July 1976 RAIN Page 5 COMMUNICATIONS ACCESS Alternate Media Center (AMC) New York University School of the Arts - 144 Bleecker St. New York, NY 10012 il2/598-3338 George Stoney, ~ed Burns· George Stoney used to coordinate the Challenge for Change program of the National Film Board of Canada and was one of the pioneers in the use of film and videotape as a community tool. AMC set up the country's first cable public acc'ess channels and published The Access Workbook,, the definitive work on how to do it artd worth every penny of the $3 5 cost if you're planning to go into the business; available with it, or as a single copy for $3 is The Public Access Experience: Profiles ofSix Centers, which describes the beginnings of the first access channels. AMC is designing a~d installing an experimental two-way cable TV system for the use of,the elderly populatioµ of Reading, PA, sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation. An abstract on the project has been prepared, called Public Service Uses of Interactive Television, cost unknown. Another innovative project is the d Cable Television Apprenticeship Program, jointly funded by local cable systems and AMC, through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and designed to encpurage cable system managements and cable interns to work together to develop viable, experimental models for local programing. Write AMC for information on how .to apply for a grant. 1975 Local Origination Directory, ed. by . Lydia Neumann, $4 from: National Cable Television Association (NCTA) 918 16th St., N.W. Washington, DC 20006 Published in November of last year, this directory indicates what cable systems in the United States have a local origination channel. Unfortunately, it does not indicate which systems have public access channels, though there is an index to public access projects. Unpaged. NCT A also has other publications available. . . EDUCATION/CLASSES Courses and workshops on community access to media are not common, but here are some examples of things going Or,J: Steve ·Schneider, of Portland's Center 1 for Urban Education (CUE), will be giving a course called "Urban Information and Communication" at Portland State University; Urban Studies Dept., Wedlnesday evenings from June 23 to Aug. 25: It will discuss the daily needs of ur- 'ban residents in relation to the mass - media, the way information moves in a city, and the structures assisting the information flow. 'The Goddard College Summer Program, _well-known for its social ecology series, this ~ummer (June 7 to Aug. 27) is of- - fering "Community Media," billed as "a unique program examining the role ,of corporate mass media and _offering theoretical and practical tools for cre- 'ating community-based media." In addi- "'"" tion to classes in history and theory, students are working with Media Bus (also known as Videofreex) and Pacifica Radio of NYC. Contact: Paul Mcisaac, Community Media, Box M-4, Goddard College, Plainfield, VT 05667, 802/ 454-3111, ext. 28S. TWO INNOVATIVE MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAMS Community Information Specialist Program (CIS) Dept. of Library & Information Services University of Toledo Toledo, OH 43606 503/537-2803 Miles Martin, Sharon Stein The only complete program of its kind on a:ny academic level. Thinks libraries are natural community information centers and should be doing more than loaning books. Believes traditional library skills in locating and organizing information, combined with social service outreach technique, are the way to prepare people for community information work. Third quarter is a salaried internship at an agency, business or library. Scholarship and fellowship . monies are available. The CIS program-is in its 4th year and is going up for accreditation with the American Library Association. Center for Understanding Media (CUM) 66 Fifth Ave. New York, NY 10011 212/741-8903 Peter Haratonik Degree program in Media Studies comb-ines theory with practical hands~on experience. Students are mostly teachers, but run the gamut from a New York City police community relations person to a home economist. The Center has published two excellent books, Doing the Media (out of print with a revised edition in preparation), and Video and Kids, $1.50. News- . letter. . The fall quarter initiates a mini-practicum on "Media in American Culture." <;:UM is also, th~ regional contact for the-~rtists in Schools Program of the National Endowment for the Arts. COMMUNITY RADIO There are over 60 community radi6J stations and groups in the United States, from Juneau, Alaska to Miami, Florida.. You can learn about them and how to do one witb your community from two major sources: one is a group ofpeople, the other a book by the person who started it all. What makes commuJZity broadcasting different from other community media is that it requires licensing by the federal government. Community radio is non-commercial, non-institutional, listener-sponsored, volunteer-operated, communityowned, public access, free form, exp·e-ri~ Co~tinued on page 6
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz