September 26, 2000

From September 21 - 23, media activists from across the country converged in San Francisco for a historic protest at the annual radio convention of the National Association of Broadcasters'(NAB), culminating in a march and rally on September 23 attended by well over 1,000 people.

FAIR endorsed and played an active role in the demonstrations, as did a broad slate of media, labor and human rights groups; the San Francisco-based Media Alliance was one of the key organizers.

Activists gathered to spotlight the undemocratic activities of the NAB, which is the principal lobbying and membership organization of the broadcast industry and oneof the most powerful interests in Washington. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the NAB has spent $16.9 million since 1996 on pressuring lawmakers to assure corporate control of the airwaves.

It's thanks in large part to the NAB that telecommunications deregulation has proceeded with such dizzying speed in recent years. The NAB has also worked diligently to block pro-democracy measures like low power radio and campaign finance reform.

Nine activists were arrested during the protests, including Steve Rendall, FAIR's senior analyst and co-host of CounterSpin. In addition, three National Lawyers Guild (NLG) representatives were arrested while negotiating with police for access to their clients, the imprisoned activists.