Florida’s First Statewide Media-reform Conference to Be Held in Sarasota

Media Contacts
Brad Ashwell

Florida PIRG

Media watchers and alternative-media producers from across the state will meet in Sarasota Saturday, October 6, for a day of presentations, panels, and dialogues on media reform, particularly as it affects Floridians. The event will run from 9 to 6 and will be held on the campus of New College of Florida.

“We’ll be looking at a broad spectrum of media-reform issues, from media conglomeration, to public access TV and low-power FM radio, to media literacy,” says Mark Kmetzko, Director of Florida Media Project (FMP) and a co-organizer of the event.

This is the first such event for Florida, getting its impetus not only from this year’s National Conference for Media Reform (in Memphis) but also the well-attended Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hearing in Tampa this past spring.

“In April we saw hundreds of Floridians spend their Monday night waiting for a chance to tell the FCC commissioners how dissatisfied they are with the mainstream media,” says Brad Ashwell, Legislative Advocate with the Florida Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). “With this October event we hope to build on that energy and provide a way for these people to stay engaged and connected.”

The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are urged to contribute to the two organizations helping pull the conference together: FMP and Florida PIRG.