Dominionist broadcasters steal radio frequency from schools
In an example of dominionist media's misuse of noncommercial radio/television frequencies (including the buying up of LPFM licenses) and the FCC's new favouritism of dominionist causes (one of the FCC's heads is a former head of a dominionist pro-censorship group and was also associated with numerous other dominionist groups):
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegion
Maynard High School's radio frequency, 91.7 FM, is being seized by a network of Christian broadcasting stations that the Federal Communications Commission has ruled is a better use of the public airwaves.
``People are furious,'' said faculty adviser Joe Magno.
Maynard High's WAVM, which has been broadcasting from the school for 35 years, found itself in this David vs. Goliath battle when it applied to increase its transmitter signal from 10 to 250 watts.
According to Magno, that ``opens the floodgates for any other station to challenge the station's license and take its frequency.''
Using a point scale that considers such factors as audience size, the FCC ruled the Christian broadcasting network the better applicant. WAVM is given 30 days to appeal, and has done so.
If the FCC refuses to overturn its decision, WAVM will fall silent.
``The little guy does not stand much of a chance. Legally, we don't have a leg to stand on,'' Magno said.
Yes, you heard it right. The FCC is *preferentially* giving LPFM licenses to dominionist-operated radio networks instead of the schools and community stations for which they were intended. (Both the 10-watt and 250-watt station licenses would be regulated under the rules for LPFM radio.)
Again, this is actually an extension of tactics used by dominionist-run "religious broadcaster" groups. Further examples of the hijacking of LPFM licenses (which were originally intended for community radio stations, nonprofit stations run by schools, etc.):
http://www.radiodaddy.com/requests/lofiv
http://www.alternet.org/module/printvers
http://www.prometheusradio.org/translato
http://www.diymedia.net/feature/fcc/f072
Info on the FCC's links to dominionist groups is via a previous post to this community (in relation to appointment of Penny Nance--who has links to a great deal of dominionist groups--to the position of FCC advisor)Here's a list of all proposed licenses in Massachusetts for the same frequency that WAVM is licensed for.
Here is the lists of existing and proposed licensees within a 30km radius (which is all we really need to worry about in regards to LPFM stations).
The two applications that jump out at me here are:
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&fa
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&fa
CSN International and Living Proof, Inc. are both religious broadcasters with a definite dominionist bent, and per info in the FCC's license records Living Proof seems to have been the group to which it was awarded to (so I will focus the majority of my investigative efforts on that group).
(UPDATE 11/06/05: Whilst Living Proof is the actual licensee responsible for the hijacking of WAVM, it turns out both Living Proof and CSN International are both "front groups" for a massive "godcasting" network operated by Calvary Chapel churches nationwide that has applied for (as an extremely conservative estimate) over 15,000 translator and LPFM licenses nationwide. I am presently researching this with multiple other parties, and will be doing a followup post on the godcasting networks when our report is complete.)
So far it seems that Living Proof only has two licensed stations (both in California) but the schedule on one of the stations is telling as to the likely content:
http://www.reactionradio.org/ (Reaction Radio, a "Christian" radio program sponsored by Calvary Chapel)
http://www.thewordfortoday.org/ (a program by Calvary Chapel)
http://www.thruthebible.org (a radio program espousing an explicitly dominionist view of Christianity; see the doctrinal statement for more info)
http://www.turningpointradio.org/ (Turning Point, an explicitly dominionist radio program)
http://www.americanfamilyliving.com/ (a radio program--not to be confused with American Family Radio--which promotes dominionist theology regarding home life (including the canard that women should "submit to their husbands as their husbands submit to God")
http://www.soundtruthonline.com/ (yet ANOTHER radio program belonging to an affiliate of Calvary Chapel)
For that matter, there's a veritable *ton* of Calvary Chapels being promoted:
http://www.ccmodesto.com/
http://www.calvarychapel.com/costamesa/i
http://www.calvarymerrittisland.org/
http://www.calvarychapel.com/bishop/
http://www.calvarychapelboise.org/live/b
http://www.ccrc.us.com/
*HMMM*.
Where have I heard of Calvary Chapel before? Oh, right: in this article that details that Calvary Chapel is the single worst hijacker of LPFM licenses in the United States:
The most notorious of the Christian broadcasters who abuse translator licenses is Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls, Idaho, which owns only 34 full-power radio stations, but transmits programming to 361 translators across the country from its flagship station, KAWZ.
While Calvary Chapel is by far the biggest user of translators, other such major broadcasters of Christian radio programming have large number of such stations of their own. They include the American Family Association Radio, Bott Radio Network, Bible Broadcasting Network, and Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. The combined heft of these broadcasters adds up to a level of audience penetration that's simply astonishing. Take, for example, "Portraits of Freedom," a syndicated program hosted by Alan Sears, the president and chief lawyer of the James Dobson-backed Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). And now look at the map of the stations and translators that broadcast this program. Translators, in essence, have become the backbone of a powerful radio empire of the religious right that reaches people in every corner of America.
Per a Google search it seems Living Proof Inc. is keeping up the tradition of abuse.
I believe I've heard of them elsewhere...oh, yes, in my investigation of coercive "Bible-based" groups that are parent groups of dominionism:
http://www.seekgod.ca/shepherding.htm (notes use of coercive "shepherding" techniques in Calvary Chapel churches)
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psyc
http://www.powertostand.org/Be%20Wary%20
http://www.electricedge.com/greymatter/a
http://pbahq.smartcampaigns.com/node/154
http://isitso.org/guide/whoiswho.html
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/Factn
http://forum.rickross.com/viewtopic.php?p=7
http://www.procinwarn.com/cccritique.htm
http://www.procinwarn.com/ccclergy.htm
http://cultlink.com/sentinel/tbnsupport.h
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_article.ht
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=c
Calvary Chapel in fact has been so linked with coercive religious tactics that Rick Ross (exit counselor) has a special section just in regards to them:
http://www.rickross.com/groups/calvary.h
There is a special forum specifically for walkaways from Calvary Chapel associated churches:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cc-abuse/
(When there's a forum for *one specific* group and abuse from same, that's usually a Bad Sign in and of itself)
Oh, and what do you know, Calvary Chapel is also the major group (besides a dominionist "accreditation mill") raising hell over the University of California ruling two major dominionist curricula packages as academically insufficient:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/dar
http://www.livejournal.com/community/dar
WELL then. :P As if that isn't enough to get people thoroughly disgusted.
EDIT: Edits to allow the links to actually be *clickable*.
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