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"Owning Our Airwaves"

Look at the list of speakers. No commercial radio or TV broadcasters at all. So everyone in the room will just jump on them, and blame them for everything.

Meanwhile, no one will complain about how the FCC has been auctioning off the public airwaves fror billions of dollars to big telecom companies for years. Will anyone be there to talk about rising cable TV rates and the monopoly the cable companies have? The FCC just approved the Comcast-NBC merger and the Cumulus-Citadel merger. Copps was the only one to speak out. FCC policies, including overlicensing the spectrum with Docket 80-90, approval of HD radio, moving TV broadcasters off VHF channels, and auctioning off of white space, have been destroying what's left of broadcasting. You'll hear a lot of complains about consolidation, but no solutions to the real problems confronting broadcasters, which is the inability of small broadcasters to get SBA loans. You'll hear about the lack of minority ownership, but no solutions to the problem of getting minority loans to potential owners. In other words a lot of hot air with no solutions. We've all been down this road before. Now we're living in a world where Congress wants to defund public broadcasting, and cut off funding to local community broadcasters. Meanwhile the banks and corporations are cutting back on money, and the unions want to increase wages and impose new work rules on employers.

If you're not going to have a balanced group of presenters on the panel, with the potential of leading to some real legislation, there's absolutely no point in holding this thing. Copps went to a bunch of them 5 years ago, and it was a huge waste of taxpayer money. Copps has proven himself to be a powerless stuffed shirt. I predict this night will be a frustrating exercise in futility.
 
Even if we reversed the laws and took all of Crap Channel's (excuse me, I guess I should call it "I Heart Radio" now) stations, this is a classic case of locking the barn door after the horse is far out.

The music industry has already suffered and it can't magically switch back to what it used to be.
 
By the way I apologize for dumping a bucket of ice water on KeyTimes950's post. But "owning our airwaves" takes money. That's what ownership is. Unless someone is independently wealthy, or tied in with big corporations, they can't buy a radio station because there's no money. The government hasn't helped with loan programs, and now they're looking to defund non-commercial radio. Unless you at least get some bankers on this panel, talking about ways the people can get money for radio, there is no future in "owning our airwaves." There are good bankers in Pittsburgh, and they can speak about this issue. Give them a call.
 
I'm cycling through what I hope is just a temporary fit of pessimism.

If the licensing of broadcast media had been handled any differently in recent years, would the licensees have programmed something that might have made a difference in the direction of our little 220 year old experiment in self government?

If would seem to me if we sorted all our worries and preferences out, who gets a license for what frequency would be way, way down on the list.

Why do we have a system of government that is about to "shut down" one more time next week?

Maybe we need the FCC to "license" congressional seats... regulate what congressmen broadcast (say during floor debate).

If it is true that "corporations are people, too" as was touted in a couple of the presidential debates recently, I suggest we just kiss broadcasting as we remember it Good Bye. There may be a lot of things in our lives that are more important than who owns the local frequencies, and what they are programming.

If we can't get war and foreign relations and education and health care and jobs and national debt straightened out.... why would we expect that they might get broadcasting right?

Because we are hopeless dreamers.

Happy Monday.
 
TheBigA said:
By the way I apologize for dumping a bucket of ice water on KeyTimes950's post. But "owning our airwaves" takes money. That's what ownership is. Unless someone is independently wealthy, or tied in with big corporations, they can't buy a radio station because there's no money. The government hasn't helped with loan programs, and now they're looking to defund non-commercial radio. Unless you at least get some bankers on this panel, talking about ways the people can get money for radio, there is no future in "owning our airwaves." There are good bankers in Pittsburgh, and they can speak about this issue. Give them a call.
Click to expand...

Actually, you pour no cold water on my post. I find your viewpoint quite refreshing, like a good glass of ice water with a touch of lemon. I merely found myself feeling that I should call attention to tonight's event. It's one of those "the opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those" of the poster, and frankly my biggest problem with LPFM is that such stations cannot sell advertising. I would think such stations might be in a better place to be self-sufficient if they could offer the local mom-and-pop stores a venue that they might not be able to afford on a larger station, nor necessarily have a need to offer to listeners 50 or 25 or even 15 miles away who could patronize a similar business far closer to home. Let the discussion continue!
 
Our friend Chuck who posts on RI demonstrated that an LPFM can meet some of the needs of local businesses while staying within the boundaries laid out by the FCC for "Endorsements".

I don't know what has happened more recently, but when Chuck was given the opportunity to acquire a local commercial channel and move his programming other there, some of his customers in the beginning were content to continue on the commercial channel with much the same "endorsements" copy they had been running. I would guess by now that scenario has changed.

My advice to people considering LPFM is to go ahead and jump in and get a channel. Not many are available. Those who stand on the sidelines waiting for an improved ability to be a bit more commercial may find that those who enduring the lean times have the channel when the rules change (if the rules change in the future.

Here is the other "in your face" risk I would consider in some communities. If there are a number of not-for-profit art leagues and others who can channel contributions to the station under the current rules, here is what I might do: Open up the breakfast hour and the lunch hour in the style of the old Trading Post programs. Any "merchant" who would come to the studio and voice his/her own announcement could have free (un-paid) announcements about their merchandise and services. Everyone in town who had a business license would be allocated 5 announcement opportunities per week doing a "public service" of informing the community of what is available locally.

To stay clear of the FCC, you would have to keep meticulous records and show that none of these merchants EVER made a direct contribution to the station that could be construed as "paying for a commercial announcement". If they wanted to make a contribution to the Art League or the First Baptist Church or some other group that put the station in their budget, so be it.

It would certainly force some national discussion on what is "community radio" all about.
 
Advertising or no advertising, the most immediate problem to "owning the airwaves" is start-up costs. When I launched my stations, I got seed money from CPB. That is going to disappear soon, if the GOP gets its way. So if there's no seed money from the Feds, the states are also shutting down their broadcasting, and the banks won't lend money to broadcasters, how do you start a station? As that question tonight! But there's no one there who can answer it. Unless you have a rich uncle, you're out of luck. Fortunately, I have a rich uncle!
 
I see Copps made some news in Pittsburgh. This is from Inside Radio:

FCC commissioner Michael Copps renewed his call for tougher license renewals during a media ownership forum last night in Pittsburgh. Copps says the current eight-year cycle should be cut to three years and that the FCC “take a good, hard look” to see if stations are doing enough to keep their license. Copps also backed the idea of requiring station public files be put online.

My first question to the Commissioner is: What is he doing to achieve his goal? Has he put forth a proposal within the Commission? Or is he just talking about it at forums, hoping someone else will do it? These rule changes have to start somewhere, and Copps doesn't seem to be able to figure out how to do it.

My second question: How will he pay for all the new staffers to handle the renewals? The reason the Commission moved to 8 year renewals was because there were too many stations and too few staffers to process renewals every 3 years. That led to backlogs in renewals. Returning to the old system would require hiring more staff at a time when Congress is looking to cut back on federal employees.

As for requiring public files to be online, a lot of stations already do it, even though it's not required. And I think it would be useful for someone interested in public file material to make a visit to the station. I know it may seem old fashioned, but it would demonstrate a real interest, and also bring people from the community into the station. What's wrong with making the effort to go to a place for information?
 
Apparently ther is MAJOR misunderstanding as to how business works. Banks are NOT in the venture capital business. They are playing with other people's money and as such, there are government imposed limits as to what type of loans they can make. It doesn't matter whether you want to buy a radio station, shoe store, plumbing shop or any other business. There's no conspiracy here. Banks have been handling loans like that for years and years. You want to go into business like buying a station or opening any other business? Then you will need to find money from private sources be it partners, family members etc. Beyond that, nobody is going to be willing to lend any money to an entity which going down the tubes...for example, you want to buy a failing station. Most small business purchases are done with owner financing. It doesn't matter if you're white, black, yellow or red for any entity to lend you money, they want to know you have the ability to pay it back. Again, banks are NOT in the venture capital business!
 
DXDXDX said:
Again, banks are NOT in the venture capital business!
Click to expand...

But they ARE in the loan business. They loan money to businesses. I know because I got one. But typically you need collateral for your loan. As you said, you need to demonstrate the ability to pay it back.

Here's the problem: People like Michael Copps go around the country complaining about the lack of minority ownership of media. They hold forums like this sponsored by groups like Free Press who believe anybody and everybody should be able to own a radio station, that owning a station is an American right, to promote free speech. They don't see radio as venture capital, but a democratic right. But most people have no money, nor are they willing to put their personal home and possessions up as collateral to buy a radio station. So the status quo continues with big corporations buying up radio stations. This is why I say these forums are frustrating exercises in futility, that simply rile people up, for no purpose.

Unless the government creates a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mae for free speech, nothing will change. And right now, the government can't get anything done. The only other chance is by charity, by a big corporation donating a radio station to a poor group. But big corporations don't feel charitable when the same FCC Commissioner who asks for a donation is also seeking to screw them with more regulations, and groups like Free Press invent a lot of mythology about media companies. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but no one taught that to Copps or Free Press. My suggestion has been that if the FCC wants big companies to donate their low wattage AMs to minorities or community groups, give them a tax break or loosen the regulations. It's not hard.
 
It also needs to be pointed out that when I go on a random search of LPFM stations and formats, the vast majority of them are doing religion, most likely the evangelical/fundamentalist kind. After that, it seems to be oldies or adult standards or even easy listening or some combination of the above four. Understandable and in line with what LPFM is supposed to do, considering that the 55+ audience is dead meat to commercial broadcasters, but not exactly the Prometheus Radio Project's goal of local DJs playing activist folk ballads during the day and punk rock at night and only taking Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now!" from the satellite.
 
Mark Jeffries said:
It also needs to be pointed out that when I go on a random search of LPFM stations and formats, the vast majority of them are doing religion, most likely the evangelical/fundamentalist kind. After that, it seems to be oldies or adult standards or even easy listening or some combination of the above four. Understandable and in line with what LPFM is supposed to do, considering that the 55+ audience is dead meat to commercial broadcasters, but not exactly the Prometheus Radio Project's goal of local DJs playing activist folk ballads during the day and punk rock at night and only taking Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now!" from the satellite.
Click to expand...

I'm involved at an LPFM that plays oldies -- I guess one could argue that some of the music of the era has activist material in it, so maybe that counts, although they probably wouldn't care much for the high school football games we have on. ;D

However, in our minds, airing politically-charged material (beyond the music that blends into the format) is just a good way to upset possible supporters and makes it harder to convince people that it's an asset to the community that deserves their donation.
 
TheBigA said:
DXDXDX said:
Again, banks are NOT in the venture capital business!
Click to expand...

But they ARE in the loan business. They loan money to businesses. I know because I got one. But typically you need collateral for your loan. As you said, you need to demonstrate the ability to pay it back.

Here's the problem: People like Michael Copps go around the country complaining about the lack of minority ownership of media. They hold forums like this sponsored by groups like Free Press who believe anybody and everybody should be able to own a radio station, that owning a station is an American right, to promote free speech.
Click to expand...

We see what happened when the government took the stance that anyone and everyone should be able to own a house....
 
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