Last week, from April 22-24, 2009, Prometheus wrapped up our third Low Power FM Leadership days in DC.  It was a great trip; we made significant headway on our campaign to expand low power FM, traded stories with allies from around the country, and made (radio)waves with our giant corporate robot street theater piece!

Over 50 people, representing diverse communities ranging from farmworkers from Florida and Oregon, artists and musicians from Chicago to New Jersey, media activists and youth organizers from Atlanta to Detroit, low-wage workers from Baltimore, members of the faith community from rural North Carolina and radio programmers from Idaho to New York City, gathered in Washington DC to demand more Low Power FM radio through the passage of the Local Community Radio Act. Watch the You tube video, check out the photos, or listen to Free Speech Radio News story on the events.

The days of action began with a three-hour lobby training at St. Stephen's Church.  Members of the Allied Media Project, Detroit Summer, the Media Mobilizing Project, and People's Production House presented on media justice and the importance of telling untold stories in the building of movements to end poverty.  Members of the United Workers and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers shared stories about their campaigns for better wages, decent working conditions, economic human rights, and the role that media played in these campaigns.  Lobbyists from US PIRG, the Consumer's Union, and the Media Access Project shared lobbying tips and provided an overview of the Congressional landscape of today.  

On Thursday, April 23, 3 dozen people, including local participants as well as people from across the country, marched from Union Station to the Capitol Steps chanting, "Low Power Radio for our communities."  We were being trailed by a Big Robot Puppet, which represented the Corporate Media and the powerful broadcast lobby industry.  Upon arriving on the Capitol steps, the street theater piece "Corporate Media vs. Community Media" began, in which we struggled to take the giant microphone away from corporate media and gain access to the airwaves. 

We met with over 46 Congressional offices and were assured support, through cosponsorship, in a number of the visits.  Later, a the policy briefing, Representative Doyle (D-Pa.) assured his continued support for the Local Community Radio Act and enthusiastically announced that Chairman Boucher was also "inclined" to move this legislation to a vote.  Liz Humes from WRIR-LP in Richmond addressed the importance of Low Power Radio to Emergency Response.  Pop-musician Nicole Atkins from Neptune City New Jersey voiced the importance of Local Radio to musicians. Although she has a large following around the word, she still faces difficulties when she tries to get her music played on the radio stations in her own town. Erubiel Valladares, from KPCN-LP spoke of the importance of Low Power Radio in the farm worker community of Woodburn, Oregon where he lives and organizes.  Cheryl Leanza from the United Church of Christ and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights released a report on Minority ownership of Radio and the ability of Low Power Radio to diversify the media landscape. Parul Desai from the Media Access Project moderated the Panel and gave an important recap of the 2003 MITRE study which disproves the National Association of Broadcasters claims about interference caused by LPFM (an opposition which had originally been an obstacle to expanding LPFM).  

On Friday, April 24, Low Power Radio advocates brought their demands to the Federal Communications Commission, asking the FCC to grant more rights to LPFM stations so that larger stations cannot take over Low Power signals.  Many groups spoke of their inability to get a radio station unless FCC gives preference to LPFM license applications over the satellite repeater signals of preexisting non-local stations.

After taking it to the streets, to our Congressional Representatives, and to the FCC, there was only one place left to go: the White House!  Over 40 of us met with Susan Crawford, who is responsible for technology issues on President Obama's transition team, and Jim Kohlenberg, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Chief of Staff.  There in the White House Conference Room we demanded that President Obama's words of support, as demonstrated through former cosponsorship of this legislation and his call to diversity media ownership, be transformed into action.  We delivered a letter, signed by groups from across the country, expressing support of Low Power FM Radio and demanding that President Obama release a statement in support of the legislation.

After our hard days of advocacy and action we spent some time reflecting on our next steps, and how grassroots folks will continue to lead the way in the fight for more local community radio.  People headed back to their homes with a heightened commitment to this work.  Whether using their existing stations to inform people of the legislation, working to pass City Council Resolutions, setting up more lobbying visits in their home districts, or doing political education in their communities about the importance of community radio, we are organizing to win.  We will expand Low Power FM radio to towns and cities across the country.  Join us in the fight!