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Lifting Up the Airwaves

 Interesting news out of Britain, as the BBC Trust issues new guidelines banning editorial content that defames human dignity. Although the move seems to confront the American ideal for freedom of speech, their efforts demonstrate the role that media leaders have in shaping public perception. If successful, advocates for human rights could leverage similar action in the U.s., in hopes to help frame positive values based messaging over American airwaves. It might seam dreamlike, but Hollywood is where dreams breathe life.

An expatriated journalist--vetted during the 1990s, when the craft of communicating embarked on its greatest transition since the invention of the printing press--I consider myself a strong advocate for the freedom of information. what I do promote, however, is a restructuring of how American broadcast media operates, a medium of mass communication that has always been seen as public property and, therefore, subject to editorial guidelines. Yet, in the spirit of selling the airwaves to the highest bidders, the public's best interest has been compromised by advertising revenues.

Long before the housing market was sold to Wall Street, changes in broadcast regulations were made to open up new revenue streams for media owners. During the 1980s, the FCC deregulated its restrictions on talk programming, opening the door for voices like Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy. Following the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a major push by the, then, newly ordained neoconservative Congress, ownership rules were greatly relaxed, with the majority of locally owned broadcast stations around the country falling into the ownership of a few mega-media moguls like Mel Karmazin of CBS-Infinity, who held the reigns on up-and-coming shock-jock Howard stern. The demise of locally owned and operated media outlets resulted in the sharp decline of locally produced public affairs programming, what was the last voice left for many American communities. Even the deregulation of how public broadcasting groups could air underwriting spots, after public broadcasting's budget was cut by Congress during the 1990s, forced public broadcasters to adopt a more mainstream model of programing, creating grey lines between underwriting and commercial advertising, while at the same time feeling the strain of competition for audiences.

All of this goes to say that broadcast programming in our country has been dictated by the advertising revenues from Madison Ave.. And in its quest for profit, it has taken the path of least resistance, relying on the human response of fear as a primary tool in keeping viewers and listeners glued to their boxes. This in turn has lifted up one of the dominant forces that drive conservative rhetoric, making it more difficult for progressive ideals to share the same landscape. 

There's no question that American broadcast media is a dominant force in promoting values that go against progressive ideals. The whole culture of the news industry has lived on a mantra of "If it bleeds, it leads" for decades. This hallmark of American broadcasting survives by promoting fear, a human psychological mechanism guaranteed to keep audiences on the edge of their seat during the commercial break, the terra sancta of broadcasting. Understanding how this same human mechanism remains a driving force in rooting hardline conservative ideology--that which detours progress by fear of the unknown--it is easy to see how broadcast media has become such a fertile ground for anti-progressive rhetoric. At the core exists a market paradigm that is built upon the promulgation of fear. And on the invisible skin that radiates through the airwaves are voices like Glen Beck, Lou Dobbs, and a genre of reality-based programming that feeds not so much on the success of winners, but on the exploitation of losers.

American broadcast media remains one of the strongest influencers in American culture. Therefore, if we really want to see progressive change that is long-lasting, then we'll need to reinvest in opportunity over the airwaves. What we need is bold leadership for a media culture that promotes progress, is rooted in hope, not fear, and lifts up the dignity of all human beings. This has long been part of the mission for public trusts and foundations in our country like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or the Pacifica Foundation, and there needs to be greater investment in such trusts that provide alternative and diverse views. though we shouldn't stop there, as public broadcasting still occupies a small percentage of our airwaves and over cable. Those who utilize public airwaves need incentives to increase the time public affairs programing shares with commercial programming. And local advocacy groups need investment that allows them to produce content that can be aired during time slots that broadcasters must set aside for this public affairs programming.

Investing in our public media is one of the strongest ways that we can harness tools used to  expand opportunity to a mass audience. Giving a voice to the voiceless, and reaffirming a culture that embraces diversity, is a sure way to shift public attitudes toward progressive ideals. And in doing so, we return the public airwaves back to the people who own them, not simply to a few who control them.

The Sweet chord of Opportunity

 Miles Davis has long been regarded as one of the leading performers and songwriters in the history of Jazz.  And this month, Kind of Blue--what is regarded as his best album, and the best album in all of jazz for that fact--celebrated its 50th anniversary.  The album, which went quadruple platinum a few months ago, is a strong reminder as to the power rhythmic chords have in creating harmony and equality amongst peoples.

Music is, as I hear it, one of the greatest bridges between cultures.  I'd argue that Pete Seeger mobilized change in American culture and public opinion  greater than that of the editorial pages from the New York Times.  And for Davis, his transformation of the BeeBop sound, which incidentally was born out of the conflict African American soldiers experienced after returning from the open artistic and culturally inclusive boulevards of Paris and Europe, faded the color lines into a sweet dissidence that has grown into the bedrock for popular American culture.  His sophisticated hooks and melodies helped elevate the African American experience to the summit of the American art form.  And in doing so, show the world that Kind of Blue was neither a black or white album, but a completely new thing in of itself.

Growing up an Irish mutt on the Southside of Atlanta, in the chaotic years following Dr. King's death, I learned how to play music before I could even spell my last name.  My grandfather, who pretty much was my father, was a roadie for a jazz band in Atlanta, and my mother made extra money after my father left singing in clubs on the weekends..  Their love for the music was a powerful factor in fostering racial unity at home. Music has, throughout history, been a bridge between languages and culture, perhaps the reason why the symphony for change resonated so well in people's hearts this past year, with President Obama's speeches harkening the words of song writers like Sam Cook, and sounding more like a litany than legal persuasion.

Music speaks to the heart, not to the eyes.  And its power to pull on those heart-felt values like hope, equality, opportunity and change sing a much greater harmony when sung together.  A chorus of one is dull and flat.  But fill it out with the seven and eight note chords, like those Miles Davis brought to the masses in his music, and the heart is raised to a new  dimension.

This January 20th, drummer Jimmy Cobb, who is the last remaining member of Miles Davis' group who recorded Kind of Blue, celebrated his 80th birthday.  Quite a birthday present, indeed, when looking back at the power he helped bring the world, creating a true beat for change.   

Fan fair for the 4th

There's really nothing like it. To the rest of the world, it's the greatest concentration of geeks assembled in one place. But when the fan fair blows, you really figure out just what community is all about.

Every 4th of July, I'm drawn into the sounds of Drum Corps International takes football fields across the nation by storm. And when you see 120 young men and women giving 110% in 100 degrees wearing polyester suits, there's no question about whether or not community values is alive in our country.

growing up, I was a band geek. Totally blind at age 15, friends and families of the Pope High School Band took me in and gave me something to reach for during a time when all seemed lost. For someone learning how to walk in the dark, socialize and reach the same levels of achievement as my peers, though without sight, I was in need of a major self-esteem boost. And I found it by being a part of something that completely rose above the abilities of one single person.

When 120 awkward teens take the field, they do it not for their own glory, but to be a part of something much greater than themselves. The structure is one where even the least plays an important part. It's that powerful harmony, when all is in tune, that magic is made. One note sets off the entire flow, like a rogue wave breaking a surfers stride. but, when they're all locked in, an energy extends beyond the individual, and you become part of the whole symphony.

It's difficult to explain to people who never marched on the field. Going to see drum and bugle corps perform gives you some idea at the sacrifice made for the greater common good. But even then, it's hard to express the feelings you have for one another, the desire to make everyone the best they can be.

In school, everyone loved to make fun of the band geeks. Our school wasn't as harsh as others, with one out of every ten students in band. But, you were still seen as a freak or a geek. However, as we've all gotten older, I see not a rag tag of musicians who only could dance with other band kids at school functions (we liked to keep it in the family). I see people who have grown up and fully lived out the values they learned marching thirty wide and four deep beneath the hot Georgia late summer sun. I think of the parents who, band geeks once themselves, gave so much time and energy to tell a kid who had just gone blind that he could do anything if he put his mind to it. And, I think of how it was always for the music, never for myself.

If you get a chance this summer, check out a DCI show in a town near you. In August, the final world championships is simulcasted through Regall Theatres. It's a perfect example of community values at play in our country.