on KPFT 90.1fm in Houston - 89.5 in Galveston and www.kpft.org on the World Wide Web

We are not making regular features here would love to continue doing so in the near future. If you would like to get involved with our program please subscribe to our email list, or just drop by the station at 419 Lovett Blvd, in Houston at 7pm before our show. If you have any ideas, story tips, or other commentary please shoot us an email. We also use a wiki to plan out our show: take a look

Thanks to everyone who pledged!

Though many dread it, the seasonal pledge drives of KPFT keep the lights on and doors open at the community radio station that has been on the air since 1970 as a listener funded station. Houston IMC Radio met or beat our goal each week, thanks to the support of listeners who pledged. (Thanks!!)

We continued to bring great content through the drive: Week 1 We made our goal of 300$ and featured an interview with Suhell Nafar of the Palestinian hip hop group DAM. Week 2 We exceeded our goal with 375$ and featured an interview with HIMC/KPFT alumni Renee Feltz about The Business of Detention. Week 3 We beat our goal with 310$ and we talked with Andrew of Schools Without Borders Brasil and Soldiers Never More in Rio de Janeiro.
[Links to some of the stories we've covered this spring]

Thanks again to everyone who has supported the HIMC radio show and all the other great programing on KPFT! The HIMC radio show is an all volunteer project, if you would like to get involved, send us an email or come by the radio station a half hour before the show. Make sure to listen up, every Friday night at 7:30pm on KPFY 90.1fm

The Houston Independent Media Collective met up at KPFT this Friday the 13th to bring you a show full of all the news that’s fit to print (umm...broadcast).

We kicked the show off with some of the important headlines of the week. If Highway 59 is part of your workday commute then you’ve undoubtedly looked up from the frustration of evening rush hour traffic to see the politically charged banners that have been a consistent fixture on 59’s bridges for years. Surprisingly, At large City Councilman and Radio Show host Michael Berry appealed to a public comment session to propose a restriction to this exercise in free speech. Listen in to this week’s headlines to find out why the Freeway Bloggers think Berry is behind recent harassment by HPD.

And now for our features...This week, Indymedia reporters Rachel Clarke and Lorie Kramer went out into the field to bring you two reports that were hard to hear about elsewhere. Last year, protests in opposition to HR4437 swept across Houston, forced their way into the mainstream media, and brought the bill to a grinding halt. Now, a year later, immigrant families face a new threat: recent raids by the immigration enforcement agency (ICE) which is receiving much less media attention. Last Tuesday night, concerned families and community activists gathered outside City Hall to hold a vigil to raise awareness. Indymedia was there to bring you the voices of a community terrorized by home and workplace raids.

Last week’s show featured an interview with one of the organizers of “Impeachment! Our Right...Our Duty!” On Monday, Houstonians rallied together with organizers and policy makers from around the country to demand the impeachment of President Bush for his crimes, federal and otherwise. HIMC was there as well, to let the listening audience know what they had to say.

Your Sunday is going to be busy. Lilliana Castillo, organizer of the Emiliano Zapata Rock Festival joined the HIMC Radio Show via phone to talk about Sunday’s fundraiser for the Zapatista Collective and the Houston Institute for Culture’s Dos Cabezas scholarship. The evening of music, performances, films and general entertainment will start at four and rock on and on. Later on in the evening, The Real School will be hosting a G8 Infotour presented by Nico from the Dissent Network who phoned into the show this week. His message? You should be paying attention to the man behind the curtain. The Dissent Network has been traveling all over Europe and the United States to inform people about the annual, clandestine G8 Conference where the world’s most powerful leaders get together to decide the economic and political future of the world (no big deal).

We wrapped things up with announcements to keep you up to date on the goings on about town. Check out the HIMC Calendar for details on those events and others coming up this month. Tune in next week for the next edition of the HIMC Radio Show; we hope to see you there!

Welcome to another Silky Smooth edition of the Houston Independent Media Center Show. This week, Phillip, Lorie, John, Rob and Meg met up at 7:30PM at KPFT to share some info, play some good music, and have a good time. So listen in and share the good vibes.

We think irradiated food is something we’d like to be informed about. Unfortunately the FDA disagrees and you only have a limited amount of time to voice your opposition. Listen to the headlines for this tidbit of news and others that mysteriously manage to find themselves excluded from the mainstream media.

Got a nasty infection you just can’t get rid of? Us too. On Monday, April 9th, Houstonians will join progressive organizations, policy makers, and notable speakers from around the country to take part in an Impeachment Forum entitled “Impeachment! Our Right...Our Duty.” HIMC Radio spoke with Ivan Espinoza, local high school student, peace activist, and chair of the organizing committee for the event. When asked why this forum was important, Ivan responded: “I don’t want to be part of the group who stood by and did nothing” Listen in to this interview to hear Ivan talk about the importance of making your voice heard.

What does the Patriot Act have to do with the Black Panther Party? This week Rob, a member of the Indymedia Film Collective, brought us an interview with Claude Marx, director of the Freedom Archives which produced Legacy of Torture one of two films about the US repression of the black liberation movement that Indymedia will screen on April 11th. Listen up to find out how the Patriot Act is being used to re-open a 30 year old case previously thrown out because the confessions of the suspects were elicited by torture.

We wrapped up the show with announcements, a great way for Houstonians to keep in touch with the progressive goings on during the week. Want to plan ahead a little further? Check out Indymedia’s Calendar which lists all the upcoming events in Houston that we have been informed about. Something missing? Feel free to include your event and don’t forget to take pictures while you’re there and post ‘em to the website along with a short description to let everyone know how groovy it was and encourage folks to come out and support your next event.

Well, that’s it for the April 6th edition of the Houston Independent Media Center Radio Show. Be sure to tune in Next week at 7:30PM, or better yet join us a half hour before the show to learn how to help us keep Houston informed and entertained. We’ll see you next week, go in Peace.

Those folks able to lend out a helping hand to the Houston Independent Media Center Radio Show met at 7pm at KPFT studios this week to prepare for our 7:30 Show. First up in our broadcast was headlines. Some of the highlights included coverage of protests around the world that you’re sure not to hear of in the Chronicle, as well as coverage of a suit by representatives of the Klamath River against PacifiCorp for polluting the river and decimating the salmon population.

First up in interviews, Meg spoke with Bob Henschen about the Truth in Recruiting Project, a new organization that educates students about their non-military options for job security and higher education. Listen to the show to hear Bob talk about the truth about military recruiters, the organization’s efforts, and how you can help them connect with area schools.

Critical Mass is back in Houston once again! For our second interview, Indymedia collective member John called Rob during Critical Mass’ monthly bike ride. Rob talked to us about the bicycling troupe, the message that they’re sending to the world, and why you should join.

If you were driving around Montrose this Friday, you may have wondered what all those protesters were doing outside of the Chinese Consulate. For our last interview, Chickpea spoke with an Amnesty International representative about why attention is being turned to China to help peace efforts in Sudan. Listen up to find out about China’s connections to the African country.

Check out the Indymedia Calendar for upcoming events covered by our Announcements. Thanks for tuning in, and we’ll see you next week!

We had a really good show this Friday. There were lots of interviews, and listener response which means you guys are listening and even though this isn’t a call in show, we really love to know that you guys are supporting us, so thanks! And if you really love us, stop by KPFT this Friday at 7pm, a half hour before the show and share some of your ideas with us. Or, if you can’t make it feel free to use our open publishing news wire to share information about radical Houston events that you’ve attended. Or, upload upcoming events to our calendar that you would like to see covered by one of the members of our all volunteer collective.

And now for the news...First up, Chickpea brought us an interview with Rob, creator of the Alarm, a networking zine for radical community organizers. Rob spoke to us about his zine, and it’s upcoming birthday party this Sunday, at The Real School, where radical organizers will meet to talk about fostering solidarity between different organizations, and celebrate Rob’s important publication.

Next, Meg interviewed Jeremy, a member of the Rice Environmental Club which will be having its 15th annual conference entitled “Whose Earth is it?: People. Petrochemicals, and Environmental Justice". Jeremy explained why the conference chose to focus on environmental justice issues specific to Houston and why everyone’s invited to take part in the solution this Saturday, March 24th.

The original Sedition Books was a meeting space for Indymedia as well as several radical organizations around Houston, so it’s very close to our hearts. This Friday’s show featured another interview with Ben, a Sedition Books collective member who was sleeping inside when someone set fire to the back of their home and info shop. And John spoke with Ben about Sedition’s new home, the importance of info shops, and the need for donations so we can all help rebuild our new community space. If you would like to help support a space that’s given a lot to the community, check out their myspace page to find out how.

Next, Nick interviewed Christi, sister of murdered Indymedia member Brad Will. She spoke with us about the circumstances surrounding his murder, and the family’s much publicized trip to Mexico to demand justice and answers.

We closed out the show with a few announcements to keep you in contact with some upcoming Houston events. Thanks again for all of your support, and stay tuned for next week’s show.

Welcome to the brand new edition of the Houston Independent Media Center Radio Show! First up, the headlines include coverage of the Watsonville rally in response to the restrictions of the No Child Left Behind Act, a report on the nationwide effects of skyrocketing gas prices, and information about the Rice University Environmental Club’s upcoming panel discussion "Whose Earth is it?: People. Petrochemicals, and Environmental Justice".

Our first feature this week is a report on the Indian Guest workers in Mississippi and their strike against the slave-like conditions of the H2B Visa program, produced by local Indymedia reporter Rachel Clarke in collaboration with Nola Indymedia reporter Christian Roseland. Next, reporter Nick interviewed a member of SDS, a new group with an old name. Listen to Nick and Pat talk about the group’s connection to the original radical student organization, their attempt to shut down a recruiting center, and the eye-opening experience of their subsequent arrest.

Check out the announcements at the end of the show for information on some of the events going on in the Houston Area. For more details, or other events coming up this month, visit the HIMC calendar.

The March 9th edition of the Houston Independent Media Center’s Radio Show was filled with information about the events of this past week as well as upcoming ones thanks to the contribution of Indymedia collective members Chickpea, John, Nick, Phillip and others.

As usual, the show started off with the Headlines you will find in few (if any) other news casts. This weeks headlines focused on the events of this past week and included coverage of this past weekend’s Radical Encuentro Camp, The damage left in the wake of the March 6th New Bedford Massachusetts raid by US immigration agents, the March 2nd blockade of Carnegie Mellon University’s Pentagon funded National Robotics Engineering Center, the worlds’ leader in warfare robotics, and reflections on Joseph Nichols’ case and execution.

Next, Nick brought the listening audience the voices of Kathleen Grisham and Tenzen who shared information about the peaceful protest that will take place in front of the Chinese Consulate in Montrose on March 10th in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Tibetan Liberation Day.

Following that interview, a clip from Media Minutes included these headlines: 4 major broadcasters investigated, found guilty in radio Pay for Play scandal; FCC offers great opportunity to build community radio on the FM dial.

The show closed with another interview about an upcoming event. Kim Pickens joined us via phone to talk about her work in building “Grassroots and Coffee”, a meet and greet designed to connect local grassroots activist organizations and community members looking to make a difference. The event will take place on Tuesday March 13th at Mojo Risin' Coffee House.

If this broadcast missed community events that you would like to see receive attention, feel free to come to the station any Friday at 7PM and bring an announcement or suggestion. Or, just hang out and learn more about what we do at Indymedia and the different ways that you can help.

Thanks to Indymedia’s all volunteer collective, this week's show was jam packed with reports from recent goings on. The headlines were kept short to make room for all of our reporting, but check them out to find out about the new identification card you will have to get by May 2008 and for an update on the investigation of the murder of Indymedia member Brad Will.

After the headlines, Indymedia reporters John, Nick and Chickpea brought us an interview with the director of Casa Juan Diego about the services that the house provides, the impetus behind immigration, and the harassment of the house by Minutemen.

There was a lot going on on Tuesday, February 27 and thanks to our Indymedia reporters you can catch up on what you missed: Indymedia reporter Rachel Clarke brought coverage of the recent panel discussion “Is Texas Executing Innocent People?” which took place at the S.H.A.P.E. Center and discussed some of the inherent flaws in the death penalty. Concurrently, a member of the Other Campaign delivered a lecture entitled “Women Constructing Autonomy: Zapatismo, the Other Campaign, and Alternative Economy” at the University of St. Thomas.

If you have been keeping up with our homepage, you know about the arson that took place at Sedition Books, a pillar of the progressive community and Indymedia’s monthly meeting space. Indymedia reporter Mustafa brought Ben and Nick, part of the Sedition Books collective, to talk about the recent fire that left them homeless and in need of support from the community that they have given so much to.

The Houston Independent Media Center radio show happened again Friday, February 23rd, 2007. In case you missed it, or want to check it out again and share it with your friends, here’s the rundown of that show...

Headlines: Activists demonstrated in front of Merrill Lynch branches all over the US on Ash Wednesday to protest the bank’s funding of eleven new TXU coal-fired power plants to be built in Texas. An expectant mother is arrested during a civil disobedience campaign to appeal to an Illinois Senator to stop funding the war. UN reports that 46% of Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank are going hungry, The Ku Klux Klan’s harassment of clients and staff of Casa Juan Diego in Houston.

After the headlines, we featured an excerpt from leading Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis’ speech concerning the United States’ Next Step in the Middle East for our listeners who missed this event. There’s a lot going on in the next few weeks, so much of the show was devoted to connecting the community to all of the events going on in Houston. First, Chickpea told listeners about all of the interesting and fun stuff that will be going on at the Zapatista style Radical Encuentro Camp Out that will take place 2-5 (only a few more days to register for that). Then we learned about an exciting, FREE, interactive panel discussion about the death penalty that will take place at SHAPE Center Tuesday, February 27th, 2007. Check out indymedia’s calendar for information on the announcements at the end of each radio show. It’s also a good place to get coverage ideas and keep on top of what’s happening in your community.

If you couldn't make it to last week's show, that’s ok. The Indymedia radio show happens every Friday, at 7:30pm, at KPFT studios 419 Lovett Blvd. So there’s plenty of time to pencil in a visit by the station. We meet at 7:00pm before every show so come down next Friday and learn how to be the media.

Check out the February 16th Edition of the Houston Indymedia Radio Show!

This week's show included headlines covering the news stories you'll never hear in the corporate media.

Our show also featured three thought provoking interviews:
Interview #1: Gauge West of the Gendermyn joined us in the studio to talk about Houston's only Drag King Troupe and their upcoming performance.
Interview #2: Earth First joined us via phone to talk to us about the NAFTA superhighway that's coming this way, and why Houstonian's should be worried.
Interview #3: Rainforest Action Network talked to listeners about TXU, and the future of the air that they breathe.

Every Friday evening at 7:30PM, members of Indymedia (and anyone out there interested in alternative media) join up to put together a kick ass show! Like what you hear? Come on down to KPFT at 419 Lovett Blvd to learn how to be the media! No experience? No problem. Just bring your commitment to social justice activism and we'll help you learn how to do the rest!

Here is an incomplete list of some of our shows for your listening pleasure:

11/24/03
11/10/03
10/27/03
10/06/03
9/15/03
9/08/03
9/01/03
8/25/03
8/11/03
7/14/03
7/7/03
6/23/03
6/9/03
6/2/03
4/28/03
happy b-day himc radio!! 4-21-03
4/7/03
3/17/03
HIMC Radio: Rights of Protesters
9/09/02
unknown
9/16/02
9/02/02
8/26/02
8/19/02