[Imc-outreach] IMC history

[Arun Bhalla]

I've written up a bit of the UCIMC history, with a lot of help from
the timeline from the capital campaign brochures(?).  It's woefully
incomplete due to space constraints.  Feel free to revise or edit.
RTF and Word versions are attached, too.

History of the Urbana-Champaign IMC

	The roots of the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center can actually be traced to Seattle.  At the end of November 1999, 100,000 people -- labor rights activists, religious leaders, students, and  members of environmental groups, human rights groups, and unions -- from around the world gathered in Seattle to protest against the World Trade Organization during its meeting in Seattle.  Several hundred media activists came together in Seattle to create the first Independent Media Center and cover the protests.  During those several days, the Seattle IMC's Web site was viewed almost 1.5 million times.  Dozens of Urbana-Champaign residents attended the protests in Seattle and toured the Independent Media Center.  In April 2000, locals again traveled to Washington, DC, to protest against the International Monetary Fund and World Bank (IMF/WB) during their meetings.  But this time locals also reported on the protests for the Independent Media Center in Washington, DC.  
	In September 2000, Urbana-Champaign  residents gathered locally to participate in global demonstrations against the IMF/WB meetings in Prague and discuss corporate globalization.  These local events were videotaped, and afterwards, many residents agreed to form an Independent Media Center for Urbana-Champaign (UC-IMC).  Members of this new UC-IMC donated and shared computers and media equipment in order to start covering local events.  A Web site for the UC-IMC (www.ucimc.org) was created to allow locals to instantaneously publish news for the world.  In November 2000, the IMC begins producing local news for community radio station WEFT 90.1 FM, covering issues such as racial equity in local schools, local migrant farm worker issues, local anti-war protests, and the arrests of gay-rights activists in the State Capitol.
	With the help of 50 "Founding Funders" and many volunteered hours, the UC-IMC opened a storefront in downtown Urbana in January 2001, providing meeting spaces for groups and workspaces for media production.  In October 2002, the IMC Capital Campaign kicked off  with the goal of purchasing a building to house the IMC.  By April 2004, nearly $70,000 had been collected for the campaign.
	The UC-IMC continued to grow in a rapid pace.  The first national syndication of local IMC radio features began with Free Speech Radio News and Independent Native News in July 2001. The Public i printed the first issue of its free local monthly newspaper in August 2001.  The only local all-ages music venue opened in the IMC in March 2002, hosting hundreds of local and national performers.  The Middle Room Gallery opened in October 2002, hosting both traveling art shows and shows by local artists.  Local Public Access Channel 6 (UPTV) began airing nationally- and locally-produced IMC news programs in November 2002.  In January 2003, the IMC Radio News Coordinator is hired with a grant from the Robeson Fund for Independent Media, the first paid position for the UC-IMC.  The Resource and Action Group for Girlz and Womyn (RAGG) formed in December 2003 with the aim of continuing the social activities and workshops for local girls and women which had been provided by the recently!
  closed GirlZone.  Radio Free Urbana (WRFU) has also recently formed, working towards broadcasting on 104.5 FM by June 2005.  Many meetings, festivals, and workshops have been hosted by the UC-IMC.
	By June 2001, the UC-IMC gained non-profit status, the first IMC to do so.  This allowed the UC-IMC to become a fiscal sponsor of the Global Indymedia Network (made up of over 100 IMCs on 6 continents) in January 2002.  The Israel, NYC, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC IMCs also are fiscally sponsored by the UCIMC.  In May 2003, IMC-Baghdad and an independent Baghdad newspaper were founded, both fiscally sponsored by the UC-IMC.  The UC-IMC has given locals and people around the world a chance to speak globally.
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