Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Bexley, Ohio. LPFM and mutual radio organizations.

The Editorial Collective of WCRX-LP is sometimes amazed at the creativity of the WCRX-LP staff. Staff author L F offered the following grant proposal to blogpac.com.

The proposal was rejected.

Does anyone know who blog.pac might be?

We still commend author L F for her creativity and recognize her commitment to WCRX-LP for submitting the proposal. L F's sister is in town this week on a late summer visit. The sister's name is Dotty. She probably doesn't know who blogpac is although L F's family is always a surprise.

Funding sources. Tell us if you are interested in this concept.

Proposal by:

Author L F
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
Bexley Public Radio Foundation
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com

Name of project:

Community radio mutual network

Description of idea:

Organized network of community radio stations that can collect, organize and broadcast grassroots opinion surveys regularly.


Background:

WCRX-LP is a community radio station and has been broadcasting since March 21, 2007. It is an LPFM (low power FM) station.

There are approximately 800 other LPFM stations licensed by the Federal Communications Commission.

A significant number of these stations are progressive in their points of view.

There is no organizing effort among LPFM stations to cross cultivate ideas, survey progressive opinion in the communities these radio stations serve.

In the approaching presidential and other federal elections, a network

Prometheus Project, Common Frequency, National Association of Community Broadcasters and Pacifica Foundation sometimes will survey members and other radio stations. None of them is set up to survey opinion of progressive communities on a regular basis.

Mutual is used in the title as a reminder that cooperative principals will be important for the networks success.

Money and resources needed:

Total budget $9,160.

Request to BLOGPAC. $5,000.

Resources needed:

Volunteer statisticians
Volunteer project director
Two paid research assistants
Office and equipment shared with a consumer publication
Telephone and internet connection shared with a consumer publication


Plan for raising and spending money and using resources:

This is a twelve month project.

Three months staff time will be used to develop an accurate list of LPFM radio stations and categorize the stations according to the communities they serve.

One month of staff time will be used to develop sample opinion survey instruments, project publicity and network contracts. These materials will be distributed to the LPFM stations with follow up contacts and conference calls.

Three months of staff time will be used to establish the network. Email lists and record systems will be a large clerical task. Those LPFM radio stations that are interested in participating in the network will be offered network contracts. An attorney will be used to draft the network contracts.

An important feature will be regular communications among the LPFM program directors so that local developments can be shared with the network members. This sharing will help to identify national issues based on local experiences. This sharing will also help to form the issues for opinion surveys.

The final five months of the first year will be used to survey and report opinions on topics that the community radio stations have selected.

WCRX-LP expects to raise $3,000 to support wages for two research assistants from existing contributors. Additional fund-raising will have to be implemented to raise additional funds.

Paid staff part-time. $12,000.
Office and equipment shared with a consumer publication. $250 per month.
Supplies. $200 per month.
Telephone and internet connection shared with a consumer publication. Base is split fifty-fifty with consumer publication. Long distance is reimbursed as actual charges. $80 per month.
Professional services and insurance. $1,800.
Administrative. $1,000.

The important part of this project is that volunteers trained in statistics or public opinion survey techniques be used to create survey instruments and analyze the data.

Progressive infrastructure created by project:

The project will create a network of community radio stations that can survey the opinions of progressive communities throughout the U.S. and also broadcast the survey results.

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Croton, Ohio. Hartford Independent Fair. Our Berkeley guest watches her first horse pull contest.

This is a description of a visit to the Hartford Independent Fair, Croton Ohio on Saturday afternoon and evening, August 11, 2007. My wife and our house guest from Berkeley, California attend the fair with me.

This description was read by Victoria Chao, the WCRX-LP summer intern, on the Monday August 13 broadcast.

My wife, our Berkeley house guest and I entered on the north gate. So we are near the animal barns.

Our plan is to have an early dinner at one of the fair kitchens, then watch the horse pull competition.

On the drive home we hope to see the Persied meteor shower. This evening has been publicized on weather shows and in the newspapers as the prime night to watch the Persied meteor shower. It is a new moon so conditions are ideal to see meteors. We will also be driving through rural areas with little ambient light to dilute the light of the meteors.

A junior sheep auction is being conducted in one of the newer pole buildings.

The championship sheep was sold for three hundred dollars; the other sheep went for prices in the range of $150 to $250.

We all react the same. Very little money for a lot of work and a lot of risk. But on further thought, when any of us was fifteen, did we own anything that someone else would have paid $150.00 for? I know that I didn’t have anything like that.

We walk through the merchant buildings and then walk by the political candidate tents.
Last day of the fair so their give- aways are the bottom of the barrel.

Paper pads from a candidate for clerk of municipal court; refrigeraor magnets from the Licking County memorial hospital. Wooden ruler. Emery boards.

Wooden pencil from Ohio Department of transportation.

In another building, the craft competition is a high-light.

The crafts are in the backroom near the building where the flower and vegetable competition is held.

Our guest from Berkeley notes that it is “crafts” and not “arts and crafts.”

Cruel.

But she used to be a member of the socialist workers party…not a group noted for kind words or friendly deeds for their rustic brothers.

One category of craft competition that catches my eye is “Decorated bird house”….to my taste the standout is a bright pink bird house with irregular shaped black dots. The bird house is crowned with an electric pink feather on the peak of the bird house roof.

Another surprising category is “Marsh mellow crafts.”

Animals, vehicles, buildings are crafted out of dyed marsh mellows.

Most marsh mellows are dyed electric pink, acid green, day glow yellow.

Traditional white marsh mellows are used to construct a model of the US Capitol building. The possible sub texts are endless. The satiric implications are delicious. But with the third place ribbon, they are clearly not recognized.

This amazing creation gets only a third place ribbon. The student who made this fluffy building has a vision that needs more nourishment than a white ribbon.

Blue ribbon first place went to Phoebe Richards for a marsh mellow tree. Orange marsh mellow base, pink tree trunk and acid green marsh mellow leaves. Nice but too literal. Nothing like a marsh mellow Capitol building.

Soap carving blue ribbon went to Seth Akel of Johnstown Ohio. He carved a turtle in green soap. The size about two and a half inches long.

Another small turtle comes up in another event. Contrast the little green soap carved turtle to the fate of a another turtle in the competition called the “small ugly item” event.

Lela Gunn of Newark Ohio got no ribbon for her small ugly item entry: a small green turtle about two and a half inches long.

The two turtles could have been brother and sister. One gets a blue ribbon the other is ignored.

Other entries in the “small ugly object” competition were a small porcelain or pottery oriental doll (which I thought was rather beautiful) and a fish line (absolutely beautiful)…the dangles on the fish string were little plastic green pickles, two brass five point stars maybe one-half across, and a little, no tiny dancing elephant…not a republican elephant but a south Asia Indian elephant and no larger than a half inch. A delightful piece of jewelry. Folk jewelry perhaps. Is folk jewelry a category for anything?

Another “ugly object” entered in the contest was an old GI can opener…

The winner of the small ugly object was a preserved small alligator head. The head was maybe eight inches long and three inches wide. Sharp teeth intact and very visible. For this object Gene Piper of Sunbury got a blue ribbon.

We have dinner at the Homer Parent Teacher Organization food building. Always the chicken noodle dinner is tip top. This year too. My wife has a BLT sandwich and is happy too. Our Berkeley guest has the chicken noodles and a chocolate pudding for desert.

The evening event is the horse pull. The grand stand is almost full and the inner track is lined with people in lawn chairs and on blankets.

Eleven teams of two horses are entered in the light weight event and the heavy weight event. Mostly, the horses are Belgians with two Percherons and one Roan, as the old farmer next to me informs me. Some one else near by says that there are also Shires and Prussians in the groups. The old farmer is silent but shakes his head “no” to those assertions. Later, I google “dray horse pulls” and Belgians are listed, Percerons are listed. So are Shires. But no Prussians or Roans get listings as dray horses. Could the old farmer have been wrong about the Roans. And could the other one have been wrong about the Prussians?

The horses are mostly from Ohio. But there are also teams from Michigan and Kentucky. With two exceptions, all of the teamsters are men. One Ohio team and one Kentucky team each has a woman on the team. A teamster from Michigan wears overalls with no shirt. Other teamsters wear overalls with shirts.

The object is for the teams of horses to pull deadweights the distance of twenty six feet.

They start at about 4000 pounds of dead weight. By the time the contest is down to two teams competing the dead weights total 9500 pounds.

Sheer brute force of the animals and the farmers ability to control the horses with less strength is puzzling until I remember the bit, and its domesticating effect on horses…

Our Berkeley guest comments that the horses are engaged in a kind of ballet…I remember that she has a masters degree in dance notation

Sometimes the horses seem to be humoring the humans (this too from our Berkeley guest)

In the grand stands I’m surprised at the number of young people teenage girls and teenage boys watching the horse pull. I’m also surprised at the number of Abercrombie and Fitch, Ruehl and Hollister tee shirts…farm boys wearing these urban tee-shirts…mostly boys, but many girls wore them too…


The grandstand has a crowd of maybe five hundred or six hundred. The inside track has maybe three hundred more. All are totally silent while the horses are pulling the dead weight…then when the dead weight reaches twenty six feet, the goal is achieved….applause breaks out…Once when a horse falls to its knees while pulling, the crowd gasps in surprise but remains silent until the horse returns to its feet and tries to pull again. The teamster calms the horse down.

Horse couldn’t organize the event without the men…Berkeley observation.

When the dead weight of 9500 pounds finally settles the contest, the winner is the team from Kentucky.

The drive back to the city is perfect to see the Perseid meteor shower. We watch the sky and see no meteors. Perhaps Sunday night will be different.

Our Berkeley guest had never seen a horse pull before. I think it will be the strongest memory of her trip to Ohio.

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Bexley, Ohio. Real estate tax abatements for residential restorations and repairs using authentic materials.

One of the charms of Bexley is the residential architecture of the community. Design, materials and construction work together with superior landscaping to present pleasant vistas in the twenty seven neighborhoods of Bexley.

Small pleasant cottages grace many Bexley streets and neighborhoods.

Other Bexley neighborhoods have houses that look large and comfortable, timeless with quiet, unobtrusive architectural fittings of bygone eras.

Then there are austere Bexley mansions that amaze our eyes with architectural elegance, craftsmanship and fine materials.

An important component of these pleasing domestic buildings is the materials used in the original construction. Slate roofs, copper gutters and down spouts, quarried stones, bronze fittings, wrought iron fittings and hinges. All of these are subtle attributes that compliment the architectural features and landscaping of the homes of Bexley.

Sometime on a walk, focus only on the materials used to construct Bexley residences. You will soon recognize the houses with authentic materials. These are not loud pronouncements. They are quiet nuanced fittings that whisper “quality, skill, excellence."

Many of the materials used in contemporary additions and restorations are not authentic. Brass-plated steel replaces solid brass hinges; asphalt shingles replace slate and so on.

In small increments, perhaps only infinitesimal increments, the charm of Bexley residential architecture is being eroded.

A brass-plated steel hinge is substituted for a solid brass hinge. It’s not a major change. But the substitute is a small erosion of excellence. One hinge this year, one next year and then a plastic mail box replaces the wrought iron mail box.

Does anyone care that authentic materials are disappearing?

Of course practical household finance determines some of this erosion. Authentic materials are expensive, and sometimes not available. Sometimes, repairs are practical problems that surprise a budget. More often repairs are not ocassions for aesthetic reflections and so we choose the practical solutions.

As a community, should we encourage decisions that favor authenticity? How can we encourage the use of original materials in new construction, restorations and repairs?

Should the municipality take some action to encourage a market in Bexley for authentic materials?

In Bexley, real estate tax abatements have been granted for commercial, mixed retail and multi-family residential structures. Some of the tax abatements have been granted to buildings that imitate period architecture.

These same buildings use modern materials that give the impression of authentic period materials. But a moment’s glance tells the sad story of deception that these fake materials express.

The public tax abatements did not purchase something authentic for this community.

There are advantages to the modern building materials. Obviously.

But the advantages, whatever they might be, have nothing to do with aesthetics.

And living in Bexley is all about the aesthetics of daily life. Beauty in all that is quotidian.

Is it time to to subsidize things that bring beauty to our community life each day?

When families improve their houses and pick up the expense of authentic materials, should the community offer those families real estate tax abatements for their choice to preserve the beauty and the authenticity of their repairs and restorations?

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Friday, August 24, 2007

Near Worthington, Ohio. Campaign 2008. The WCRX-LP Editorial Collective sends its first production team to a Campaign 2008 event.

HOW WILL A SPECK OF A RADIO STATION COVER AN ELECTION?

The WCRX-LP Editorial Collective has had a few discussions on the topic of covering the 2008 elections.

Discussions that were desultory. Conversations that were inconclusive. Just ideas anticipating the inexorable reality of politics.

The former Boy Scout in the Collective says “Be prepared.” The former Girl Scout comments inappositely “An ounce of prevention is worth…” and then lets the sentence expire incomplete.

What might she have been thinking?

WCRX-LP is a community radio station. Should the station even mention Campaign 2008? It is a national election and WCRX-LP is the soul of localism.

On the other hand, primaries will come in March and there might be local issues on that ballot. There also will be local offices and issues in the November general election. Campaign 2008 is not entirely national.

The Editorial Collective makes no decision and tables the issue.

And then the inexorable march of politics makes the question a practical matter.

REALITY KNOCKS ON THE DOOR.

A telephone rings at the WCRX-LP office. It is a call to the radio station from the Obama campaign organization in Ohio.

A staffer takes the call. The campaign organizer proposes that the radio station gives some coverage to a meeting at the Ohio Hispanic Coalition.

The meeting is a presentation on immigration legal matters and also voter registrations.

The Obama campaign has been given the chance to show a campaign video before and after the meeting.

The WCRX-LP staffer proposes to learn if WCRX-LP will give some coverage to the event or to just add it to a community calendar.

After making this proposal the staffer has some second thoughts because the event is not obviously related to the Bexley community. He calls some of the Bexley Public Radio Foundation board members who refer him to the Editorial Collective.

The staffer calls some of the members of the Editorial Collective. After some discussion, the Editorial Collective members give the staffer loose reigns, very loose reigns.

The opportunity will be used as a training exercise to figure out how to create the boundary on partisan programming that the FCC requires.

THE EVENT AS REPORTED BACK TO THE EDITORIAL COLLECTIVE BY THE STAFFER.

The following are the notes that the staffer provided to the Editorial Collective:

The Ohio Hispanic Coalition, was hosting a citizenship and voting event at its conference room at 6161 Busch Boulevard. The location is north of SR 161, just west of the Continent shopping center and apartment complex.

Obama Now Ohio was scheduled to show a campaign DVD before and after the citizenship and voting presentations.

WCRX-LP was invited to cover the event (or events) by DD who is the director of Obana Now Ohio campaign organization.


DD had been referred to WCRX-LP by BL. BL has provided advice to WCRX-LP from time to time on programming, staffing, finance and organizational matters.

When DD first contacted me, she assumed that WCRX-LP was part of Simply Living. I briefly described the time-share agreement and how Simply Living and Bexley Public Radio Foundation are separate operations that cooperate from time to time.

Also in our first discussion, I explained to DD that WCRX-LP is a start-up station with a small audience. I also explained that the WCRX-LP license limits the station's ability to broadcast partisan campaign programming. I also explained that the evening broadcast time slot was allocated to Simply Living and that I would contact Simply Living about co-producing a live broadcast with that group.

DD was agreeable to these limitations and also to the possibility of a co-produced live broadcast by Simply Living and Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

I contacted MW and EB, both of Simply Living, and proposed a co-production. MB was agreeable to a co-production subject to the availability of EB to provide the technical work. Unfortunately, EB had prior commitments.

I told MW and DD that WCRX-LP was still interested in recording the event for later broadcast. MW expressed continued interest in the possibility of a co-production.

I also proposed the production to RA to consider as an MC opportunity for him. He said he was booked solid for that day but if he got work done quicker and opened up some time he would try to make the event. I also offered some post-production editing work to RA.

To free up some WCRX-LP broadcast time, I contacted LE. LE is on disability leave but has been calling in short broadcasts from her home on Tuesdays and Thursday. She said that it is okay to broadcast the materials during her usual time slot on Tuesday August 28 and Thursday August 30, next week.

On the day of the event(s), I prepared a quarter page handout information card offering the details for listening to the broadcasts. I called MW to learn if she wanted some reference to Simply Living as co-producer on the card. She declined.

I forgot to ask Signa Tour Studio if they wanted reference on the card for providing the recording equipment.

I called RA about attending the event as MC. He too had to decline. While he had freed up time, he forgot that he was having car repairs for a family vacation, and needed to pick up the car when the event was scheduled. RA and I agreed that he had his priorities in order. Vacation is always more important than lectures by lawyers.

David and I arrived at the Busch Boulevard location at 5:30. Dave began to set up his equipment.

Already in attendance were DD, JD, SB and PM. I think they are all volunteers for Obana Now Ohio although I didn’t confirm that information.

JV was also in attendance. I think he is executive director of Ohio Hispanic Coalition although I didn’t confirm that either.

Thereafter, immigration attorney MP-H and her husband arrived. HH, community outreach coordinator of the Franklin County Board of Elections arrived. He had an assistant whose name I did not get. HH also brought one of the new voting machines for display.

SB and DD were putting campaign materials on the conference room table. An interesting mix of materials. The usual union label “Obama 2008” sticker, campaign buttons and position papers on health care, labor and education. One position paper was in Spanish language. Also, there were handmade book marks, a new addition to campaign giveaways, and Life Saver candies, individually-wrapped and stickered with a campaign slogan.

Two additional people arrived for the event. One was a woman (probably from Chile) who had been naturalized as a U.S. citizen earlier in the day.

The event was in a windowless basement room. But the room was well-appointed. The seating was appropriately arranged for the presentation.

Some surprising omissions: No coin drop jar for donations for the campaign bumper stickers and campaign buttons. No welcome sign or direction sign in the lobby of the building or at the elevators.

Same kind of omissions in the production work for WCRX-LP. I didn’t brief DD about use of microphone and asking audience members to use the microphone when asking questions. Similarly, when I introduced myself to the attorney I didn’t give her a brief introduction to the use of the equipment.

I also should have asked for DD to provide a little information about WCRX-LP in her introduction and welcoming remarks.

Nothing unusual occurred in the citizenship presentation by attorney MP-H nor in the voting presentation of HH.

We recorded the sound of the Obama presentation so we could consider whether it was partisan and if so, not suitable for broadcast.

What is interesting is that the most of the bare text of the DVD is not partisan. It is simply a collection of policy statements on issues of public interest. Nonetheless, my recommendation is that the sound of the DVD text not be used in the broadcasts for two reasons. First, there are sound bites from unidentified individuals expressing support for the candidate. Second, the material is prepared and offered as campaign material. For these reasons, I’ve asked Dave to edit out this material before we broadcast.

I am leaving in DD and JD’s identification of themselves as involved in the Obama campaign. My judgment on this is that those are simply factual statements that describe the context of the presentations that the evening. I may reconsider this analysis after I review more material about the FCC limits.

The audience (including myself) asked many questions to the immigration attorney. I’m not certain if I should have asked the questions. Too much intrusion??? Some of my questions were just to add contextual detail to the recording, e.g. Where are the USCIS offices that serve Ohio? The answer is Cleveland and Cincinnati.

The presentations lasted about an hour longer than DD’s original estimate.

The session ended at 8:15 p.m.

Dave and I tore down the equipment, loaded it, expressed our appreciation to DD for the assignment and departed.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS TO THE WCRX-LP STAFFER.

I called the WCRX-LP staffer for a little more detail about the campaign workers.

In response to my question he described the four individuals whom he thought were involved in the campaign. Young, energetic, aggressive. Mature, intellectual, calm but enthusiastic, well-organized. Quiet, calm, dedicated, well-organized. Smart, strong, active, sharp.

As a group, some had experience in political campaigns but not as professionals. Willing to make mistakes to learn the ropes. No one dominated the organization. All were helpful and cooperative with each other.

For the Editorial Collective, the experience will help to define what kind of attention the radio station has to give to the next election and the limitations of what we can do.

As importantly, the program will help to learn what campaign coverage is important to the WCRX-LP audience.

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Bexley, Ohio. A Puzzle and the Ivy Walls of Bexley Residences.

The charm of many Bexley residences is their ivy walls. Garden walls. Boundary walls. The walls of houses. Arbor entries shaded by thick green tangles of ivy. All is hidden, all is shaded by the vines and their lush green leaves.

The geometry of our houses is softened by this plant. Sometimes these green leaves completely erase straight lines. The cold right angles of our dwellings disappear.

Ivy always seems lushest on eastern walls. The morning sun must give special help to make these east-looking ivys flourish.

Does ivy cool the building it shelters? Is it environmentally friendly?

To me the puzzle of ivy is why it doesn't grow on the skyscrapers of the central cities.

Imagine, the Sears Tower in Chicago covered in ivy. The downtown winds of that city rustling the green leaves.

Then harsher winds shaking the vines. Spring storms and autumn rains: What effect might the wind and rain have on ivy clinging to the walls of the Sears Tower.

How high would ivy grow on the Sears Tower. If left alone, what floor would it grow to. If cultivated, would the ivy grow higher? Or lower? Not at all?

What if the ivy will only grow on the eastside of the Sears Tower? As it should.

Would the architect approve? Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Did SOM even consider the possibility of ivy growing up the eastside of the Sears Tower.

This is a puzzle to present to WCRX-LP landscape designer, Amy Maurer. When she begins to consider gardening topics for autumn and winter.

The WCRX-LP Editorial Collective will offer this idea to Amy Maurer.

WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio with ivy growing up its antenna tower.

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley, Ohio. Bexley Centennial Stakes.

The Bexley Centennial is being celebrated in calendar year 2008.

The WCRX-LP Editorial Collective offered the following proposal to the Bexley Chamber of Commerce as three projects that are appropriate to commemorate the Bexley Centennial.

The proposal was rejected politely by the president of the Chamber as being too aggressive.

The following are the three concepts selected by the Editorial Collective as appropriate commemorative projects.

o Establish a commemorative horse race and prize (say $100,000) for the winning stable. The race will be run at one of the local Bexley parks or nearby City of Columbus parks. There will be parimutuel betting.

o Work with the Ohio Lottery Commission to establish a commemorative lottery game. Most of the proceeds will be paid to the Bexley public school system. The game will be a model for the lottery commission to market to other school systems to use on appropriate centennial celebrations.

o Do the ground work to establish eligibility for an Indian gambling casino along the western banks of Alum Creek. Seek the assistance of state and local historical societies to locate tribal lands along Alum Creek.

The concepts really are appropriate for a municipal centennial commemoration. The lottery is a revenue source for public schools and the Bexley Public Schools are central to life in Bexley. A horse race is appropriate because it reflects the agricultural beginnings of the organized Bexley community. There are several Bexley houses that are farm houses from the time period when the neighborhood was farmland.

There were horse races in a park in Eastmoor in the early part of the twentieth century. And nearby Driving Park has some association with horses.

Finally, the proposal for an Indian casino is evocative of the early inhabitants, the early history and pre-history of this geographic territory. All of these allusions are appropriate for a centennial commemoration.

Looking at some of the specifics:

o Offer $100,000 stakes for a horse race (thoroughbred or harness) to celebrate the centennial of the City of Bexley. The race will be called “The City of Bexley Stakes” or “City of Bexley Centennial Stakes” or some similar name.

o Location of the race will be Jeffrey Mansion park (A City of Bexley park) or Driving Park (a City of Columbus park), Franklin Park Conservatory (a City of Columbus park) or Wolf Park (a City of Columbus park).

o Parimutuel gambling permitted at the park.

o Number of horses limited.

o Entry fee for each horse of $5,000 for the main race.

o One, two or three preliminary races with lower entry fees and lower stakes.

o Race might be run once every three or five years.


General note: There might have been racing at a field in Eastmoor. Same as to Driving Park.

General note: Harness racing used to be a state fair event. The grand stand now used for entertainment shows at the state fair was the location for the harness racing. These races continue but the venue is now at Scioto Downs. The races are identified as state fair events. A representative of the Ohio governor attends the races. The representative is usually an assistant director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

General note: What legislators and committee chairmen will want to be the first to know?

Lottery commemorative game, portion of proceeds benefit Bexley schools

o Ticket named “Bexley Spot One Hundred”

o Sold for a full year with instant prizes of $100.

o Annual drawing promises up to $100 million. It is a centennial after all.

o Large portion of proceeds go to Bexley public schools.

o Lottery commission gets to use the product for other school districts on appropriate anniversaries.

General note: What legislators and committee chairmen will want to be the first to know?

Indian casino gambling

o Identify local Native American tribes who inhabited eastern and western banks of Alum Creek.

o Identify real estate developers, Native American tribes and other casino operators interested in casino gambling.

Comments are welcome at:

EDITORIAL COLLECTIVE
BEXLEY PUBLIC RADIO FOUNDATION
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, LOCAL POWER RADIO
BEXLEY 98.3 FM
2700 E. MAIN ST., SUITE 208
COLUMBUS, OHIO 43209
EMAIL WCRXLP@YAHOO.COM
VOICE (614) 235 2929
FAX (614) 235 3008

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Dublin, Ohio. Agent of Change.

The summer intern at WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio is Victoria Chao.

She is a college senior. Witty. Critical. Great on-air voice.

Not cynical at all. Simply witty. (Forgive that one Marilyn Welker.)

What the WCRX-LP Editorial Collective liked initially about Victoria is that she is a "hand-me-down" intern. But, that is another story.

Some blog readers will have noticed that this blog is named "Agent of Currency." All of the current members of the Editorial Collective are progressives (well, one might not fit that category). For the progressives, the antiquated "Agent of Change" is hardly a moniker that we find comfortable or appropriate to our public and self-images.

Currency is much more descriptive of our self-image.

And in the course of a day, whatever pocket change we get ends up in the hands of the "will work for change" beggers at Livingston Avenue and Alum Creek Drive.

But all of the Editorial Collective members are also adults, parents and some even senior citizens. Antiquated activists. Antedeluvian rebels. Ancient revolutionaries. If we are honest, even the phrase "agent of currency" is hardly a label that yet another generation will find comfortable to wear.

When the label "agent of change" was used by one of our recent radio guests (from Berkeley, of course), the contrast with "agent of currency" was made.

And, more significantly, Victoria Chao offered a label for her generation as "Agent of Credit." A simple riposte, and yet, it made all of us current progressives aware that the torch of wit has passed to the next generation.

For readers of this blog, the unanswered question is whether Victoria wants credit from us or whether she is offering credit to us.

Thanks for your work this summer at WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio. Is this sufficient credit for you, Victoria???

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Bexley, Ohio. Student radio station internships

STUDENT RADIO STATION INTERNSHIPS. A comparison of how two universities pay attention to opportunities for their students to acquire radio skills and very practical broadcast experience.


WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio has requested assistance from two local post-secondary educational institutions to offer radio internships to their students. WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM is the community radio service of Bexley, Ohio.

The first school was contacted on Thursday August 2. Since then two representatives have acknowledged the request. One referred WCRX-LP to a faculty member. The professor acknowledged the request and has not otherwise responded. This offer appears pretty much to be dead in the water unless WCRX-LP makes addtional effort.

The second school was contacted on Monday August 13 and responded on the same day with instructions for posting the notice at the school.

Here is the proposal made to each school.

The proposal is a list of existing and proposed radio programs on WCRX-LP, !02.1 FM, Local Power Radio that can provide broadcast experience for students. Both production and on-air broadcast experience are offered to students by WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio.

Some of the business and finance productions might be of particular interest to students in business and economics courses.

WCRX-LP broadcasts each week day from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

WCRX-LP is an affiliate of Pacifica Foundation in Berkeley California.

In the event there is student interest in these intern opportunities, WCRX-LP can expand its hours in accordance with the time-share agreement.

WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio is also interested in learning what students will need to do to be eligible for class credit if they participate in any of these intern opportunities.

Auction market report. Aired five to twenty minutes daily. Production time is four hours weekly. This program is currently broadcast. Collect, edit and script sale schedules, auction lot information, hammer prices, and consignment schedules from Sotheby’s and Christie’s New York auction rooms; Leslie Hindman;s Chicago sales room and from central Ohio auctions. Interview (usually by telephone) auctioneers for human interest aspects of individual auctions; collect market condition and price information from auctioneers about individual auctions. Read script and ad lib comment.

Amy Maurer’s “Lunchtime gardener.” Twice weekly forty minute program on Bexley gardens. Production time is five hours weekly. This program is currently broadcast. Production assistant. Make arrangements for guest interviews. Research on food and gardening topics.

Bexley community calendar. Aired five to twenty minutes daily. Production time is four hours weekly. This program is currently broadcast. Collect, edit and script information about events in and around Bexley. Read script and ad lib comment.

Ethnic grocery market reports; farmers market reports and organic fruits and vegetables market reports. This is a proposed program. It is not currently broadcast. Collect, edit and script information on ethnic groceries serving east Columbus neighborhoods: e.g. Guatemalan, Mexican, Salvadoran, Mideast (Arab), Jewish, Somali and Liberian. Interview market managers on regular schedule as to new shipments. Same with local farmers and organic markets. Read script and ad lib comment.

Joe Contino Show. Aired one hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Production time is five hours each week. This program is currently broadcast. Production assistant. Make arrangements for guest interviews. Research on local sports and political topics. Work with sports reporters for community newspapers and local coaches.

News, local government and politics reporting. Twenty minutes to one hour five days a week. Production time is six hours a week. This program is currently broadcast. Collect, edit and script Bexley area news. Read script and ad lib comment. Read news reports from The New Standard, Bexley News, The Catholic Times and Eastside Messenger.

Local CPI (Consumer Price Index). This is a proposed program. It is not currently broadcast. Collect and analyze local consumer price information. Contrast with national CPI numbers. Script for monthly broadcast. Read script.

Kate Buckley’s “Readings from Children’s Literature.” This is aired twenty minutes three days a week. Production time is two hours a week. This program is currently broadcast. Assist on-air personality in getting copyright permissions, back ground information on authors and illustrators and scripting summaries of stories and production breaks.

CD interest paid report for the Bexley Financial District. Three to five minutes twice a week. Production time is three hours each week. This program is currently broadcast. Analyze and script interest rate information from the ten banks in Bexley Financial District Read script.

Recorded music, live music and interviews with musicians. This is a proposed group of programs. WCRX-LP does not currently broadcast any music programming. DJ programs.

Culture correspondent reports. Five to ten minutes of postcards from culture correspondents in Alaska, California, Colorado and West Virginia. Four times each month. Production time is one hour a week. This program is currently broadcast. Schedule time for call-in from correspondents. Script outline. Occasional brief on-air introductions.

Sports programming. This is a proposed group of programs. Live coverage. Interviews with coaches, sports reporters and athletes. On-air work as sports event announcer.

Students in the Bexley area can contact the radio station at wcrxlp@yahoo.com. Reference internships in the subject line of the email.

Contact WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley, Ohio. Waldorf Schools. Departure of Berkeley Guest. Addition of Alaska Culture Correspondent.

Karen Sandys, Waldorf Schools.

Karen Sandys, our Berkeley house guest, returned to California on Tuesday. Amy Maurer interviewed Sandys about Waldorf Schools and her training as a Waldorf Schools teacher. Her interview was broadcast on WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio Bexley, Ohio.

During the radio broadcast Sandys also discussed how "Art, Education and Revolution" have been the consistent companions to her personal growth and exploration of life.

I received favorable comments from two listeners about the Sandys interview. Amy Maurer and I haven't had a post-production meeting since she interviewed Karen Sandys so I don't know the listener response Amy has received.

Joanna Tornes, Alaska Culture Correspondent.

The same day that Karen Sandys returned to California, the candidate for WCRX-LP Alaska culture correspondent signed a production contract with WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio.

Joanna Tornes is a Bexley native who now resides in Alaska. Tornes was interviewed on WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM Local Power Radio during her June visit to Bexley.

WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio listeners can expect monthly reports from Joanna beginning in September. She will report on local Alaska culture of interest to Bexley listeners.

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com