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October 1, 2005
We Need DEMOCRACY NOW!
The show, that is.
If you aren't familiar with the program Democracy Now! it is perhaps the most independent and hard-hitting radio/television news program broadcast today. The program, hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez and produced out of the Downtown Community Television Center in New York, is broadcast on Pacifica, NPR, and college radio stations around the country, and televisised on many PBS and public access stations as well. Democracy Now! is funded entirely through contributions from listeners, viewers, and foundations. They do not accept advertisers, donations from corporations, or donations from governments, which allows them to report actual news truly without fear or favor.
The radio and television broadcasts are available on their website -- Democracy Now! -- but Chattanooga could grow up a little bit and actually create a home for this program. I know (and I have ways of knowing) that neither WSMC or WUTC would ever carry this program. Why: Because they are weenies. I am not sure about the current climate at WTCI-TV 45, but maybe now that "Hog Storm" has fled things can actually happen over there. I was thinking too that 1310 WDOD-AM might be a place for it as well. The carriage fee for the program is very low. In a community this size it would cost a radio/TV station just a couple of grand a year to carry.
What do you guys think? Would we have a chance of bringing real journalism to Chattanooga? Or is this town just too podunk and proud to even consider it? Let me know if you have any ideas on how we might, as a community, bring this important program to our airwaves.
| By Joshua Daniels | 11:51 AM