At a recent meeting, the WMPG board of directors voted to air the syndicated alternative news program Democracy Now. The vote of nine for and three against came after a long period of decision making by the board. Initially, the program was rejected by WMPG but after a wave of listener requests and protests, it was put to a second vote. The program will start on April 14. Democracy Now is a permanent addition to the station’s schedule.
The decision-making process had been long and hard for WMPG; many felt passionately for or against the program. At the board meeting, Robert Caswell, executive director of media and community relations at USM, endorsed the airing of Democracy Now. “I think it is in the best long term interests of WMPG and will increase listenership,” said Caswell. Others felt the syndicated program would ruin WMPG’s “local radio” identity.
“We are a greater Portland community radio, for the community by the community,” said Jim Ward, a staff representative.
Many felt that it wasn’t the station’s choice but the listener’s decision. “We have a responsibility to air this,” said Station Manager James Rand. In a recent listener poll, 256 spoke out to run the program while only 22 were opposed. Rand was shocked by the overwhelming listener requests. “The listener support for this program is unbelievable,” Rand said.
Support for alternative news was clearly visible on March 18 before the decision to run Democracy Now was made. Approximately 12 to 15 protestors marched outside of the WMPG studio, clamoring for alternative news. They said the impending war should be covered by alternative programs like Democracy Now rather than network news. Karen D’Andrea, host of the Sound Ecology program on WMPG, spearheaded the protest. “‘MPG is really one of the last bastions of free press,” D’Andrea said. Her goal was to give listeners an opportunity to hear “alternative news not tainted by control of corporations and the Bush administration.” D’Andrea said many people felt alternative news is “isolated in the face of mass media.”
The timing of the protest was important, because the management of the radio station was scheduled for a trip to California in order to accept awards for another WMPG program, BLUNT. The protestors feared that if the management was not present for the beginning of the war, network news sources would be used rather than alternative ones like Democracy Now.
On March 19, John Joyce, office manager of WMPG, was the only staff member present in the studio. As the early maneuvers of the U.S. invasion on Iraq began, he was solely in charge of airing news updates. At 10 p.m. Joyce was instructed by WMPG’s management team to air network news. The broadcast began at 11 p.m. and continued until early morning, at which point it became the disc jockey’s choice whether to air the cooperate news or not. This discretionary coverage lasted until March 21, when the management team requested that the coverage run indefinitely. The reports lasted until 5 p.m., at which point it became once again the DJ’s preference whether to run news during his or her show.
WMPG plans to run Democracy Now as long as the listeners want it. Feedback can be sent to the station via their Website at http://www.wmpg.org.