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Michael Couzens

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Michael Couzens (1946 - March 18, 2023) was a communications attorney and community broadcasting advocate. Employed by the FCC in the 1970s, Couzens headed the Low Power Television Task Force which developed the rules and regulations for Low Power Television.

Education

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Couzens studied Law at the University of California Berkeley and economics at Stanford University.[1][2][3] While at law school at the University of California, Berkeley, Couzens participated in video production with the collectives Optic Nerve and TVTV furthering his interest in broadcasting.[1] After graduating from UC Berkeley, Couzens was admitted to the bar in California and in Washington, D.C.[4]

As a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, Couzens did his service at the Brookings Institute in Washington, DC.[5][6]

Broadcasting

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After law school and serving at the Brookings Institute, Couzens worked for the Federal Communications Commission.[7][4] Couzens was hired by the FCC as an attorney-advisor where he helped write the guidelines for Low Power Television.[8][9][10][11] In 1976, he worked in Washington DC for a law firm representing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), helping to develop the legal process for establishing TV dishes in major cities.[4][3]

After working for the FCC, Couzens opened up his own law office, representing community radio and television stations to the Federal Communications Commission.[1][2] Couzens practiced law for 30+ years, representing community stations throughout the United States, especially in rural areas. He worked with non-profit entities, advising them on FCC requirements while also assisting them with applications, licensing, and compliance issues.[1][12][13][14] Couzens often worked Pro bono when his clients could not afford to pay him.[1][15] Couzens was a board member and the Vice President for Legal Affairs for the National Translator Association, joining the organization at the birth of the LPTV initiative.[7][16]

In 2007, in conjunction with the opening of a public filing window for frequencies for noncommercial full power station, Couzens teamed with Alan Korn to create Discount Legal.[4][17] Over subsequent filing windows, Korn and Couzens assisted over 100 applicants to apply for new noncommercial educational FM stations of which 50 are currently on the air as of 2024.[18]

Community radio

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Couzens began his work in community radio in 1976 when, as he was coming out of law school, he volunteered to help represent the newly founded National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB).[4][3]

In 2020 Couzens stated his belief in community radio in an interview with The Union, a Grass Valley, Calif., newspaper: “If you read the blogs and trades, they say broadcast radio is stone cold dead, no radio audience whatsoever, but everything I see shows community radio is loved and essential, that people want it and will go find it. It’s that important, no matter what they say.”[2] When asked about community radio's impact on the American landscape, Couzens responded, “It’s had people recognize, once again, that media and journalism work their best at the local level in a specific community. In that way it’s been very enriching.”[4]

Reporting

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Couzens wrote articles about broadcasting for a number of publications including Channels of Communication and the Encyclopedia of Television.[19][20]

Personal life

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Working out of Oakland, California, Couzens frequented Bluegrass music concerts, practiced Karate as a Wado Kai black belt, and was married to radio producer and Peabody Award Winner Adi Gevins.[1][3][7] Couzens was also a photographer, photographing many live events including the 1968 Democratic Convention.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Falk, Tyler (2023-05-23). "Community broadcasting 'champion' Michael Couzens dies". Current. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  2. ^ a b c "On the Air: Not your everyday idea of a broadcast attorney, only he helped save KVMR 'back in the day'". The Union. 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  3. ^ a b c d Aguilar, Ernesto (2019-05-07). "Michael Couzens, Community Media Conference 2019 Speaker Bio · NFCB". NFCB. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Ruedenberg, Ursula (2023-04-07). "Remembering Attorney at Law Michael Couzens: Dedicated to Community Radio - Pacifica Network". Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  5. ^ Couzens, Michael (1971). "Reflections on the Study of Violence". Law & Society Review. 5 (4): 583–604. doi:10.2307/3052773. ISSN 0023-9216. JSTOR 3052773.
  6. ^ Seidman, David; Couzens, Michael (1974). "Getting the Crime Rate Down: Political Pressure and Crime Reporting". Law & Society Review. 8 (3): 457. doi:10.2307/3053084. JSTOR 3053084.
  7. ^ a b c Miller, Lee (2021-05-04). "Michael Couzens to be Guest on Webinar". Broadcasting Alliance. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  8. ^ Markels, Alex (1999). New FCC proposal. Mother Jones Magazine.
  9. ^ TV Guide. Triangle Publications. 1981.
  10. ^ Commission, United States Federal Communications (1981). Major Matters Before the Federal Communications Commission as of ... The Commission.
  11. ^ Holsendolph, Ernest (April 11, 1982). "HERE COMES LOW-POWER TV". New York Times.
  12. ^ Communications, United States Congress Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on (1981). Rural Telecommunications: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Communications of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, Ninety-seventh Congress, First Session, on Rural Telecommunications, June 22, 1981. U.S. Government Printing Office.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Commission, United States Federal Communications (2017). FCC Record: A Comprehensive Compilation of Decisions, Reports, Public Notices, and Other Documents of the Federal Communications Commission of the United States. The Commission.
  14. ^ Jaramillo, Deborah L. (2018-09-26). The Television Code: Regulating the Screen to Safeguard the Industry. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-1-4773-1701-3.
  15. ^ Riismandel, Paul (2014-02-14). "Pirate Cat Radio attorney responds to FCC upholding fine". Radio Survivor. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  16. ^ ATBA Webinar with Michael Couzens, retrieved 2024-02-02
  17. ^ Federal Register. Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration. 2013.
  18. ^ "About Discount Legal". www.discount-legal.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  19. ^ Couzens, Michael (June 1986). "Invasion of the People Meters" (PDF). Channels of Communication: 40–45.
  20. ^ Newcomb, Horace (2014-02-03). Encyclopedia of Television. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-19472-7.
  21. ^ "Reliving the 1968 Democratic Convention". Vanity Fair. 2008-07-28. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
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