SHOWDOWN AT THE FCC!

FREE RADIO ACTIVISTS MARCH ON WASHINGTON TO CONFRONT THE GLOBAL MEDIA MONOPOLY AND THEIR MARIONNETTES IN GOVERNMENT!

Sunday, October 4, 1998
Monday, October 5, 1998

Calling all media activists, radio pirates and people for a democratic media:

Come to DC for the first national mobilization for free radio. Microbroadcasters from around the country will gather for two days to share radio skills, organize alliances, speak out to the media and protest at the FCC and NAB buildings, culminating in a live broadcast straight into the offices of the people working so hard to shut us down. Free Radio Berkeley, Radio Mutiny, Steal This Radio and other microstations have all broadcasted live in public and challenged the FCC to shut them down in the light of day, in front of the press and the Feds have never dared to show their face- this time, we're going to take it right to their doorstep and tell them that if they're so sure that their dumb law is worth enforcing, then the Chairman should come down from the 8th floor and put the cuffs on us himself. There will also be workshops to help new folks start stations, appointments will be made to lobby congress people, and press events will be held to show the true, diverse face of the microbroadcasting movement.

Press coverage of weekend events

Microbroadcasters Zap the FCC and NAB! ["Mikey'Zine"]

New York Free Media Alliance coverage

Yo Ho Ho and A Battle of Broadcasters by Frank Ahrens [Washington Post]

Hacking the airwaves: Outlaw broadcasters fight for America’s by Brock Meeks (MSNBC)

Radio Pirates NPR - All Things Considered - October 5, 1998 [RAM sound file]

Latin American Youth Center: @1419 Columbia Rd. NW DC
10am-12 Noon - Workshops

• Everything you need to start a community station besides a transmitter: facilitated by Joan and Eli of Free Radio Memphis
• The FCC petitions: What's in it for us?: facilitated by Benn Kobb, Stuart Poritzky and Bill Spry
• The current legal situation: facilitated by Alan Korn of the Committee for Democratic Communications, Scott Bullock from the Institute for Justice

• Transmitters 101: facilitated by Bill Gorz
• Starting a legal application to position for another First Amendment case: facilitated by Pete triDish and Alan Korn
• The threat of media concentration to democracy: facilitated by Greg Ruggiero from Steal this Radio

• Transmitters 202: facilitated by ???
• Commercial vs. non-commercial micro-stations: facilitated by Alan Korn
• Publicity: Tips on talking to the press and lobbying for support: Jesse Walker of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Diane Imelda Fleming
• Meeting for DC area residents interested in starting stations.

performers so far include:
da lost poet (one guy rapping)
youngstown smokers (punk turned bluegrass - tentative)
chrome infantry (a couple girsl rapping/djing)
magaret hoven (local folk singer/guitarist/rad woman)
natalie avery (punk turned acoustic beautiful shit)
juliette, dung, jackie (high school girls reading their rad poetry)
machetres unplugged (latino folk-rock)
roberto sanchez (merengue/rap - tentative)
gospel group (tentative)
random djing in between acts

9:00 am Forum on Microradio at the Freedom Forum
Rosslyn, VA.
Several panels will discuss microradio and the entire event will be recorded and possibly broadcast. The first half-hour panel of three microbroadcasters will be talking about their programming and the service they're providing (or were providing) their communities. A second half-hour panel will hopefully include a NAB or FCC representative, who will debate one of our people, plus a "moderate" advocate of free speech. This panel will be hosted by Paul McMasters of the Freedom Forum. Finally, we'll have half an hour of audience questions for both panels.
More details will be posted here as they become available.

People will only be able to get into the event if they RSVP by October 2. To do so, either call Virginia Lee at (703) 284-3512 or e-mail her at vlee@freedomforum.org. (If you e-mail her, make sure she confirms that you're on the list.)

11:00 am MARCH AND PUPPET PARADE starts at Dupont Circle, goes to the Federal Communications Commission building(1919 M street), and then marches on to confront the National Association of Broadcasters (1771 N street). During these protests, we will flip the giant free speech switches, turn on our transmitters and strike a blow against the meta-marrionettes: A giant puppet of General Electric and Corporate America, which will in turn control a slightly smaller puppet of the National Association of Broadcasters, which in turn will operate a smaller puppet of the FCC, which in turn will be trying to stamp out microbroadcasters and our free speech rights. These demonstrations will also include a number of sneaky surprizes that are so cool that we can't even mention them here!

1:00pmLobbying with people's congressional representatives

4pm mystery event: Stay tuned for more details.

So what's YOUR excuse not to come to the most excellent weekend of mayhem ever? Nothing. Then good- we'll see you there.

Bring a sleeping bag, cameras and recording devices, vehicles, some money to help this all come off, questions for the experts on pirate station operations, puppet materials, signs and banners, transmitters, AND ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!

Please try to pre-register! Reply by September 19th to be assured housing! Tell us if you're planning to come--we want a sense of our numbers. We suggest a $5- $15 dollar donation for participants to help this whole thing work- if you don't have it- we need you more than you money! Come anyway!

Via the Web | Registration Form That Can Be Printed

updates can be found at the october action website:
http://burn.ucsd.edu/~mai/microwatt.html

email: petetridish@hotmail.com
phone:Pete tri Dish 215-474-6459 or Amanda at 202-518-5644
p.o.box 179, College Park, MD 20741-0179

If you can't come, but would like to make a donation to help this conference come off, send a check to Citizens' Media Corps, 23 Winslow Road, Brookline, MA 02446

• New York Free Media Alliance
• Radio 4All