What HRR is All About (today's idea, anyway)

Greeting to our Readers:

Welcome to the third issue of Houston Radio Report, a newspaper designed to stimulate discussion in our community on non-commercial radio and other media. It has been a terrible and exhausting month for all Americans. We extend our deep sympathies to those who have suffered loss in New York and Washington. We all have been torn by the events and seek a useful way to respond with the appropriate mix of outrage, caution and constructive action. In this issue, we analyze from a variety of perspectives the local and national media coverage that followed the events of September 11, 2001. We include an article by Mark Wilde on the calls for war heard in much of the Houston and national media in the days following the attack. We also include the disturbing experiences of Aniruddha Das who suffered overt censorship by WBAI/NYC of his planned radio program concerning Arab and Asian American harassment. Stan Merriman contributes a piece on the failure of KPFT to respond with appropriate programming and Torry Mercer attempts to make sense in verse of the US’s circular and destructive policy in the Middle East.

We also continue our efforts to educate and update readers on the changes occurring at Houston’s listener-supported Pacifica radio station, KPFT. This 100,000-watt station broadcasting from the Montrose was throughout most of its history a great community asset, programming to and for many of the diverse ethnic, musical and political communities in our great city. Recently, the station has moved away from that commitment towards an exclusive reliance on scripted Americana and country music. In this issue, we present the first listener-based review of KPFT’s current programming, along with suggestions for changes. We undertook this exercise because the KPFT local advisory board which has a federally mandated responsibility to do this review but has failed to do so. We also present this critique as part of the Report ‘s mission to be the unofficial program guide (KPFT has none) giving listeners and KPFT staff, alike, a chance to discuss the future of the station.

We have to report sadly that since our last issue, national Pacifica management has moved further moved away from responsive governance with the (illegal) addition of five more board members most of who appear loyal to the management faction that is at war with the network’s listeners. Pacifica’s preeminent progressive news voice, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! remains off the air at KPFT and most other Pacifica stations. Goodman continues to broadcast exceptional shows from an alternate studio in NYC and her show is starting to be broadcast on independent community stations nationwide. This development (because of Pacifica management continued intransigence) threatens to dissolve the affiliates network that had taken Pacifica so long to build.

In this issue we also begin regular reporting on issues and stories that are not well-covered in Houston’s media, either because of overt censorship or neglect. We feature an article by Máire Kelly on apparent censorship at the Houston Chronicle in its editorial policy towards the Irish Republican movement. Henning Fermstrom reports similar problems getting a fair hearing for the atheist perspective. We welcome any and all to contribute to future issues of HRR on problems you have encountered on getting your voice heard in Houston’s media. .

As always, we intend Houston Radio Report not as a political platform for any specific agenda or perspective in the media. Instead, we seek to establish a regularly published forum for all to discuss their ideas on how to make community-based media relevant and useful again in Houston. HRR is particularly interested in receiving submissions that discuss low-power & pirate radio, internet organizing, and the history and future of Houston’s foreign-language broadcasting. Community groups from all of Houston’s neighborhoods are also welcome to contribute their visions for the city.

If you are interested (and intrigued) by what you read, support us. First and foremost, by contributing your ideas, artwork, articles, letters and suggestions. Contact us directly at the email addresses below. As always, we will try to publish all that space allows. To make the future issues look pretty, we also need original art, photography and other creative works that reflect the diversity of Houston. We would also welcome anyone who wants to help in the web versions of our publication.

Also we recommend you take this issue with you and pass it along to a friend or coworker. Community radio belongs to all of us, so send us your thoughts and comments.

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