Blogs

Class was a little frustrating this week.  We were teaching them about editing, but only six students came out of 12.  Only two students had their own audio, and the rest had audio on the equipment that was checked out by the missing students, argh.  So they wound up just editing other people’s sound.  I talked about destructive and non-destructive editing, and had them do one edit just taking out pauses, ums, and sound they didn’t think was interesting.  That first one was a destructive edit.  Then I had them do a second edit that was non-destructive, cutting and pasting out clips into new files, and arranging those in a multitrack.

The Indypendent newspaper asked me to write an article for their October 3 issue explaining the importance of white spaces. (Updated following the hearing.)

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New York - People's Production House and Common Cause/New York called on the New York State Public Service Commission yesterday to reject a “Network Review Plan” proposed by Verizon, barring significant changes to the plan.  Verizon’s review plan was submitted July 16, on the eve of the PSC's review of the Verizon cable franchise for New York City. It is intended to remedy the high proportion of Verizon's FiOS installations that do not comply with the National Electric Code or Verizon’s own Methods & Procedures.

Please join us at the debut screening of "The Internet is Serious Business," a video by People's Production House, CUP, and City-As-School.

The New York City Council has scheduled a hearing for September 29 on the unused TV channels known as "white spaces." If, like most low-income New Yorkers, you rely on your cellular phone more than a landline or a laptop or a desktop, than your whole communications future is at stake with this issue. If you hate your cell phone provider or you like the idea of sharing Internet connections, than this is for you.

PPH is participating at a conference on the DTV transition from 10am-1pm on Wednesday, September 17th. The conference is being held at the Adam Clayton Powell State Office building at 163 West 125th Street and is hosted by the Harlem Consumer Education Council, the Federal Communication Commission and National Telecommunication and Information Administration. PPH's Joshua Breitbart and representatives from each organization will be there to talk about the upcoming transition in February. There will also be free demonstrations on how to set up your Digital Television converter and an opportunity to pick up government coupons that can be used towards the purchase of a new DTV converter box.

Class went somewhat well, but had some challenges.  We started with them reviewing the letters they are writing to their city council person and the DOE.  Then we moved into digital editing – they were supposed to be editing their “What’s in a Name” interviews with their parents.  But some of them didn’t have sound, and some of them didn’t have functioning computers, and some of them had edited a bunch and were sort of bored, and some of them hadn’t edited at all before and were struggling!  It was a little crazy.  But they all mostly got into it, and some of the quiet ones got really into. 

Are you sick of big newspapers misrepresenting your organization?  Would you like to be the one to report on the issues and needs of your community?  Then sign up for the free CNPI fall Journalism training.

Learn to research, write, interview, and produce your own press.  For more information, email Abdulai.

Fall 2008 Training begins September 19 and runs for 12 weeks on Fridays and Saturdays.  Space is limited.  Please inquire since there may be additional trainings later in the year.  For members of a community organizing group.

Radio Rootz gets interviewed by the Utne Reader for the September 2008 issue.  Utne Librarian Danielle Maestretti writes about a new generation of reporters and activists, and interviews Root youth!  Read on Utne what happens when the work goes beyond producing a nice sounding product.

Google, in coalition with public interest groups, is trying to draw support for the opening of the unused television airwaves with it's Free the Airwaves project. The unused airwaves, known as "white spaces," are open spaces between digital TV channels. If the FCC allows for open access to the airwaves, there is potential for the development of new technology that will make it possible to provide wireless broadband Internet access over the signal, potentially making it possible to allow for universal access to the Internet.

On August 14, People's Production House, Common Cause/New York, Consumers Union and NYPIRG called on the NYS Public Service Commission to reconsider its decision to grant Verizon a cable franchise with the City of New York.

See our official request for reconsideration (pdf). (Kudos to Chris Keeley at Common Cause for his work gathering the documents and drafting the letter.) To be reconsidered, we have to show that he decision was based on new or false information or that the decision was made in an arbitrary and capricious manner.

Deepa Fernandes appeared on the August 8th Media Minutes to discuss PPH's work in training community journalist and media policy education. Listen to the show here.

Media Minutes is a nationally syndicated radio program that focuses on media policy and reform.

People's Production House recently participated in a great panel on the digital television (DTV) transition, hosted by Devorah Hill from Manhattan Neighborhood Network. Our co-panelists were Glen Ford from Black Agenda Report, Joel Kelsey from Consumers Union, and Lawrence Carter-Long from the Disabilities Network of New York City.

Joshua Breitbart and I just published an article on Gotham Gazette titled "Lost in the PDFs: Getting City Data." The article is about how New York City's government uses (or doesn't use) technology to share information with the public.

A team from Google visited the PPH offices today to learn how access to the unused spectrum in between digital TV channels could benefit our members. Access to these open channels, known as "white spaces," would help close the digital divides in rural and urban areas.

In rural areas, it would allow us to use wireless signals to cover much larger areas than we can with currently-available spectrum. In urban areas, it would create competition for mobile phone service, which is many people's primary – and many more people's potential – path to the Internet.