FCM History

How FCM started

Info on David Barsamian

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH – DAVID BARSAMIAN

 

David Barsamian is founder and director of “Alternative Radio”, the independent award-winning weekly series based in Boulder, Colorado.  He is a radio producer, journalist, author, and lecturer.  He has been working in radio since 1978.  His interviews and articles appear regularly in the Progressive and Z Magazine.

 

As a writer, Mr. Barsamian is best known for his series of interviews with Noam Chomsky, which have been published in book form and translated into many languages, selling hundreds of thousands of copies.

 

His newest book with Noam Chomsky is Global Discontents: Conversations on the Rising Threats to Democracy; and other books such as Targeting Iran with Noam Chomsky, Ervand Abrahamian, and Nahid Mozaffari;  Imperial Ambitions with Noam Chomsky; Speaking of Empire & Resistance with Tariq Ali; and Original Zinn with Howard Zinn . His earlier books include Propaganda and the Public Mind: Conversations with Noam Chomsky; Eqbal Ahmad: Confronting Empire and The Decline and Fall of Public Broadcasting.
His show, “Alternative Radio” airs on 90.1 FM, KKFI in Kansas City on Wednesdays at 9 AM following ”Democracy Now.”
The Institute for Alternative Journalism named him one of its “Top Ten Media Heroes.” Barsamian lectures on U.S. foreign policy, the media, propaganda, and corporate power in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, India and Europe. He is the winner of the ACLU’s Upton Sinclair Award for independent journalism, the 2006 Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Award and the Cultural Freedom Fellowship from the Lannan Foundation.

 

Mr. Barsamian spoke previously at the Friends of Community Media’s annual media awards event to honor those in the media who have served their communities

 

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December 1 Event

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                  Contact:  Tom Crane

                                                                                                                                       816-561-6288

NOTED JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR TO VISIT KANSAS CITY

Kansas City, Mo. , 11/14/17  – David Barsamian author of a new book with Noam Chomsky – Global Discontents: Conversations on the Rising Threats to Democracy, will present his views on the state of the world on December 1, 7:00 PM at St. Garabed Church, 4400 Wyoming in Kansas City.

One of America’s most tireless and wide-ranging journalists, Barsamian is an integral part of the independent media landscape both with his weekly radio show, “Alternative Radio” in its 32nd year – and his books with Noam Chomsky, Eqbal Ahmad, Howard Zinn, Tariq Ali, Arundhati Roy, and Richard Wolff.

The show airs locally on KKFI FM 90.1 on Wednesdays at 9 AM.  An interview with him will air on Tuesday, 11/14 on the station at 6:00 PM on the Radioactive Magazine Show.

David is the recipient of many awards including the Media Education Award, the ACLU’s Upton Sinclair award, and Friends of Community Media’s Media Excellence Award.

Admission at the door will be $20, $10 for students, low-income people, and seniors.  A reception to meet Mr. Barsamian is at 6:00 PM for a fee of $30 (includes an event ticket and refreshments).  Autographed books and CDs will be available for purchase.  Ticket  proceeds will benefit Friends of Community Media, a non-profit 501(c)3 group.  Tickets in advance are $15.00 and may be ordered at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3178201

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Ascertainment at KKFI

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KKFI ascertainment forum on Thursday, 10/26 at 6:00 PM sponsored by the United Minority Media Association. KKFI Annex room at 39th and Main. Friends of Community Medias a co-sponsor and will have information about net neutrality and other activities coming up. M.C. Richardson is the coordinator.
 
All are welcome to bring diversity to the airways.

FCM Member / Board Meeting

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Friends of Community Media Proposed agenda
 
FCM MEMBER/BOARD MEETING AGENDA 
Saturday 10/21/17 Noon
KKFI Annex
 
Mission statement: The mission of Friends of Community Media is to promote non-commercial community-based media of all types, to educate citizens on the nature of the media, and to encourage all media to be responsive to the public in their coverage.
 
Minutes from September Meeting – Spencer
 
Treasurer – Current balance, expenses, member list handout
 
Old Business
            Upcoming FCM forum 2 PM KKFI Annex Room
            November monthly media presentation
            UMMA information
 
New Business
          Future forum event, Barsamian event December 1
          New social event – Novebmer
Website update – adding FCR history, UMMA photos – progress
Possible collaboration with All-Souls to set up media committee
Possible next year events with national media figures at All-Souls

Meeting Saturday

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Reminder – Saturday 8/12 KKFI annex room, FCM member meeting to vote on bylaws changes and discuss UMMA support.

How to file a comment to the FCC on Net Neutrality Before August 15th

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What is the Friends of Community Media group?

FCM is a group of your neighbors that promotes community-based media including the Internet, who educate citizens on the media, and who want media to be responsive to the public-interest in their coverage.

FCM is currently very worried about that a very few large corporations and money-people want to do away with Internet protections gained under the Obama Administration. This is known as “net neutrality” – or an open-Internet for all.

What do the money-people want to do to the Internet?

Under the Trump Administration, the danger is that a few money-people and large corporations want to make you pay more to access the Internet at a reasonable speed, and probably control what you see or don’t see.  They use the name, “The Restoring Internet Freedom” rule where their use of the word “freedom” is really a smokescreen for turning the Internet over to moneyed interests and enacting Internet censorship.

 What can ordinary people like us do?

Join the resistance by letting your voice be heard at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by August 15th with comments on what has been posted on the issue.  Almost 10 million already commented to the FCC – most are against dismantling net neutrality – and others are bots from large corporations that are in favor of the new rules.

What can I do and what should I write?

Friends of Community Media already prepared and filed an extensive rebuttal to the new rules on July 17th in a comment to the Federal Communications Commission.  When sending in your comments, refer to our comment to the FCC which shows up as:

By August 15th send your comments on FCM’s comment to:

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings

The link to the entire text of FCM’s comments is here:

https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10718681816260/FCC%2017-60A1.pdf

FCM pro-net neutrality filing with the FCC

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On Monday 7/17/17 Friends of Community Media filed a comment with the FCC protesting the abolishing of net neutrality regulations.  Doing away with these rules, would give major media companies unprecedented authority to raise Internet service providers fees, and power to censor content on an open-Internet.  Many thanks to Amy, Gordon, and Spencer for the work they put in to do this!

For a full text of the FCM document, here is the link:

https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10718681816260/FCC%2017-60A1.pdf

 

Upcoming events

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OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 15th FCM Forum on Net Neutrality – at 39th & Main – KKFI Annex Room 2:30 – 4:00

July 20th FCM/KKFI Broadcast ascertainment forum – KKFI Annex Room

 August 5th FCM Net Neutrality Forum 2 – KKFI Annex Room 2:30 – 4:00
September – FCM Forum – War on the Media – To be announced

By-laws meeting

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Meeting  Sunday, 7/2/17 at 39th and Main 11:30 AM at the KKFI conference room to prepare the final draft of the FCM bylaws changes for presentation to the FCM board.  All welcome to attend.