Press Release
FCC Commissioners in Columbus Next Week
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
COLUMBUS -- Federal Communications Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein, Michael Copps and Robert McDowell will attend the Town Meeting on the Future of the Media in Columbus on Wednesday, March 7.
WHAT: Town Meeting on the Future of Media
WHEN: Wednesday, March 7, 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Broad Street Presbyterian Church, 760 E. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio
WHO: FCC Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein, Michael Copps and Robert McDowell, local leaders and media representatives, concerned citizens.
The Town Meeting on the Future of the Media brings to Ohio FCC Commissioners from both sides of the aisle to hear local public input on media ownership rules -- a rare opportunity outside of the six official hearings promised by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.
"The United Church of Christ has been involved in the struggle to ensure media access for all sectors of our society for almost half a century," said Rev. Bob Chase, executive director of the Office of Communications at the United Church of Christ. "We welcome the FCC hearings on media consolidation that Commissioners Copps and Adelstein have held around the country. Commissioner McDowell's joining the Columbus event marks significant bipartisan support for gathering public comment about media policy."
The Columbus event, which is free and open to the public, is being sponsored by Free Press, Consumers Union, Common Cause Ohio, United Church of Christ Office of Communications, Inc., Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council, Ohio PIRG, Ohio Citizen Action, OK-Alliance, the Ohio/Kentucky Chapter of the Alliance for Community Media, Mid-Atlantic Community Papers Association, and Media Bridges.
The Columbus forum will feature panel discussions on how media concentration affects local communities. Presenters scheduled to testify before the commissioners include Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist; Catherine Turcer, legislative director, Ohio Citizen Action; Alvin Hadley, executive director, Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council; Rev. Bob Chase, executive director, United Church of Christ Office of Communications, Inc.; Ann Walker, former host, WVKO-AM; and Gilbert Price, senior editor, Call and Post.
"Diversity in our local media must be of utmost importance to the FCC while looking at revising the ownership rules," said panelist Alvin Hadley. "Minority ownership of local television and radio stations has disappeared from the radar in the past decade. The changes put forward in 2003 only would have aggravated the problem, making it more difficult for women and people of color to own local media outlets. The FCC has both the power, and a mandate from Congress, to implement smart policy to encourage local minority ownership across the country."
The free forum will include an open microphone session for the public to offer testimony on media issues to Commissioners Adelstein, Copps and McDowell. All testimony will be recorded and submitted to the FCC and Ohio's elected officials.
"Democracy functions best when we have good information from diverse sources and interests," said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action. "When we all drink from the same well, the source can run dry."
To help local residents prepare their testimony and learn more about media issues, the sponsoring organizations are organizing a series of workshops in advance of the event. The workshops will be held:
Monday, March 5
6:30 p.m.
Ohio Common Cause Office
50 W. Broad Street, #1705
Contact: Scarlett Bouder, 614-224-2497
Tuesday, March 6
6:30 p.m.
Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council
Jefferson Conference Center
65 Jefferson Ave.
Contact: 614-461-7103
For more information on the Town Meeting on the Future of Media, please visit: http://www.freepress.net/future/=columbus or http://commoncause.org/futureofohiomedia.
WHAT: Town Meeting on the Future of Media
WHEN: Wednesday, March 7, 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Broad Street Presbyterian Church, 760 E. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio
WHO: FCC Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein, Michael Copps and Robert McDowell, local leaders and media representatives, concerned citizens.
The Town Meeting on the Future of the Media brings to Ohio FCC Commissioners from both sides of the aisle to hear local public input on media ownership rules -- a rare opportunity outside of the six official hearings promised by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.
"The United Church of Christ has been involved in the struggle to ensure media access for all sectors of our society for almost half a century," said Rev. Bob Chase, executive director of the Office of Communications at the United Church of Christ. "We welcome the FCC hearings on media consolidation that Commissioners Copps and Adelstein have held around the country. Commissioner McDowell's joining the Columbus event marks significant bipartisan support for gathering public comment about media policy."
The Columbus event, which is free and open to the public, is being sponsored by Free Press, Consumers Union, Common Cause Ohio, United Church of Christ Office of Communications, Inc., Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council, Ohio PIRG, Ohio Citizen Action, OK-Alliance, the Ohio/Kentucky Chapter of the Alliance for Community Media, Mid-Atlantic Community Papers Association, and Media Bridges.
The Columbus forum will feature panel discussions on how media concentration affects local communities. Presenters scheduled to testify before the commissioners include Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist; Catherine Turcer, legislative director, Ohio Citizen Action; Alvin Hadley, executive director, Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council; Rev. Bob Chase, executive director, United Church of Christ Office of Communications, Inc.; Ann Walker, former host, WVKO-AM; and Gilbert Price, senior editor, Call and Post.
"Diversity in our local media must be of utmost importance to the FCC while looking at revising the ownership rules," said panelist Alvin Hadley. "Minority ownership of local television and radio stations has disappeared from the radar in the past decade. The changes put forward in 2003 only would have aggravated the problem, making it more difficult for women and people of color to own local media outlets. The FCC has both the power, and a mandate from Congress, to implement smart policy to encourage local minority ownership across the country."
The free forum will include an open microphone session for the public to offer testimony on media issues to Commissioners Adelstein, Copps and McDowell. All testimony will be recorded and submitted to the FCC and Ohio's elected officials.
"Democracy functions best when we have good information from diverse sources and interests," said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action. "When we all drink from the same well, the source can run dry."
To help local residents prepare their testimony and learn more about media issues, the sponsoring organizations are organizing a series of workshops in advance of the event. The workshops will be held:
Monday, March 5
6:30 p.m.
Ohio Common Cause Office
50 W. Broad Street, #1705
Contact: Scarlett Bouder, 614-224-2497
Tuesday, March 6
6:30 p.m.
Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council
Jefferson Conference Center
65 Jefferson Ave.
Contact: 614-461-7103
For more information on the Town Meeting on the Future of Media, please visit: http://www.freepress.net/future/=columbus or http://commoncause.org/futureofohiomedia.
