Media Ownership |
 | Cell Phone Unlocking by Derek Khanna, The Hill Cell Phone unlocking is another issue that unites leftwingers with some libertarian sectors. In addition to the civil liberties issues, cell phone unlocking has real benefits for low-income communities to have access to higher-grade devices. |
 | Low-Power Window: It's Really October 15th June 20th, 2013 The FCC announced the official filing window for low-power radio stations as October 15-29, 2013. |
.jpg) | SMCCD Board Liquidates KCSM-TV by Tracy Rosenberg, Media Alliance May 18th, 2013 On Wednesday May 15th, three San Mateo Community College board trustees approved an unseen contract with Locuspoint Networks, a 99%-owned subsidiary of hedge firm The Blackstone Group, to liquidate the 48-year-old noncommercial TV station KCSM in a spectrum auction. |
.jpg) | Censored KCSM-TV Bids Released by Community College District May 11th, 2013 In response to MA's public records request, censored bid information was released by KCSM-TV's owner, the San Mateo Community College District. |
 | Low-Power Radio: No Urban Blackout Zones MA filed these comments with the FCC on March 8th asking for the commission to consider lower watt service in urban markets where the band is too crowded to allow significant low power service for residents including: San Jose, Detroit, and New York City. |
 | KCSM-TV To Be Sold Off to Notorious Blackstone Group The San Mateo Community College District announced plans to liquidate peninsula public television in partnership with the Blackstone Group hedge fund. |
_2.jpg) | KGO Evening News on Low-Power Radio KGO Evening News The KGO Evening News featured a story on low-power radio, Common Frequency and Media Alliance. Watch the Video! |
_1.jpg) | California's 5th Largest Public TV Station May be Scrapped for Wireless Spectrum by Tracy Rosenberg, Media Alliance Update 4/27: Despite a legal letter sent earlier this month, the San Mateo Community College District refuses to release information on the bidding process to either Media Alliance or the Palo Alto Daily Post, which also submitted a public records request. The District stated it was not in their "interests" to release information to the academic community, station members and the public about the fate of the station. The District has identified a "top bidder", believed to be Locus Point Networks http://locuspointnetworks.com/, a for-profit wireless company, and does not appear to be engaging in negotiations with other bidders, who include Free Speech TV co-founder John Schwartz and several other community groups. The District declared it's hope to cash in on a spectrum auction at previous board meetings, which means an end to public television broadcasting and seems poised to do exactly that, despite letters of protest by state senator Leland Yee and congressperson Anna Eshoo. Please come to the next board meeting on May 15th at 6:00pm at 3401 CSM Drive in San Mateo (near Belmont Canyon). We'll try to arrange car pools if needed. You can write to the trustees at trustees@smccd.edu or use the link below. Profiteering off the destruction of public media is wrong and the District has several bidders willing to pay millions of dollars for the privilege of operating the station. This is nothing more than simple greed and the abdication of public service and accountability to stakeholders for the survival of a 48-year old public asset. |
_2.jpg) | Al-Jazeera Purchases Current TV: Plans Launch of "Al-Jazeera America" by Rory O'Connor, Media Channel Al-Jazeera, the Qatari news channel whose coverage of Arab Spring electrified the world, and then whose coverage in Bahrain and Syria appalled the world, in an example of the challenges faced by government-owned media outlets, has purchased Current TV for the price of 500 million dollars, purchasing the carriage on cable systems that they were otherwise unable to secure. |
_1.jpg) | No More Media Consolidation! by Tracy Rosenberg, Media Alliance Comments Filed 12-26 with the FCC Saying No More! |
| Wisconsin Advocates File Petitions to Deny for 2 Talk Radio Stations by Sue Wilson, Media Action Center MA fiscal sponsee, Media Action Center (MAC) has filed petitions to deny for 2 Wisconsin talk radio stations: Clearchannel's WISN and Journals WMTJ on the basis of disregarding broadcaster's public interest obligations. |
_4.jpg) | Santa Rosa Paper Sold to Democratic Power Brokers by Brett Wilkison, San Jose Mercury News The Press-Democrat and associated properties have been sold by Florida-based Halifax to a group of North Bay investors led by former Congressman Doug Bosco. |
_2.jpg) | KCSM-TV Bids by Tracy Rosenberg, Media Alliance October 26th, 2012 In response to Media Alliance's public records request, the six bids received for KCSM-TV's broadcast license have been provided by the San Mateo Community College District Board of Trustees. |
.jpg) | Media Monopoly is Bad News for Americans by Tracy Rosenberg, Media Alliance Update 12/4: Early unconfirmed reports indicate the ownership vote has been pushed back until at least January 2013. Thanks to you! |
.jpg) | MA and National Lawyers Guild Oppose Loosening of 3rd Party Fundraising Rules Media Alliance and the National Lawyers Guild Committee on Democratic Communications filed comments opposing FCC plans to loosen the restrictions on 3rd party fundraising by noncommercial broadcasters. |
| Get a Low-Power Radio Station! by Michi Eyre, REC Networks In preparation for the historic low-power radio filing window, here are some tools to find out what's available in your community. |
 | KCSM-TV Sale Postponed August 11th, 2012 Update: 10/25 - The San Mateo Community College District has rejected all bidders in the sale of KCSM-TV. MA's pending public records request for all of the bid documentation will be fulfilled this week - (six months after the request was filed). The board stated that they are still determined to sell the broadcast license and will embark on a new RFP process. |
_1.jpg) | Low-Power Radio Filing Window October 2013! by Tracy Rosenberg, Media Alliance Northern California LPFM Outreach Volunteer Workshops: Sacto/Davis 2/8 (4pm) and Bay Area 2/11 (6pm). Help make radio. Stay tuned! |
 | KUSF One Year Later Update: On August 15th, in a tribute of sorts, the fabled call letters of KUSF, which will be remembered forever by music fans, were transferred to a yet-to-be-constructed station at 91.3 in Glendale, Oregon owned by community radio facilitators Common Frequency. |
| Coast is Clear for Low-Power Radio On March 19th, the FCC released an order clearing the way for the expansion of low-power radio service into cities and towns. |