[Peace] reminder - important AWARE meeting today 5PM

[Randall Cotton]

Here's a late reminder that WILL staff will be attending today's AWARE
meeting for an important discussion on the future of listener-submitted
commentary to WILL-AM. AWARE put together an effort to broadcast
commentaries on WILL-AM earlier this year, and in response to our
initiative, WILL implemented a new policy which precluded local commentary
on national or international issues. This has the effect of silencing our
voice, since the topics of most concern to AWARE are national or
international in nature.

Below is a letter that was submitted earlier this week to Jay Pearce,
programming director for WILL-AM (and interim station manager for all of
WILL) in preparation for today's discussion. The letter is an excellent
summary of the events that occurred earlier this year as well as our
objections to the policy in question. Jay will be attending the meeting.

Note that the WILL policy in question is on their website at:

http://www.will.uiuc.edu/am/commentaries.htm


August 18, 2004

Mr. Jay Pearce
Program Director, WILL
Division of Broadcasting
College of Communication
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign


Dear Mr. Pearce,

As members of AWARE, the Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort of Champaign Urbana, we
wish to express our dismay with WILL's guidelines for the submission of
listener commentaries to AM 580. We are especially disturbed that they seem
to go against WILL's mission statement, and the statement of the character
and aspirations of the Division of Broadcasting of the University of
Illinois.

In February 2004, AWARE, a local citizens group and a registered University
of Illinois student organization dedicated to encouraging broad discussion
on peace and social justice issues, submitted the first in a planned series
of audio commentaries. The prospect of airing such commentary was previously
raised with WILL during discussions that arose when AWARE approached WILL
with an underwriting proposal. We were encouraged by your positive e-mail
response, dated March 3, to our first commentary submission.  The first
commentary, on the topic of the Iraq war, was written and delivered by
Randall Cotton, and broadcast on March 22.  However, our second commentary,
submitted in early May, was rejected based on a new listener commentary
policy that was implemented on April 14, in response to our commentary
initiative. The new policy states that members of the central Illinois
listening audience may submit commentaries on issues of local and regional
concern, but not on issues of national and global concern.

We made it clear at the time that we were very disappointed with the new
policy and would take it up with WILL at a later date.

In reviewing the statement of character and aspirations and the mission
statement of WILL AM/FM/TV posted on its web site, we note that the station
is a community resource and part of the historic land grant University of
Illinois.  WILL states that it is a public, not a private broadcasting
service and "an important community resource."  The radio station argues
that it is "committed to a high standard of excellence, to accountability,
to integrity, and to professionalism..." and that "public perception of that
quality and efficiency is essential."

WILL also states that its goal is to "Illuminate past, present, and future
issues confronting society, thereby contributing to the development of the
electorate capable of dealing with them."  It also hopes to "stimulate
discussion of public issues by providing forums for the exchange of ideas
and information"  and "satisfy the needs of the audience we serve" while
reflecting "credit upon the University of Illinois" by being excellent
communication professionals engaged in public service.

These are laudable claims. However, it seems to us that when a
publicly-funded, listener-supported broadcasting service with an avowed
educational and public service mission tells an organized group of committed
and accountable citizens from its surrounding community that, as a matter of
policy, they can make no comment on national and international political
issues over the radio, these aspirations are undermined, perhaps even
violated.

It also seems peculiar to assert that because WILL carries the syndicated
and standardized commentaries of national journalists such as Daniel Schorr
and Cokie Roberts on topics of war, peace, race, and national and
international politics, what thoughtful members of WILL's local community
have to say about the same issues is therefore irrelevant or redundant.  We
wonder if WILL believes that the residents of Champaign Urbana have nothing
worthwhile to say about such momentous topics.  Certainly war and peace are
very immediate and local issues today, and always, as the yellow ribbons
tied to so many trees in our city testify.  From our experience, your
listening audience in Champaign Urbana is deeply concerned with and is
constantly cultivating a variety of opinions about national and
international political matters, opinions which are not fully represented by
the staff of either "All Things Considered" or indeed any of the national
mass media.  We wonder if arbitrarily limiting the subjects on which your
local audience may comment is consistent with satisfying the needs of the
audience you serve, creating an informed electorate, and fulfilling WILL's
role as a community resource.

We would very much appreciate your taking a look at your guidelines for the
submission of commentaries once more.  We look forward to hearing your
thoughts on this matter.

Sincerely,



Randall Cotton
Champaign

Susan Davis
Urbana

David Green
Champaign

Alfred Kagan
Champaign

(For the membership of AWARE).