Public Radio & TV (De)funded??? UPDATE: NPR Defunded.

It seems like whenever publicly-ran entities take one step forward, the next move will bring them two giant leaps back... What a stinking rollercoaster public radio has been on!

Remember the post about the Local Community Radio Act Passed? Well, weeks later there's been a blow to keeping public media alive. February 19, the House has passed a bill that cuts ALL financing for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the year 2013, according to a report from the New York Times. While President Obama is trying to increase funding for the CPB, $6 mill increase according to NY Times, "a collective $75.8 million for other public media initiatives, like the Dept. of Education's Ready to Learn Program, was eliminated from the President's budget."

Does the Corporation for Public Broadcasting sound familiar? (HINT: you might hear it at the end of every show on PBS or NPR) Well, CPB is responsible for a chunk of PBS' and NPR's funding. This includes such amazing broadcasts as All Songs Considered, World Cafe, hell, even Arthur and The Diane Rehm Show!!!

While small town public radio has protection with the latest Local Community Radio Act, big-time national public radio and TV is about to suffer! Sure, things can change between now and 2013 (including the whole 2012 thing), but the last thing we need is the process in eliminating radio and TV that has always been for the people. Think of how many times news was broke thanks to NPR? How much you learned from the oh-so-neighborly Mister Rodgers? Happy Trees, anyone? Let's not talk about Reading Rainbow.... And then radio: although NPR itself is enough to lose, what about the massive amounts of job creation that came from NPR (also the ample internship programs provided by them)? A cut from the government's funding would harm the hell out of public radio!

NPR isn't sitting quietly on this issue. While an NPR exec has been caught in a sting video saying that eventually public media will be better off without federal funding, the PMA (an initiative between NPR and the Association of Public Television Stations) has shown outrage regarding the House bill. "To dismantle a public broadcasting system that 170 million Americans regularly rely on for lifelong learning, in-depth news and public affairs programming, and world class - all for the sake of reducing one year's federal budget deficit by less than three thousandths of one percent - is to recklessly defy the will of the American people, who routinely rank public broadcasting just behind national defense as the best use of taxpayer dollars," PMA President Patrick Butler said on NPR's website.

Although there is some truth in the possibility of public media without federal funding, it is scary to see how fast Congress is pulling out assistance from corporate public entities like CPB, NPR and PBS. It's like when it comes to eliminating funds - even if it's 3/1000 of 1% of the federal budget deficit that is dedicated toward educational and cultural programming - the government is becoming a bit too scissor-happy for things the people value the most.

Fortunately, you can act now by signing a petition made by MoveOn.org that states "Congress must protect NPR and PBS and guarantee them permanent funding, free from political meddling."

UPDATE 03/17/11 at 3:28 p.m.: TODAY, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTED 228-192 TO BAR NPR FROM RECEIVING ANY MORE FEDERAL FUNDS. MORE HERE!

Oh, and by the way, All Songs has been streaming outrageously amazing performances and uploading some of the best video footage from SXSW so broke-arses like me can witness the glorious festivities. Yeah.

Local Community Radio Act PASSED!!!

It's good to see community radio don't have to go through hoops no more!

Well, at least this act is settled (unlike H.R.848 "The Performance Rights Act" I blogged about way back when)!

I check out the Prometheus Radio Project frequently, and they broke it to me that Congress has finally passed  S.592, the Local Community Radio Act. According to their press release, the House and Senate has given the FCC a mandate for thousands of new community stations nationwide.

Sounds great, right? Right!

Why? Because it's a win for the little guy, of course, but also is a win for the home team (whoever yours may be). For about ten years, since the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act, small town radio has suffered under the shrinking dial frequency thanks to big corporate radio stations wanting to minimize use of the spectrum for their own gain, claiming interference (which ended up being a claimed disproved by a Congress-mandated study in 2003).

The new bill is waiting for President Obama's signature. According to Pitchfork, it does state that approval of the FCC must be "based on the needs of the local community," and that restrictions are in place to prevent applicants from getting a low power FM license if he or she has violated section 301 of the Communication Act of 1934.

The most awesome thing about the Local Community Radio Act is that this could possibly lead to more media job creation! Your girl needs a job, and is not afraid to step into the booth as a radio jockey. The world needs Bubble Gum Pop Rap on the airwaves, right? Wouldn't that be dope! Seriously, this could create more jobs in a starving market, so journalists and folks who love the radio should rejoice as Congress has done something amazing for once!

This wouldn't be right if I didn't shout out the following local radio stations in Atlanta that I always listen to when I'm in the car or near the frequency box!!!

WRFG 89.3 - Radio Free Georgia, man oh man. It plays a little bit of everything progressive-wise, including REAL experimental music, REAL bluegrass and country, and REAL hiphop music, and also very helpful and resourceful talk shows (not the crappy sensationalizing talk shows that scare the bejeebus out of folks just to tune them in on a permanent basis). I especially like their hiphop show Beats & Lyrics, plus their late night shows... which isn't what you think at all. I promise.

WRAS 88.5 - Album 88 is a radio station based at Georgia State University in downtown Atl. The thing I like about them is that they play what's hot in the blogosphere and in the community. It's a great place to hear local bands, indie bands, and whatever other music stuff that's considered hipster. I'm no hipster, but everytime I tune in, I always have a "THAT'S MY ISH RIGHT THERE!" moment. The thing I can't stand is that it's the ONLY radio station around that plays the atypical music.

WREK 91.1 - Georgia Tech's station is a station I tune into from time to time. I caught wind of it when they had a F' Action hour, which was interesting considering it was a Sunday evening. I always find something dope on Saturday nights on the road to a show or something, as they always have some crazy Techno or Drum & Bass record going crazy. Ultimately, they always play some jazz or big band record that keeps me tuned in.

There are a couple more stations that I like, or at least keep on my dial until I buck up and change to V-103 or Hot1079 or one of the old school stations. But the classic rock station The River, alternative rock stations 99x and Project 9-6-1 do keep me occupied when absolutely nothing else is on the radio. I hope this new Local Community Radio Act forms more local stations here in the A that provide more voices to this city.

Last Week on Tumblr...

For those that may not know, this blog has a sidekick!

When I'm not posting reviews, commentaries, and such, I am posting small music tidbits on Tumblr, titled Bubble Gum Pop Rap Lite. Almost anything has been posted on this site, from neat music articles to singles from great artists. Every week I'll give you a taste of what I've come across on the radio, in the news, and online. Enjoy!

Posted July 17th: A link to a new site on how to be a good party-goer called Stuff DJs Hate, and ALL EIGHT album covers for Arcade Fire's Suburbs.


Posted July 16th: the new scoop on 80s group Devo, and for all the Lil' Wayne heads, a list of what he's been up to in prison.

Posted July 15th: Sleigh Bells joint "Straight A's" (BEWARE, IT'S LOUD! REALLY REALLY LOUD!) Like M.I.A-loud, but it actually works.

Posted July 14th: the list of all the artists dropping an album on September 14th. Why? It includes labelmates Kanye West, Consequence, Kid Cudi, plus the '10 comeback kids The Walkmen, among many more!

Posted July 13th: an Invincible and Waajeed collabo "Detroit Summer", exclusively premiered on Hot 97 a couple days after my blog on her! Also a picture of the greatest prank of the year!

Posted July 12th: the original sample to Q-Tip's "Let's Ride" and one of the greatest songs from my personal favorite guitarists "Giant Steps" by Joe Pass. Also posted is the link to Pitchfork's new search for writers!

Does It Pay to Play? Artists Think So, Radio Stations Don't

As I listened to the radio in Columbus this past weekend, I heard this PSA from a radio personnel commenting on Congressmen, Black ones in particular, should not cosign with the new Performance Rights Act bill that would make radio stations pay the artists every time they play his or her song. I think to myself, "hmmm, let me look this up," and this is what I found:

From opencongress.org:

Official Summary

12/18/2007--Introduced.

Performance Rights Act - Amends federal copyright law to:

(1) grant performers of sound recordings equal rights to compensation from terrestrial broadcasters;

(2) establish a flat annual fee in lieu of payment of royalties for individual terrestrial broadcast stations with gross revenues of less than $1.25 million and for non-commercial, public broadcast stations;

(3) grant an exemption from royalty payments for broadcasts of religious services and for incidental uses of musical sound recordings; and

(4) grant terrestrial broadcast stations that make limited feature uses of sound recordings a per program license option.

Provides that nothing in this Act shall adversely affect the public performance rights or royalties payable to songwriters or copyright owners of musical works.

In short, the bill says it will be a law that every time a song is played on the radio, the radio station has to pay the artist. This bill provides a limit for and ultimately excludes the public broadcast radio stations, stations that broadcast religious services and the stations that hasn't made over $1.25 million in a year. This bill is still heavily debated between the RIAA (who almost everyone wishes they could pull an ACORN so the government does away with them) and radio stations (who almost no one listens to anymore).

Why is the legislation sticking their nose in music's business? The easiest answer off the top of the head would be this: IT'S THE GOVERNMENT, THEY CAN DO/WATCH/SAY WHAT THEY WANT!!!! ASK IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, VIETNAM, ETC. THIS IS ONLY A CAPITALISTIC COUNTRY AS LONG AS THEY SAY IT IS (nevermind). But seriously, the House of Representatives who presented this bill decided it was time to end the suffering of internet piracy for the artist/their songwriters. It is aimed at helping the artist get their compensation for the work he/she put in because the Internet, programs like Kazaa and LimeWire in particular, shows no love. So for the artists to get paid for disc jockeys to play their tunes is music to their ears.

What about the slowly dying radio stations? Of course most radio stations, thanks to this thing we call a recession, will be hit hard if this bill becomes a law. Quite a few stations I have personally categorized will be hit hardest: the station that plays only five songs an hour 15 times, the local non-profit talk station, and the Black station. Well, the station that plays the same five songs about 15 times an hour will be handing these five (well really three) artists a fat, FAT check. A check that they may have, but in result will have to let go some of its employees. And the local non-profit talk radio stations, that usually play songs they dig out of their own crates or even play local artists, will hand more checks than their checkbook holds, and especially since this type of station is not in the best market for ads will have to let go some of its employees. As for the Black station, and this includes the oldies, gospel, and "hiphop/R&B" genres, this station has far less of an advertisement market than most mainstream stations (big city or not), and since they follow the same playing guidelines as the top 40 stations, then they will be making big checks to artists they can't afford. Resulting in them having to let go of some employees.

And yes, there is a pattern here.

My main concern for this bill is that it will drive out the disc jockeys, DJs, personnel, and so on, most of the people that I only listen to the radio for nowadays (because real talk, the music is lame). With all this money they will have to pay these artists, for their so-called "performance fee", they won't be able to pay their employees.

Plus, this makes no sense to pay someone for something they brought to you. Aren't radio stations an outlet for artists to advertise their talent anyway? This is like if a magazine pays its ad clients to put ads in their mag. Should Playboy pay Trojan for every condom ad Trojan puts in their magazine? Of course not. I understand the economy is tough, especially for artists. I just don't like the steps Congress is taking to help fix that. But most of their decisions they have made since Obama made office is not going in my "good job" pile honestly.

Cell Therapy 021

I hate reprioritizing my blog posts, but things come up and things must be said!