Campaign for the American Reader: Pg. 69: "Fighting For Air"

Eric Klinenberg, associate professor of sociology at New York University, is the author of the highly acclaimed Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago and a new book, Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America's Media.

I asked Eric to put the Fighting for Air to the "page 69 test"; here is his response:

For most of us, media consolidation is an abstract concept. We often hear that a small number of corporations have taken over most major radio stations, television stations, newspapers, and, alas, alt weeklies, too. But how, exactly, has that changed the news and entertainment programming that saturates our culture? Is ownership even relevant in a digital age where information is everywhere and Web sites like this one abound?

I wrote Fighting for Air to answer these questions, and to humanize the story of what’s happened to America’s media over the past decade. I argue that the effects of media consolidation are felt most profoundly in our local media, where chain producers in all outlets bought out small, independent, and locally-owned outlets, then substituted pre-programmed, cookie-cutter content for original content once made by DJs and journalists. Ask yourself whether it matters that Disney owns ABC and you may draw a blank. But I’d bet you could speak for hours about what happened when Clear Channel Communications or Cumulus took over several radio stations in your home town, or when Tribune Company or Gannett bought out your local daily.

One of the most disturbing consequences of a radio broadcasting system dominated by distant corporations and run on auto-programming rather than by live staff: the demise of public service and local news – even when we need them most. The airwaves, after all, are public property, and corporations get licenses to use them – and for free – on condition that they serve the people’s interests. Today, however, regulators rarely enforce public service requirements, and page 69 illustrates the results.

Here, I tell the story of the communications breakdown in Henrico County, Virginia when, in September 2003, Hurricane Isabel hit. Clear Channel owns seven stations in the area, including the high-power emergency broadcaster, yet local emergency managers had trouble finding anyone at the company who would help with disaster coverage – particularly after the storm died and residents were flooded, without power, potable water, or telephones.

“We called all the radio stations in town and requested a back-up emergency number,” said Tamra McKinney, the country’s director of public relations, “but Clear Channel never responded. They just didn’t call back.”

Patricia O’Bannon, an elected official on the local Board of Supervisors, added that the public health situation was especially dangerous, because residents might not know that they had to flush out their water, which had settled in the pipes for two days and accumulated bacteria, before drinking it. “About one hundred thousand people didn’t have phone service, and we needed to get that information to them. We tried to reach out to Clear Channel, but they were playing Rush Limbaugh, a guy out of Pennsylvania, some guy out of Atlanta. It wasn’t local. Tamra kept calling Clear Channel and she was told that she had to call a remote location. When she did that, she got a message saying the offices were closed…”

“McKinney got through to Clear Channel the next morning, when the water had been flowing for a few hours. According to O’Bannon, ‘They told her that she was too late to get on the news for that morning…”

Thanks to Eric for the input.

Among the praise for Fighting for Air:

"Eric Klinenberg has written an extraordinary and powerful account of the devastating elimination of localism in U.S. media and journalism, and how Americans from all walks of life are rising up to challenge the great media crisis that grips our nation today. Brilliantly written and tightly argued, Fighting for Air is the perfect book for anyone wanting to understand what is going on in this country, and why it is so important to our future."
—Robert W. McChesney, author of The Problem of the Media

“Eric Klinenberg has given us a chilling report on how the American news media, increasingly concentrated, have made a mockery of the commitment to operate ‘in the public interest, convenience, and necessity.’ Admirably researched and lucidly written, Fighting for Air should serve as a wake-up call on the deafness of radio and television to communal needs.”
—Daniel Schorr, Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio

“Big media conglomerates—in radio, TV and newspapers—have taken over local outlets all over America, silencing independent local voices. Eric Klinenberg has done a masterful job of researching what has happened to America's local news media. Fighting for Air is a must-read for anyone who cares about the role of the media in a democracy.”
—George Lakoff, author of Don't Think of an Elephant!

“Fighting for Air is a richly detailed, compelling, and timely investigation into the problem of the U.S. media and what people are doing to take it back. Klinenberg pulls back the curtain on complex media policy issues, with stories of real people, how they have been harmed by Big Media, and follows up with inspiring tales of underdogs who are fighting back and winning. This book is a call to action to fight for a strong, vigorous, independent media.”
—Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!