What KPOJ fans in Portland need to know about the fight to save San Diego's KLSD

By Jennifer C. Douglas of San Diego, California. Jennifer is a writer and co-producer of the documentary film "Save KLSD".

On Monday, the New York Times described how the new owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune (real estate developer "Papa Doug" Manchester) is using the paper as a mouthpiece for his conservative ideas. And the paper is expanding its reach with its own TV project, bringing in conservative radio host Roger Hedgecock, a former mayor of San Diego.

Just wait until the FCC furthers deregulation by dropping the cross-ownership ban, allowing newspapers to buy existing radio and TV stations in the same market. We will see even less diversity of content, particularly progressive views on the radio. Radio is regulated because the airwaves are are publicly owned, finite natural resource like air and water.

Radio is supposed to be responsive to local communities. Oregon may still have KPOJ-AM 620, but it's owned by the largest radio company in America, Clear Channel Communications, which also owns KLSD-AM 1360 in San Diego. Despite listener rallies to "save KLSD", Clear Channel flipped the progressive talk format to sports talk -- as witnessed in the new film, "Save KLSD: Media Consolidation & Local Radio".

I'd like to invite you to a showing of "Save KLSD" at Portland's Pop Art Inc., 1125 NW Couch St. today (June 12) at 6 p.m. In addition to the screening, I'll be answering your questions after the film.

Like the corruptive influence of big money in politics, big money in media threatens our democracy in fundamental ways, making it more difficult to gain exposure for ideas and actions outside of what's good for corporations. So whether your pet interest is water pollution, reproductive choice, homelessness or the erosion of unions, media reform is everyone's business. As TV/radio host Bree Walker says in the "Save KLSD" film, if you're not a media reform activist, you're not a true patriot.

June 12, 2012 Posted in guest column.