*RH-92.6* Fwd: [BFR-CAFE] FWD: Day of Mass Electronic Civil Disobedience

[radio mimikry]

>From: sven thiermann <sven at mechlabor.net>
>To: coloradio-redaktion at lists.so36.net
>CC: bfr-cafe at lists.nadir.org
>Subject: [BFR-CAFE] FWD: Day of Mass Electronic Civil Disobedience
>Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 12:28:33 +0200
>
>
>>
>>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2003 02:36:35 +0100
>>From: marc.garrett <marc.garrett at furtherfield.org>
>>Subject: Seize the Airwaves!
>>
>>Day of Mass Electronic Civil Disobedience - October 17, 2003
>>       by Stephen Dunifer - Free Radio Berkeley
>>
>>
>>
>>Seize the Airwaves!
>>Break the Corporate Media's Stranglehold on the Free Flow of Information,
>>News, Music, Artistic Expression, and Cultural Creativity
>>
>>Day of Mass Electronic Civil Disobedience
>>Celebrating International Media Democracy Day
>>Friday, October 17, 2003
>>
>>You go to the demonstrations, write letters and email to Congress; and 
>>yet,
>>you feel as if your voice is not being heard. What if there was a way for
>>your voice, and the voices of your compatriots, to actually be heard? 
>>There
>>is - it is called micropower broadcasting or free radio.
>>
>>Micropower broadcasting began as a means to empower the residents of a
>>housing project in Springfield, Illinois in the late 1980's. By creating a
>>low power FM broadcast station, this community established its own voice 
>>and
>>a direct means to fight against police brutality and repression. 
>>Unlicensed
>>and unsanctioned by the government, Human Rights Radio, as it is now 
>>known,
>>continues to broadcast to this very day.
>>
>>Since then, micropower broadcasting has grown into a national movement of
>>electronic civil disobedience. Based on the principles of Free Speech and
>>Direct Action, micropower broadcasting seeks to reclaim the electronic
>>commons of the airwaves - a public resource and trust stolen by the
>>corporate broadcasters, aided and abetted by the Federal Communications
>>Commission (FCC) and other appendages of the US Government.
>>
>>Continuing in the rich tradition of the struggle to speak freely and be
>>heard, micropower broadcasting has traded the historic soapbox for the FM
>>broadcast transmitter. Advances in technology and design have allowed for
>>the creation of FM transmitters at a very low cost in comparison to
>>standard, commercial broadcasting equipment. An entire FM broadcast 
>>station
>>covering a radius of 5-12 miles can be assembled for $1000 or less.
>>
>>Yes, there are legal risks involved. Such stations are violating FCC
>>regulations and statutes, and are subject to possible legal actions such 
>>as
>>threatening letters or fines, and sometimes seizure of equipment. Despite
>>this, at any given time, there are hundreds of stations on the air across
>>the United States. Unfortunately, stations tend to go on the air in
>>isolation from one another, making them an easier target for the FCC.
>>
>>Despite the somewhat uncoordinated efforts of the last ten years, hundreds
>>of micropower stations taking to the airwaves forced the FCC to respond to 
>>a
>>rapidly growing, ungovernable situation. William Kennard, former head of 
>>the
>>FCC, admitted this is in a documentary, LPFM - The Peoples' Voice, 
>>produced
>>by the United Church of Christ's Microradio Implementation Project. (
>>http://www.veriteproductions.net/html/awards.html ;
>>http://www.current.org/in/in009LPFM.html ) Adding further legitimacy to 
>>the
>>micropower broadcasting movement, the FCC's own study on possible
>>interference issues, The Mitre Study
>>(http://prometheusradio.org/release_71303.shtml), failed to show even
>>marginal interference to full power broadcasters by low power FM stations.
>>It went further to recommend the lifting of burdensome restrictions 
>>imposed
>>on the LPFM broadcasting service.
>>
>>For years, the National Association of Broadcasters(NAB), representing
>>corporate interests, has used interference as a red herring issue in their
>>attempts to stifle the Free Speech Rights of micropower broadcasters. 
>>Joined
>>by National Public Radio, the NAB, using bogus interference claims 
>>augmented
>>with political grease, succeeded in getting a bill, ironically titled -The
>>Broadcast Preservation Act of 1999, passed by Congress to severely limit 
>>the
>>number of LPFM stations authorized by the FCC when they established the 
>>LPFM
>>service in January of 1999. Whether it was the Free Speech fights of the
>>Wobblies, folks refusing to go to the back of the bus or hundreds of
>>unsanctioned low power FM taking to the airwaves, mass movements creating
>>ungovernable situations do work.
>>
>>Therefore, we are calling for a day of electronic solidarity and direct
>>action, marking the beginning of a new chapter in micropower broadcasting 
>>by
>>raising the struggle to an entirely new level of engagement. Between now 
>>and
>>October, 17th, we are asking you and your community to create your own
>>broadcast station to further empower your vision of a just, humane, 
>>peaceful
>>and sustainable world.
>>
>>Hundreds of new stations going on the air all at once will be a powerful
>>statement to the corporate media and the government that the airwaves 
>>belong
>>to the people who have chosen to seize them back, speaking in one strong
>>collective voice. With budgets and resources stretched thin, the FCC will 
>>be
>>hard-pressed to respond to such an expression of solidarity. This action
>>will encourage many more communities to set up their own broadcast 
>>stations.
>>Schools, arts centers, housing projects, senior communities; all could be
>>empowered with free radio broadcasting. Critical mass can be achieved 
>>within
>>a very short period of time.
>>
>>To further amplify this collective voice, a mass 24 hour broadcast of the
>>same programming by hundreds of micropower stations would meld hundreds of
>>small voices into one giant shout for Free Speech Rights. Using the 
>>existing
>>infrastructure of the Internet and audio streaming technologies which have
>>been employed by the Independent Media Centers since 1999, a common audio
>>stream would be created for re-broadcasting. Individual stations would 
>>work
>>collectively to create programming for this 24 hour broadcast. Given the
>>number of IMC sites in the US, they could serve as hubs for the audio
>>streams, both incoming and outgoing. And, quite possibly, stations outside
>>the US would join in as well, creating a global movement to reclaim the
>>broadcast spectrum.
>>
>>Setting up a basic FM broadcast station requires the following items.
>>Approximate price ranges are given.
>>
>>Transmitter - $150 to $600
>>Power Supply - $35to $100
>>Antenna - $15 to $125
>>Antenna cable - $50 to $75
>>Compressor/limiter - $80 to $100
>>Audio mixer - $75 to $150
>>Microphones $25 to $50 each
>>Tape and CD players, go to garage sales or get donated units
>>Donated 300-500 Mhz computer to work as an MP3 sound file jukebox. Allows
>>unattended playing of program material as needed.
>>
>>Transmitters are available as kits or fully assembled units. Assembled 
>>units
>>are mostly available from vendors in the UK. A list of vendors follows at
>>the end of this article. A very serviceable antenna can be built from 
>>common
>>¦ inch copper water pipe for $15 in materials or a commercial unit, the
>>Comet 5/8 groundplane, costs $115-$125.
>>
>>To facilitate the creation of hundreds of new stations, weekend workshops
>>will be scheduled at selected locations around the country between now and
>>October 17th. At the end of the workshop you will be able to walk away 
>>with
>>a fully assembled transmitter and antenna. As an introduction to setting 
>>up
>>an FM broadcast station, Free Radio Berkeley has a Micropower Broadcasting
>>Primer available as a PDF document either on their website -
>>www.freeradio.org - or by email request - xmtrman at pacbell.net . Thanks to 
>>a
>>collaborative design effort, Free Radio Berkeley will be offering a
>>partially assembled 1-10 watt variable output power transmitter kit for
>>$150. This transmitter can cover a radius of 4-6 miles and will drive a
>>higher power amplifier of 75 watts which is available as kit for $115.
>>
>>With your own radio station, you will be able to provide alternative
>>programming that is rarely heard in most communities unless they are
>>fortunate enough to have a Pacifica station or an independent community
>>station nearby. Thanks to the internet, there is a wealth of programming
>>available in addition to what you will be able to produce locally. A
>>collaborative web site - www.radio4all.net - established by the micropower
>>broadcasting community in 1997 has over 2000 radio programs available for
>>downloading in MP3 format. New programs are being uploaded daily. 
>>Democracy
>>Now ( www.democracynow.org ), Working Assets Radio (
>>www.workingforchange.com/radio/index.cfm ) and Making Contact (
>>www.radioproject.org ), to name a few, offer extensive archives of 
>>programs
>>for downloading. The Independent Media Center Radio Site -
>>http://radio.indymedia.org/ - not only has a large archive of programming
>>but lists other programming sources, web streams from free radio stations,
>>and a variety of other resources as well.
>>
>>To paraphrase "Scoop" Nisker, if you don't like the media, go out and make
>>your own. It is time to move from being a passive consumer of media to
>>becoming a co-creator in a movement which gives voice to the voiceless. If
>>you can't communicate, you can't organize. If you can't organize, you 
>>can't
>>fight back. And, if you can't fight back, you have no chance of winning.
>>
>>Stephen Dunifer
>>Free Radio Berkeley
>>
>>Resource list
>>
>>Equipment sources
>>
>>Free Radio Berkeley - www.freeradio.org
>>Veronica - http://www.veronica.co.uk/
>>Broadcast Warehouse - www.broadcastwarehouse.com
>>Panaxis - http://www.panaxis.com/
>>NRG Kits - http://www.nrgkits.com/
>>PCS Electronics - http://www.pcs-electronics.com/en/index.php
>>Zzounds, for audio gear - www.zzounds.com
>>
>>General Information
>>
>>Radio4all - www.radio4all.org
>>Free Radio Berkeley - www.freeradio.org
>>DIY Media - www.diymedia.net/
>>Hobby Broadcasting - www.hobbybroadcasting.com/
>>IMC Radio - http://radio.indymedia.org
>>
>>Programming Sources
>>
>>IMC Radio - http://radio.indymedia.org
>>Democracy Now - www.democracynow.org
>>Radio4all - www.radio4all.net
>>Making Contact - www.radioproject.org
>>KPFA programming links - www.kpfa.org/5_link.htm
>>KGNU program archives - www.kgnu.org/news.html
>>Pacifica Radio Archives - www.pacificaradioarchives.org
>>Pacifica Radio - www.pacifica.org
>>Resistance MP3's - www.geocities.com/resistancemp3
>>http://www.sozialistische-klassiker.org/dir/sound.html
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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