Amy Goodman cofounded Democracy Now! as an alternative to what she and others perceived as an insular and ineffective mainstream press that was beholden to corporate sponsors. Goodman anchors the Democracy Now! daily one-hour broadcast and is also the program’s executive producer. Under her leadership, the show became the fastest growing independent news source in the United States, boasting syndication on more than 750 radio and television stations by the first decade of the 21st century.
Goodman’s investigative journalism in East Timor and Nigeria earned her the 2008 Right Livelihood Award, an award often referred to as an alternative Nobel Prize, marking the first time a journalist had been so honored. In 2016 her coverage of protests against construction of a pipeline in North Dakota led to a criminal trespass charge, after state prosecutors claimed that she “was not acting as a journalist.” The trespass charge was soon dropped, but Goodman then was accused of rioting. The case was dismissed by a judge.
She coauthored the best-selling books The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them (2004); Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back (2006); Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times (2008); and Democracy Now!: Twenty Years Covering the Movements Changing America (2016)
Amy Goodman, Keynote
Oct. 20th 7:00 p.m.
Featured Guests and Speakers
Alex Sanjenis is an Assistant Chief in the Audio Division of the FCC Media Bureau. He started his FCC career as an intern in the Enforcement Bureau reviewing indecency complaints. He joined the Audio Division as a staff attorney in 2008. He was quickly drafted into the outreach program for the Digital TV Transition, focusing on communities in New Mexico and Texas with significant Spanish-speaking populations. In addition to working in the Audio Division, he has served as legal advisor to the Media Bureau Chief and a Media Advisor. Alex also worked extensively on the last three radio renewal cycles, the 2007, 2010, and 2021 NCE Windows, and the 2013 and 2023 LPFM windows. He is part of the team of engineers and lawyers that will be reviewing applications filed in the 2023 LPFM Window. Alex is originally from Miami, Florida. He earned his BA in Government from Georgetown University, JD from the University of Miami School of Law, and his LLM from the American University Washington College of Law.
Alex Sanjenis, FCC
Dr. Rob Quicke is founder of the annual Vinylthon event, College Radio Day, and co-founder of World College Radio Day (WCRD). President Obama, President Biden, and the late Queen Elizabeth II have officially recognized and supported WCRD, which launched in 2011 by Coldplay's Chris Martin. In 2016, President Obama wrote that “on College Radio Day, we pay tribute to the ways radio has enabled students – and all of us – to help shape a more inclusive society.” Over 1,000 college radio stations in 53 countries have participated in the last decade. In 2022, President Biden wrote, “May this event continue to bring people together and bring all of us a great listening experience for years to come.” WCRD is officially recognized by the National Day Calendar in the USA and will be on October 6 this year.
Quicke is also professor and director of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism & Mass Communications at Marshall University, West Virginia. Previously he was a tenured Professor of Communication at William Paterson University of New Jersey, and General Manager of the award-winning WPSC 88.7 FM (NYC market) from 2007 to 2021. In 2018, WPSC was awarded the Marconi Award for Non-Commercial Station of the Year from the National Association of Broadcasters. In 2021, WPSC won the Marconi Award for Best College Radio Station of the Year. Quicke is also author of the upcoming book Finding Your Voice in Audio, Radio & Podcast Production (2024, Routledge).
Dr. Rob Quicke
Dr. Déry is an infectious disease physician and public health practitioner in New Orleans, Louisiana. Along with his wife, Dr. Dery co-founded 102.3FM WHIV-LP, a radio station dedicated to human rights and social justice. A proud affiliate of the Pacifica network, 102.3FM WHIV-LP first went on air on World AIDS Day (December 1st), 2014. Our mission is to promote advocacy through innovative messaging. We emphasize progressive politics, reproductive health, civil rights, and energy policies in New Orleans. We also have many shows hosted by LGBTQIA+ individuals. The station features progressive programming from a diverse group of over fifty DJs and talk show hosts; we are proud that our host and programming 'look and sound' like New Orleans. RadioWorld magazine in May 2023 had a story about 102.3FM WHIV-LP's founding and philosophy, featuring Dr. Dery and his wife on the cover.
Dr. Déry is board certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases. He is an expert in HIV diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Déry has worked as a trauma and emergency physician for ten years in various locations. As an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Déry ran the medical clinic for Katrina evacuees at the Astrodome. First on the scene in the immediate aftermath of the Haiti earthquake in 2010, Dr. Déry helped build and manage the American field hospital. Recently, Dr. Déry responded to the violent Russian Federation conflict in Ukraine in May and June 2022; Dr. Déry launched the Armed Conflict Trauma Training Course to help non-trauma-based physicians in Ukraine.
During global epidemics like Lassa fever and Ebola, Dr. Déry responded as an infectious disease physician and WHO epidemiologist.
At home in New Orleans, Dr. Déry actively helped to lead the response to COVID-19 city-wide.
He hosted the daily 10-minute NoiseFilter podcast throughout the COVID-19 pandemic until the emergency declaration was lifted, which provided updates on COVID-19 and other subjects. Dr. Dery has recently created short and informative public health animations on various topics. NoiseFilter animations encompass a range of topics, including Mpox, HIV, Hepatitis C, Long COVID, and methods to boost ethnic diversity in clinical trials. His animations are available at NoiseFilterShow.com.
Writing and lecturing about how racism and structural discrimination intersect with medicine is Dr. Déry's passion.
Dr. MarkAlain Dery
Joseph Orozco, Board member to the Pacifica Association of Affiliates. His radio experience and networking stems from his Native Media work. He was the first editor of the only independent newspaper in Hoopa Valley he named, Common Sense. In 1978 he worked with the Tribal Education Committee on their Radio Project and attended his first NFCB Regional Summit. That is where he experienced Non-Commercial Educational FM and never looked back. In 1980 KIDE-FM Hoopa Tribal
Radio signed on-air. Orozco was a Board Member. In 1988 he was hired to be the Station Manager. He stepped aside as the Manager in 2020 to be the Lead Producer/Mentor. In 2022 and currently he works part-time, 10 hours a week as the KIDE Website Content Coordinator. During his Native Media life, he networked with 14 other Native NCE managers and CPB to initiate the Indigenous Communication
Association. ICA, CPB, PRSS and the Native American Public Broadcasting Consortium negotiated the first Native American satellite channel called the American Indian Radio on Satellite, AIROS. Orozco is a former NFCB Board Chairman. He served a two-week experience as a member of the Pacifica National Board, Affiliates Representative. He had to resign the position because he was elected to a Tribal Public Office. He lives in Hoopa Valley with his wife Rhoby Cook who was his former KIDE Administrative Assistant and Co-Producer of “Dying for Water, Indians, Politics and Dead Fish in the Klamath River Basin.” She now does great things on her own separate from media. He was recently appointed as a member to the Hoopa Tribal Education Association, Board of Directors. He says, he will never retire from
Native Media.
Joseph Orozco
Maria Martin is an award-winning multi-media journalist who currently directs the GraciasVida Center for Media, a nonprofit organization based in Texas and La Antigua, Guatemala devoted to the practice of independent journalism in the public interest. For the last twenty years, the Center has worked to improve the skills and working situation for rural, provincial, and Indigenous journalists in Guatemala, Bolivia, and Nicaragua, as well as to improve the coverage of Central America on U.S. public radio. An award-winning public radio journalist for over four decades, Martin developed ground-breaking programs and series for public radio, including NPR’s Latino USA and Despues de las Guerras: Central America After the Wars. She’s the recipient of Fulbright and several Knight Fellowships, including the John S. Knight Professional Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University and the Democracy Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for Democracy. Martin has won over two dozen awards for her work covering Latino issues and Latin America. She is currently consulting with San Antonio's low-power FM station Radio Esperanza to train storytellers and develop its format. Martin holds a Master’s degree in journalism from the Ohio State University. In September 2015, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Maria Martin
LaGanzie Kale, is the founder and General Manager of KLEK 102.5 F.M., the first and only minority operated radio station in Jonesboro, Arkansas
KLEK was made possible under Congressional passage in 2010 of the Local Community Radio Act, giving low-power stations a place on the FM dial. LaGanzie saw an opportunity and worked to build a station from the ground up. After obtaining the required permits from the Federal Communications Commission, raising funds and putting the necessary equipment, the 100-watt station launched on Jan. 1, 2015.
The L-E-K in the station’s call letters are in honor of his mother, Lovie Edmond Kale, who died from complications of breast cancer on March 20, 2012.
In 2016 Kale was presented with an Arkansas Community Service Award by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and also was recognized by Congressman Rick Crawford and U.S. Senators Tom Cotton and John Boozman.
Since then, he has received the Governor’s Volunteer Award, citation by the Arkansas Senate for Community Service.
In addition to managing the day to day operations, LaGanzie is active in his community where he serves as Deacon of New Life Empowerment Ministries Church – Jonesboro, AR, Chapter President of the Mu Omicron Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Craighead County NAACP, Arkansas State University Department of Media Advisory Board, Arkansas State University H.O.W.L. Transition Center Community Ambassador, and the Arkansas Science Festival Advisory Board.
Originally from Helena-West Helena, AR he now resides in Jonesboro, AR. He is a 2003 graduate of Arkansas State University with bachelor’s degrees in general studies and in radio-television and a master’s degree in teaching and learning with technology from Ashford University.
LaGanzie Kale
Trey Kay is creator of the Us and Them podcast, which is produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and PRX. For years, he’s reported on culture war battles in America. In 2009, he and Deborah George produced the radio documentary “The Great Textbook War,” which was honored with Peabody, Murrow, and duPont-Columbia Awards. In 2013, he produced “The Long Game: Texas’ Ongoing Battle for the Direction of the Classroom,” which he researched as a Spencer Fellow for Education Reporting at the Columbia School of Journalism. In 2005, he shared in another Peabody for his contribution to Studio 360’s “American Icons: Moby Dick.” He’s produced for This American Life, The New Yorker Radio Hour, Marketplace, American RadioWorks, Morning Edition, Inside Appalachia and PBS Frontline. Kay has taught at the Columbia School of Journalism, Marist College and at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He splits his time living in New York’s Hudson Valley and the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia.
Trey Kay
And Musical Guest Spencer Elliott
Spencer Elliott turned his focus to progressive instrumental steel string guitar in 2007. Spending several years taking inspiration from and studying compositions by the likes of Hedges, Ross, McKee and Dufour, among others. (All while maintaining a love for influences ranging from Beethoven to Billie Holiday to Bad Brains). Once Spencer began to write progressive finger style pieces, his compositional elements pulled not only from his piano background but also from his affinity for edgier guitar music. His compositions contain rich melodic and percussive landscapes that fuse his contrasting influences and place them on full display. Spencer has performed with numerous international modern fingerstyle guitarists including DonRoss, Antoine DuFour, Luca Stricagnoli and Alexander Misko.