Mackovyak wrote:
A question for those in the radio industry.....
If a grassroots organization would purchase radio airtime for a commercial about this, what would it cost? Sort of like the Truth ads for cigarettes on T.V. ??
What I'm getting it is that the Altoona area is very much blue collar and many people don't know this is going on unless they are well into the music scene. Especially b/c their not complaining. Why not put some public pressure on the PLCB by bringing it to the attention of the public that they are now taking matters into their own hands when there's not really a public outcry against these live music.
I'm not sure about the cost of airtime on my station for such spots (I don't deal with the advertising/rates side of it, I just do the on air thing); but if a grass roots organization were to come together to fight this issue, heightening public awareness about the problem and its harmful effects could bring some outcry.
If an organized effort were to come together, I could mention it on the "Backyard Rocker," particularly if the organization schedules meetings or other events that could be publicized as news items or PSA's.
You can also generate publicity about the problem with letters to local newspapers (I had one published last winter, which brought an email response directly to me from a state police official who thought I was merely a mouthpiece for a club that got busted). You can also call in local radio talk shows (WRTA from 9 AM to 11:45 AM) to stir discussion and let people outside the local music scene know what is going on.
I'm not sure what effect the publicity would ultimately have. I know a few years ago, when the state police LCE barred teens from attending the Lakemont Park Wing-Off's, public pressure on the PLCB through letters and publicity resulted in the PLCB telling the local state police to reverse their decision and let teens attend the Wing-Off's. That situation impacted children, which can get people fired up pretty quickly. I'm not sure this situation would generate the same sense of urgency with the public. Public outcry and pressure could work, or it could just give the state police a black eye and piss them off more (resulting in more crackdowns?). And I'm not too hopeful about our state legislators taking an interest, based on their past response to our efforts (and how concerned can we expect them to be about us when they just voted themselves a pay raise?).
An idea I'm considering is drafting a letter to the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), to explain the situation to them, and solicit feedback from them about how we might go about addressing this problem. Perhaps they have dealt with similar situations before in other parts of the country, and might have some wisdom or advice about what course of action we might take.
