PROGRAM GOALS OF CITIZEN'S MEDIA CORP

EDUCATION and BROADCAST OPERATIONS

EDUCATION

The content of our work in education can be broken down into:

Hands-On Instruction- including the basics of radio, television and print journalism production, how to hold a press conference, how to write press releases and how to create Public Service Announcements.
Pedagogic Instruction- including the history of media in America, emphasizing the "public interest" perspective, as well as a look into the structure of the organizations that create media and of the messages sent out to the public via advertising and program content. We will implement this content in three situations:

1:   After-school and adult education programs. We have already been invited to propose programs at the West End House and YMCA. We will also seek new relationships with other community groups, including the LINCS program at the Allston-Brighton Healthy Boston Coalition.

2:   Schools. We will collaborate with faculty and administration on creating curriculum that we would implement in conjunction with the schools.

3:   Civic and political organizations. Using newsletters and broadcasting, we will assist groups like the Allston Civic Association which have no staff, but would like to implement some vehicle of communicating their agenda and work to the community.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL EVENTS/PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN

An important goal of CMC will be to initiate a Public Information Campaign to educate the community on the following issues:

The "public interest" htmlects of broadcasting-are they being fulfilled_
Diversity issues-how are groups represented in the media and what is the status of minority ownership_
New technologies-How are digital broadcasting and Expanded Band AM being implemented_
Who owns what and how much do they earn_
All information provided will be made available in several languages and every effort will be made to make the information as "relevant" as possible to real-life concerns.
How will this Public Information Campaign be conducted_

Events called "Meet the Editor" and "Meet the Reporter," where channels of communication can be built between media news organizations-represented by editors, reporters and executive producers and the community.
Articles in the local print media, including English, Spanish, Haitian, Portugese and Russian newspapers.
Lectures through civic and political organizations, which will include supplementary printed information and slides.
Billboards space will be solicited.
Booths at community events like the Ethnic Festival.

BROADCAST OPERATION

This component of CMC has two major htmlects:

Broadcasting linked specifically to educational programs-An important part of all educational programs will be the presentation of projects that are the result of hands-on instruction. Through relationships we maintain at college stations like WMFO and WMBR, we will be able to broadcast radio productions co-produced with students or local organizations. Through local cable access television, we will be able to broadcast video work and through programs with in-house publications such as that published by the Allston-Brighton Healthy Boston Coalition, we will be able to showcase student work.

Community-wide involvement- CMC will work to foster an independent community-run broadcast organization. This may include certified low-power AM broadcasting, Internet Broadcasting, or broadcasting over the Public Access Television system.

SUMMARY

Citizen's Media Corp will function both as an educational resource working "in the field" and as a broadcast organization. As educators, we will provide historical context as well as hands-on experience in media. Then, through contacts in media, we will provide outlets for work done by those whom we have taught. We will work with organizations to help them implement tools for communication and will also sponsor events that bring the community and the media together. Supplementing the direct educational work we do will be a public awareness campaign utilizing lectures, billboards, print articles, PSA's and the broadcast facility we help to organize, whether it be radio, TV or Internet. This campaign will focus on illuminating htmlects of the media that generally remain hidden or under publicized, in the hopes of fostering a more educated and participatory community of media consumers.

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