CHICAGO COMMUNITY MEDIA

SUMMIT

Richard Somerset-WardJune 15, 2007

What is Community Media?

“Fundamentally, community media comes out of the community rather than commercial interests, and is

focused on the transmission of ideas and services, not the selling of products or entertainment”

(Stolen from an email

from Thom Clark to Jennifer Jobrack

March 28, 2007 1:43 PM)

Defining Characteristics

What’s Going On in Community MediaBenton Foundation

June 2007

Localism Diverse Participation

Storytelling & Deliberation Empowerment

Types of Media

Community Radio (225 stations in USA – National Federation of Community Broadcasters [NFCB])

Low-Power FM (Recharged by LPFM movement post-1996 – micro-power station 3 ½ mile radius – Prometheus Radio Project)

Public Broadcasting (‘Nuff said)

Cable Access (PEG Channels – Alliance for Community Media (ACM) – Manhattan Neighborhood Network)

Specializations

Media Arts Organizations

Ethnic Media

Civic Journalism

Community Networking

Community TV via Satellite

Benton Scan’s Four Communities

Boston

Portland, OR

Minneapolis/St. Paul

Chicago

Examples of Wired Communities

Glasgow, KY (pop, 14,000) – hybrid fiber coax network built by the Electric Plant Board, 1989

LaGrange, GA (pop. 27,000) – bought Charter cable company, 1998 – LaGrange Internet TV – 92 intranets – economic development (Kia Automotive)

Fort Wayne, IN (pop. 500,000) – “the most wired city in America “ (Verizon) – development of “killer apps”

Connected Communities

Blacksburg, VA (pop. 36,000) – Virginia Tech, 1993 – a network entirely based on the Internet – an engine for economic development (128 new companies)

Taos, NM (pop. 30,000) – La Plaza Telecommunity, 1994 – offered the whole community high-speed access to Internet via T-1 lines and wireless – a distinctive local culture showcased and promoted by a local network – developed specialist content in health and medicine.

Grand Rapids Community Media Center (1980)

“Building community through media”

Radio (WYCE) & TV (GRTV) stations GrandNet – community email & web

GR Institute for Information Democracy The Wealthy Theater

Grand Rapids Community Media Center (1980)

Tell, share and preserve our own stories Better understand our differences Discuss our challenges and develop solutions Encourage and exercise the free exchange of ideas Practice inclusion and empowerment Promote and enable social change Build collaborations and partnerships in pursuit of a

better community

Community Media: The Story So Far

“Underfunded,

Underappreciated,

Underutilized

Underdog”

(A very U description)

What Might Community Media Be?

(It’s the mindset)

Do we have to be second class citizens?

Or are we afraid not to be?

THE COMMONS

Participation

CommunityServices

Information

What is a Community?

A community of interest?A geographic community?

As big or as small as you like

A state?A town?A city?

Chicago

A BROADBAND COMMUNITY NETWORK

An agglomeration of broadband

Cyber

Fiber

Satellite

Spectrum(broadcast, wi-fi, wi-max)

A BROADBAND COMMUNITY NETWORK

What can it do for a community?

Economic & Rural Development Education

Democracy Delivery of Services

Cultural Identity Sense of Community

Where Do We Look For Models?

Nebraska – the old tradition

Minneapolis-St. Paul – old tradition, new approaches

North-East Ohio - OneCommunity

So How Do We Get It Done?

The Spine(try mapping the fiber)

(take a look at ICN)

Wireless Overlay(the last mile)

The Apps

The Art of Partnering

What It Takes

Partnership skillsSystem of governance

Low budgetMust-have reasons

Information & ContentServices

Participation

THE COMMONS

Participation

CommunityServices

Information