[grc] Questions about network radio and disinformation

Wed Oct 20 10:48:57 PDT 2021

Hi Katie,

While not in a rural area, here in Arlington, VA WAVA is run by Salem 
Media. Last year, they licensed a translator in Burke, VA. The signal 
often interferes with ours on the Western part of Arlington County and 
sometimes even further into the middle of our coverage area.

We've received complaints about what they're broadcasting. In one 
instance, someone very angry didn't understand that it wasn't our signal 
when I tried to explain to him that we're an LPFM and our signal doesn't 
reach the are of Route 66 westbound outside Arlington.

I've been asking those who've complained to submit a complaint to the 
FCC, but so far I only know of one person who shared that they did. He's 
one of our producers.

Whenever I have to drive a bit west, I have to turn the radio off or 
switch to a different station, because it's cringe-worthy and blood 
boiling of the content they share.

Let me know if I can provide any additional information for you, but I 
do my best to avoid listening to their content as much as possible.

Best,
Lauree

On 10/20/21 11:35 AM, Katie Thornton via grc wrote:
> *Hi GRC folks! *
>
> My name is Katie Thornton, and I'm a
> longtime-community-radio-person-turned-independent-reporter out of
> Minneapolis. (Recent work has been run on/in the BBC, 99% Invisible,
> Washington Post, Minnesota Public Radio, NPR, WNYC, National Geographic,
> Atlas Obscura, KFAI, etc.). I started volunteering at KFAI in my home city
> of Minneapolis as a teenager, interned at Prometheus back in 2013 (during
> the LPFM window!), and went on to work at and with multiple different
> community, college, and LPFM stations (and had the joy of attending at
> least one GRC!) before transitioning over to freelance journalism and
> writing work.
>
> I'm posting here because I'm currently working on a part-investigative,
> part-narrative mini-series about disinformation on network terrestrial
> radio. The series seeks to uncover how the profitability of disinformation
> and ideological motivations -- paired with the FCC’s ongoing deregulation
> of the airwaves’ content and ownership -- have made the radio dial fertile
> ground for the spread of disinformation. To do this, the series will look
> at examples of how these large-scale issues play out for individuals; it
> will share the intersecting personal stories of Americans on all sides of
> the radio dial: a citizen (or group of citizens!) trying to stop the spread
> of on-air conspiracies, executives and hosts from a large national radio
> network rife with disinformation, and listeners who consume and are
> occasionally driven to action by untruths heard over the airwaves. I've
> been fortunate enough to get some support from an organization that helps
> independent investigative journalists, as well as an NPR affiliate station
> who will ultimately distribute the series.
>
> I've been incredibly grateful that folks have been eager to share their
> experiences and expertise with me thus far. However, I know that there are
> many people doing work in this field, directly or indirectly, with whom I
> have not yet been in touch. Given that LPFMs and NCEs have been a major way
> that communities have been able to retain a degree of local control over
> media as more and more of us lose local outlets, I wanted to turn to you
> all with some questions. If you know of anyone who might be able to shed
> some light on some of these questions -- or if you personally would like to
> talk more -- I would love to speak with you. I'd love to hear from folks in
> cities, small towns, or rural areas; however, given the prominence of
> network stations in non-coastal regions and smaller markets (as well as my
> own experience as a lifelong Midwesterner), I am especially hoping to hear
> from folks in middle America and areas outside of major coastal cities.
> Here are some of the questions I am hoping to hear from folks about right
> now:
>
>     - Do you hear information you know to be false on the airwaves
>     (especially on network stations)? Specifically, have you heard
>     disinformation about COVID-19 spread on the airwaves? How has talk radio
>     influenced people's response to COVID where you live?
>     - Have you heard speech that you would describe as hate speech over the
>     airwaves?
>     - Do you know of anyone (individuals or groups) -- or have you
>     personally -- been trying to fight disinformation or hate speech you hear
>     on the airwaves? How have you/they gone about this? Have you/they had any
>     luck? For example, I recently spoke with someone in Montana who has been
>     personally petitioning the FCC to try to stop the spread of
>     disinformation on the airwaves. But I have a feeling she is not the only
>     one out there.
>     - Is your radio station doing any explicit work to combat the
>     disinformation that may spread on other radio stations?
>     - Has anyone in your life been driven to extreme ideological beliefs
>     and/or action thanks to the influence of talk radio?
>     - There are a few networks about which I'm particularly curious. Do you
>     have any stations in your town/city/area that are run by Salem Media
>     Network? Alternatively, are any stations in your town/city/area run by the
>     Bott Radio Network, CSN (Christian Satellite Network), or American Family
>     Radio?
>     - Has your community had a locally-run station bought out and replaced
>     by a station run by a large media network (such as one of those listed
>     above)? If so, I'd love to ask you more about that change.
>
> Thank you all so much. I'm really looking forward to hearing from you.
> Please feel free to send me an email if you'd like to talk further -- or if
> you'd like to ask me any questions about the project, my background, etc.
>
> Thank you all again. I'm looking forward to talking. Take good care,
>
> Katie
>
> *Katie Thornton*
> *Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellow*
> *www.itskatiethornton.com*<http://www.itskatiethornton.com>
>
> *IG: @itskatiethornton<https://www.instagram.com/itskatiethornton/>*
> _______________________________________________
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-- 

*Lauree McArdle
Director of Operations
703.524.2388
Arlington Independent Media
ArlingtonMedia.org <http://www.arlingtonmedia.org>
WERA-LP 96.7FM
wera.fm <http://www.wera.fm>*