Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! Coming to Pittsburgh

In case you have not tried it, tune your radio to 88.3fm some weekday morning at 8am.  You'll be amazed at what you hear.  You'll hear a news program ringing out the truth in a way that the corporate media cannot.  This is a sound never before heard on Pittsburgh radio. This is the sound of "Democracy Now!"

"Democracy Now!" (DN!) is a nationally syndicated radio and TV program from the Pacifica Network.  It originates in New York, and it's now available in Pittsburgh on WRCT 88.3fm, CMU's student-run radio station, and also on Comcast Cable's public access TV station PCTV21 in the city of Pittsburgh.

The host and creator of DN!, Amy Goodman, is also a reporter and documentary producer.  She will be the recipient of the 2004 Thomas Merton Award. And she's becoming a huge celebrity in the world of non-corporate news.  She was beaten by Indonesian troops in 1990 while filming "Massacre: The Story of East Timor." And in 1998 she released "Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship."

Goodman is in the middle of a 70-city tour to promote her new book "The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers and the Media That Love Them," and to generate support for stations that carry her show.  She will be in Pittsburgh on July 16th for a reception and a lecture. (See the side bar for the time, place, and ticketing information.  She will also be in Pittsburgh to accept the Thomas Merton Award at its annual award dinner on November 18th.)

The tour has been a phenomenal success, with overflow crowds, and adoring fans that "gave her a welcome more befitting a rock star" in Fresno, according to the LA Times.  So my second call to action is for you to come to her reception and lecture.

But this is really not about Amy Goodman's emerging celebrity status. It's about the content of the show.  The stories presented are in stark contrast to what's available in mainstream sources, or National Public Radio. For example, while the mainstream media were engaged in an orgy of adulation and history-rewriting after Ronald Reagan's death, DN! did a series of reports entitled "Remembering the Dead."  It chronicled Reagan's true legacy: his staunch support of Saddam Hussein, the atrocities committed by the US in Central America, the illegal Iran-Contra affair and subsequent convictions of many administration officials, the ruthless cutting of social services, the support of the apartheid government of South Africa, etc.

How did Democracy Now! come to be on WRCT?  Over a year ago, Rich Fishkin founded an organization called the Pittsburgh Campaign for Democracy Now! (PCDN).  Rich was hoping that he could get the show onto one of the major non-commercial radio stations, namely WYEP, WDUQ or WQED.  He contacted these organizations, and presented a strong case, but none of them showed any interest in DN!

I became involved in the spring of 2003.  Being a CMU faculty member, I was in a good position to present the case for DN to the student management team of WRCT.  They agreed to let me organize a group of volunteers to put the show on, first 2 days a week, then moving to all 5 days in January 2004.

Full disclosure compels me to explain that there are some problems with DN! on WRCT.  First of all, the number of volunteer disk jockeys that I've assembled is barely enough to put the show on. Don't be surprised if there are gaps -- days when the show is not on the air.  (See our web site www.pcdn.org for information about how you can help.)  Secondly, WRCT has been unable to get a satellite feed working.  This means that we have to air "yesterday's show" -- Friday's show airs on Monday, Monday's show on Tuesday, etc.  This was always, and still is, intended to be a temporary solution.

Finally, I want to thank the Three Rivers Community Foundation, the members of PCDN, the volunteer DJs, WRCT, and the Thomas Merton Center. These people and organizations were all essential in getting Democracy Now! on the air in Pittsburgh.

- Danny Sleator

The reception is from 6pm to 7pm at the Danforth Lounge of CMU's University Center.  The lecture is from 7pm to 9pm in McConomy auditorium in the same building.  Free parking is available in the garage on Forbes near Beeler.  For information on obtaining tickets, call Pittsburgh Community Television at 412-322-7570 or visit the web site for the Pittburgh Campaign for Democracy Now: www.pcdn.org.  Proceeds from the event go to Pittsburgh Community Television's "Make the Move" campaign.

* Thomas Merton Award 2004 honoring Amy Goodman Thursday, November 18 at 6pm Sheraton Station Square Call 412-361-3022 for more info


Amy Goodman (Photo by Chris Lee)

Alternative News Sources to check out
Show Name When  Where   
Democracy Now 8am Weekdays
9am Thursday & Friday
8am Weekdays 		WRCT 88.3fm
WRCT 88.3fm
Comcast Cable PCTV21
Now with Bill Moyers 9pm Friday WQED TV 13
Fightin' Lefty Review 6pm Monday WRCT 88.3fm
Left Out  6pm Tuesday (bi-weekly) WRCT 88.3fm
Rust Belt Radio 6pm Tuesday (bi-weekly) WRCT 88.3fm
Total Information Awareness 6pm Wednesday  WRCT 88.3fm
CounterSpin 7:30pm Wednesday WYEP 91.3fm
This Way Out 7:30pm Tuesday WYEP 91.3fm
The Allegheny Front 7:00pm Wednesday WYEP 91.3fm

"Democracy Now!" is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by Amy Goodman, and distributed by the Pacifica Radio Foundation.  See www.democracynow.org for more info and to listen to the show. Weekdays at 8am on WRCT 88.3 and Comcast Cable PCTV21.

"Now with Bill Moyers" is a weekly one-hour TV news magazine that attacks issues not covered anywhere else on mainstream TV.  Samples of recent topics include campaign finance reform, corporate corruption, the outrages of NAFTA, and big pharmaceutical influence over medical research.  See www.pbs.org/now for more information.

"Fightin' Lefty Review" is a weekly call-in talk show devoted to progressive and labor-related issues. Mondays at 6pm on WRCT.

"Left Out" is a bi-weekly call-in show that presents news and opinions from a perspective left out of the mainstream media.  The program is co-hosted by Robert Harper and Danny Sleator.  Topics covered recently include the US nuclear buildup, long wall mining in Southwestern PA, the Judith Miller scandal at the NY Times.  See www.leftout.info for more information and to hear previous shows.

"Rust Belt Radio" is produced by the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center.  It presents news, recordings of interviews with local activists and "people on the street," and recordings of important events in the local peace and justice movement.  Visit pittsburgh.indymedia.org for more information.

"Total Information Awareness" is a call-in program where you'll hear the inside story, from a business and technical perspective, of current events unfolding in the world of computing. The show is hosted by computer experts Dan Vogel and John Bucy.

"CounterSpin" provides a critical examination of the major stories every week, and exposes what the mainstream media might have missed in their own coverage. Combining lively discussion and a thoughtful media critique, "CounterSpin" is unlike any other show on the dial. For more info and to listen to the archive, go to www.fair.org/counterspin.

"This Way Out" leads off each week with NewsWrap, a summary of some of the major news events in or affecting the lesbian/gay community, compiled from a variety of publications and broadcasts around the world. If you have a local news story you'd like to report, please contact the staff of "This Way Out."

"The Allegheny Front" is an environmental radio program that engages and informs the audience to deepen a respect for nature and inspire all to act in an environmentally responsible manner, by exploring topics relevant to the lives of the people in our region.