[CIMC-working] Invitation for Forum on Media Ownership

[Mitchell Szczepanczyk]

See below.  Would anyone in CIMC be interested in participating?  It would
be great if a CIMCer could join in.  Also, feel free to forward to any
interested parties.

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_ Z  Mitchell Szczepanczyk
  /  http://home.uchicago.edu/~msszczep http://www.chicagomediaaction.org
     http://www.geocities.com/szczepanczyk http://pasa.uchicago.edu

Dear friend:

You are invited to join the Coordinating Committee for the Public Forum on
Media Ownership, to be held at the Northwestern University School of Law
in early April.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently reviewing all of
its regulations pertaining to media ownership.  Regulations which protect
diversity, localism, and competition in mass media are under attack from
the transnational corporations which already control most commerical media
outlets.  The FCC expects to make decisions by summer 2003.  They agreed,
under pressure, to hold one official public hearing in Richmond, Virginia,
on February 27.  Media activists across the country are organizing
"unofficial" public hearings.  One was held in New York on January 18, one
will be held in Seattle on March 7, and others are in process, including
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

The committee will develop the Forum's structure, choose and invite
panelists, and help with logistics for the forum.  It includes members
from Northwestern University; Chicago Media Watch and Chicago Media
Action; and other community and activist groups.  Membership will entail
attendance at a weekly conference call on Friday around noontime,
follow-up on invitations, and help with logistics and outreach where
possible and/or necessary.  The first call will be on Friday, March 7.  

There are a few slots available on the committee.  For more information,
contact Karen Young at 773-404-8258 or truetalent@attbi.com