Assessing Public Access in a Changing Media Landscape

Organization: Public Access Community Television (Austin, TX)

Principal Investigator: Martha Fuentes-Bautista (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

Description:

Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) cable television services are under pressure on several fronts.  Since 2005, many states (including Texas) have passed laws that challenge the sustainability of public access television—notably by eliminating municipal franchise agreements and that guaranteed future operational funds for public access.  The spread of personal computers, video file sharing services, and other technologies that facilitate individual-based video production has also raised questions about the relevance of this form of community media.  This study explores the implications of shifting regulatory environment for Public Access Community Television (PACT) in Austin, Texas. Its purpose is to develop metrics that can ascertain the impact of the new regulatory frameworks on public access performance, and their significance for citizens who use PACT’s resources and services. Recognizing that sustainability is not only a function of future funding but also community involvement, PACT is also interested in understanding producers, trainees and supporters’ motivation to engage in community media, and their skills and attitudes towards emerging technologies. This information is critical to PACT’s ongoing strategic planning process.   The study is also designed to be generalizable in ways that will yield insights for access initiatives elsewhere in Texas and in other states shifting toward statewide video franchises.

Citizen Journalism: The Case for Including Homeless People

Organization: Metro Atlanta Taskforce for the Homeless

Principal Investigator: Matthew Cardinale (University of New Orleans)

Description:

Participation in media environments—both as consumers and producers—is increasingly central to civic life in the United States.  However, the most disadvantaged citizens are almost always excluded from these forms of public life.  This project will analyze and support the “Media Empowerment Group in Atlanta” (MEGA) project convened by the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless.  The MEGA project brings homeless individuals and independent media agencies into conversation about local media content and community needs, and encourages inclusion and civic engagement through the production of citizen-journalism—especially photography.  The program is designed to increase the media literacy and fluency of this population, and in the process decrease their isolation from and de facto invisibility within electronically-mediated publics. The research has three components: (1) a baseline study to examine the relationship between the use of media by homeless people and their levels of civic participation, knowledge, and efficacy; (2)  a series of workshops that will educate, involve, and empower homeless clients at the Task Force by combining media content examination and discussion, media critique, and media production; (3) interviews with participants to document changes in their use of and relationship to media—particularly independent media—as well as their civic knowledge, efficacy, and participation in relation to the project.  This work will contribute to the training manual being developed for the MEGA project, with the expectation that this model can be replicated in other cities.

Monitoring Local News Coverage's Ability to Meet the Public's Informational Needs

Organization: Sacramento Media Group; Common Cause (Sacramento, CA)

Principal Investigator: Kimberly Nalder (California State University, Sacramento)

Description:

Local television is the number one source of news for most Americans.  At election time, citizens need substantive coverage of issues and candidates to make informed voting decisions. The Sacramento Media Group (SMG) will partner with the California State University at Sacramento to analyze English and Spanish language news programming in Sacramento before the February 2008 California presidential primary.  Working with Common Cause, SMG will organize meetings between station managers and diverse community groups to discuss voters’ informational needs, and develop online feedback tools. These meetings will inform the development of a set of public interest standards for local television coverage of the primary.  A community delegation will meet with station managers and/or news directors at all television stations with locally produced news in this media market: KCRA (NBC 3), KXTV (ABC 10), KOVR (CBS 13) KUVS (UNI 19) and KTXL (FOX 40) to urge stations to commit to the standard developed – likely to be five minutes per night of candidate- or issue- centered discourse in the month before the primary election, with balanced presentations.  Broadcast stations will also be informed of the project’s plans to monitor their coverage and publicize the research findings.  Working with Fention Communications, pro-bono, SMG will publicize its research findings to build SMG’s membership for future reform efforts.

Public FM Project

Organization: Common Frequency (Davis, CA)

Principal Investigator: Andy O. Jones (University of California – Davis)

Description:

Community radio entrepreneurs have a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start new “full power” FM radio stations in the non-commercial educational (NCE) FM band (88.1-91.9 FM; stations 100-100,000 watts—the types of frequencies NPR and college stations use).  The FCC is opening a short window for non-profits, schools, and churches to apply for the last remaining frequencies all across the United States in late 2007. The “Public FM Project” is intended to assist non-profits, schools, and churches across the U.S. to apply for the last remaining frequencies.  This project has three main aspects: frequency research, materials development, and outreach.  Key to this work is identifying the finite number of open frequencies available to new radio stations. Common Frequency, in association with NFCB, Prometheus, Pacifica, and PRC has invested in a nation-wide frequency search. Next, Common Frequency will work with engineers and lawyers to put together guides to teach non-profit groups how to apply for radio frequencies from the FCC and build radio stations.  The organization will develop a plan to cross-reference the frequency research data with local communities in order to pinpoint groups that would have the best chances in starting a community radio station.