Radio Daze

This letter to the editor appeared today in the CV. It was written by an old friend and Green Party activist Jim Spak.

Editor:

I am writing to remind readers that all radio stations in Pennsylvania have recently applied to the Federal Communications Commission to renew their broadcast licenses. People who wish to comment on the performance of specific stations have until May 1 to submit their opinions to the FCC.There are at least three local stations whose records I feel the need to comment upon.The first is WRKC, 88.5 FM, King's College. Last November, after 15 years of volunteering my service, and after nine years of airing several nationally syndicated independent political programs, WRKC general manager Sue Henry saw fit to remove "RadioNation," "CounterSpin" and "Making Contact" from the airwaves because she disagreed with their political opinions. After I complained to college officials about her actions, they saw no need to reverse her decision. Where is the respect for free speech, free press and academic freedom when acts of censorship are allowed to stand? How can a college sanction such behavior and still profess to teach its students about democracy?The second station is WCLH, 90.7 FM, Wilkes University. I wish to thank the good people at WCLH for having the courage and insight to pick up "Making Contact" and "CounterSpin" (Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon) after they were dropped by King's. Also, I wish to commend them for carrying "Democracy Now!" (weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon). We need more honest, independent and gutsy journalists like these to counteract the growing power of the military, economic and political elites in the United States if we are to reclaim our democracy. Lastly, I wish to critique the performance of WILK radio, 980 AM. With a radical right-wing lineup that features Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and other apologists for the corporate agenda, they and their kind have done more damage to democracy and freedom in our country and around the world than more people realize. People who wish to comment to the FCC about the above-mentioned stations, or any others, can submit a letter in writing to:Marlene H. Dortch, SecretaryFederal Communications Commission Office of the Secretary445 12th St. SW Washington, D.C. 20554 The deadline to submit comments is May 1.

Jim Spak
Wilkes-Barre