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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This is a Big Issue....</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>See:-</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4>Extracts
from <B>Norbert Wiener's </B> <I>"Cybernetics" ( MIT 1948 )</I></FONT><FONT
size=3> </FONT></FONT>
<P><EM><FONT size=4> The author of the term "Cybernetics".
</FONT></EM></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>Importance of non-commercial media:
</EM></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>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.... <BR>
<BR>Existing Local media: </EM></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>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..... <BR>
<BR>The Problem: </EM></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>.....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. </EM></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>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.....
<BR></EM></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.wlan.org.uk/weiner2.htm "><FONT face=Arial
size=2>http://www.wlan.org.uk/weiner2.htm </FONT></A><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> <BR>Henry O'Tani<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Keeper: </FONT><A
href="http://www.wlan.org.uk"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>www.wlan.org.uk</FONT></A><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>(Founder of the
world-wide community wlan movement)<BR> <BR>Phone: +44 (0) 117 986 5422
<BR>Mobile: +44 (0) 781 277 8609</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: "CMA-L" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:cma-l@commedia.org.uk"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>cma-l@commedia.org.uk</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To: "'CMA-L'" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:cma-l@commedia.org.uk"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>cma-l@commedia.org.uk</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 10:06
AM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Subject: [cma-l] Cut local shows
debate</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><BR><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial
size=2>> Fwd:<BR>> <BR>> From: </FONT><A
href="mailto:Stevensuttie@aol.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Stevensuttie@aol.com</FONT></A><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>> <BR>>
Dear all,<BR>> <BR>> I must say I find this request by the major
commercial operators hard to<BR>> comprehend. These media giants have been
allowed to systematically<BR>> destroy the<BR>> once thriving independent
local radio industry by acquiring station after<BR>> station, defragging
their identity and making them sound identical to<BR>> their
other<BR>> stations, indeed even using the same logo in many cases. In the
late 70's<BR>> and most of the 80's ILR was king, but Radio 1 breakfast still
got the<BR>> bigger<BR>> audience. However ILR delivered the local
content, and the stations were<BR>> extremely well respected in their areas.
They had identity, and<BR>> Piccadilly Radio<BR>> meant Manchester, Signal
meant Stoke, Red Rose was Lancashire. Those<BR>> days are<BR>> long gone
now...and I am incensed that the very businessmen who have<BR>>
created<BR>> such a soul less and bland commercial radio landscape across the
UK are<BR>> now<BR>> complaining that they can't compete with the
BBC! D'oh!<BR>> <BR>> All ILR stations applied for a local license to
serve a specific area. If<BR>> they no longer wish to serve that area with
local news, views, articles,<BR>> sports<BR>> and travel
reports...along with local voices that make the area unique<BR>>
then<BR>> I think they should be forced to hand the license back and free
up some<BR>> spectrum for the passionate people, ie the community radio
brigade. But<BR>> of course<BR>> this will not happen.<BR>>
<BR>> Sorry to go on, but this is an important issue to community radio.
If<BR>> OFCOM<BR>> agree to these proposals then I think it would be only
reasonable for<BR>> them to<BR>> review the 50/50 public versus
commercial funding rules. Furthermore, if<BR>> the<BR>> radio giants are
set to gain financially from networking 10 stations for<BR>> 21<BR>> hours
a day - then surely a healthy chunk of their profits from not<BR>> delivering
local radio could be taxed and used to form a much needed<BR>> community
radio<BR>> fund?<BR>> <BR>> Kindest Regards<BR>> Steve
Suttie<BR>> Station Manager, Salford City Radio<BR>> 0161 793 2939
(Office)<BR>> 01200 444089 (Home)<BR>> 07772 355852 (Mobile)<BR>>
<BR>> check out </FONT><A href="http://www.salfordcityradio.org/"><FONT
face=Arial size=2>http://www.salfordcityradio.org/</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face=Arial size=2>> _______________________________________________<BR>>
cma-l mailing list<BR>> </FONT><A
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size=2>cma-l@mailman.commedia.org.uk</FONT></A><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>>
</FONT><A href="http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l"><FONT
face=Arial
size=2>http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l</FONT></A><BR><FONT
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