, Donnie, Paki, Karla, Arnetta, Shanaka, Richard, Tommy, Davonna, Tangy, Thomas, Fredrika, and so many others. If I forgot you (and I know I did) it's because I'm getting older. Also the high school students who were in the knowledge quest program.

"They Don't Know Who We Be" -- LOL !

Many thanks to Shannon Thomas, Maeola Davis, Chris Base, Rick Crum, Lamont Watts, Kevin Brown, Darryl Dennard, Fletcher Garrett, Derrick Smith and David Franklin for helping me out during my watch. Also, Al Greer who in his creative genius and amazing voice produced some incredible 89 dot 3 imaging drops. (We're 89 dot 3, because it's impolite to point!). Finally I have to mention a few of the WKKC Veterans who manned their posts and helped with the new recruits. Thanks Mike Brown, PJ Willis, and Keith Reed.

The WKKC experience was rough, but when I got the call from Howard University stating that I was selected to join their faculty the Kennedy King College experience was worth it! And I would not change it for the world.

Thanks KKC/WKKC -- To God Be The Glory!

WKKC - So Long Old Friend -Thanks for the Memories

This photo is just a memory of the location of Kennedy-King College. The place on 69th and Wentworth Avenue in Chicago where this building once stood is a pile of crushed cement and broken glass. The old Kennedy-King College was once a vibrant place that housed "Chicago Powerhouse" WKKC 89.3 FM.

Before the City Colleges of Chicago announced in December of 2004 the hiring of Marv Dyson former general manager of WGCI as its executive director. WKKC FM had a 30 year history of serving the community in the public interest. As one of the first on air announcers and a volunteer for over 20 years I'd like to share some history and say thanks to several people who deserve credit for doing an incredible job of making WKKC one of the best college radio station's in the nation.

I remember like yesterday in 1974 walking in to the radio station office of H.D. "Woodie" Briant and announcing that I wanted to be on the air. I was given an audition on the spot, told to rip some news copy and read a couple of stories. After the audition I was assigned to do news. When WKKC first started the news team was probably the best area of operation. On the news team were two experienced guys Earl Gilbert and Al Bethea. Those guys I looked up to. Earl did the mornings and Al did the evening news. Later on Melisse Robinson became a fixture and WKKC news provided something special in the community. In the early years of WKKC's history students were trained in all aspects of radio announcing and everyone had to do news.

WKKC was born out of a struggle started by the former Wilson Jr College students to get a radio station for the broadcasting and theater department of Kennedy King College. Dr. H Adrian Rainer and others were the catalysts for obtaining the license for WKKC FM. My first teachers were Winslow Jefferies and Virgil Hemphill. The station engineer was Mike Woodland. Francis Willoughby was the program director, Vernon Mullin was production director Earl Gilbert news director and Connie Hedgepath was assistant to HD Briant. I and fellow classmate Rory McKinzie were the first members of the on air staff.

In the early days not many students knew about the radio station in Kennedy-King College. I can't recall how I found out but I left another school to go to Kennedy-King college right away when I heard about the radio station. Radio and being a Disk Jockey was a part of my life that I was addicted to. WKKC FM was a blessing in disguise and I couldn't wait to get there and be on the air.

My first on air shift was Monday through Friday 6 to 8 PM. WKKC's first studios were located adjacent to the television studio classroom. In the TV classes you could see the station in full operation. I could not pay attention in TV class because I wanted to be in the studio. The original studio featured a McGurdy console, huge turntables with the 12 pound motors, studer revox tape recorders and cart machines. For years I performed faithfully at WKKC FM having a ball playing the "Best Variety of Hits and Dusties."

The first change to WKKC came with the arrival of student Kevin Brown whom I trained at WKKC FM. Kevin was a quiet student and always paying attention to what was going on around him. I respected him and he respected me. When Kevin arrived he was being groomed to be the engineer/manager of the station. Exactly how Kevin Brown became the point person for the station is a mystery to me. Soon after Kevin arrived in the late 1970's he went to work finding a counterpart to help him run WKKC FM and that counter part Kevin found at a local skating rink was James Kelly. These two young men changed the face of WKKC FM.

Kevin Brown became station manager and made James Kelly program director that was the best move ever for WKKC. Kevin and James were a great combination that produced a legacy of talent from WKKC FM. Kevin Brown dealt with all the politics of Kennedy-King College and the City Colleges of Chicago while building a strong relationship with the faculty to insure that students were getting both a classroom and practical experience. James Kelly went to work like a master builder constructing WKKC FM into a respectable and powerful community institution.

From 1977 - 1997, Kevin Brown and James Kelly led WKKC through power increases from 10 to 100 watts and 100 to 250 watts. James Kelly made sure that WKKC was sounding the best it possibly could at all times. James Kelly is a genius of an audio engineer who lived radio. It was James who modified the programming schedule to include more community involvement information with public affairs programming. James utilized his experience as a ham radio operator and DJ to make WKKC FM one of the BEST sounding College Radio Stations every. In addition, the list of students influenced by Kevin Brown and James Kelly is very long. He is responsible for the likes of Guy Black, Isadore Pink, Mike Brown, Khris Raye, Rena Garrett, Jonathan Hood, and many others. I can also include myself to the list.

Kevin Brown and James Kelly ran WKKC FM responsibly. The station was very well respected in the community. Under their leadership WKKC FM always had a policy against music with derogatory lyrics. Only two rap songs could be played an hour that was the rule. The format style of rap and hip-hop today was created at WKKC. WKKC FM broke the very first "Rap" records in the nation. While the big stations were arguing over the virtues of the new music. James Kelly found a place for it and instituted it on WKKC FM. It was common knowledge in the Chicago Program Director's circle if "WKKC breaks it, we'll play it!" During its time WKKC broke many artists and records. I remember the day when New Edition made their debut in Chicago and was not received well. Bobby Brown had quit the group that night, and the next day I saw them in Fletcher's Record shop and we were killing "Jealous Girl" on the radio. I called program director James at 5037 and told him I was bringing them to the station. Gaylon Hayes was on the air and started telling the listeners that New Edition was on the way and over 500 young people was outside waiting for them. Needless to say that sparked the spirits of those young men.

There are so many more stories that can be shared about Kevin and James and what they did at WKKC FM. I want to honor them for their dedication to WKKC FM and the work that they did. Today, I appreciate you.

Thank you Kevin Brown and James Kelly for putting up with me 20 years in my rants and raves and still taking me back. Thanks for doing the job that you did for the Englewood Community through the community calendars , remotes, and the students that were mentored. Thanks for giving  the students and community an opportunity to learn and appreciate radio and most of all thanks for instilling in the students the importance of an education. Thank you Professor Virgil Hemphill, Mark Lewkowich, Winslow Jeffries and the late Lennie Stencil, Margaret Stubbs for being both pioneering professionals, great college teachers and colleagues.

The new WKKC has a long way to go before reaching the legacy of the old WKKC. And to start on the journey it begins with teaching and training students, not only with a good staff but with academicians that care about the college and the program that they are part of.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM!

Future of Media and Information
Needs of Communities Workshop


As I sat in the workshop, I was disappointed that I was one of a handful of African Americans in attendance. "The Future of Media and Information Needs" is a vital concern for all Americans especially minorities, females, and people of color. In a time where the law is regulated to favor a dominant "white male" ownership of the media I do not understand why a stronger African American presence was not at this workshop. It could be misconstrued that African Americans do not care about the media and accept the present state of the media as is. When African American need to make a strong showing of visibility and concern about media. African Americans are somewhere else. We cannot depend on others to fight for justice for us. We must stand up for our own concerns. Otherwise people will think that African American don't care and do as they wish.

The ability to own stations and transmit messages created for and designed by African Americans through audio,video, and print from the perspective of an African American is paramount to the culture of African Americans. Ownership of media and the right/ability to transmit messages should be at the forefront of the civil right organizations. The broadcast media is simply unjust too few own too many. I know that some would argue that it does not make a difference the "ethnicity" of the owner and I could agree with that if the corporate owners allowed the managers to manage then the ethnicity of th eowner doesn't make a difference but under the marketplace ideology decision making is out of the local programmers hand. In the corporate workplace you'll this "Corporate says we must do it this way!"

This workshop as with most others featured the typical debate between the marketplace ideology and the public trustee model of broadcasting. Let me say that I am on the side of the public trustee model because I have not seen the benefits of the marketplace ideology of broadcasting in terms of jobs, ownership, local news and information. I have witnessed losses in jobs, ownership, local news and information under the marketplace ideology.

As a matter of fact, the full enactment of deregulation(I mean changing the rules to favor a few) through the 1996 Telecommunications Act has many of my former broadcasting colleagues out of the industry or working in another career. As for ownership, African American owners are being crushed as media corporations dominate local markets and those African American owners that are surviving are imitators of the business model of the dominant white male ownership. There is a huge disconnect between Black Radio and Black People even when the owners of are African American. Syndication employed by African American owners is the worst thing to happen in Black Radio and localism but African American owners must employ the practice(syndication) in order to survive. Radio historically connected African American people and communities. A rising number of African Americans do not bother to listen to radio anymore.


On the positive side Commissioner Coops a warrior for the public interest did not hold back anything in his remarks. I suggest that you go to http://www.fcc.gov and download his remarks and read his statement in its entirety.


Finally, a stunning moment occurred when the minority and people of color media ownership question surfaced and no one the panel was a person of color who could actually address the question. There was glaring moment of silence until Andrew Schartzman of the Media Access Project offered remarks. I asked the FCC Senior Advisor to Chairman were there any people of color invited to the panel and he stated that the invited persons canceled. I did not ask who was invited and took him at his word however the entire world witnessed as Commissioner Coops remarked about the "sins of the commission's omission" in terms of minorities, females and people of color, where a workshop was held and only one person of color was present out of three panels. How change seems to be the same.

Peace

Media Ownership Workshop 2010 - Columbia South Carolina

On Tuesday February 23rd, I made a point to listen to the FCC's Media Ownership Workshop webcast. I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic about radio and what it use to be. I'm still not convinced that radio broadcasting today effectively serves the communities to which they are licensed to. The myth of the benefits of the marketplace ideology in broadcasting has not materialized for people of color. Exactly the opposite has happened. The 3% Radio ownership by African Americans has declined by 50% since 1998 that's half of what little was there in the beginning.

With the 2010 Quadrennial Regulatory Review – Review of the FCC Commission’s Broadcast Ownership Rules and Other Rules Adopted Pursuant to Section 202 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and a democratic majority I was hoping for a vibrant discussion between the Broadcasters, the citizens of South Carolina, and the FCC. What I saw and heard during the webcast brought more questions to my mind about whether or not a "change will come." It's sad but I must say it going to take miracle to take the airwaves back but I won't give up in the fight.

The workshop was dominated by the South Carolina Broadcasters Association who artfully made the case for the status quo. Their collective presentations turned out to be a forum to talk/blow their own horns about the virtues of their individual "public service" , public interest, community involvements and the struggles they face to survive in the current economy. All of the panelists (South Carolina broadcasters) raved about how they are helping the community in this poor "economic" environment and why the present marketplace model of broadcasting must be preserved and is the justification for their present operations. The South Carolina broadcasters went as far as making a case for "consolidation" they called it "centralization." The reality is the economics of broadcasters/business is not really the concern of the FCC.

A more vibrant dialogue would have solicited and included the input from the audience, listeners, and consumers of the region. As the broadcasters bragged about their individual public service campaigns, the place where the workshop was taking place was nearly empty. So much for the evidence of the public service! I guess the South Carolina Broadcasters forgot to let people know about the FCC coming to town. It was amazing less than 50 people were in the venue and the majority of people in the place were FCC members, panelists and invited guests. It made me wonder about how much the people knew, care about their media and media ownership in the region.

On the bright side there were several good questions asked by the few audience members that were in attendance. One former news announcer stated quite frankly "You people (FCC and Broadcasters) broke it, now were going to have to fix it. We had a good working model of broadcasting in this country that got broken. As it went (broadcast licenses) to the auctions and bidding up the prices for stations. You broke it, now it's going to have to be figured out how to fit it."

In my opinion that was the most compelling statement of the workshop because there was no definitive reply to the statement. The truth was being told by the individual. The present regulations regarding media ownership by the FCC is skewed toward "white male ownership" of the media. Too few own too many. Diversity of ownership is just a word to be kicked around. Telecommunications policy will have to be changed in a way that the marketplace can be opened up for more people to participate. In this depressed economy a failing broadcast company could not be bought by a minority, person of color or female because the market value of the property is too high and banks are not giving loans on media properties. This economy has the broadcasters crying broke and lobbying for further relaxation of the local ownership limits at the same time. Now that is a mean game and greedy game. One South Carolina Broadcaster went as far as to imply, "It is the right of a Strong broadcaster to Dominate the Weak." How unjust can that be?

Somewhere down the line grass roots people have to be protected from the greedy corporations and greedy individuals. In 1926, Senator Davis quoted Secretary of Commerce Hoover stating,
"It is inconceivable that the American people will allow this new born system of communication (radio) to fall exclusively into the power of any individual, group, or combination. Great as the development of radio distribution has been we are probably only at the threshold of development of one of the most important human discoveries bearing on education, amusement, culture, and business communication. It cannot be thought that any single person or group shall ever have the right to determine what communication may be made to the American people. We cannot allow any single person or group to place themselves in the position where they can censor the material which shall be broadcast to the public. Wow, that's something to think about.

My most pressing concern is the battle for more African Americans to have the opportunity to be like an Alex Snipe a local African American broadcaster with multiple stations in a market. Mr. Snipe's success cannot be the only story because then his success is just another token and the African American community doesn't need more tokens we need more owners.

Finally, the people of color selected by the FCC made great presentations and were very diplomatic and not radical. With diplomacy there is a need for some radical thought. All the questions regarding people of color and minority media ownership programs were answered lukewarmly with the promise of further analysis. The battle for more people of color and minority gains in media must go through the courts because any measure to help the less fortunate attain the American Dream must endure rigorous legal challenges by those who have beliefs in the marketplace ideology and the first amendment. Remember some people in American believe it is their right to own EVERYTHING. It may be in the best interest for the local communities to ask for more Low Power FM stations. I am creating a podcast called Reggie on Radio look out for it.

Peace

A Chance to Touch History

I was 5 years old in 1960 when 4 second semester freshman at North Carolina A&T State University took a stand that started a movement that eventually changed the segregation laws of the south. 50 years later, on February 1, 2010, I got a chance to touch three of them. Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair Jr) celebrated in Greensboro, North Carolina the historic moment at their Alma mater North Carolina A&T. It was a great celebration that brought together generations under one banner "AGGIE PRIDE." For me, that was one of the most incredible site, sound and sensation that I have felt in regards to my history as a Black man and African American. I really felt proud.

The A&T Four were very young men when they stood up against the racial injustices of the south. They risked their lives and their futures. David Richmond one of the original four paid the price for freedom as he passed away at the age of 49. He was represented very humbly and graciously by his son David Richmond Jr. For a week I got a chance to get close to them hear their stories and learn how these Black men stayed close to one another. Not only did I see them in Greensboro, North Carolina they also came to Washington,DC where they were also honored in the African American history wing of the Smithsonian Museum. I became close to Dr. Jibreel Khazan who is wealth of knowledge. I met is wife and family. It is an honor that I will never forget.

The A&T Four hold a special place in my heart because their story shows that it doesn't take a mass movement to make a change. The four young brothers 50 years ago sat in a dorm room on the campus of NCA&T and decided that enough was enough. Their strategy was to employ the method of Gandhi's non-violent resistance to break the code of racial injustice in the south. Seven months after their display of unity and courage, the lunch counters in the F.W. Woolworth stores were desegregated.


I wanted to share the historic moment with the students at Howard University. In hopes to plant a seed about the importance of activism, keeping the focus on the struggle and using their brilliance to find solutions to the problem that plague us in our own communities. We do not necessarily have to blame "oppression" for all the ills in African American communities. We (Black Americans) are already doing a great job of keeping ourselves down. The question is when and who is going to get frustrated enough at the terrible things we do to ourselves and take a
stand.

I am proud of the work the Howard students did to document the celebration. I am grateful to the Time Warner Endowment sponsored HU/NCAT project with the John H. Johnson School of Communication at Howard University.

Also, my colleagues for without them I could not complete the project.

Performance Royalties: Can Artists and Radio Get Along? Is that the right debate?

Well I have to take my hat off to Reverend Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Push Coalition. The Annual Symposium in Washington, DC on November 19, 2009 was a surprising event.
Admittedly, I was skeptical about the event. I did not hear or read about the symposium until the last minute (and that's another story) while I was discussing media ownership with some students. For some reason, I was determined to make this event. Although I expected to see the usual suspects in attendance building their own brands and and supplying the masses with great rhetorical exchanges void of any tangible solution. I've come to believe like so many others that no one (the so called leaders) really care about "the people" in the way that the leaders use to do in 60's.

As I enjoyed the free breakfast at the Rainbow Push Symposium. I heard for the first time Representative John Conyers. Regardless of my position on the Performance Rights Acts, I gave my full attention to this "Warrior" of the cause for African American people. He deserves that respect and more. Representative Conyers did not go into a whole lot of this and that about the Performance Rights Act. He asked that you merely go to his website and read the information and talk to him about it later. Man I thought that is the least that I could do, no problem. He wants not to debate but find a solution.

What struck me the most about Representative Conyers was the candor in which he told the audience that they (meaning the republicans and the republican backed conservative media) are going to throw everything at President Obama in 2012. And I sat there thinking, Why in the hell are we arguing about the Performance Right Act? Whether or not the act becomes a law African Americans are losing stations and ownership at an alarming rate and there will not be a bailout. And only a few drums left in the community. TAMA Broadcasting with its 11 stations and two newspapers is now in receivership. The drum that radio once was in the African American community is slowly being silenced or bought by outside interests who can afford the price that is out of range for another African American. Who's going to lend or invest in a Black man and a media venture during this economic downturn? Newt and his gang took care of the incentive in 1995 with the repeal of the Tax Certificate policy And we are arguing about whether or not the artists should be paid for airplay on radio?

I said at the beginning of the Performance Rights debate that this is a diversion something else is happening. In my rants to people on the hill most said that another wave of consolidation is coming and lobbyists are pushing for further relaxation of the ownership rules where a corporation can own up to 12 stations in a single market. And with African American corporations losing heavily in this economic downturn, it's no wonder why lobbyists are asking for more relaxation of the ownership limits. The corporations want to gobble up the remaining African American companies that are failing. No, No, No, we gotta fight the power ! Corporations have messed up radio. Messed it up, Messed it up and Messed it up through their greed. Not just one of them, all of the radio corporations have ruined radio. They program through one silly game called "monkey see monkey do." And corporations cannot adequately supply the community with their need through this one size fits all method of programming. The corporations have robbed locals communities with their programming.

At the end of the presentations, I went to directly to Representative Conyers and said to him "I know you voted against the 1996 Telecommunications Act can this Performance Rights Act debate be spun in to a "Media Ownership" issue? Too few own Too many and they want more. I think we should put some focus on the media ownership issues. He looked at me then instructed one of his assistants to take my information. I will meet with him in the coming weeks. I am sympathetic about the PRA but media ownership in the community is something that we all need to stand up and fight for right away. Why is it that a certain group has to own everything all the time? When I think about not being able to hear the African American perspective on an African American channel or run totally by African Americans. And African American getting their news and information from sources other than themselves, I question whether that is a forward move. It looks to me like stepping backwards to a time when African Americans did not own any radio stations. Why aren't African Americans yelling about media ownership? Oh well. I guess that's my calling.

Minority Radio Ownership at a Standstill

from Richard Prince Journalism's
http://mije.org/richardprince/minority-radio-ownership-standstill

November 2, 2009

Affirmative Action Setbacks, 1996 Law Continue Toll

In the last two years, the number of commercial radio stations grew from 10,506 to 11,249.

But minority radio ownership has remained virtually flat over that time. A report released Monday found that 815 of those stations, or 7.24 percent, were minority-owned. A similar study in 2007 put the figure at 7.76 percent.

The minority population of the United States is approximately 32 percent.

The study was conducted by Catherine Sandoval, a professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law, partnering with Allen Hammond, also of the law school, and David Honig of the Washington-based Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, which lobbies for minority broadcast ownership.

The study's was undertaken to make recommendations to the Federal Communications Commission.

It urged the FCC to take the new figures into account when it reviews ownership rules next year. It wanted the agency to recognize that most owners of color obtained their stations before the Supreme Court restricted the FCC's ability to take race into account in awarding licenses and construction permits, and before the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which abolished limits on ownership of broadcast stations, squeezing out many smaller broadcasters.

The report noted that "74.7% of all minority-owned stations broadcasting programming air minority-oriented programming. This pattern refutes Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s assertion in Metro Broadcasting v. FCC (1990 . . .) that the proposition that minority ownership contributes to diversity is based on stereotypes. The correlation between minority radio ownership and diversity in program service is robust.

"The FCC should recognize minority broadcasters’ contributions to our nation’s democratic dialogue and analyze how its media ownership rules can ensure that minority broadcasters and the communities they serve thrive in the twenty-first century," it said.

Spanish was found to be the most popular format among minority commercial radio owners, airing on 291 or 35.7 percent of the 815 minority-owned radio stations.

Urban, African American targeted formats were broadcast on 135 minority-owned commercial stations. Six broadcast an “Urban News/Talk” format, airing a News/Talk format addressing African American community concerns, the study said.

"Nine companies controlled by Native Americans and five Native American tribal governments operate commercial radio stations programmed in a 'General market' format, primarily Country," it continued, adding that "Programming in Country also makes these stations eligible for local, national, and regional buys targeted at Country audiences, a large market since it is the nation’s second most popular format and was for decades the nation’s number one radio format."

"The study found that 324 different minority owners control the 815 full-power stations, with 139 of those Hispanic and 129 African American. Sixty-one percent of those owners own a single station," RadioInk noted on Monday.

The FCC is holding three workshops this week as it begins a congressionally mandated quadrennial review of media-ownership rules. At the first session on Monday, Michael Copps was the only FCC commissioner in attendance, John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable reported.

Copps said media consolidation was likely going to continue as soon as the economy picked up, Eggerton reported.

"Copps said that there was less diversity, competition, and localism because the 'tsunami of consolidation' had eroded the underpinnings of all three, thanks in part of sloppy FCC oversight."

Despite the benefits of minority ownership cited in Sandoval's report, many critics maintain that black-owned and Spanish-owned stations can also be negative influences, citing their cutbacks of news and public affairs programming and for some, a lack of social responsibility.

“We cannot count on the owners of commercial radio, Black or White, to do the right thing by the community,” Bruce Dixon, managing editor at BlackAgendaReport.com, told the Final Call in May. “I don't see how we can stop the bleeding in Black radio, because owners don't acknowledge our people-hood. They only see us as a vessel to sell something to.”

Sometimes Life Can Be So Uncomfortable

Recently, I was blessed to have an opportunity to speak to several students at the Howard University John H. Johnson School of Communications Annual Career Fair. I have been invited to participate at the career fair many times and the gist of the panel is helping to prepare the students for a future in radio.

Over the years, I have always tried to present a "hold on to your dream and learn everything" perspective. This year was really different because I know that several of the corporate companies are in a hiring freeze on talent. I wasn't much of a panelist because I don't like misleading students so I did not have much to say. The professional panelist did an outstanding job of talking about the great things that they have done personally in their respective career. While listening to the other panelists, I decided to just come out and say I don't know why anyone would want to be in "radio" today.

The job opportunities for talent are slim to none. An individual with that "special" gift of being an air personality has to really shine and be exceptional beyond measure just to get a fill-in board operator position. Maybe the best route is to learn the "sales" side. Radio belongs to the market and the advertisers. If anyone says different you are being mislead. The buzz word in radio is "branding." How many brands do you have? Talent behind the microphone means ZERO. Radio announcer positions/host positions are manned by people with an already established "brand." You can go down the list of persons on radio and find comedians, writers, singers, and musicians on the microphone.

Radio is in a "no risk" mode. The companies are dealing only with talent from other entertainment genres who already have a brand. The advertisers are comfortable with established names. The farm system that use to be college, small market and medium market radio stations are gone. I told the student on air staff at Howard. This is your last opportunity at personality radio. Make the best of it and do every show as if it were your last.

It use to be that a talent could graduate college or some broadcasting school and start a career and make a decent buck in a small market. And once that talent made a name for him/her the next step would be a larger market. That doesn't happen anymore. Especially in what is called "Urban Radio." Small and medium market stations air syndicated programs to stay alive in the market.

As I sat on the panel I wondered how long would it be before those folk on the panel would be kicked out of the game because of their age? The reality is "radio is a young man/woman's game. The present folk manning the stations today have a "limited" shelf life. There won't be another Hal Jackson 65 years and Herb Kent 60 years on the radio again. It's so bad for radio talent today that many seasoned professionals will volunteer at a non commercial station. When a station(corporation) replaces a number 1 rated show host for a syndicated program the business is no longer about local talent. Locally produced shows cost the corporate company too much or they are just too greedy.

So I did the wrong thing and tried to tell students about changing communications policy and seeking to own radio stations. Of course that did not go over to well. Most of the students thought that I was just a bitter old man and wanted to talk to the "professionals." And I understand but just remember I told you what the professional will not tell you because you are not a threat to me.

Are You Ready?

Energy and Commerce Committee
Unanimously Supports Local Community Radio Act

Thursday, 15 October 2009

Bill Moving Swiftly Toward Full House Vote With a unanimous voice vote, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the Local Community Radio Act this morning. By repealing restrictions that drastically limit channels available to low power FM (LPFM) stations, the Act will allow hundreds of community groups nationwide to access the public airwaves. The popular, bipartisan legislation is on the fast track to becoming law. Shortly after all five FCC Commissioners reaffirmed the FCC’s longstanding support, the bill passed out of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet by a voice vote. After today’s passage out of committee, the Local Community Radio Act heads for a floor vote in the House. In his opening remarks today, Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) urged his colleagues to support the bill. “As a longtime advocate of expanding low power FM radio services and the dynamic contribution they make to localism, a bedrock of our communications laws, I am pleased that the Committee is acting on this important bipartisan measure. Low power FM stations provide diverse, locally-originated programming that serves the needs of the community,” said Rep. Waxman. Lead co-sponsor Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) noted that earlier concerns about potential interference with full power stations have been addressed. “We are proud to have the support of many incumbent broadcasters for our legislation,” said Rep. Doyle. “We made changes during the subcommittee's consideration of the bill to resolve concerns from other incumbent broadcasters, and we are especially pleased that National Public Radio expressed their appreciation of these changes.” The bill has recently gained the support of its former skeptics in Congress, including Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), the only former broadcaster on the committee. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), a lead co-sponsor of the bill that originally restricted low power radio in 2000, also now supports the legislation. Hundreds of groups across the country are organizing for the opportunity to have their own radio stations. One of the most active among these is the Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP). “Our goal is to provide Chicago with a showcase for the city's diverse music and arts scenes and to cover local news stories too often overlooked by bigger media outlets,” said Shawn Campbell, President of CHIRP. “Our 140 volunteers are true believers in radio that is live, local, and truly connected to community. We are ready to start broadcasting original content around the clock as soon we are given the chance.” Advocates say that today’s vote is a call to action for supporters of local media. “We are sounding the alarm,” said Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Campaign Director at the Prometheus Radio Project. “Passage out of full committee signals that Congress is finally ready to act on local community radio. Now is the time for everyone who wants a voice in their community to urge their Congressional Representatives to support HR 1147.” article originally published at Prometheus Radio Project.

Black Radio, Dead, Gone, Intergrated and Assimilated

First of all, before anything else let me say "Thank You" to Congressman Bobby Rush for an attempt at serving the people.

When I heard that the film makers of Disappearing Voices: The Decline of Black Radio were invited to a panel at the 39th Congressional Black Caucus Convention. I was truly excited. What an opportunity for Black Americans to express their feelings about the current state of radio! After seeing the film I thought "Now is the time for all persons who care about radio to come to aid of the community and state the case against deregulation and the 96 percent of media owned by corporations headed by white males.

Boy did I get fooled! The session from the start got away from Disappearing Voices: The Decline of Black Radio as the new FCC Chairman Julius Genakowski began speaking of the virtues of Broadband. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Internet and the Internet must never fall into "corporate" hands. Corporations will undoubtedly place a toll booth everywhere on the information superhighway. What bothers me is the fact that it seems that both sides of the political fence feel that it is alright for corporations to have an unlimited ownership of radio stations. And we the people owners of the airwaves should just live and let go any ideas of owning radio. Invest and seek to program content on the Internet that's the future. If the Internet is all that give up the airwaves, but that won't happen because Radio is the most personal of all mediums that is why they(white males) want control of it and ownership of all the airwaves. We can forget about help from politicians. As my colleague always reminds me "there is not one politician who will take a chance at taking on the media."

In the session, I thought that the film would be shown and it was not. I realized then that the course of the session would be all over everywhere from Katrina to Health Care with everything in between from freeing political prisoners and what's being played on radio. Only the film makers of Disappearing Voices and Congressman Rush stayed on course with the issue of policies effecting media ownership.

Warren Ballentine was the moderator of the session. He is a brilliant man and I don't want to sound like I'm hating but I am sick and tired of "syndicated" hosts moderating media issues of the community that they contribute adversely to. For every station that airs syndicated shows 6 - 8 people lose jobs in radio. Common sense will tell anyone not to cut the hand that feeds you. As my colleague always states, one can't serve two masters.

When I told Mr. Ballentine that I think he is doing a great job but I hate syndication. He looked at me as if to say "take that up with my boss." So having a syndicated host as a moderator for an important issue regarding Disappearing Voices in Black radio doesn't seems to be moving towards revealing any solutions to the problem. It is a oxymoron. The syndicated host will protect his syndicated territory.

Also the panel was loaded with radio people. Skip Finley, Paul Porter, and Jim Winston. All of these brilliant men did not provide one solution to the people regarding freeing the airways from the supremacy of "white male ownership." Black Radio station owners were making a case for more syndication because the economic downturn is affecting their revenue. They must reduce expenses and syndication is the only way that Black Radio can survive and stay competitive with other radio stations. They want us to feel empathy for their plight while they make money, cut jobs, make us laugh, and provided no local information.

Inside the session, there were many older individuals. And judging from the comments, I am sure that many in attendance were not aware of the reasons Black Radio is in the state that it is in today. I say that because the media rarely reports on itself or the FCC. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was done through a lot of "non discussed" stealth legislation.

I would have liked to see more young people in the audience. It's their future. Media policy and ownership is something that should be presented to them. The history of Black radio and the impact that Black Radio had on the Black community is gone. It's Gone ! Martin Luther King in his 1967 Speech to radio announcers stated, "For better or worse you(radio announcers) are opinion makers of the community." No more...

I am amused when people talk about the recent power of what is termed Black Radio. Many refer to the effort that Michael Baisden made in rallying people over the Jena 6 case. Truth of the matter is this on May 9, 2007 a local journalist Jordan Flaherty editor of Left Turn Magazine was the first to bring the case to a national audience via the Internet. The Jena 6 issue hit public radio before Black Radio on Democracy Now. Black radio picked it up after the local reports of Mr. Flaherty.

And one final thought, I wish when people are at these forums that they stay on the subject. I stood in line waiting my turn to speak and time ran out. People never seem to look behind them when they get a mic in their hands they go on and on.

I left the session concluding that the minority owners are too tied in to the status quo to support any change in policy. As a result the McDonaldization of what is termed Black radio will continue. There is no more Black Radio. It's corporate radio that targets Blacks for profit. The once potent, proud, and essential communication element of the African American community is no more.

What remains now is to educate the younger generation in hopes that they find in themselves an effort to lead the fight to take radio back. The older generation is too caught up to do anything.

Just my take

Show Them So They May See !!!

From The Black Waxx Dispatch Newsletter

Disappearing Voices – The Decline of Black Radio at the Congressional Black Caucus in September 2009

NEW YORK, August 10, 2009 -- Already surrounded by an atmosphere of critical and public acclaim, Disappearing Voices – The Decline of Black Radio -the eagerly awaited documentary directed by controversial filmmaker U-Savior Washington- will be the focal point of an issue forum by the same name on Friday, September 25, 2009 from 3:00pm – 5:00pm at the Washington Convention Center in Washington , D.C. during the Congressional Black Caucus’ 39^th Annual Legislative Conference.

Congressman Bobby L. Rush has invited Disappearing Voices executive producer Iyanna Jones to participate on a panel that will address among other things the current state of Black owned radio stations, the factors that have contributed to Black Radio’s demise and what can be done to revitalize it.

While not a complete history of Black radio, Disappearing Voices – The Decline of Black Radio offers viewers a well-rounded discourse that touches on the impact of Black jocks not only on radio but also on the very fabric of American life.

Replete with rare interviews with prominent figures in American society like Melvin Van Peebles, Al Sharpton, Dr. Kristal Brent Zook, Chuck D of Public Enemy, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, Kae Thompson, Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets and so many others, and with air checks by famous jocks like Frankie “Hollywood” Crocker, Enoch “The Dixie Drifter” Gregory, Jocko Henderson, Hal Jackson and Eddie O’Jay, Disappearing Voices does more than examine the factors that contributed to Black radio’s demise. It is an expose, a history lesson, a memoir and a source for solutions.

Director U-Savior Washington delivers an in-depth exploration of Arbitron, advertising agencies, Black radio station owners, Black disc jockeys, and the historic inequalities that plagued Black radio and continue to overshadow the industry today as well as possible solutions for the ailing Black radio industry.

____________________________________________________________________________

The Prime Minister says this...

This film inspired me to write about the dismal state of media ownership by African Americans. Disappearing Voices is not a history of black radio. The history of black radio would take longer than 60 minutes. Disappearing Voices simply shows how Black radio has changed and tells why. If you have not saw the film purchase it and show it to your family. Get everybody talking about Disappearing Voices. Malcolm X said "The media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the mind of the masses. "

In Case You Didn't Know - Part II

From the American Radio Relay League, Inc.

Baker, Clyburn Confirmed by Senate: FCC at Full Slate

Meredith Attwell Baker

Mignon Clyburn

On Friday, July 24, the Senate confirmed the nominations of Meredith Attwell Baker and Mignon Clyburn as FCC Commissioners. Both nominees appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on July 15 to be vetted by the 25 members of the committee. Baker and Clyburn were nominated by President Barack Obama on June 25; no date has been set for their swearing in.

Clyburn will fill the unexpired term of Republican Deborah Taylor Tate, whose tenure as a Commissioner came to a close on January 3, 2009 when the Senate failed to confirm her nomination; Clyburn's term will expire June 30, 2012. Baker will fill the unexpired term of fellow Republican and former Chairman Kevin J. Martin who resigned in January 2009; her term will expire June 30, 2011. Baker will join Robert McDowell as a Republican on the Commission. Current Commissioner Michael Copps is a Democrat, as are Chairman Julius Genachowski and Clyburn. Only three sitting Commissioners may be members of the same political party.

For much of this year, the FCC has been operating with just three commissioners. Once Genachowski was sworn in as chairman, Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat, left the FCC. He was confirmed by the Senate as the Administrator for the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS), also on July 24. Chairman Genachowski said that he is looking forward to "forging a strong partnership with Jonathan as the FCC and RUS collaborate to extend the benefits of broadband to all corners of the country."

Meredith Baker Attwell

Baker, the daughter-in-law of former Secretary of State James Baker, served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and the Acting Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) from 2007 to January 2009. Named as Deputy Assistant Secretary in February 2007, Baker first joined NTIA as a Senior Advisor in January 2004, and also served as Acting Associate Administrator for the Office of International Affairs and on detail to the White House, Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Baker spearheaded the coupon program for digital-to-analog converter boxes to help facilitate the transition to digital television (DTV). She has served on delegations representing the United States at major international telecommunications conferences and engaged in bilateral discussions with senior level officials from countries around the world. Before joining NTIA, Baker was Vice President at the firm of Williams Mullen Strategies where she focused on telecommunications, intellectual property and international trade issues. From 2000-2002, she held the position as Senior Counsel to Covad Communications. Before that, she was Director of Congressional Affairs at the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) from 1998-2000. In the 1990s, Baker worked at the US Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit in Houston and later at the law firm of DeLange and Hudspeth. From 1990-1992, she worked in the Legislative Affairs Office of the US Department of State in Washington, DC.

In her opening statement at her confirmation hearing, Baker spoke of the need for broadband technology. "Chairman Genachowski, who is off to a great start at the FCC, gave an inspirational introductory speech to the FCC staff on the day of his arrival," she said. "He stated that the promise of technology has never been brighter and consequently, the obligations of the Commission have never been greater. I share that view. The FCC holds the keys to unleashing the power of broadband, the new media landscape and true public safety interoperability. That responsibility is challenging but the rewards will truly make a difference in the life and future of every American."

Baker reminded the Committee that Congress has directed the FCC to develop and implement a National Broadband Plan by February 2010. "This directive holds great promise for our nation," she said. "Not only do many aspects of our children's education and opportunities for lifelong learning depend on this directive, but so too does the next generation of health care delivery, smart energy grid development, and public safety interoperability. The FCC will play an important role in making sure that the right regulatory environment exists to incent companies to build out infrastructure faster, to reward innovation and investment and to encourage competition."

She also spoke about the Radio Spectrum Inventory Act that was introduced in March in the Senate; a companion bill was introduced in the House in early July: "I believe we can reap great benefits from a spectrum policy that unlocks the value of the public airwaves in more efficient, transparent and flexible ways. The Spectrum Inventory bill that this Committee marked up last week shows important leadership and is a first step to increasing wireless broadband use in innovative ways such as secondary markets, leasing, and testbeds."

Chairman Genachowski congratulated Baker on her confirmation. "Meredith is a distinguished public servant who will bring unique insight and expertise to bear in the agency's policymaking process," he said. "I enthusiastically await Meredith's arrival at the FCC and the opportunity to collaborate with her on advancing our shared goal of improving the lives of all Americans. With the full slate of Commissioners on board, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues on policies that advance innovation, investment, competition and consumer interests."

Mignon Clyburn

Clyburn, the daughter of House Majority Whip Representative James Clyburn (D-SC), has served on the Public Service Commission of South Carolina since 1998. The Public Service Commission regulates South Carolina's investor owned public utilities, including providers of telecommunications services. Before her election to that body, she spent 14 years as the publisher and general manager of The Coastal Times, a weekly newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina.

In 1998, Clyburn was elected by the South Carolina General Assembly as a Commissioner to represent the Sixth Congressional District; she has been re-elected three times, chairing the Commission from 2002-2004. She is a past chair of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and is presently the chair of the Washington Action Committee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). Clyburn also serves on NARUC's Audit Committee and Utilities Market Access Partnership Board.

Clyburn told the Committee that she will "work with each member of [the Commerce, Science and Transportation] Committee to ensure that the FCC is fair, open and transparent and that it protects consumers, encourages robust competition in the marketplace and champions technological innovation."

In her opening statement, Clyburn emphasized that "We also must ensure that all Americans have access to and can make productive use of the communications tools essential to making the American Dream a reality. Most notably, by providing universal, high-speed, high-quality affordable access to broadband we can establish the essential underpinnings for enduring national prosperity."

In speaking to the Committee, she told them that she was "a strong believer in the value of collaboration within and among levels of the government," and has "witnessed first-hand the benefits of and necessity for cooperation among local, state and federal governmental agencies. These partnerships are essential to achieving a uniform and predictable regulatory environment in which technological innovation can thrive."

Clyburn said that network operators should have "reasonable tools" to control what goes over their networks. She said that whether network neutrality regulations were needed would depend on whether the market was competitive. If so, there might be no need, but if not, it warranted consideration.

"It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Mignon L. Clyburn on her Senate confirmation," Chairman Genachowski said. "Mignon's deep commitment to public service, experience in state government, and entrepreneurial expertise will be invaluable assets to this agency. I enthusiastically await Mignon's arrival at the FCC and the opportunity to collaborate with her on advancing our shared goal of improving the lives of all Americans through communications. With the full slate of Commissioners on board, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues on policies that promote innovation, investment, competition and consumers."

______________________________________________________________

The Prime Minister Says this,

The FCC is headed by a Democratic majority Genachowski, Coops, and Clyborn. The two Republicans are McDowell and Baker. We have seen from the recent past that the "majority rules" in the FCC. I just hope that the Democrat majority will stand strong for the public interest and the majority of American people. The FCC must be held accountable. Past decisions by the Republican majority have centered on benefiting the very people they supposedly regulate.

Change is greatly needed at the FCC too much has been done behind closed doors to benefit only a few. The public must align themselves with whatever organization they choose that advocates media reform. The only way to beat organized money is with an organized people. The media that is working today is not the best media it could be.

Each day I do not see anyone like me with their own news program. I do not see a Black owned media network. All my life, I have heard views from a majority not like me. When can I see a Meet The Press show with a Black host and 4 or 5 Black speakers/news reporters talking about today issues with a Black ideology or perspective? Right now is the time for something different.

Cathy Hughes and Radio One needs some competition from another Black owner. Then maybe the programming at their stations will change. Competition breeds better quality. We should demand more competition in media. Tell the FCC to do away with a single company owning more than 2 stations in a market. Consolidation did not improve radio for the people. Radio is the worst it has ever been even with Tom, Doug, Michael, Russ, and others. It's worst because it does not serve the local community. Now is the time to write the new FCC Commissioners especially Commissioner Clyborn she is an advocate of the public interest.