KZYX&Z May Board of Directors Meeting

KZYX&Z May Board Meeting at the Bea Erikson Senior Center

Marco McClean brought up a thorny issue that has plagued him and other programmers, which is, payment for their efforts.

What Marco neglects to mention, as I understand it, is that he can be successful in raising his own revenue from underwriting and / or advertising. It does highlight the issue of ownership. Who owns the shows? Since the programmers are volunteers they have no ownership in content produced and distributed via their facilities.

To accomplish what Marco suggests, KZYX would have to develop real contracts with their volunteers. These would have to spell out whether the programmer desires to own their own content or is fine letting the radio station own it. The station would sign underwriting contracts unless it had some limited rights agreed to beforehand to derive revenue from the show.

Does the guest give consent to internet archiving?

If the programer were to keep certain rights to their content they could syndicate their shows to Patreon or other webcasting/blogging or itunes site, thereby gaining national distribution and revenue. The station’s ownership to the programmer’s shows on the internet gets a little sketchy. Some of the call in guests have an assumption that they are being broadcast over the airwaves, since it is a radio show. But do they know the conversation will be archived in the radio station’s archives. Does the station have fair use to that callers, sometimes life’s work, or do they have an obligation to contact these guests and get a signed agreement from them or their agent before selling underwriting under the show and or archiving it for later distribution? Some guests cannot give consent when under contract with an agent. Because KZYX is a not for profit, they work with less restrictions than a for profit yet they still have to abide by copyright laws

Fair Use?

At Mendocino TV I am pretty scrupulous in keeping my press credentials up to date, since I record public events and activities as “The News”. Using my cameras, microphones, 4g account with Verizon, commercial Vimeo Account. This keeps the chain of ownership pretty clear, still I also ask subjects for individual interviews for permission before recording. Incidental recordings of adult individuals during public events is covered under “Fair Use.”

Is Creative Commons used?

If so, all of the participants should be notified that their  attendance/performance is archived and they may find it all over the internet! Having access to new media technology also means gaining understanding about your legal obligations when entrusted with others artistic work.