Radio/TV infrastructure

As the federal government claims success in its test-drive of the
transition to digital TV broadcasting, a new report from telecom
watchdog Teletruth says otherwise, warning that the switch-over could
be a mess for people in rural fringe areas who aren't paying for
cable or satellite.

What will happen in February 2009 when broadcasters stop their old TV signals? How can we make sure people are not shut out?

Help your community face the "DTV Transition" when old televisions stop
working and people have to buy new tech. CivilRights.org offers flyers
in 5 languages, talking points, presentations, sample letters and more.

Other [link::online DTV resources::http://www.civilrights.org/dtv] include videos, articles, reports and more explaining what's happening with digital television and what you can do about it.

According to Scott Hanley, WDUQ’s station manager, Duquesne University has
instructed WDUQ to refuse underwriting from Planned Parenthood. It
seems the University is now dictating who can give money to
the flagship NPR station, and what they can air. And apparently that
means Planned Parenthood's message of prevention can't see the
airwaves.  

Planned
Parenthood believes in public radio and has long admired WDUQ for its
pledge to independence and integrity as a news station. We're also proud
of the work we do to ensure strong and healthy families by providing
men and women in need with healthcare services and information.

As one
Planned Parenthood supporter wrote, "What part of the overall mission
of prevention, including abstinence, teen self-esteem, cancer
screenings and general health does Duquesne University disagree?"  Is Duquesne University going to screen every donor to make sure they are in compliance with Catholic doctrine?

We hope you'll call and email WDUQ and Duquesne University to tell them to reverse their decision.

You can call WDUQ at 412-396-6030. You can call Duquesne University at 412-396-6000

(excerpt) This month, the long anticipated application window for
Non-Commercial Educational (NCE) radio stations opened and closed.
After years of waiting, the Federal Communications Commission let
filers apply for these stations from Friday, October 12th through
Friday the 19th. Scores of big signal non-commercial frequencies across
the United States and its territories are up for grabs. But nobody
knows yet precisely how many community, Native American, and religious
groups submitted applications for these licenses during that brief
period.

If anybody can make an educated guess, however, it’s Libby Reinish,
Full Power Coordinator for the Prometheus Radio Project. Prometheus
helped hundreds of applicants make their way through the formidable
process of identifying and filling out the FCC’s complex forms for
these precious FM signals. Now that the smoke has cleared, LLFCC caught
up with Reinish to find out what happens next....

A glossary of terms and other resources to understand digital tv technology. Go to FAQ link at site for information regarding DTV transition and what it means for consumers.

New report for the Center for Social Media's Future of Public Media Project (funded by the Ford Foundation).

Noelle McAfee reports from an October 2005 meeting held at the Charles
F. Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio were participants outlines a
strategy for future research on ways in which local publics and local
media might best work together to engage citizens in the civic life of
their community. This research is related to the larger question of how
those individuals and organizations in public media (and any media with
a public mission) best understand their own practices and relationship
to the public.

Coordinates the Tunisia Monitoring Group, a coalition of 14 IFEX member groups that focuses international attention on censorship and other human rights violations in Tunisia.

This article addresses
the history behind the grassroots radio movement and the philosophy and
struggles that have formed the Grassroots Radio Coalition. Presented at the Grassroots Radio Conference 2001, it provides an overview of how community radio continues to provide local access to mass media and how it plays a vital role keeping the public informed about bills and issues in national, state, and local government that directly effect them.