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Announcement :: Media |
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National Conference For Media Reform On UPTV |
Current rating: 0 |
by Greg Boozell
Email: gboozell (nospam) juno.com (verified) |
31 Jul 2005
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Taped coverage of the National Conference for Media Reform held earlier this year in St. Louis will be telecast on UPTV Channel 6 in August. |
Taped coverage of the National Conference for Media Reform held earlier this year in St. Louis will be telecast on UPTV Channel 6 in August.
National Conference for Media Reform
Opening Plenary - 8/1 7:00 PM
News Information and the Corporate Media - 8/3 7:00 PM
Telecom Act - 8/9 8:00 PM
FCC Past and Present - 8/10 7:00 PM
Media Politics - 8/16 4:00 PM
Advancing Indy Media- 8/17 4:00 PM
Saturday Keynote Pt. 1 & 2 - 8/24 6:00 PM
Winning Franchise Renewal - 8/30 7:00 PM
Closing Plenary - 8/31 7:00 PM
descriptions follow
Opening Plenary - trt: 1:23:29
Speakers highlight major events since the .first National Conference for Media Reform and discuss the state of media today, the urgent need for reform, and major short- and long-term opportunities.
Speakers:
Mark Cooper, Consumer Federation of America
Malkia Cyril, Youth Media Council
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Janine Jackson, Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)
Professor Robert W. McChesney, Free Press
News, Information and Corporate Media -trt: 1:38:01
Almost all major media outlets in the United States are owned and controlled by giant media conglomerates driven by bottom-line profit motives. Corporate media?s profit motive has eclipsed public service as the priority in newsrooms, degrading the quality and accuracy of news and information we receive. This panel highlights specific examples of corporate media disinformation and describe the structural defects in our media system that bring about such universally flawed news and information.
Presenters:
Moderator: Phil Donahue, television host
Juan Gonzalez, New York Daily News, Democracy Now!
Naomi Klein, author and journalist
Norman Solomon, Institute for Public Accuracy
Telecom Act: Gearing Up For the Big One - trt: 1:29:43
The rewrite of the Telecommunications Act will be perhaps the most significant piece of legislation affecting media to emerge for decades to come. The 1996 Telecommunications Act was a disaster for our media system, triggering consolidation in the radio industry, deregulation of the cable industry, and massive corporate welfare for broadcasters. As Congress readies itself to reopen the Telecom Act in the coming years, media reformers must engage unprecedented public awareness and activism to pressure Congress for more public interest oriented policy. This panel reviews the effects of the 1996 Telecom Act, tell us what to expect from Congress and from industry during the upcoming rewrite, and discuss what activists can do to mobilize.
Presenters:
Moderator: Russ Newman, Free Press
John Arnold, Wayne State University
Mark Cooper, Consumer Federation of America
Lauren Glenn Davitian, CCTV Center for Media & Democracy
The FCC Past and Present - trt: 1:28:30
The FCC plays a powerful role in regulating media and is entrusted with ensuring that media and communications companies serve the ?public interest, convenience, and necessity.? It is important for media reform activists to understand the commission?s role and history. This panel of past and present FCC Commissioners will give insight into the FCC?s mission, how its priorities change over time, who has infuence over FCC policy decisions, how citizens can best engage in the regulatory process, and what are the most pressing issues at the FCC today.
Presenters:
Moderator: Gloria Tristani, former FCC Commissioner
Jonathan Adelstein, current FCC Commissioner
Michael Copps, current FCC Commissioner
Nicholas Johnson, former FCC Commissioner
Broadband: Media Politics in a New Era - trt: 1:34:05
Broadband (high-speed Internet) will soon become the way Americans receive almost all their media ? TV, radio, Internet, movies, phone, video games and more. Media policies being made to accommodate the broadband revolution will shape the future of media forever. Will they yield a more democratic media system or a scenario that allows broadband companies to dominate the media landscape and censor information? How do we ensure that all communities have access to media and communications in the broadband era? This session explores crucial policy issues in the broadband era, and will provide specific action steps to educate elected of.cials on broadband issues and pressure them for positive policy.
Presenters:
Moderator: Sean McLaughlin, Alliance for Community Media
Jeff Chester, Center for Digital Democracy
David Olson, City of Portland (OR) Cable Communications
Kavita Singh, Community Technology Centers Network
Policies for Advancing Independent Media - trt: 1:26:48
For many media activists, all the action is in making independent media, not pushing policy. Yet increasingly, the future of independent media will be shaped by policy decisions. This panel will explore local, state and federal policies that enable independent media ? including public access television, low power radio, and community internet. The speakers will examine how good public policy can sustain independent media and expand its horizons.
Presenters:
Moderator: Ben Scott, Free Press
Sascha Meinrath, Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network
Carol Pierson, National Federation of Community Broadcasters
Anthony Riddle, Alliance for Community Media
Saturday Evening Keynote Event ? Pt. I -TRT: 1:55:36 Pt. II ? TRT 59:58
A night of inspiring speeches and performances, emceed by Al Franken.
Speakers and performers include:
Author and commentator Jim Hightower
Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA)
Musician Patti Smith
National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy
DJ and activist Dave ?Davey D? Cook
FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein
Free Press founder and scholar Robert McChesney
Also featuring an induction ceremony for The Big Media Hall of Shame. Find out whom America voted as Big Media?s most shameful kingpin.
Winning Community Media Through Cable Franchise Renewals - trt: 1:58:58
This clinic provides a brief overview of cable franchise agreements and then illustrate what you can do to help your city get more from your cable company. Participants will learn step-by-step how to get the information they need to analyze their cities? current franchise agreements, figure out what to demand in a better renewal, and how to create enough public pressure for success at the negotiating table.
Presenters:
Sue Buske, The Buske Group
James Horwood, Spiegel & McDiarmid
Closing Plenary - trt: 1:47:13
This session addresses the perennial post-conference question: How do we best follow up the event with meaningful and effective next-steps? Speakers outline tangible actions to achieve meaningful media reform.
Presenters:
Sydney Levy, Media Alliance
Robert McChesney, Free Press
Chellie Pingree, Common Cause
John Nichols, Free Press
Bill Moyers, former host, NOW |
This work is in the public domain |
