WHAT THE EVENING NEWS WON'T TELL YOU
September 21-23, 2000 S.F. Ca.:- It was a complete media blackout at recent protests of the National Association of Broadcasters convention in San Francisco. While there was coverage provided by local public supported radio stations, KPFA 94.1fm Berkeley, and KQED 88.5fm San Francisco, none of the Bay Area television stations aired any type of story about the 4 day protest. There were news crews seen througout the protest events, but no stories ever made the mass media networks or local evening news. The alternative paper The Bay Guardian had extensive coverage, while in contrast it's larger competitors the San Francisco Chronicle and the Examiner had very few mentions if any. The Chronicle only reported one known related story about the National Lawyers Guild attorneys being arrested on the steps of the Hall of Justice while trying to gain entry to the building in order to represent clients who were arrested duing the protests. Journalists and media advocates are stunned to find out that press passes were confiscated from reporters attempting to cover events at the Moscone Convention Center that week.

One of the FAIR,( Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) Senior Analysts was arrested while covering a march from the Moscone Convention Center to the offices of radio station conglomerates Clear Channel just blocks away.

NAB 2000 Conference Highlights: Coincidences ? NOT!

The National Association of Broadcasters will be holding their annual convention September 20-23, 2000 in San Fransisco, California. This year, they have quite a few interesting speakers and workshops scheduled. With all the glitz and propoganda that the NAB publishes about it's conferences, it's not difficult for one to read between the lines. It's not just coincidence that certain people are scheduled to speak or slated to be an award recipient. It's also not coincidence that many of the workshops are related to anti-LPFM, racial exploitation, congressional cooperation or even how to ace out other media advertising like newspapers.

The NAB's CEO Eddie Fritts has been one of the agressors against LPFM. He so far has given congress over $6000 personally to influence policy making. He is hosting the FCC's Policy Maker Breakfast honoring one of the five FCC Commissioners. The honoree is none other than Harold Furchtgott-Roth, the ONLY commissioner who was against LPFM.

The Keynote Speaker is Former Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin Powell. Now, why, might you ask, would Gen. Powell be a keynote speaker at a broadcaster's convention? Good question, we have found the connection between Gen. Powell and the broadcast industry. Not only is he the official "NAB Spokesperson" (wonder how much the NAB paid him for that!) but his son, Michael Powell is a seated FCC Commissioner.

The NAB's 2000 National Radio Award recipient is Jeffery Smulyan, Chairman and CEO of Emmis Communications which owns stations in several of the Major Markets (Los Angeles, New York, Chicago). Coincidentally enough, so far this year, Smulyan has contributed $10,000 to the NAB's Political Action Committee (TARPAC). I hope that award is worth the money.



One of the "Super Sessions" features Clear Channel's CEO Lowry Mays. Clear Channel is the largest radio group in the United States and is directly affiliated with the leveraged buyout investment firm Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst. Mays will be the focus of a "candid" discussion about broadcastings challenges and future. (translation: media domination and the carefree attitude towards human casualties left in the wake).

Some of the more interesting workshops planned include the exploitation of minority audiences, how to buy off congress, tactics for dominating advertising markets, ways to decieve the public, and how to avoid paying for talent. Even the titles of these workshops imply deception and exploitation.

"Radio and Congress- A Spectrum of Ideas" (a.k.a "How TARPAC contributions can work for you!")
"Marketing Urban Radio Today" (a.k.a. "Racial Profiling for Dollars")
"Hispanic - Capitalizing on the U.S. Hispanic Population Boom" (a.k.a. "Exploting the Hispanic Marketplace")
"How to Sound Live and Local - Even When Your Not!" (a.k.a. "How to fake out your listeners by lying")
"Jocks in a Box: Digital Delivery of Audio" (a.k.a. "We don't need no stinkin DJ's!")

And then there is the "cluster" of workshops that contradict eachother....
"On-line help wanted: Beating the Newspapers at their own Game"
"The Art of Taking Ad $ from Newspapers"
"Local News: Long Term Life Insurance, for Small Market"

These are contradictory because broadcasters want to increase their share of the media advertising dollars, and take away from the newspapers, yet they can't have local news without them. Radio stations do not collect their own news reports anymore. They get them from news services such as AP or Metro. For local news, they scour the local papers and paraphrase stories. News departments at radio sations are all but extinct, yet they are touting how important local news is for the small markets, which rely on their newspapers to give them that information. All the while they want to take away from the newspapers share of advertising, which is the bread & butter of their industry, not unlike broadcasters. Basically, the broadcasters want their cake and eat it to by stabbing their only source of local news in the back. What, do you actually think they would PAY someone full-time to be a real "get your own story" kind of news reporter in a small market? ROFLMAO.......

"The radio business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves
and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
- Hunter S. Thompson