On Saturday at the fantastic Youth and Power event I attended a workshop where a FRSC alumnus said that Free Radio was his training, where he got his feet wet and learned to do radio. He works at KPFA now.

By design, Free Radio Santa Cruz is open to all community members who are willing to go through a simple application process to become collective members. I'm sorry but I am not going to tell DJ Galaxy (our youngest collective member at 11) that he needs to be a little more professional. Listening to FRSC for I have heard some pretty unprofessional content, which makes sense in that we AREN'T PROFESSIONALS. Don't wanna be, either.

I know, you're refering to the 'adults' in the collective who, like myself, at times get a little upset and rant over the air about this bullshit and that bullshit and the ridiculous fucking nonsense that comes out of Ashcroft's mouth. Some members choose to keep it clean. others do not. Those some members do not have the right or authority to force those other members censor certain words from their vocabulary. No policy has been agreed upon via collective process regarding potty mouth, although several have been discussed. Remember, it's *free* radio.

I don't expect professionalism from FRSC, but I'm damned impressed at how often professionalism was and will be heard over the airwaves. I'm impressed with the professionalism of many members of the collective and the seriousness with which they take their work and their responsibility to the collective and the community. Several FRSC programmers have produced segments or shows that have aired nationwide and globally on various radio networks including "professional" stations. I feel like I'm stating the obvious here but FRSC has the ability to do legitimate journalism and the community obviously agrees based on the outpouring of support.

In the year I have been involved with FRSC I have seen and heard more professional legitimate journalism than in four years at a college station (funded by the students of the UC system). And if you read my post above, you'll understand why I find fault with the assertion that Free Radio or Indymedia or any independant media are not mainstream or are nonprofessional or that we aren't the REAL media.

I tuned into KCBS 740 AM the other day for their top of the hour news update at 5 PM on a friday (seems like there would be a big story). The national CBS desk decided that every professional CBS radio affiliate IN THE COUNTRY should inform their listeners that Paris Hilton wrote a book, and that Scott Peterson watches porn.

Whose professionalism is on the line here?