The Austin indymedia folks are organizing an Indymedia Convergence for Feb 18th to 20th 2005. It seems to me that a cheaper (travel costs) place to organize it would be in New York as flights are cheaper, but these things happen where people organize them.
Posted by rabble at September 12, 2004 02:55 PM | TrackBackAustin may be more expensive to fly to, but it is more accessible to media activists in the Midwest and the Southern U.S. As you probably know, the Indymedia network has to always be conscious of the decentralization of power. While I think that the NYC IMC folks are doing some awesome work (except for one duplicitous member), having a big Indymedia meeting in NYC would tend to go to their heads. They did an amazing job of hosting the Indymedia network during the RNC protests, which I think turned into an informal weeklong convergence of IMC activists. I know I had a chance to talk to Indymedia peeps from other cities.
Posted by: Chuck Munson at September 13, 2004 02:51 PMWe're also planning an event luch like this in San Diego in response to the NAB. Our event is called Media emergenC and we're really hoping that it can be a convergence point for media activists in california and in the south west. David Barsamian will be speaking, we're having tons of workshops, panels and filmscreenings. Its from October 6-9th.
http://mediaemergenc.org
Posted by: lotus at September 14, 2004 05:32 PMMedia EmergenC - D E T A I L S
Are You Having a Media Emergency?
Be a part of the movement for change! – Media EmergenC, triage for a system in crisis.
Driving home from work you switch from one radio station to another, only to find yourself listening to the same song at a different point of play. That same evening you turn on the local news and when you find the first five minutes filled with pieces on violent crime you change the channel, to see the same picture of the same missing/shot/escaped teenager staring back. Turing off the television you pick up the newspaper. The headlines on the front page read like cheers and jeers for the presidential candidates and you wonder whether there is hope of finding reliable information on issues that matter to you. You are having a media emergency.
Media EmergenC, a conference organized by the San Diego Independent Media Center to promote, strengthen and build democratic media organizations, will incorporate performance, street action, workshops, speakers and forums October 6-9 to raise a voice of opposition against the increasing corporate control of our media.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), an organization with considerable lobbying power in Washington D.C. which represents owners of media broadcasting outlets, will bring its annual radio conference, the Radio Road Show to San Diego October 4-8. The NAB was a major force behind the FCC’s deregulation of media ownership guidelines and continues to lobby for the ability of a relatively few corporations to control a majority of the media outlets available to the American public.
While the NAB works to stifle the increasingly few independent voices in the mainstream media, Media EmergenC will provide four days of events exploring the current state of mainstream and independent media in the United States, protesting the suppression of information and conservative bias present within the corporate media, and sharing skills, information and ideas to strengthen existing and build new networks of democratic media organizations.
Join Media EmergenC for three evenings of discussion, performance and protest, followed by a full day of speakers, workshops and connecting with democratic media activists and organizations.
To find out more about Media EmergenC, how to get involved, or to register to attend, please visit www.mediaemergenc.org or contact EmergenC_Outreach@yahoo.com.
The San Diego Independent Media Center is part of The Independent Media Center, a network of collectively run media outlets for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate tellings of the truth. We work out of a love and inspiration for people who continue to work for a better world, despite corporate media's distortions and unwillingness to cover the efforts to free humanity.
Schedule of Events
*Wednesday, October 6 – Let’s get this Party Started!
Voz Alta, 1544 Broadway – Downtown San Diego
Kick off four days of speakers, workshops, discussion, screenings, performers and action with a welcome address by one of our keynote speakers, spoken word performance by local artists and a film screening dealing with the issues surrounding corporate consolidation of the media. 7-10 p.m. Donations accepted at the door.
*Thursday, October 7 – Day of Action
NBC Offices, Broadway and Third Avenue – Downtown San Diego
Thursday night, the NAB will be holding their Marconi Awards ceremony. In response, Media EmergenC will hit the streets to hand out our own awards for corporations that have been particularly effective at stifling the voice of the people this year. March with us from the NBC offices to the Convention Center for a night of protest, street theater and fun! March will start at NBC offices at 6:30 p.m.
*Friday, October 8 – Celebration of Independent Voices Concert
Rosary Room, 10th and E Street
Join Scarlet Symphony, Anthony Lappé of the Guerrilla News Network, and the Mentone Collective to celebrate independent voices in music that are growing stronger every day! Donations accepted at the door.
*Saturday, October 9 – Speakers, Workshops, Media Fair!
World Beat Center, 2100 Park Blvd. – Balboa Park
In the morning, Media EmergenC will focus on the emergency state of media in the United States: A opening address by Roger Horwitz and panel discussion will touch on problems with current mainstream media and the reasons we are in dire need of change. Special Guests include: Hannah Sassaman of the Prometheus Radio Project, Sonali Kolhatkar of KPFK in Los Angeles, Fidel Rodriguez of Divine Forces Radio, Liam Scheff, Daniel Price of Abused-By-The-News, and David D of Hard Knock Radio. Following a lunch break, we will reconvene for workshops addressing topics from Publicity and Marketing for the Activist Community to How to Read the Corporate Media, from Pirate and Internet Radio Broadcasting to Using the Indymedia Network. All day participants will be able to meet other indy and community media activists, find out about exciting projects and attend book signings and events at the Media Fair adjacent to the World Beat Center. 10 a.m. – 7pm. Registration will be available online prior to the event as well as at the door. Sliding scale donation.