[Newspoetry] Indymedia Update

Thu Oct 5 19:19:52 CDT 2000

Dear SF, SDAS, and Newspoets - 

I will not be regularly mailing IMC news to these lists. Lots has happened
in the last 2 weeks and I wanted to give you all an ear into the
discussions so far.  What follows is a map of all the different working
groups in the IMC.  Please contact the names next to a particular task to
get involved, or come to our next meeting this Sunday at Noon at 1006 S.
Garfield (NE corner of Carle Park).

If you want future news of the IMC, you can get on our listserv at:

http://lists.groogroo.com/cgi-bin/listinfo/imc

--danielle

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDYMEDIA UPDATE 10.5.00

NEXT MEETING - working meeting
---------------------------------
SUNDAY Oct 8 NOON 1006 S. Garfield, food provided
Bring your thoughts, to do lists, phone numbers, cell phones, and
computers and lets make this mostly a working meeting.

OUR TO DO LIST (details follow)
---------------------------------
1.    Name
2.    News Collective
3.    People list
4.    Listserv
5.    Website
6.    Space
7.    Incorporation
8.    Funding
9.    Equipment
10.   Radio Free Urbana
11.   Networking with Chicago

DO TO DETAILS
-------------------------------
1.  Name
-------------------------------
*possible names*

	- Urbana Indymedia Center
	- Free to Be Media
	- CU Independent Media Alliance
	- CU Media Alliance
	- Urbana Civic Media Center

*criteria for choosing a name*

- fun, help us get grants, helps up get inside meetings as
reporters, help us nurture a good relationship with mainstream press,
something we don't mind saying over and over
- we could have two names - one for the non-profit and another for the
center.

*left to do*

- bring name ideas to the next meeting

--------------------------------
2.  News Collective - MarkE, Danielle, Sascha, Molly, Andy, PaulK, MikeL,
Peter, Jamie, PaulR, JimB, Anora, ...
--------------------------------

*S26*

On the first IMC assignment, we produced extensive video, photo, and
written coverage!  See the coverage at:

	Billionaires for Bush of Gore (video) - PaulR
	http://chicago.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=117

	The Radical Cheerleaders (video) - PaulR
 	http://chicago.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=139

	The Clown Chorus Serenades the US State Department (video) - PaulR
	http://chicago.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=169

	Billionaires for Bush or Gore (photo) - PaulR	
	http://chicago.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=88

There is a VHS tape of the the carnival and candidates forum by Jim Buell
at 1006 S. Garfield

Photos by PaulineB are viewable at the SDAS schoolhouse 409 N. Race St.

Audio was recorded by PaulK, Sascha, and Zach on minidisc.  The discs are
with PaulK at SDAS  
These were aired on WEFT: 
	Wed Sept 27 6-8 PM - Eclectic Seizure - aired teach-in
	Sat Sept 30 11-12 PM - Labor Hour - aired Maiko's part of Teach-in
	Wed Oct 4 6-8 PM - Zach and Arun's show - aired candidates forum(?)

There is also a MD recording of Sun Sept 24 1-2PM News From Neptune with
Host Danielle Chynoweth and Guests Meadow Jones talking about how
globalization affects women and Michael Brun describing the conflict
between pro-market people and civil-rights advocates.  The MD is at
Danielle's.

Whew!  GOOD JOB!!!

*left to do*

- Molly will be sending traces of our S26 day to Jobs With Justice and 50
Years is Enough.  they are compiling an archive of all S26 local events.
- Anora and others took photos we haven't seen.
- Sacha's excellent MD full of skits and interviews has not been aired
adequately.  PaulK has gone through and recorded what's on each track.
- All this documentation all over the place just goes to show how much we
need a space!

*upcoming events we could cover*

- O10 in Chicago - Nader's speech
- O17 in St. Louis - prez debates between Bush and Gore  

-------------------------------
3.  People list - Danielle
-------------------------------
Danielle made an Excel spreadsheet of IMC members, contributors, and
consultants with interests, contact info, and list of equipment they could
loan.

*left to do*
revise and add to it at the next meeting

-------------------------------
4.  Listserv - Zach, Danielle
-------------------------------

Zach set up an IMC listserv.  Write this URL down to sign up yourself and
your friends:
http://lists.groogroo.com/cgi-bin/listinfo/imc
The list address is: imc at lists.groogroo.com

-------------------------------
5.  Website - Molly, Zach, PaulR
-------------------------------

PaulR made an initial contact with indymedia.org who say they have some
but not much space left on their server.

Molly agreed to look into getting urbana.indymedia.org and
champaign.indymedia.org.  Both would point to our site.  She will ask Zach
if we can host it on his server, at least at the beginning.  Also
http://process.indymedia.org describes how to join the Indymedia.org
network.  

-------------------------------
6.  Space - Sascha, Danielle, JimB
-------------------------------

- JimB offered that the IMC take whatever space the Greens get after the
elections.
- The corner of Race and Main 2nd floor (where we were looking) is rented.
There are 2 other spaces up there, though.  If we move there we can share
DSL and copier with ISEN.
- Owners of Cinema are considering having a townhall in the Cinema about
what to do with the space.  We could present putting an IMC+newsstand+cafe
there.  Cinema wants $1400/mo + utilities.  Sascha and Danielle are
looking into rustling up someone to partner with us who could run the
business part.
- Chub Conner's campaign is in the Stephens building - a storefront space
with lots of room in the back on Main St W of Race.  It will probably be
available after the elections. 

*left to do*

- find out owners of all available downtown spaces, call them, and look at
the spaces

-------------------------------
7.  Incorporation - not assigned
-------------------------------

Molly raised the question - should we start incorporating now?  The sense
was YES.

-------------------------------
8.  Funding - Sascha, Sarah
-------------------------------

- Sascha made a 3 year plan for funding:
	year 1: $ from community members who agree to give $50/mo for 1 yr
	year 2: $ from local donations/fundrasiers + $ from memberships
	year 3: same as 1 and 2 + $ from cafe, news stand, and book/zine
		distribution
  	look for grant money throughout this time.

- Danielle has received committments from 8-10 people to give $50/mo for a
year.
- Sarah researched grants.  She suggested we apply to the PEW center for
Civic Journalism as well as others.
- Sascha is looking into how to make the IMC a project he is funded for.

-------------------------------
9.  Equipment - PaulK, MikeL, William
-------------------------------

- We need to start putting together a wish list for equipment.
- BrianH has offered his fast honkin' AV machine with CD burner and tons
of software.
- Danielle is donating a Powermac,  Scanner,  modem, loads of software,
and possibly a mini laptop running Windows 95 with a modem and a portable
minidisc recorder with clip on and area mics.

-------------------------------
10.  Radio Free Urbana - MikeL
-------------------------------

We need to merge our 4 applications into 1.  We are waiting for FCC
notification to do this.

-------------------------------
11.  Networking with other Indymedias- PaulK, Molly
-------------------------------

PaulK went to a Chicago Indymedia meeting Sat. Sept 30.  

- there were 25 folks - using consensus - arguing what to put in the
middle panel of their website (from the look of their site, that argument
is resolved for the time being) - the IMC idea started when indy reporters
were shut out of the Democratic National Convention in 1996 - they hooked
up with la and philly during the recent conventions - from green party,
azone, In These Times - S26 was the catalyst they needed to get going -
they seem to need facilitation skills.

*Ideas for us that came out of Paul's visit*
- We should research what constitutes official reporter credentials.  In
Chicago, you need to be registered with the police.
- Philly and LA put together documentaroes that will be available Oct. 10.
We could show them and the DC Indymedia documentary at a fundraiser.
- Chicago IMC is talking about putting together a Midwest Indymedia
Convergence after the elections.  In addition to Chicago and CU, there are
groups in Madison, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Cincinnati
- We should try to get to another one of Chicago IMC's meetings.