Click here to gain insight into the annual National Federation of Community Broadcasters conference that took place in St. Paul, MN. Meet new NFCB president Maxie Jackson, hear Amy Goodman's address, get a scoop from legendary broadcast attorney John Crigler, listen to audio from the Future of Music panel, or check out new FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. Other characters include fine folks from Democracy Now, WFMU, Pacifica Radio, Prometheus Radio, Austin Airwaves, WNYU, and host station KFAI. Plenty of audio included.

Thanks to Martina Tran and everyone else at NFCB who made the conference a memorable one. The casual discussions were as fun as ever, but the 2010 conference itself was as loaded with great content as ever. I'll be back! -Gavin

Pre-Conference Intensives - Wed. June 9, 2010

Arroving from the airport in time for lunch, I sat with Carol Taylor and Daryl Coons of WOJB, a native-run 100,000 watt FM station in northern Wisconsin. Carol talked about the difficulty in bringing in underwriting because of the sparse population of the rural area they serve. Daryl mentioned that one of the key challenges they face is varying opinions among tribal members about which evolutions of indigenous languages are correct.

I was en route from the Rocky Mountains during the morning discussions about engineering and business plans, but the second half of the "In the midst of building that dream" intensive began with a short presentation and Q&A by Melodie Virtue of Garvey Schubert Barer. Her FCC compliance documentation covered deadlines after the construction permit is granted, and then after the license is issued. She also encouraged participants to use the FCC's self-inspection checklists.

Pacifica Radio affiliates coordinator Ursula Ruedenberg followed by addressing the subject of station governance. She made the point that good bylaws are only effective when people want to work together. She pointed out that people in community radio often want authority, but not responsibility. In addition to a circular or collective model of governance and the more traditional pyramid model of power distribution, Ursula put forth her own ideal, which she called the mace model.

Passing out materials including sample mission statements from Pacifica affiliates, guidelines for success and behaviors that doom relationships, Ursula insisted the key to avoiding triangulation, micro-managing and bullying is nonviolent communication training. "Culture is faster than politics," she said, quoting a performer at the recent Grassroots Radio Coalition gathering.

In the collective management style break-out group Kelly Cheney of KHOI in Iowa pointed out that philosophical as well as personality conflicts can arise and derail the progress of groups working to get a new radio project on the air. Megan Sheehan of Prometheus Radio mentioned that proposals brought to the collective can cut down on wasted work and allow active members of a station more likely impacts. Carol Pierson, ex-NFCB chief stated that volunteer handbooks can help prevent conflict. Megan said it is important to continually build feedback into the work, acknowledge successes and encourage report-backs on projects completed. Prometheus also asks outgoing members to comment on their experiences in an exit interview.

Kelly Cheney insisted on the importance of making volunteers feel appreciated and discussed the attitude that airtime should be treated as a benefit of participation and voting on decisions is a reward once a certain amount of time has been contributed. Megan Sheehan said organizations must continue to evaluate their mission. Al Davis added that missions have to be compatible among all team members, but don't necessarily have to match. Carol responded that defining expectations is crucial, that ambiguity might allow some to feel good, but it can end up being a problem.

Tamara Dean of WDRT mentioned the complications that arise when boards and staffs collide and mentioned another common problem, founder drama. Megan suggested a great way to handle internal conflicts is to pull in mediators from outside, pointing out that often once a mediator gets involved with a station, they stick around to continue helping out. For Prometheus, the non-hierarchical team dynamics and mission involve acting out the values you want to see in the world, she said. For workers, allegiance should be to the mission and not to a boss. Megan insists this promotes flexibility and tends to mean individuals can respond much more quickly to anticipated problems. Carol concluded it is simply the difference between a difficult-to-achieve circle and a more traditional pyramid of control.

After a short break, the subject shifted to programming, community engagement and strategies for building audience. New NFCB president Maxie Jackson took center stage. Maxie helped start The Takeaway at WNYU, grew listenership at WEAA Baltimore, and picked up on the notion of programming to the fanatic and not the fringe in the early days of XM radio. He said it is tough to win ratings with an unfocused format. The fanatic listens all the time but the mildly engaged fringe listener comes and goes. He said it is important to program to your most engaged citizens. Without the full context of his talk, much of what he said could be construed as counter to the values of, for example, the Grassroots Radio Coalition. For example he insisted a station should be apolitical, but went on to stress the idea that this can better allow the community to breathe through the station.

Maxie cautioned against counting out the contribution of currently under-served listeners in the community. If you know how to promote your authentic voices, you'll be surprised by the support of groups you didn't expect to participate in pledge drives or other fundraisers. As far as trying to reach pockets of your listening area characterized as a minority, Maxie said "you're not going to get 'em with one hour. You gotta do a block. I'm not afraid to tell you, patch quilt programming does not work. No, that sucks! If you want to develop a following, use blocks." It is possible to serve up music, news and public affairs in a chunk on one particular day and bring in the Hmong community, for example, he said. "Community engagement is the most important work going on in this industry," he added. More than just outreach, it forces you to map the community, identify who is influential among diverse constituencies and design effective focus groups.

He also advised new station builders not to be afraid to bring in syndicated content that speaks to listeners, pointing to the affordability of adding BBC programs through PRI. Since audiences are in so many places other than in front of traditional radios, low-cost multimedia is crucial, he instructed. And public resource journalism is the novel concept of tapping into the expertise in your community. "Are you a reflection of other groups?" he asked. Determine if your programming is an ego system or an ecosystem. If you don't have an audience, you don't have impact. When it comes to your music programming, Maxie sketched the imagery of a jukebox versus a cultural institution. Your station ought to be curating, convening and educating, he said. The guy who plays acoustic guitar at a local bar every Sunday might not be who really matters to the listeners, so it's up to the station leadership to connect to the fabric of the community.

Maxie mentioned that NPR CEO and President Vivian Schiller thinks that broadcast towers will be gone in 10 years. He said that public radio stations make a mistake if they brand themselves as "NPR stations" and should instead focus on what makes them unique, because NPR may be approaching a time when they no longer depend on terrestrial affiliates. However the key critique Maxie put forth of NPR, while characterizing it is a very strong brand, is that the programming architecture was created 30+ years ago with the assumption that NPR listeners are primarily white, male, affluent and highly educated. "Audiences of color are a growth opportunity" for community radio, therefore. "Be committed to bringing it," he added passionately.

In the final break-out session of the intensive for stations not yet on the air, I met Chris St. Germaine of Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho, whose station plans to push for an FM launch this fall. Henry Peacock of Speak Onit Radio, located between Memphis and Little Rock, said it is their intention to focus on local and regional music that doesn't get much airplay. He is optimistic that their station, based in Forrest City, AR will move toward its FM debut within a year. Casey Holcomb made the trip to NFCB's conference representing Voices of Oklahoma Radio, who seek to become "a progressive community voice." I heard from Megan of Prometheus about the barnraising they have planned for upstate New York this fall before heading upstairs to the reception hosted by Native Public Media and Latino Public Radio Consortium in a space at the Crowne Plaza Riverfront Hotel called the Windows on the River.

The scenery outside was like something from a Terrence Malick movie, the mariachi group and traditional native music performances were really good, and the spread of snacks included massive portions of hummus, fresh veggies, and other finger foods. I bumped into Jean Cook and Lissa Rosenthal of the Future of Music Coalition on the elevator up and Lissa, their new Executive Director, told me about the highlights of their recent one day DC policy summit, including videos available on their site exploring net neutrality, musician health insurance, controversial trade agreement ACTA and the impact of under-reported Memphis floods on musicians and equipment in the country music capitol of the world.

Austin Airwaves firecracker Jim Ellinger, who recently returned from a radio rebuild in Haiti, is next headed to southeast Ghana to help reboot old-fashioned farm market reports in collaboration with an American NGO and government, commercial and community radio stations. He is also pushing radio activists to commit to attending the next AMARC gathering in Buenos Aires this fall. Portland-based radio engineer hero Michael Brown said he's still hopeful the Local Community Radio Act will pass this summer and a filing window for LPFM construction permits could happen in 2011. (The National Association of Broadcasters is still not in favor of the LPFM bill, but is reportedly no longer lobbying against it.) Brenda Starr of KMUD laughed about the hubbub surrounding NPR's coverage of the Humboldt County mainstay's civil liberties monitoring report. Pearl Stark of KPOV discussed some of the issues of trying to upgrade their LPFM license to full power in Bend, OR.

The last big conversation of my evening was with notable attorney John Crigler of Garvey Schubert Barer. Highly regarded for decades of work around broadcast and free speech, Crigler put up with a passionate discussion about the chilling effect of the FCC's indecency regime. Of course, he has worked on this subject since before the precedents were set for government challenges to the use of dirty words on the radio in landmark rulings on Pacifica and 2 other cases in 1987. More recently, the subject of fleeting expletives (uttered by Cher and Nicole Ritchie at televised award shows) have worked their way back through the second circuit court in New York after the Supreme Court chose not to rule on the most important aspects of the FCC v. Fox case. It gets pretty interesting to think about what could happen once these cases are decided again, when you realize several of the current FCC counsel are Obama appointees who would be arguing for content restrictions and fines brought about by Bush-appointed FCC leadership. I complained about the weak organizing effort around the FCC's third media ownership workshop in Palo Alto last month, and Crigler said the Future of Media proceeding focused on public media may have been more interesting.

Asked if Obama's next Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan has much of a first amendment record, Crigler said she has maybe three relevant articles worth searching for, including on the subject of whether the Court owes government agencies any deference on their areas of expertise. He said that when it comes to the first amendment, it could be argued that government staffers don't have any more informed opinions than the public. Pushed on the subject of the chilling effect of the threat of fines on programming decisions at the grassroots radio level, Crigler described a case study he put together when the FCC invited comments 15 or so years back. Pacifica affiliates, who could, documented content they were electing not to air out of fear of fines and Crigler worked to "pack the record" with stories like the decision not to air the annual reading of the Penelope chapter from James Joyce's Ulysses on WBAI. After I said thanks and Crigler walked away, Duane Bradley of KPFT Houston and Rip Robbins of KSVR Mt. Vernon joked that I may have gotten $120 worth of his time. What a day. The annual NFCB conference is packed with passionate advocates for empowering communities through independent radio, and the agenda is loaded full. More to come.

Official First Day of the Conference - Thu. June 10, 2010

The morning began with introductions from NFCB Board Chair Deb Benedict and KFAI's Janis Lane-Ewart. Maxie Jackson followed with an address, before introducting Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. The author and radio host had plenty to say in a short time, starting out by joking that he only agreed to come to NFCB because of guarantees he was given that affiliate stations would add his radio program to their schedules. And things got interesting over the next half hour.

"Old Dirty Bastard was just as important as Bill Cosby," he said. "Where is public media to say do we have countervailing ideas? NBC, CBS and ABC, understanding that this is a signal moment because people are tired of black people acting a fool in public, staying on welfare for generations, all of these mythologies which equated around the celebrity of this figure. And it made it better 'cause he was black 'cause a lot of the bigotry that people had against black people could now be funneled through his voice." Taking on the voice of mainstream media, he added, "We believed it anyway but we lookin' for a spokesperson for our bigotry, a ventriloquist who could articulate as we threw our voices onto his body our deep and profound beliefs."

According to Dyson, most black commentators capitulated but public media should think critically and make the powerful listen to the vulnerable. "Poor black people can't go on Nightline. A lot of black people said its nothing different than what your uncle says in the barber shop. Your uncle ain't on NBC Today Show, cause if he was they'd be seein' how ignorant your uncle is."

"Let's just be fair, can't none of us be objective. We can't even be neutral, but we can be honest about the biases we have and then tell the truth about it. And so, one of the roles of democracy is to really make the powerful listen and to amplify the voices of those who are marginalized. In the academy Michel Foucault called it the insurrection of subjugated knowledges if you want a fancy term. Hip hop called it spittin' the truth. That's your role, that's your responsibility is to lift up alternative perspectives. Cosby is mainstream as it gets, much less the president of the United States. A lot of people like what do we do, do we criticize Obama or not? He's the president, that be yo job."

Dr. Dyson pointed out NPR is not the only model, and although he personally wants to get on NPR, he suggested the acronym stands for No Personality Required.

Eight workshops followed during the morning session. Thursday's lunch was a big deal because (according to NFCB consultant Cheryl Leanza) this year was the first time a commissioner from the FCC addressed the conference. Mignon Clyburn is the newest FCC commissioner, appointed by Barack Obama.

NFCB president Maxie Jackson said of Clyburn, "She might be small, but so is dynamite. I stole that from Prince, it's a Minneapolis thing." She said she's comfortable working with the disenfranchised. She congratulated Maxie Jackson on his new position as NFCB president and Carol Pierson for her retirement from NFCB. Clyburn talked about public service as a family value. Community radio is an essential piece of the American experience, she said. "If not for radio, I would never have become an FCC commissioner." She was invited to speak on a public affairs show at a Charleston radio station. Looking out from the podium she told the members of NFCB, she sees hope.

Commissioner Clyburn suggested that some say radio will fade away, "but I, however see things quite differently." She said about the Internet that hyper local online news is an exception, not the rule. She said she will encourage others to follow suit in support of traditional radio. "The FCC is trying to do its part to assist in development of community radio," she said. The FCC codified opportunities for native stations, she said, describing niche communities and linguistic minorities as important groups who need service. "You can expect a flurry of NCE point system decisions in the next six months," she promised. The Local Community Radio Act passed the House in September and is pending in the Senate. There is only one LPFM station in the top 50 markets, she added.

Clyburn said there are three key things she sees that stations can do to improve their service. First, she said radio stations should use their signals as a jumping off point and drive listeners to a website. Second, she claimed HD radio promotes diversity and expanded content, as there are virtually no limits on sideband use. (She did not mention the lack of adoption by Americans.) Finally, she stressed the work on the part of the commission for the National Broadband Plan has involved a long look at spectrum use. Previous to this administration, the FCC's attention to spectrum has "been ad hoc, I will admit that today," she added. The room full of community radio folks were please when she concluded by stating that Channels 5 and 6 have proven difficult for TV broadcasting and wouldn't fare much better for mobile wireless. Community radio engineers would like to see that spectrum made available. "I urge you to weigh in on how radio would be a good use of Channel 5 and 6," she said.

During the brief Q&A Jim Ellinger of Austin Airwaves encouraged the FCC to consider making "Festival Radio" LPFM licenses available for emergency use. He helped organize the radio system for Hurrican Katrina evacuees at the Astrodome in Houston. A woman told her the one-size-fits-all approach to broadcast regulation doesn't work. Denis Moynihan of Democracy Now asked about NBCU/Comcast merger. Clyburn talked about an interview she did in New Jersey where the cameraman told her he's scared of losing his job. "I have made it clear that I am weary of consolidation," she said. Another conference-goer asked her about the FCC's plans for network neutrality. Clyburn said she has "taken a lot of heat" for her support of open, non-discriminatory Internet principles and insisted that the majority of commissioners intend to support that. You can read her entire prepared remarks by clicking here - CLYBURN doc and download or listen to the audio here - CLYBURN mp3

Next up during the lunch in the ballroom, Brian DeShazer was given NFCB's Bader Award for his work at the Pacifica Radio Archives. Established in 1971, the PRA is a repository of nearly 50,000 audio recordings. The collection chronicles political, cultural and artistic movements of the 2nd half of the 20th century. Stations can choose from a wide selection of thank-you gifts and can carry the weekly radio show, From the Vault. Ron Thums of KFAI was named volunteer of the year and delivered some funny anecdotes. Before lunch ended, new Pacifica executive director Arlene Engelhardt and I expressed concern to Clyburn about the chilling effect of their indecency regime on programming at small and medium budget stations. I gave the example of Joyce's Ulysses read annually on WBAI. Arlene mentioned that 10 years ago on WMNF they ran a carefully selected portion of the Vagina Monologues but wouldn't dare do it now, out of fear of massive indecency fines.

Ali Lightfoot and Dave Ferland led the training volunteers workshop, highlighting issues like plugola, air checks, programming committees, and a 15-year old volunteer who trains senior citizens! The Future of Music panel starred Ken Freedman of WFMU, Jean Cook of Future of Music Coalition, musician and writer Arigon Starr, UnderCurrents host Gregg McVicar and a guy from WMNF. You can download or stream it and listen to the entire thing here - FUTURE OF MUSIC PANEL mp3

After a tasty dinner with Cheryl Leanza and Future of Music Coalition's Jean Cook and Lissa Rosenthal, I participated in a Pacifica national programming strategizing session. Great ideas that I look forward to hearing more about from Pacifica's ED Arlene Engelhardt were exchanged.

Day 2 of NFCB's Conference - Fri. June 11, 2010

Notes on workshops, address by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and the future of journalism plenary coming soon.

Last Day of NFCB's Conference - Sat. June 12, 2010

Notes on workshops and Amy Goodman's closing speech coming soon. You can download or stream it and listen to the entire thing here - AMY GOODMAN SPEECH mp3