Dear Mr. Salvatore:

I would like to request that you and your stations take a stand in support of freedom of speech on the airwaves. Recently one of your employees, Bill Ruck, gave a presentation that was hostile to San Francisco Liberation Radio and Free Radio Berkeley. This was done at a convention of the National Association of Broadcasters, an organization which has taken an official position against micro radio and which has instructed its member stations to "seek out" micro broadcasters and turn them over to the Federal Communications Commission. I'm sure you're well aware that the passage of the Telecommunications Bill has resulted in the increased consolidation of media ownership into fewer and fewer hands. This position taken by the NAB could potentially subject micro broadcasters to hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, the raiding of their homes and confiscation of their property by federal agents, and even jail. We are not talking about criminals here. We are talking about people who are merely attempting to do something about the appalling fact that the vast majority of the American people have no voice in the media!

For many years now the FCC has refused to license stations of under 100 watts in power. This is unfortunate as it puts the operation of a radio station financially out of the reach of virtually everyone but large corporations. The licensing of low-power stations at so-called "second adjacent" frequencies on the FM band would be a force for democratization of the airwaves, and would come at a time when such a force is sorely needed in our nation. I would like to request that KFOG and KNBR publically repudiate the position taken by the National Association of Broadcasters by resigning their NAB memberships. I would further hope that you would issue a statement supporting the right of Free Radio Berkeley and San Francisco Liberation Radio to share the airwaves in the Bay Area. Both stations have a track record of community service spanning more than four years. During this time they have provided a regular platform for many grassroots community groups who would have otherwise been locked out of the media. Your support for these two micro stations would no doubt be deemed as a magnanimous gesture from a large corporation, and would guarantee KFOG/KNBR public admiration as a champion for free speech.

Sincerely,

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