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« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »
Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 10:35:46
The dog ate my development?
An extraordinarily kind reporter in the Northwest Arkansas Times today described the big empty field situated along Hill avenue and Sixth Street in Fayetteville as “an unfinished development.”
Well, yes. That’s what we used to tell our teachers when our home work wasn’t started yet; it was “unfinished.”
No, wait, it’s not unfinished - it’s not even begun yet!
Well, except for the really cool part. You know, telling all the poor folk that they had to move. That part got finished right on schedule.
And now we’re talking about having student housing on the site. Isn’t “student housing” just another way of saying over-priced?
******
Acambaro bust - who really benefits?
So really befits from the Acambaro raids but all the other restaurants in Northwest Arkansas that have been struggling in the poor economy? I thought the whole point of this program was to take dangerous criminals off the street?
For all too many folk, the fact that you aren’t American makes you dangerous.
*****
Happy New Year - now can we have some news?
Watching Channel 5 (KFSM) on Friday, I learned the importance of not driving while drunk. But honestly, Channel 5, if I weren’t Diabetic, watching your all-too-terrible coverage during the holidays might be enough to drive me to drink.
Somewhere out there, actual news is happening. Something besides stories on gift cards and people taking stuff back to stores after Christmas.
The other stations aren’t much better, are they?
I await with unbridled excitement the annual story of the first baby born in 2008. I just hope that no one has the bad taste to be murdered that day. Imagine the dilemma in the newsroom - which story to go with first?
****
23 Skidoo
Only 23 more radiation treatments, and Tracy is through with her radiation treatments. It really will be a Happy New Year.
Friday, December 28, 2007 - 10:27:21
Leasing Mexican Original building to ACCC a cruel joke?
It seems churlish to note this, when we are in the spirit of brotherly love and all that, but you have to wonder what possessed the city of Fayetteville to buy the Mexican Original building on Huntsville Road in the first place?
I gotta tell ya - if they give a lease to the Arkansas Community Creative Center to use the property, it would only be a cruel joke. Hmm, is anyone connected with the original sale of the property to the city is now involved with the ACCC?
Almost every time it rains, I either get emails, or I run into former Mexican Original employees, who chortle - and yes, they do - about the roof on the M.O. building, and how it used to come cascading down in certain parts of the plant when it rained.
I know this for a fact; I used to try and navigate a forklift past puddles of rain. But hey, what do people who actually worked in the building know?
Just sell the damn thing.
******
CNN and the Christmas Miracle
A couple of days before Christmas, CNN ran a documentary on the life of Jesus Christ. Oddly enough, there seemed to be a whole lot more emphasis on the crucifixion than on the birth in a manger story.
Besides using up Easter material early, one could only be struck by how much time was spent on the pain and humiliation of crucifixion. Now, that’s Christmas viewing for the whole family.
One can only imagine the thoughts going through the minds of wide-eyed children on Christmas Eve. while they lay in their beds:
Are those reindeer on the roof, or Roman Centurions?
rsdrake@nwark.com
Thursday, December 27, 2007 - 11:43:52
Boston 1, Fayetteville 0
Well, Boston’s Big Dig has finally been completed. One can only wonder when Fayetteville’s Big Dig can claim the same? In the meantime, it sits there, perhaps not gathering dust, but certainly doing its part to make the downtown area look like the aftermath of a nuclear attack.
Maybe they could rent the space out for paint ball games? Or to movie makers who need something that looks like a bombed out crater?
You gotta wonder - how many businesses don’t come downtown simply because of that god awful whole in the ground? In the end result, that monthly check the city of Fayetteville is getting from the “developers” of this property may not be nearly enough.
Telecomm Wish List
The Telecomm Board is preparing its annual report to the Fayetteville City Council, detailing what we have worked on and accomplished in 2007.
One of the things we hope to include is a sort of wish list - things that the Board and people in the community might like see happen in our community 2008.
All suggestions are welcome.
Please don't include personal jet packs; I gave up hope on getting one quite some time ago. And, of course, I'm not sure they actually fit under the heading of "Telecomm."
Feel free to email me with any thoughts you may have on the subject.
The Bully of Bentonville
Well, nobody's ever going to go broke being critical of Wal-Mart. Bookstores across the United States feature books and magazine covers critical of the Bentonville-based giant on a regular basis. In fact, just about the only place you probably won't see these books cropping up is on
the bookshelves at the nearest Wal-Mart Supercenter nearest you.
Anthony Bianco's "The Bully of Bentonville: How the High Cost of Wal-Mart's Everyday Low Prices is Hurting America" is one of the best to hit the stands, and it's also one of the most interesting I've read so far. Bianco, a senior writer at Business Week magazine, has provided the reader with a powerful indictment of the company that Sam Walton founded so many years ago.
It makes me want to hurl the book at everybody on TV that I see who proudly asks, “You know what I love about Wal-Mart?”
Quote of the Day
He who believes that the past cannot be changed has not yet written his memoirs. - Torvald Gahlin
Sunday, December 23, 2007 - 10:06:04
A William Shatner Christmas Carol
Caution: Do not try this at home.
I think that after all this time I can finally bare my soul, and reveal my most shameful Christmas secret:
I’m secretly William Shatner.
Well, I sort of imagine that I am. Not all the time, though, and not for a long time. And it’s not a condition that I need - as yet - need any sort of medication for. Though it is true that excessive amounts of caffeine can bring about a rapid drastic change in my demeanor.
You see, I love to imitate the “Star Trek” actor in his most hammy moments; think of being tied to a chair and being forced to watch a TV Land marathon of “T.J. Hooker.” There’s just something so emotionally rewarding about slipping into Shatner-speak, as it were, and exaggerating words and phrases beyond all rational meaning.
Which brings us to “A Christmas Carol,” which is probably my favorite Christmas movie of all time. Though, of course, it has to be Alastair Sim, and not any of the others, including the sad Patrick Stewart effort for TNT some years ago.
Moving right along . . .
A few years ago, when I still had a job where I punched a time card, I worked in a chemical lab. This was a great job. We drank coffee, read newspapers, discussed politics and movies, told bad jokes, and even tested chemicals. And we had some great bosses.
I felt like it was a sort of karmic reward for all those years spent working at Mexican Original.
It was close to Christmas, and several of the production lines were shut down, but our boss had managed to keep as many of us working a forty hour week as possible, as long as she could. As you might imagine, there was less to do than usual.
It was then - the mixture of having watched Alastair Sim the night before and drinking too much coffee that morning - that I hit upon the perfect way to spend the rest of the work day. For the amusement of my lab mates - but mostly for myself - I performed a one-man Christmas Carol, using a William Shatner impression for each and every character.
A friend had left to go to the break room, and when he returned, I fixed him with a steely gaze, “As for you, sir, I have just one question, “ and I slipped into my best “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan/The Wrath of Khan/Scrooge” mode, and asked:
“Tiny Tim? Out of Danger?”
I thought he was going to fall on the floor, laughing.
Well, I have to tell you this: It was hard work. I’m not sure how William Shatner keeps it up all day long, myself.
There are no video tape copies of this wretched performance, but every year, around this time, I think of doing an encore. I think I’ll just put some coffee on . . .
******
DVD-R alert
TCM is running “The Man Who Came to Dinner” on Monday afternoon. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, give it a try. I keep trying to tell Tracy that Sheridan Whiteside is the man I intend to evolve into, once I finally grow up.
Thursday, December 20, 2007 - 00:55:33
The Death of Fayetteville Open Channel
Sixteen years ago, Fayetteville found itself in the midst of the Great Access War, when Fayetteville Open Channel split apart on live TV. Things are a lot better now, but I think it important to remember the past, just so that we don’t relive it. Also, it is an example of just how divisive the political scene was in Fayetteville in the "Olden days."
At any rate, the sight of half of the FOC Board resigning on live television ,made for great TV. For anyone who is interested, there is a documentary which occasionally runs on C.A.T., using footage from the meetings in question.
The Death of Fayetteville Open Channel
1990's "Access Wars" almost saw the end of public access
Written by Richard S. Drake
The events described here happened a lifetime ago, and yet the passions surrounding the
fall of Fayetteville Open Channel are similar to those we see today in Fayetteville.
Most of the participants in the story have returned to private life, so they are not identified by name. To this day, there is some anger over what happened to FOC, and some would still attempt to assign blame for what happened. The truth is that almost everyone involved behaved honorably. There is no need to dredge them through the mud at this late date. That aside, the events described happened as I have written; I was there.
In September of 1991, a group of political reformers took over a television station. In the seven months before control was wrested from their grasp, they used the resources of the station to battle the political machine which ran Fayetteville. In many ways, it was the participants' finest anddarkest hours. Though the group held together magnificently before the fall of Fayetteville Open Channel (Fayetteville's first access provider), afterwards cohesiveness was lost in a maelstrom of infighting and senseless
finger pointing.
The situation had developed with bewildering rapidity, and most of us who were involved had little opportunity to map out any sort of comprehensive strategy. In a nutshell, fearing that the Board of Directors of Fayetteville Open Channel - in existence since 1980 - was about to hand over control of public access to an embattled city government, many of us joined the membership ranks of FOC in order to elect our own slate of candidates to the governing board of the corporation.
In July of that year, the FOC Board President held a meeting with the FOC staff, explaining that, under the aegis of the city's newly appointed cable administrator, with FOC becoming part of the PEG (Public, Education and Government) system, public access was now to be a "department of the city."
She allowed a fledgling FOC producer to tape the meeting, unaware that what she was saying was to have an electrifying effect on the community at large. Within a very short time, word of the tape's existence swept through FOC. Many producers felt threatened by the proposed changes, particularly those whose programs were of a political nature.
One producer felt so strongly about the perceived danger that he obtained his own copy of the tape and scheduled a time slot for it to be shown - along with his own editorial comments shown via subtitles - thusgalvanizing much of the community. For several years, Fayetteville had been torn apart politically by a number of issues, ranging from the use of herbicides to incinerators to ambulance company monopolies. Capping it all was an impending election, in which voters would be given the chance to retain the city manager form of government, or return to the mayor/alderman
form.
Turbulent Times
The progressive community already felt besieged.
Several outspoken critics felt that their jobs were endangered by their public statements; some went so far as to claim that their phones were tapped. Some in the city administration labeled those who spoke against city policies as "aginners," meaning that were against progress.
Some were even referred to as "anti-city," with all the loathing with which communists and labor organizers were spoken of in years past.
For many, the plan to give any control over public access to a city administration that so
many had cause to distrust typified everything that was wrong with Fayetteville. Indeed, FOC had been used quite effectively by those rallying against a proposed incinerator, some of whose proponents were on the FOC Board. Accordingly, FOC saw many new members join that summer, so that they might have a voice at the annual membership meeting in September. Several longtime activists from the progressive community ran for seats on the FOC Board.
Roller Coaster Ride to Hell
That 1991 membership meeting was perhaps the most vocally violent in the history of the station.
Accusations were hurled back and forth, and personal abuse was aimed at the FOC
Board members. Some of the accusations were made by those who were not actually aware of the facts involved, but reacting to the perceived threat.
In essence, the membership was packed by those fearing the changes in order that a more "liberal" slate might be elected. But this was no conspiracy, as was later charged, but a natural reaction to the perceived danger. And, in truth, it wasn't anything based in reality which brought the concerned men and women forward, but a natural reaction against a body seen as cooperating with a repressive city government. Legally, if the city were to actually "run" public access, it would be legally prevented from censoring any of the programs, no matter how hard it might wish to. But in the heat of the moment, few could be convinced of that.
Almost immediately, the new board members began feuding with the remaining FOC Board members, who saw them as a threat to what they had carefully built up and protected over
the years. In turn, the long-time FOC members were seen as the dupes of a corrupt power structure who were all too willing to deprive the public of the chance to speak their minds. In many ways, it was the continuation of a long-running war, with public access being onlythe latest battleground.
Over the previous few years, members of the two groups had faced off politically in bitter fights, yet now they were sitting side by side. In retrospect, it could be likened to taking a roller coaster ride while holding a bottle of nitro-glycerin.
Then, as now, Fayetteville was growing by leaps and bounds with new money competing with old for domination, and "progress" regarded as Holy Writ. Political activists had long used public access all too well in Fayetteville, and that hadn't been appreciated by certain elements of the power structure.
The newer board members favored an aggressive stance towards the city, while the older members opposed openly challenging the city, especially over something they saw as a
"non-issue." Committee meetings were often nightmarish happenings in which supposed adults would snarl curses at each other, and raise voices at the drop of a hat.
Following one particularly acrimonious meeting, one member patted a long-time board member on the shoulder, and said, "This is how we get things done, by yelling at each
other and then working out an agreement." The older man was not amused.
Despite any agreements which the divided board hammered out, there were still major areas of contention, chief of which was Fayetteville's Cable Administrator. The new members werestill opposed to a city employee "overseeing" public access. Yet, the original rallying point, that this individual would have hiring/firing power over FOC employees had been excised from the language of the proposed contract.
Now, that's Entertainment!
There was also a great deal of discomfort remaining on both sides.
Some of the newer members felt that the world had a burning desire to know what FOC
Board meetings were like, so unbeknownst to most of the board, plans were made to televise live the November 1991 board meeting. The notion that the board as a whole should decide whether or not to televise never occurred to those helping to set up the studio that day.
It was a interesting meeting, all the way around. As board members arrived that chilly November evening, there was some surprise that the meeting had been moved from the FOC break room to the studio, in which tables and chairs had been set up. The smug faces on those "in the know" discomfited those who were not. The President led the evening off, announcing her resignation. She followed with a long litany of reasons, most of which
derived from her feeling that the new board members were destroying FOC. The board sat stunned, though there was little time to react, as in quick succession, several other board members resigned that night - all on live television.
What to do now? Should FOC be dissolved? Did the remaining board members even have a quorum? The strategy move of televising the meeting live, throwing the older board members off balance had backfired badly.
Hesitantly at first, but with growing resolve, the surviving board members decided that there was indeed a quorum.
Thus, survival was chosen.
At the very least, it was great television. At one point one of the remaining board members walked into the break room in order to refill a now empty coffee cup. Gathered around the break room television set were the vanished board members, watching the proceedings as they were played out on live televison. No one spoke as the coffee cup was refilled.
Though regrets were expressed in front of the cameras, in reality there was some gladness that they had resigned.
FOC was now in "safe" hands. The next day, several of the new board members held a press conference in order to explain their side of things. Though an air of respectability was
sought, they had no idea of the forces with which they were dealing. Almost immediately, the daily press began to label the new board members as "anti-city."
Virtually the only support for FOC came from the Grapevine, a local alternative weekly, and the Washington County Observer, a West Fork based weekly. For all intents and purposes, most of Fayetteville only saw the attacks upon what remained of FOC in the daily press. As if that weren't bad enough, several of the board who had not resigned now wrote letters ofresignation, before there was even a chance to replace those who had walked
out.
Then word emerged that the older board members had formed Access 4 Fayetteville, and intended to vie for the contract before the city council. Through A4F had no address, no studio, and no assets, it did have considerable political clout, something of which FOC currently had none of. The Access Wars had begin in earnest, and FOC was badly outgunned.
Beginning of the End
The FOC board scrambled to put a new contract proposal together, so that the organization might retain the contract when the Fayetteville City Council voted on the issue in March.
Even though it seemed a losing battle, there was still some hope that public opinion could be called upon so that victory might still be possible.
February, 1992: Fayetteville Open Channel held a telethon; which proved a moderate uccess. Whether the support shown was for FOC, or public access in general
is unknown.
Whatever the reasons, those at FOC were elated by the weekend event, in which not only was musical entertainment provided, but FOC supporters took the opportunity to press for public support. Enthusiasm was dampened, however, by the fact that so many long-time supporters refused to have anything to do with FOC by this point.
March 17,1992: The day everyone had been dreading arrived. Though goingthrough the motions of negotiation, virtually no one at FOC believed that the contract would be granted the long-time provider.
Entering the city board room that night, FOC supporters knew that the handwriting on the wall was addressed to them. The A4F supporters looked as confident as the FOC group did
uncertain. Still, FOC was determined not to go down without a fight. The two hours spent on that one issue made for one of the most contentious city board meetings in recent memory. As the evening dragged on towards its inevitable conclusion, some on the FOC side began attacking the city administration on issues not easily connected to public access, ranging from the defeated incinerator project to the abuses of the city manager form of government, which faced its own challenge in a city-wide election in June.
But at the end of the evening, as most predicted, it was A4F which had won the contract, and those regarded as the "usurpers" at FOC who were out.
Men and women left the chamber that night in tears. At least one FOC board member showed his open anger towards those producers who stated that their only goal was the
preservation of public access, and that they would work with whichever organization won the
contract.
After the Fall
Thus it was that FOC seemed to become what it had been unfairly charged with for so many months - a political organization. There were two schools of thought as to how FOC
should conduct its affairs.
Several producers made the case that FOC should attempt - through its own productions - to dominate the A4F schedule. This could only be good for FOC, should the opportunity arise to
win the contract back, and to further the goal of attaining some commercial work, which would help pay the bills.
The other approach was that FOC producers should be "encouraged" to boycott A4F completely, and the lack of programming might then force the city to return the contract to FOC.
Those making this specious argument forgot why it was that FOC lost the contract. It had less to do with FOC as an entity, than it did with the political makeup of those on the board of directors.
Short of that, some felt that FOC should simply store all of its equipment until the organization vied for the contract once again. Sadly, a modified form of the second approach was quietly pursued. Since producers were dues paying members, the board could not prevent them from using the equipment.
Still, some openly showed their disapproval of producers actually using FOC facilities - or A4F, for that matter - in order to produce programming. How disconcerting, that just when Fayetteville Open Channel needed the exposure the most, it was suggested that producers not do what they came to public access for in the first place - to make television.
Ultimately, because the FOC board were unable to plan for the future, and for the most part, circumstances prevented the activists elected in September of 1991 to move away from their activist mode, FOC became a splintered organization. Tempers flared on a regular basis, and fingers pointed at others. Blame for various screw ups were assigned, and faith was lost.
By the time the 1992 membership meeting was held, most people in Fayetteville thought FOC had simply gone out of existence. While in 1991 the meeting room was overflowing, 1992 saw only a handful of participants - board members outnumbering members of the public.
Ironically, one of the chief selling points that FOC used to sell itself to the public was that its board was elected by the membership, instead of being elected by the board itself.
But due to the lack of a quorum at the 1992 meeting, an election could not be held. So board members were appointed to the board, much as in the manner of A4F. Within a year, Fayetteville Open Channel was forced to close its doors, and what remained of the equipment went to Access 4 Fayetteville.
Aftermath
What remained of FOC - the large tape library, and a small number of pieces of equipment - went into storage, until due to lack of payment, itwas all sold at public auction. Much of the documented history of Fayetteville thus disappeared, never to be seen again. A4F later changed its name to Community Access Television.
Today, public access in Fayetteville is stronger than ever. Indeed, several hundred people turned out for its 2000 20th year anniversary. FOC is just a memory, an instructive lesson for many. The battle fought over FOC was needless, an exercise in madness.
But it may also have been inevitable, given the temper of the times, which are so similar to the atmosphere in Fayetteville today. Today, we can see that, despite the conflicts both elements of the FOC board cared deeply about public access. They were prepared to fight - even against each other
- to see that it survived. That public access is thriving today is in no small measure due to those - on both the FOC and A4F boards - who fought for what they believed in.
Ozark Gazette, June 26, 2000
Sunday, December 16, 2007 - 12:09:23
Glenn Beck versus public access
I was watching CNN’s Wolf Blitzer “interview” fellow CNN talking head Glenn Beck this week about Democratic front runners in Iowa, and I thought - not for the first time - how did things get so bad that Glenn Beck gets taken seriously? Either as a guest or an interviewer?
I get this feeling every few years, as I watch the self-satisfied interviewers on public affairs programs, who seem more impressed with the fact that they are on television than the fact that they have an audience which is eager for information about candidates and the issues.
For millions of people, Glenn Beck, Tucker Carlson, Bill O’Reilly and others may be one of their primary sources of information. Those who actually read magazines and get their news online often watch these programs in despair - especially when you compare their on air antics to the world of public access interview shows.
Fayetteville is one of those communities lucky enough to have public access televison. In the sixteen years since I have been involved with it, I have seen something I rarely see on commercial television - interviewers who actually study before a show, and ask relevant, coherent questions.
Oh, public access (and Fayetteville is no exception) has it’s share of what some consider silly programming, but in Fayetteville, without public access - and the Government Channel - people would be a lot less informed.
Why can’t we expect the same of folks like Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly or Chris Matthews? Why is it that people who work for free show these guys up on a regular basis?
Top that, Homeland Security!
I see that local weathermen were able to accomplish what Homeland Security can only fantasize about: drive residents of Northwest Arkansas into a frenzy. Shopping at Wal-Mart yesterday, the crowding in the food section was like the crowd trying to get onto the Ark as the rain started coming down.
It sort of reminded me of the Y2K scare.
Beethoven - the Real Superstar
When I was in high school, one of our teachers told us a story of how Ludwig van Beethoven thought that Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the world's greatest leaders - until the day that one of Napoleon's cannon balls came crashing through into his house.
What a great story; too bad it wasn't true, huh? But for many years I suffered under the belief that it was true, and repeated it to many people. After reading the excellent biography by Edmund Morris, "Beethoven: The Universal Composer," I now know that the cannonball incident never happened.
The guess the only moral of the story is - some teachers have a lot to answer for.
Childhood disillusionment aside, the life of Beethoven is one of the most fascinating in the history of music. We all know the story of his deafness, but he had a whole host of other ailments that also plagued him throughout his life, from colitis to migraines. And through it all, he created some of the finest music the world has ever known.
If you don’t buy this book for someone else this Christmas, but it for yourself.
On the Air with Jori Costello
This week I’ll be rerunning aan old interview with popular singer Jori Costello (also profiled in “Ozark Mosaic”) which features several songs by the talented artist who rereleased her album “Homegrown” earlier this year. Those interested in learning more about her can check out her website at:
Show times will be:
Monday - 7pm
Tuesday - noon
Saturday - 6pm
We’ll be running the same show during Christmas week. So why watch “A Christmas Carol” when you can watch “On the Air with Richard S. Drake”?
Obviously someone here is in serious need of some sort of medication.
Quote of the Day
What do people mean by sending you a dozen Christmas cards during the festive season, and not deigning to send you three lines by way of a letter during the rest of the year? - J. Ashby-Sterry
Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 14:01:59
Are Johnny Tittle's radio days numbered?
This letter is on the website of Insight AM, which is the radio show that Johnny Tittle (and sometimes Don Bright) host on KOFC. Can it be that the time of the Insult Master is coming to an end?
Well, he doesn't insult the seventeen regular listeners, but if you aren't on the same conservative wavelength as Johnny? It's Open Season, Liberal Swine! Rcently his time slot seems to have been cut, and the 8-9am hour is now given over to Ray Dotson, who has openly pleaded for folks to advertise on his show.
Will Mike Masterson - who has also appeared with Tittle not only on the radio show, but also on C.A.T. - write a column in support of the man who once claimed that Masterson must have been getting column ideas from Insight AM?
I actually believe that, too . . .
Letter of Support for the “Insight AM Radio Program”, Hosted by Johnny Tittle
We’re signing our names as supporters of the radio program “Insight AM” with host Johnny Tittle which over the past five years we have come to value as the best local talk show in Northwest Arkansas.
As the signatures below indicate, the Insight AM show has a wide, varied listener base in the three-county area of Benton, Washington, and Madison counties. As time for this letter of support to be compiled was extremely limited, the signatures below represent only a ampling of the show’s total listenership. With the pending sale and reformatting of the KOFC radio station where the Insight show is currently aired, Johnny Tittle is scheduled to leave the air in December of 2007. The show will cease if another radio station does not pick it up.
With this letter of support, the loyal listeners and advertisers of the Insight AM program are seeking the help of Northwest Arkansas radio station owners to give the show a new home from which to broadcast. We pledge our support of the radio station which will help save this show that has come to play an important role in our lives.
A short history of the Telecomm Board
Fear not the Soundbite
Remembering the Mountain Inn
Way to go, Huntsville!
Pick a card, any card . . .
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