Grab and Keel

PUMA, and Our Failure to Communicate. Continued…

As I spent the requisite time in the woodshed pondering my plight, it struck me that my ineptitude at PUMA swarming is a metaphor for a personal concern I’ve had since the beginning of February in this election season.

There is a disconnect in sending and receiving of political information.

Now I don’t mean the media distortions, the abysmal behavior, the rampant sexism, racism or the demeaning of Ohioan’s, Pennsylvanians, West Virginians or Kentuckians and others for their Clinton vote. I don’t mean the huffing and the outfoxing and the crazed astronomical light of the olber paradox.

No I mean, contrary to the perceived abundance, political information is not being received. By this I mean, information of the basic and necessary sort. This has resulted in a huge information deficit this election season. Those of us that are hooked into the information stream do not properly understand the problem.  However, it is a form of citizen stratification and disenfranchisement.

As an example, how many of you saw the presidential debates? If you were like many American’s you never even had the choice, except for the last one on ABC. The less supported candidates have complained for years about lack of coverage. This year many of us didn’t even see the February Clinton/Obama debate discussing NAFTA.  When the election coverage goes to cable or dish, it effectively eliminates the necessary information for a number of citizens to make informed decisions.

In 2007 The National Cable and Telecommunications Association reported (only) 58% of household were receiving cable. Basic cable subscribers were estimated at 64,800,000. Rates were an average $42.76 per month. Broadband deployment INCLUDING commercial customers, were estimated at 37,025,000. See:

http://www.ncta.com/Statistic/Statistic/Statistics.aspx

 Who knows how many of the above noted figure are actually households receiving broadband? One quarter? In addition, since broadband and cable subscribers often overlap probably the sum of the two media sources is much less than might be assumed.

"Nevada Desert Communications Tree"

 Moving to another news source, I haven’t yet found a source for actual 2007 Satellite TV subscribers. It appears that subscriber forecasts were made to include 2007-2011. In the meantime, review this article on Dish Network:

 

Dish Network Subscriber Growth Skids 89% In First Quarter

DBS Blames Increasing Competition, Sluggish Economy For Dramatic Decline In New Subscribers

By Linda Moss — Multichannel News, 5/12/2008 4:44:00 PM

[“We believe our subscriber churn rate has been and is likely to continue to be negatively impacted by a number of factors, including…an increase in non-pay disconnects primarily resulting from adverse economic conditions and continuing effects of customer commitment expirations,” Dish Network said.]

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6560264.html

 Based on this anecdotal evidence, it appears that as many as 30-40% of2007 households have been without these services. However, whatever the actual 2007 figure is, it should be juxtaposed with recent events in the housing market. News that as many as one in eight homeowner households, may undergo foreclosure before 2010. When you are struggling to keep your home, or make ends meet, subscription media is one of the first extras to go. The article above reinforces this hypothesis. “Public Service” C-Span, whether you have a right or left viewpoint of its presentations, exemplifies the problem. It may be a non-profit for the cable companies, but the viewer must pay for it and is not able to subscribe to that station alone.

No Cell Signal Here! Got Dish?

 One might think there are other news sources are available. If you own stock or work for a newspaper these days, you know that the print trade is struggling. See:

 http//iowaindependent.com/2776/newspaper-earnings-continue-to-plunge

McClatchy stock has lost around 80% of its value this year. Although other factors are involved, I would again suggest one primary reason is subscription cancellation due to personal economics.  Even when the newsprint is available it does not appear that many are offering texts of speeches or debates.

 In my neighborhood, if subscription radio is not utilized, the alternative public stations do not provide stable listening, or this kind of public information. Scratch off the public library, which most people will not use after having performed an eight-hour workday and thee to four hours commute. This leaves two remaining sources; regular TV and dial up Internet. Of Regular TV, with the exception of the aforementioned ABC event, only PBS has shone until recently. 

 What to make of dial up Internet? I know many have turned to this source of information. Earthlink stock, with WiFi, has risen this year.  However, this means you will not be watching U-Tube. You must be very dedicated to spend the many minutes it takes to load a news station because of the media widgets and whiz-bangs. You are unlikely to observe a five minute video in-filled by fifteen minutes of staccato buffering, much less a one hour debate. ABC did offer a text of their presidential debate and PBS offers dial up friendly texts of interviews and speeches; I couldn’t find similar offerings on the other news stations, or if they were there, failed to display themselves with fifteen minutes of waiting for load time and searching.

 I was able to find, by dial up, debate and speech texts at a three large newspaper web sites. The New York Times, Washington Post, and sometimes The Chicago Tribune, were my three sources. Again, however, you have to be “in the know”, to utilize the material, because I looked fruitlessly, again for fifteen minutes each, for the debate texts in more than thirty other national and local newspaper sites.

Chicago "Communications Tree"

When we pull out our newest technological jewel and text each other, our disconnect in sending and receiving resonates at the deepest societal and political level. Our action is not a bad thing, and it is useful. However, our audience is constrained by the choice of tool. We are reduced when we say these jewels have been earned by us, and others should try harder for the American dream. This is not just an argument about money. It is about citizen participation. It is about equal opportunity.  It is also a disconnect of urban and rural.

 Clinton’s “Rural Agenda” rang the bell for  “Rural Broadband for All”. However it was to be accomplished, it is still part of her platform. Her delegates are imminently expected in Denver. West Virginians will tell you even Bobby Kennedy knew communication was important. Yet Obama would have you bypass these delegates and the platform, while you meet in his “open“ committees to make up something new, under the the label of the DNC.

 These points are part of a very large discussion and studies to be had around the role of media in this election season. However, they also relate to the immediate needs of PUMA, Just Say No Deal, and the DENVER GROUP. Clinton’s placement on the nominating roll call, and the role of her delegates comes full circle and is vital. When Hillary Clinton complained that she wasn’t being heard this year- she wasn’t. Neither is John McCain. And actually, neither is Barack Obama.