Sunday, March 29, 2009

See You There

From WETS-FM:
Amy Goodman, the host of Democracy Now!, will give a lecture at ETSU's D.P. Culp Center Auditorium on Tuesday, April 7, at 7 pm. Ms. Goodman's appearance in Johnson City is a benefit for WETS-FM. Tickets for the lecture are $10. Tickets for the after-lecture reception in the Culp Center's East Tennessee Room are $25. Tickets are available at the WETS-FM studio and at the auditorium box office the night of the lecture; doors will open at 6 pm.

Also, WETS-FM's Spring Fund Drive is underway. Head on over to WETS and make a donation if you can. Let's be sure to support Democracy Now! and WETS-FM.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

We're All Peasants Now


We put our best peasant skirt on so that we could be a part of the High Country peasant uprising, as reported to you on the Rush Limbaugh show--carried here on WXIT 1200 AM. Waddya think? Other than feeling like an extra in the video for "Safety Dance" we feel good to be at one with our filthy, stinking sisters who have risen up to oppose the AIG bonuses.

Best of all, Rush is afraid of us. Today, he compared the people who oppose the ridiculous bonuses paid to AIG to a pitchfork carrying lynch mob of angry peasants!

Listen, as Rush defends the bonuses paid to AIG:



Will High Country Radio ever carry anything other than right-wing programming? A peasant girl can dream, can't she?

And Rush fans--when will you ever figure out the real deal? By supporting the right wing in this country, you are directly working against your own economic self-interests.

Sorry, dreaming again.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

How Badly Do You Want It?

Musicians Want the Airwaves Back

low power to the people

March 17, 2009
Posted by Candace Clement

Passing the Local Community Radio Act will be like opening your windows on that first day of spring after a really long winter. We've been listening to the same stale, recycled music since the mid-90s. Who's particularly thrilled about the bill's potential? Musicians.

The musicians of America are packing their gear and heading to Austin, Texas, this weekend for the annual South by Southwest (or SXSW) music festival. With more than 1,900 acts expected to descend on the city (and those are just the ones we know about), SXSW presents precisely the sort of explosive and diverse soundscape we could expect to start hearing on the airwaves again if Congress takes action this year.

The Local Community Radio Act (HR 1147 / S 592) is the perfect antidote to the drudgery on the radio dial since 1996, when massive radio consolidation resulted in stations constantly spinning the same songs across the country.

For musicians, Local Community Radio Act will be invaluable. It’s become nearly impossible for local bands to get their songs played in their hometowns as playlists have become automated and computers have replaced the local deejay with her ear to the ground. Gone are the days when artists could bring their music down to the local radio station for a chance to be “discovered” as the next big thing. As far as commercial radio goes, you’re lucky if anyone’s at the station at all.

Making music, reaching people

I have a special place in my heart for this bill, both as a musician and as a former community radio station volunteer. For the past ten years, I have been making noise beside my friends and working alongside them to set up shows, promote albums, and sell t-shirts in bars, basements, attics and anywhere else people are eager to come see live music.

We do it because we love it – because we don’t know how not to – and none of us are really expecting to strike it rich. We simply want to make music, and we want that music to reach as many people as possible.

Luckily, we have a community radio station that plays our music, and the music of other artists living in the Pioneer Valley. But what about those places where only commercial radio exists? Might as well be static.

Corporate media would like us to believe they’re only feeding us the content we’re clamoring for, but don’t be fooled. We hear the same songs over and over again because it’s cheap and easy to produce and because payola – a rigged (and illegal) pay-to-play game where record execs bestow prizes and gifts on DJs – has come to dominate the commercial radio market.

Because of this crooked system, to actually get radio play is not a reflection of talent or merit or even taste. Instead, it’s all about money, and usually the only way a band can get on the radio is to follow the beaten path of seeking record deals and distribution through the major labels, who judge bands not on their sound, but on dollar signs.

No substitute for radio

The closed game of commercial radio is totally out of sync with the dramatic changes that have taken place on the production side of music. Over the past decade, technology has made it increasingly easy to record an album. The Internet has connected us to more affordable options for packaging and distribution. Social networks like MySpace have led to success stories, with unknown artists reaching a massive audience overnight. And online radio stations and podcasts have allowed new and underground content to reach even more ears.

But while the Web is great, it’s no substitute for broadcast media. With 40 percent of America still not connected to high-speed Internet (the kind of speed required to stream audio files), we can’t look to the Web as the definitive solution. Radios are a one-time cost (there is no monthly subscription fee) and you are connected for life.

The airwaves, which belong to the public in the first place, should be returned to communities. With the Local Community Radio Act, thousands of new noncommercial stations can be licensed across the country, giving musicians and fans an opportunity to hear an astonishing array of music, from local talent to a tune from across the ocean.

And if you don’t agree with the deejay, you can get your own show and share your love for reggae, metal, freak folk, electronica or whatever else you fancy.

Passing this bill will be like opening your windows on that first day of spring after a really long winter. We’ve been breathing the same stale, recycled air since the mid-90s.

Let’s turn up the volume already and make this happen.

Monday, March 16, 2009

The Little Guy Delusion

So, you listen to Rush Limbaugh on local hatetalker WXIT 1200 AM because you like his particular kind of populism, his tendency to stick up for the little guys, his blubbery sense of fair play--because you identify with him somehow.

Because it is becoming clearer every day to you that you are just ONE lottery ticket away from becoming a millionaire. You're ever-so-close. The odds are on your side.

When you do become a millionaire (which you surely will, make no mistake), you're going to want someone like Rush out there looking out for you--watching your back.

The way he watches out for these folks:
...
[O]ffering a full-throated defense of taxpayer-funded bonuses for employees of AIG Financial Products. The reasoning? Well, Rush has a lot of insurance with AIG and it would be a "hassle" for him if the company went bankrupt. Also, he figured that taxpayers should pay for his insurance company's bonuses, since he's paying for their mortgages.
...
Rush offered an admonition to those Americans upset that $160 million of taxpayers' cash is going to bonuses, saying that it is just one-tenth of one percent of all bailout funds, and that there are far greater abuses of government to be angry over. Of course, last week, Rush was railing against Obama for signing the omnibus bill, which Rush redubbed "earmark-ulus," and his anger was not tempered by the fact that earmarks in that bill comprised less than 2 percent of the total spending. Rush then explained to his readers that he knows he's in the minority for supporting the AIG bonuses, but, as he is always quick to point out, he is a man of "principle," not of "polls."
...
Oh yes, you WILL hit that lottery. Of course, you may have to stay employed until that glorious day arrives. How's that going, anyway?

Looks like Rush supports the big guys, folks. He has no problem with paying bonuses to AIG executives--but he has a BIG problem supporting auto workers (you know--actual regular people).

Oh, noes. More bad news for Rush--and his deluded fans.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Early St. Patty's Day Gift

Feelin' a little green? Looks like lil' Pat McHenry gave everyone a little bit o' early St. Patty's day insight into why he serves in government.

Hint: It has little to do with helping his district out of the economic morass it finds itself in:

GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry, a key player in helping craft the Republican message, has offered an unusually blunt description of the Republican strategy right now.

McHenry’s description is buried in this new article from National Journal (sub. only):

“We will lose on legislation. But we will win the message war every day, and every week, until November 2010,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., an outspoken conservative who has participated on the GOP message teams. “Our goal is to bring down approval numbers for [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and for House Democrats. That will take repetition. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

McHenry’s description of his party’s goal — to “bring down approval numbers” for Nancy Pelosi and House Dems — is being much talked about today among Congressional Dems. It’s likely that Dems will grab on to the quote today to bolster their charge that Congressional Republicans aren’t interested in playing a constructive role in governing and see their hope for political revival in the eventual failure of the Democratic majority’s policies.

...

So, folks--if you had any doubts at all about why St. Pat went to Washington, doubt no more. He's there to ensure failure--and help keep you out of work. Rush's little buddy. How cute.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Cluster Absorbed By Borg


Well, Aisling Broadcasting and Curtis Media Group and Foothills Radio Group have finally sealed the deal. Now the former Aisling-owned 6 station "cluster" is officially owned by a large, non-local entity. We never thought too much about Aisling's allegedly "local" coverage. But if you think that Aisling's "local" coverage was lacking, wait until you see what is in store under the new ownership.

Local programming? Hardly. An alternative to the all-hard right shock jock syndicated lineup? Not in this lifetime. Curtis' stations carry some of the most despicable right-wing hate talkers in the business. Look for Curtis to continue to pipe in cheap, syndicated talkers.

Also look for the continued complete lack of demographic awareness on the part of Curtis.

Note to Curtis: Watauga County is a blue county. There is a 14,000 student university here. Enough with the right-wing hatred. Live up to your claims of supporting families and children.