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October
5, 2005, Iowa City, Iowa
On Wednesday,
October 5th, a first-of-its-kind meeting between FCC commissioners
and citizens of Iowa was held on the University of Iowa campus.
Organized by Free Press (www.FreePress.net)
and co-sponsored by IBLTV (among other groups), this event exceeded
the best expectations of the organizers. Free Press event coordinator,
Ms. Amanda Ballantyne, optimistically suggested a good turnout.
"We're hoping for 300", she told us. Media reform, after
all, is a new issue to Iowans.
Ms. Ballantyne
noted that Free Press and the participating FCC Commissioners
chose Iowa and Iowa City as the site of this "town hall"
event, in part, because of its grassroots efforts aimed at media
reform. Organizations such as IBLTV are a relatively new phenomenon,
one we hope will replicate all over the country.
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Iowans
filing into what would become a packed auditorium on the UI campus
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its 7 pm start, it was clear that expectations were exceeded. Attendance
was standing room only, with well over 400 in the auditorium. Citizens
came from around the state and speakers included individuals from
Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Des Moines. It was attended by at least
three state representatives. Community leaders, nurses, politicians,
grandmothers, and other concerned citizens spoke. Although their
specific messages varied, it was clear that the failure of our media
system was on the minds of most. Participation was high; the meeting
continued until 11:30 pm. |
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meeting was moderated by KSUI's Joan Kjaer and opening remarks were
provided by John Nichols, media critic and Washington correspondent
for The Nation.
The featured guest was FCC
Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, who provided an appeal for
public input and its critical effect on public policy. Again demonstrating
his commitment to citizen action, he stayed for the duration of
the meeting to listen to all the comments of participating citizens.
Commissioner
Michael Copps had planned on attending, but was kept away by
a family emergency. Mr. Copps' address was read by his legislative
affairs aide, Jordan Goldstein. In an Iowa victory for participative
democracy, our Washington officials came to us -- to listen to us. |
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Nichols
"This
is the single most important discussion any American citizen
can be a part of."
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Adelstein
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Panel discussions followed,
which included a energetic call to action by UI Law Professor
and former FCC Commissioner Nicholas
Johnson.
Ms. Amy Johnson Boyle,
the former news anchor for KGAN TV, spoke eloquently about the
proud, strong roots of her former station -- noting that both
Walter Cronkite and Richard Threlkeld sprung to national fame
after working at WMT (KGAN). She gave an eyewitness account of
how its new owner -- Sinclair Broadcast Group -- bought KGAN in
1999 and recast it into a profit center, setting aside journalist
standards, and reducing it to a mere shadow of its former self.
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"The
verdict was unanimous -- from elected leaders, teachers, workers,
minorities, nurses, parents and grandparents -- people are dissatisfied
their with local media outlets.
The
message I will take back to Washington is that we had better
address the very real issues raised by concerned citizens of
Iowa before we consider further media consolidation."
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IBLTV was well represented
at the meeting. At least ten members provided testimonies dealing
with a number of issues of concern to our group. As reported by
WSUI/KSUI news, nearly 100 citizens actively participated by presenting
statements. From the other citizens' comments presented at this
meeting, it was apparent that Iowans and IBLTV members had shared
concerns.
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Johnson-Boyle
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From this meeting, it
was also clear that there was widespread dissatisfaction with
the state of our press and its general failure to live up to its
end of the bargain -- the use of the public's valuable airwaves
in exchange for serving the public interest. In his closing remarks,
Commissioner Adelstein noted that this meeting was open to citizen
comments both negative and positive, but that he heard a groundswell
of citizen dissatisfaction and concern. He also noted that real
media reform would only occur if citizen action continued onward
after the conclusion of the meeting. IBLTV hopes that this message
will be taken to heart.
Unfortunately, there was
no active participation by either of our local television stations.
At a better time in the history of local television, it might
have been considered odd that influential and responsible members
of our community -- the local broadcasters -- would be mute at
such an important event. We would have hoped that they would have
sought fit to be part of efforts to make the media more responsible
to the communities that they supposedly serve.
Written remarks made by
the public were submitted to the FCC Commissioners as part of
their effort to assess and include public concerns.
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Iowans
for Better Local Television
would like to thank FCC Commissioners
Copps and Adelstein for their dedicated and direct participation
in addressing our country's need for media reform. IBLTV appreciates
the fact that these Washington officials have embraced the notion
of service to the citizenry and have rejected the notion that
only Washington lobbyists should have their ears.
We
would also like to thank Free Press
and Ms. Ballantyne for the highly
successful execution of this unique and important event.
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