This weekend, Dec. 2 – 3, two young OVEC leader-volunteers and one staff member will attend a training on audio recording / reporting at WYAP, a non-profit radio station in Clay County, WV. The station is partnering with Free Speech Radio Network, which is rather keen to expand it Appalachian news segments for its national distribution.
Corporate-owned media, as we all know, is increasingly pitiful. This is especially true in West Virginia, where Big Coal owns interests in the West Virginia MetroNews Radio Network, West Virginia Media Holdings and several state newspapers. Over the airwaves, there is a virtual black-out of mountaintop removal related news. Even West Virginia Public Radio is remiss in reporting on this issue.
We need to make our own media. OVEC has been wanting training for producing radio actualities—and now we have it in our backyard! Our three folks will attend this events as trainers—what we learn we will share with other OVEC members and other groups. We envision training at least one members in each of the counties where we organize (Boone, Cabell, Logan, Kanawha, Mingo, Raleigh) becoming Community Reporters. These members will create radio segments not only for the Free Speech Network, but also for local stations in each county. We will also post audio segments on our websites (www.ohvec.org, www.sludgesafety.org and www.wvoter-owned.org), other websites and explore podcasting.
Our request is for 7 Sony MZ-M10 - Hi-MD Mini-Disc Portable Audio Recorders with MDR-EO931 Earphones Earphones and ECM-DS70P Stereo Microphones(the recorders come with 1GB Hi-MD Discs) and 7 extra 1GB Hi-MD Discs, plus three copies of Sony Media Software Sound Forge 8 software for editing (for the three places we have computers available for members’ use.)
(Product numbers from B an H photo Video in New York City--an equipment outlet recommended by several documentary filmmakers OVEC is working with. OVEC will try to find the same items at locally-owned stores.)
Editor's Note: Once the group started purchasing the hardware, they learned about other options and changed their list - see the update here. |
Our goal to ultimately end mountaintop removal is highly dependant on expanding awareness of the issue and developing community leaders, while establishing Clean Elections in the state. Community Reporters become leaders, and they model leadership behavior to people they interview. Even if none of stories were to ever air (which we doubt), the community interaction—where citizen journalists knock on doors or call community meetings-- will increase awareness of our issues.
We plan to let local papers know that Community Reporters are out in the field—giving newspaper reporters a “fresh angle” for revisiting the mountaintop removal issue.
We’ve found that the simple act of listening to people’s concerns increases their involvement in our group—people feel like they have a voice and it motivates them to act. If people hear their neighbors on local radio or on the Internet, they understand both the importance of the issue and the power available to those who make their own media.
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We anticipate little problem with working the machines themselves. After the initial training this weekend, OVEC staff and volunteers will host additional trainings for our members and other interested parties. We will also hold a training for the Friends of the Mountains coalition. We commit to hosting at least four trainings (in location central to various counties) during 2007.
Note that OVEC already has two older Sony mini-disc recorders, so we can begin trainings right away. We can leave these two recorders with the most interested people in two counties—as long as they commit to helping in the next trainings and bringing the equipment to the training—so that we can quickly begin gathering stories.
The three people originally trained in using the software editing will be capable of training others. A documentary filmmaker, with roots in West Virginia has already committed to volunteering his trouble-shooting services over the phone, should someone forget who to operate the software.
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OVEC organizes regular monthly meetings in three counties (people travel from counties). At these meetings we will first introduce the concept of Community Journalists and schedule trainings. We’ll gather input for story ideas. We’ll set numeric goals for the number of stories we produce in a given time period.
To evaluate, we will ask these types of questions at subsequent meetings:
-How many attended the training in X county? -Who has custody of the recorder? Is that person producing stories? -Are other interested folks able to obtain the recorder when they have stories to produce? -How many stories have been produced since X meeting? –How many have been aired? -How many have been posted to the Internet, and where? –What goals did we set? –How are we doing? –Should we readjust our goal? –Do you think we are getting the word out more widely -Do you think we are having an effective? –Where should we hold a training next? -What can we do to create better results? –What else should we be doing to evaluate our performance?
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