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National Media Reform Conference
Pacifica will be providing coverage of the Media
Reform Conference in St. Louis, all weekend from Friday,
may 13 to Sunday May 15, 2005. On Saturday, from 8:00 PM EST
to midnight we will be airing a special 4 hour broadcast.
Live audio and archived files will be available here, as well
as on the Pacifica.org
homepage.
 Below
is the schedule of the keynote event given us by the conference
organizers, the entire schedule is the FreePress.net
website here.
Special Online Coverage:
In addition to the scheduled radio broadcast for Saturday
night, we will be making various workshops and sessions available
here throughout the weekend. for more info go
here.
Scheduled
4 Hour Special Broadcast
This keynote event will be from 9:00 - 11:00 PM EST. Prior to
this, from 8:00 - 9:00 PM EST we will broadcast recordings of
other panels, presentations, and interviews from the conference
and afterwards, from 11:00PM EST to midnight EST there will
be interviews and we will take live call-ins to speak with some
of those whom we are interviewing (as they are available to
us).
Saturday, May 14 2005
8:00 - 9:00 PM EST -
Recordings from panels, presentations, and interviews from
the conference
9:00 - 11:00 PM EST -
Live Keynote Event:
9:00 - 9:05 PM EST
Short video - Franti song with images
9:05 -9:15
Al Franken introduces himself, gives a rap, tells a couple
jokes, introduces the program
9:15 - 9:25
Al Franken introduces Bob McChesney
9:25 - 9:40
McChesney introduces FCC Commissioners Copps & Adelstein
(5 min each commissioner)
9:40 -9:55
Al Franken introduces Davey D
9:55 - 10:10
Nichols introduces Patti Smith
10:10 - 10:20
Al Franken introduces Kim Gandy
10:20 - 10:40
Gandy introduces Rep. Diane Watson
10:40 - 11:00
Al Franken introduces Jim Hightower
11:00 PM - 12:00 AM EST -
Interviews and live call-ins.
Web
Special stream
The following is the projected schedule for live streaming
from the conferences workshops (in chronological order). This
schedule may be subject to change.
Friday, May 13 2005
Media Activism 101: An Introduction to Organizing
Strategies in Media Activism
Friday May 13
3:00 to 4:30 PM EST
Hear this section
Media activism is taking many forms, from corporate accountability
campaigns to legislative and regulatory advocacy to building
alternative media. This session will give an overview of the
various organizing strategies that groups are using to confront
the media problem and will identify synergies between the
different strategies. Participants will discuss current opportunities
for gaining ground in media reform, distinguish what activist
strategies can best pursue those opportunities, and identify
ways in which activists using different strategies can reinforce
each other’s work.
Presenters:
Moderator/Facilitator: Nan Rubin, Community Media Services
Aliza Dichter, Center for International Media Action
Bob Hackett, Simon Fraser University / NewsWatch Canada
Telecom Act: Gearing Up for “The Big One”
Friday May 13
5:00 to 6:30 PM EST
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 will review 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
Saturday, May
14 2005
Holding Media Accountable through Policy and Activism
Saturday May 14
10:00 to 11:30 AM EST
The information and representations we see and hear in the
media (and those we don’t see and hear) have enormous
impacts on our democracy and culture. Yet media corporations
often prioritize profit over fairness, accuracy and diversity.
How do we hold media outlets accountable for the content they
present, given their claim that free speech rights allow them
to express whatever they want? How do we ensure that media
companies, using public airwaves to broadcast, are accountable
to the communities they serve? This session will examine policy
provisions that can require media outlets to serve the public
interest and will also discuss activist tactics for directly
addressing bias or misinformation directly.
Presenters:
Moderator: Celia Viggo Wexler, Common Cause
David Brock, Media Matters for America
Taishi Duchicela, Youth Media Council
Alex Nogales, National Hispanic Media Coalition
Adam Werbach, Common Assets Defense Fund
Engaging New Constituencies in Media Reform
Saturday May 14
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM EST
Winning real media reform will require us to mobilize a
broad-based movement of millions of citizens and activists.
This panel of seasoned organizers and cross-movement leaders
will examine a variety of strategies for bringing new constituencies
into the movement for media reform, including partnering with
other movements, reaching out to key stakeholder constituencies,
engaging mainstream Middle America, and marshaling resources
like technology and celebrity involvement for our cause.
Presenters:
Moderator: Tim Karr, Free Press
Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange
Bill Fletcher, TransAfrica Forum
Leonard Hill, Leonard Hill Films
Noah Winer, MoveOn.org
Public Broadcasting
Saturday May 14
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM EST
Public broadcasting was developed as a forum for public
debate on key issues and a“voice for groups in the community
that may otherwise be unheard.” This mission is of utmost
importance. But is the system’s ability to carry out
this mission hampered by economic, political or structural
constraints? How have other countries structured and funded
their public broadcast services (for example, the BBC) to
ensure independence and quality of programming? How can media
activists help public broadcasting achieve its goals and embrace
its public service ideals? This session will give participants
an understanding of how public broadcasting is governed and
funded, with the goal of helping formulate appropriate activism
at the local, state and national levels.
Presenters:
Moderator: Chellie Pingree, Common Cause
Karen Bond, media activist and management consultant
Jerry Starr, Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting
Granville Williams, Campaign for Press and Broadcasting
Freedom (U.K.)
Dr. Ernest Wilson, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Sunday, May 15 2005
 Closing
Plenary: Bill Moyers
Sunday May 15
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM EST
Hear this section
A surprise guest appearance by former host of PBS's "Now
with Bill Moyers". A particularly timely appearance by
one of the recently identified targets of the right wing take
over of the CPB.
Presenters:
Bill Moyers
This schedule is subject to change, and may include other
sessions. Please hit refresh on your browser to update this
page.
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