Media Alliance is a 32 year-old media resource and advocacy center for media workers, non-profit organizations, and social justice activists. Our mission: justice, excellence, accountability, and diversity, in all aspects of the media to advance peace, justice, and social responsibility.
Here are some of our accomplishments in the last year:
- Set up "Raising our Voices," a media lab and media advocacy training program for community leaders and activists, @ East Side Arts Alliance in the San Antonio/Fruitvale area of East Oakland. Planning Phase 2, including a satellite operation in the Filipino community in SF's SOMA
- Set up a digital television assistance center in East Oakland. Assisted 1400 people. 52 on-site demonstrations and information sessions for community centers, senior and assisted living facilities. Secured media via press conferences, 35+ distinct press stories/comments on the impact of the digital transition, in all major Bay Area networks. Solicited corporate donations of free converter boxes for people living in multi-family residences, illegal apartments and non-fixed addresses.
- Upgraded our Web-site. Circulated the e-mail Media News (news and commentary from the media reform and media justice movements) to 10,000 people. Advertised 1500 jobs.
- Ran 22 training workshops in media skills -- editing, feature-writing, op-ed development, strategic communications, interview skills, pitching to the media, and grant-writing --for Bay Area nonprofits.
- Established a Bay Area media justice hub, including partnerships with First Voice, Poor Magazine, Women of Color Resource Center, EBASE, Centro Legal, Mujeres Unidas, among others.
- Helped lead two national coalitions. Executive Director Tracy Rosenberg is on the Board of the Media and Democracy Coalition (MADCO), and Program Director, Eloise Lee, is on the Steering Committee of the Media Action Grassroots Network (Mag-Net).
- Released: "A National Broadband Policy for the 21st Century: Thoughts from the Grassroots," based on responses from participants at grassroots meetings we have convened and attended, plus our own research. Now being used in the development of a Grassroots Internet policy paper by the Media and Democracy Coalition (MADCO).
- Participated in local media worker's struggle at KPFA - recognition granted to the unpaid worker's bargaining unit/organization in April 2009, after losing this right in 2007. Coordinated benefit with former SF poet laureate devorah major for Nadra Foster, who was "banned and arrested" in Jan of 2009.
- As Charter member of the Save Our Station Coalition, we testified on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, and lobbied Board of Supervisors. We secured the 1.15% operations fee, and forced one-year Comcast donation of $375,000to prevent imminent public access shutdown in SF.
- Litigant in several important court cases -- Media Alliance and UCC vs. Zell-Tribune, (waiver to cross-ownership rules); Media Alliance, Benton Foundation, NOW, Common Cause and UCC vs. FCC (female and minority ownership); and Council Tree Communications vs. FCC (spectrum auctions) and Prometheus, UCC, Free Press and Media Alliance vs. FCC (media ownership).
- Partnered with Urban Habitat to gather Oscar-Grant related art, murals, poetry, music, Photography and videos.
- Planning a regular 30-minute public access TV version to ramp up public education efforts in July of 2009.
For more information, or to join us:
Contact Media Alliance
1904 Franklin Street # 500
Oakland CA 94612
www.media-alliance.org
510-832-9000
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