Northwest Community Radio Network Collaborative Newscast

Jonathan Lawson, Executive Director, Reclaim the Media

• Seattle

CONTACT INFO

Reclaim the Media
PO Box 22754
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 931-0565
E-mail

Web site

To launch an hour-long, weekly newscast culled from the best public affairs programming produced by more than 40, often-isolated community, college and independent radio stations throughout the Pacific Northwest. Seattle-based Reclaim the Media will use the newscast to anchor a new content-sharing network that will expand the pool of regional news and programming for local audiences.

Check back for future news and updates.

• August 2008
• April 2008
• November 2007
 
 
 

Northwest Community Radio Network Collaborative Newscast from J-Lab on Vimeo..

2007 grantee Karen Toering talks about what parts of the project make her proud, as well as what challenges it has faced. This interview took place on April 5, 2008, at the New Voices 2007 Grantee Meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in Washington, D.C.

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Listen Up! To Radio Activity

August 2008

The Northwest Community Radio Network is on the air.  As of June 2008, host and producer Yuko Kodama has been assembling a weekly edition of Listen Up! Northwest at community radio station KBCS, in Bellevue, Wash., culling and curating contributions from station-based and independent producers in the region.  Some programs have been produced around a central theme.  For example, one edition featured stories about local agriculture while another featured a profile of the movement to save local seeds, backyard chickening, and taking over public land for farming. So far, seven stations in Washington state and Idaho are regularly airing the program, and in prime times too:  morning or evening drive. Carriage is expected to grow with greater outreach efforts, including at this summer’s GrassRoots Radio Coalition conference in Portland, Ore.

The program is available online for download or streaming.  The network is offering it for free, but asking station subscribers to pitch in $10 to $50 per month to help cover costs. Check out Listen Up! Northwest’s FAQ to glean more details on distribution and producer participation.

Reclaim the Media is planning to launch a special Web site for Listen Up! Northwest, featuring blogs, links and photos related to the stories. They also plan to offer radio production training workshops to recruit more producers to the program.  Producers receive $35 per story.  You can read submission guidelines here.

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Hear Here!

April 2008

A new collaborative radio program produced by and for community radio stations in the Pacific Northwest has finally found its voice. After months of planning, Reclaim the Media hired community media producer Yuko Kodama to produce and anchor a pilot, completed in early April. The program has a home: KBCS radio has agreed to provide office and studio space. And, the show has a name: Listen Up Northwest.

You can listen to the MP3 by clicking here.
The pilot edition featured pieces contributed by four member station producers on an environmental initiative of the Samish Nation, homelessness in Seattle, arts and empowerment in women’s prisons, and remembering Japanese internment.

According to Reclaim the Media’s Jonathan Lawson, the new producer will focus on acquiring, assigning and editing content for the program while his administrative team will emphasis fundraising, promotion and outreach/station recruitment.  Regular weekly production is under way. They hope to have 6 stations committed to broadcasting the program by May, doubling to 12 stations by fall 2008.
Station-based producers are invited to pitch stories and ideas that give a sense of regional identity. Lawson reports they’ve decided to shift some grant funds away from equipment and toward stipends to reward reporters whose stories make it into the program.

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A New News Network for the Northwest

November 2007

Reclaim the Media is confident its effort to build a regional network of noncommercial radio stations will soon lead to the launch of a collaborative, regional news and public affairs program.  The network is bringing together stations from Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

A dozen stations are represented on the project’s new steering committee, which has met via conference call to discuss content, style, production issues, and the hiring process for the grant-funded position of organizer/producer. That position was formally posted and 25 people applied for the job. The steering committee interviewed top candidates but decided to postpone the hire in order to raise additional funds from network member stations to pay this new staff person. 

In the interim, Gavin Dahl of member station KAOS in Olympia, Washington, has taken on the role as producer through an Evergreen State College internship. Dahl is producing pilot newscasts in the fall, developing relationships with contributing producers and helping secure financial contributions from member stations. A blog provides updates on issues of interest to participants.

Reclaim the Media has purchased portable recording kits for reporters to use. They have been working with the Pacifica Network to use and customize its Internet-based Audioport content-sharing system. This will enable NW Community Radio Network contributors to file their stories through the Web.

On a related note, Reclaim the Media assisted several community groups in their applications for FCC noncommercial licenses, anticipating that successful applications would expand and strengthen the radio network.

In October, Reclaim the Media held a Community Media Film Festival which offered another opportunity to promote the Northwest Community Radio Network news project to potential participants and donors in Western Washington.

And, the project got a promotional boost in the Prometheus Radio’s winter newsletter, which reaches many low-power broadcasters.

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