Title: Re: [NewPacifica] No Folios? [ Subject was: Re:
Re: you h
Kevin,
I may have not made myself clear: money is not the only
determining factor in creating an audience, and of course you are
correct that people on both ends of the financial curve both do and do
not use the Internet. However, one thing I've learned over the
past few years is that the word "Internet" means different
things to different people. Word processing, on-line public
programs, weather and mainstream news on line, movie house timetables,
googling a word or a vacation spot or a medicine - lots of stuff on
there, but for many people with access, it means AOL, and not
much more.
I'm talking about the kind of connection that people make to a
radio station that does not come from the Internet: it's
different, it's parallel, it's not always co-existent. I think
that many of the people I talk with, and work with, simply do not use
the Internet to connect to radio, at least not in any way that would
do listener-supported Pacifica stations any good. The loyalty,
the consistent financial support, the caring that would translate into
taking part in elections - that comes from the air, I think, and if we
do create an Internet base, it will be different - and many former
listeners will be left behind. Here age may be a better
predictor of behavior than income.
Nothing wrong with creating a new clientele - but it's like the
Pacifica website. Just as some people were getting good enough to find
pacifica.org, and navigate its quirks, we created a new website.
What is the rationale for it? People have to want to get to the
new site - are they given a reason? I don't see one. Are
they forwarded there automatically? Why not? Inevitably,
some people are going to decide not to bother, especially since there
doesn't seem to be a compelling reason offered on the old site for
trying out the new one. (And this from someone who has long
voiced complaints about being unable to find things on the original
site: I'm hoping the new site will be much more user-friendly, but no
one is making me any promises that would encourage me to bookmark the
second site right now. )
I agree that income is not always a good predictor of who is
Internet savvy and who is not, but leisure to pursue esoteric radio
broadcasts is another matter. Listening to the radio encourages
multi-tasking away from the computer - again, a different audience
from that glued to the monitor, whose ideas of "multi-tasking"
may not include cooking, doing household chores, working on homework,
etc. Although the digital divide is narrowing, I don't think
that every radio listener is going to make the transition to the
Internet as a source of entertainment, background companion, essential
information, or even news. Can we afford to jettison those
listeners? How can we keep them? I think print is an
essential link to that audience - and hence I would argue for the
necessity of folios.
Carolyn
Carolyn,
Respectfully, in Houston at least our
libraries are literally crammed with the disenfranchised yearning to
be free into public computer consoles with unfiltered connection to
the Internet. Even the smelliest homeless family has access to word
processing, on-line public programs, and even the vilest
spam.
I've even met a few people who make six
figures who never go on the Internet.
I hope this isn't rude, because it is not
my intention.
Kevin White
Carolyn Birden <cmcb007@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Now that the National Office/Foundation is getting into
programming, and also sending out fundraising letters to all members
in all stations, perhaps those mailings (fundraising) could include
not only previews of national programming plans, but reviews of recent
programs (hearings, etc.), letters from the new ED, and contact
information for all stations, for letters and communications from the
members to their local stations, either to the LSBs or to the GMs as
the listeners wish.
If Pacifica is to keep to its mission, it really cannot
forget that a great many listeners are NOT on the INternet, do NOT use
the Internet daily to keep up with information about their radio
stations, and still read and write on paper. Many of these
listeners are also those with some discretionary income, hint hint.
At WBAI the curtailment of the Folio disadvantages exactly those
listeners who were its most loyal supporters in the past: no surprise
that our donations are way down. No surprise that some people
are not anxious to reinstate monthly folios to the
listeners.
Carolyn
A more extensive
on-line Folio would be good.
Not everyone has a
computer.
In the written folio in the past
there was as a space for letters to the editor and to
programmers.
Having other media venues around
the hegemony (different at all five stations ),
for listener members to communicate
with programers, staff and station board and commitee
members
about what is relavent to having the
radio station is important.
We realize the limitations of
communication by internet on these listservs.
Written and published correspondence
might be more civil and to the issues.
--- Jim Curtis
Re: Terry Goodman:
- - -
- - - - -
-
[Subject was: Re: Re: you
have been dealt with.]
On Sat May 13, 2006, Loraine Mirza wrote:
<snip>
>As for no Folios? Seems like our station managers
>haven't gotten on the ball, as they would be the ones
>who would be in charge of fulfilling this very
>important promise that all of us have been waiting for
>since the settlement.
Station production of printed Folios was a fequent demand of some
listener-activists, but it was not a condition of the settlement
agreement. In the early days of Pacifica, a printed program
guide was
an essential membership benefit (and more important than any
"premium"
or gift), as it was the only way that subscribers could plan their
listening. With the adoption of strip programming, the
abandonment of
the thematic programming model, the rollback of original
documentary
production, and the posting of a reasonably accurate monthly
programming chart on the internet, a printed program guide is no
longer necessary.
If programming is radically changed so as to allow a printed guide
to
provide subscribers with significant additional information of
value
not easily accessible over the internet, and if advertising
revenue
can be raised to substantially underwrite the cost of printing and
mailing, then printed Folios could possibly return. Unless and
until
then, a program grid included as an occasional single page
promotional
insert into a local activist publication like Change Links is
probably
all that we can reasonably hope and lobby for.
--Terry Goodman, KPFK
Delegate
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://wbai.net
Coalition for a democratic Pacifica
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wbaielections/
About elections throughout Pacifica: join the conversation
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
New Pacifica Working Group
http://www.egroups.com/group/NewPacifica
'Save Our Stations!'
SPONSORED LINKS
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