[cma-l] Fw: Cut local shows debate

[henry-otani at beeb.net]

This is a Big Issue....

See:-

Extracts from Norbert Wiener's  "Cybernetics" ( MIT 1948 ) 
 The author of the term "Cybernetics". 

Importance of non-commercial media: 
Of all anti-homeostatic factors in society, the control by business of the means of communication is the most effective and most important. One of the lessons of the present book is that: "Any social structure is held together by the possession of means for the acquisition, use, retention and transmission of information". In a society too large for the direct contact of its members, these means are the press, radio, telephone, posts, the theatre, television, the movies, school and church.... 
  
Existing Local media: 

Besides their intrinsic importance as means of communication, each of the above serves other, secondary functions. The newspaper is a vehicle for advertising and an instrument of monetary gain for the proprietor as are movies and the radio...... In a society like ours, avowedly based on buying and selling, in which all natural and human resources are regarded as the absolute property of the first businessman enterprising enough to exploit them, these secondary aspects of the means of communication tend to encroach further and further on the primary ones. This is aided by the very elaboration and the consequence expense of the means themselves.... The local paper may continue to use its own reporters to canvass the villages around for gossip, but it buys its national news, its syndicated features, its political opinions as stereotyped "boiler plate"...... The great news services cost too much to be available to the publisher of moderate means..... 
  
The Problem: 

.....A triple constriction of the means of communication: the elimination of the less profitable means in favour of the more profitable; the fact that these means are in the hands of the very limited class of wealthy men, and thus naturally express the opinions of that class; and the further fact that, as one of the chief avenues to political and personal power, they attract above all those ambitious for such power. 

That system which more than all others should contribute to social homeostasis is thrown directly into the hands of those most concerned in the game of power and money, which as we have already seen to be one of the chief anti-homeostatic elements in the community. It is no wonder then that the larger communities, subject to this disruptive influence, contain far less communally available information than the smaller communities..... 


http://www.wlan.org.uk/weiner2.htm 


 
Henry O'Tani

Keeper: www.wlan.org.uk
(Founder of the world-wide community wlan movement)
 
Phone: +44 (0) 117 986 5422 
Mobile: +44 (0) 781 277 8609




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "CMA-L" <cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
To: "'CMA-L'" <cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 10:06 AM
Subject: [cma-l] Cut local shows debate


> Fwd:
> 
> From: Stevensuttie at aol.com
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> I must say I find this request by the major commercial operators hard to
> comprehend. These media giants have been allowed to systematically
> destroy the
> once thriving independent local radio industry by acquiring station after
> station, defragging their identity and making them sound identical to
> their  other
> stations, indeed even using the same logo in many cases. In the late 70's
> and most of the 80's ILR was king, but Radio 1 breakfast still got the
> bigger
> audience. However ILR delivered the local content, and the stations were
> extremely well respected in their areas. They had identity, and
> Piccadilly Radio
> meant Manchester, Signal meant Stoke, Red Rose was Lancashire. Those
> days are
> long gone now...and I am incensed that the very businessmen who have
> created
> such a soul less and bland commercial radio landscape across the UK  are
> now
> complaining that they can't compete with the BBC! D'oh!
> 
> All ILR stations applied for a local license to serve a specific area. If
> they no longer wish to serve that area with local news, views, articles,
> sports
> and travel reports...along with local voices that make the area  unique
> then
> I think they should be forced to hand the license back and free up  some
> spectrum for the passionate people, ie the community radio brigade. But
> of  course
> this will not happen.
> 
> Sorry to go on, but this is an important issue to community radio. If
> OFCOM
> agree to these proposals then I think it would be only reasonable for
> them  to
> review the 50/50 public versus commercial funding rules. Furthermore, if
> the
> radio giants are set to gain financially from networking 10 stations for
> 21
> hours a day - then surely a healthy chunk of their profits from not
> delivering local radio could be taxed and used to form a much needed
> community radio
> fund?
> 
> Kindest Regards
> Steve Suttie
> Station Manager, Salford City  Radio
> 0161 793 2939 (Office)
> 01200 444089 (Home)
> 07772  355852 (Mobile)
> 
> check out http://www.salfordcityradio.org/
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> 
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