CCM SINCE 1989 | Chicago Civic Media

2024

MMEETING THE DNC 2024 CHALLENGE TO CHICAGO
- How Chicago can do in six months what it has been unable to do for sixty years: turn the corner on its (now citywide) crime. (Thanks to the hot glare of the DNC media spotlight.)
- Press Release
- Memo to GM's of all five Chicago TV stations

2023

AMERICA'S CHOICE
- New Proof of Concept for problem-solving, voter-driven national network reality TV (learn more at America's Choice).

TWO CHAIRS: overview of safety-generating TV for Chicago
- 8 week news feature for local network TV news

FOUR STEPS: Proofs of Concept for TV that discovers and deploys the anti-violence ideas and skills of insightful young Chicagoans
- 4 week 60-minute program to air on community TV (e.g. CAN -TV)
- 16 week 60-program to air on local network TV

2020

ChicagoWRKS, aka Chicago FIXIT. Website promoting a weekly, 30/60 minute, civic-purposed reality TV show to “mobilize the entire city” to address Chicago's violence (per Mayor Lightfoot's 2019 campaign pledge).

2019

March 29 meeting at the Chicago Community Trust (CCT) where our "LEGS OR NO LEGS" Powerpoint proposed that CCT support Chicago's upgrading of its existing (and failed) NO LEGS violence reduction public safety strategy with LEGS: a safety generating DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE modeled on the celebrated PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE proposed by Daniel Burnham in his 1909 Plan of Chicago.

The New Chicago Way Blog post from the early days of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's tenture in late 2019.

Here's ChicagoWRKS TV (aka Chicago FIXIT) Chicago FIXIT is introduced in this blog post.

2017

2015

The AUSTIN YOUTH SUMMIT Prime-time TV to improve community/police relations in Chicago (via CAN-TV)

Parents Political University Details of seven weekly meetings with Austin residents to discuss ways of improving community connections in Austin sponsored by THE VOICE NEWSPAPERS with CCM input.

Planning Page: Two Options for a Chicago Youth Resource Directory (YRD) Twin proposals for media-based directories to break the "information bottleneck" that keeps most Chicagoans unaware of the youth support resources available to them in their neighborhoods.

FULL STORY: PowerPoint proposal to Chicago Newspapers for informational coverage of Chicago Violence. Developed from a suggestion from Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Lamar Hasbrouck

CIVIC DISCOURSE IN CHICAGO: IN A STATE OF MISTRUST This graphic documentes the rival 2014 civic ventures of the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. It shows how these trust-seeking ventures create a MISSING LINK - CITYWIDE TRUST - by not joining forces to unify ALL Chicagoans, not just their readers. These civic ventures are now forgotten due to their disconnection from each other - and other Chicago media.

On the Chicago Tribune's New Plan of Chicago A running critique of the failure of the Chicago Tribune's bold and initially promising attempt to use reader input to create a holistic, Daniel Burnham-inspired New Plan of Chicago to enable the city to shape its future as thinking information-age city. A sad story.

ChicagoWRKS.com Proposal for an Interactive, citywide, hyperlocal news and information website for Chicago, submitted to Knight News Challenge.

2008 - 2017

Chicago Civic Media Blog Useful stuff here!
- Learn how two managerial legends of Chicago's beloved pro sports teams pioneered the media coverage of Chicago sports that today is the #1 source of pride that Chicagoans take in Chicago. And, the #1 profit center for many media.

Scroll down for this post which outlines a hypothetical a fully integrated, four-level civic media framework: CITY, STATE, REGIONAL, NATIONAL.

MINDISM A term we coined to describe what may be the most pervasive prejudice in American politics. Namely the belief among the nation's so-called managerial class that most Americans are incapable or unwilling to help resolve the issues that affect their lives and communities. But it infects also the general population. Is at the root of a naltional loss of self-confidenc. All kinds of reasons are given for this: ignorance, over-work, apathy, indifference, stupidity - you name it.

America's Choice Here's Part I of a Two-Part Treatment. It's the grandaddy of our use of network TV to depolarize political discourse at the national level via civic-purposed reality TV that enables citizens and politicians to cooperate (and compete) in ongoing searches to find, develop and implement best solutions to intractable issues ranging from job creation, health care, violence to immigration, reproductive rights and trustworthy elections.

1997-2000

West Side Drug Area Shutdown Project The "Shutdown Project" used media-generated citizen input and 15th District police actions to identify and permanently close dozens of public drug dealing areas in Austin. It was a partnership of Austin residents, THE AUSTIN VOICE newspaper, 15th District (Austin) police, WVON radio and CCM. Its success in the 15th district the creation Shutdown Projects in the neighboring 11th and 25th districts.
- 2000: Chicago Shutdown Project Media Update Jan 2000 documents extent of citizen, media, police and community involvement in this project.
- 1997: Nine-beat grid of 15th District (Austin) shows 71 public drug hotspots in Austin identified by residents and 15th District police.

KEEPIN' IT REAL Marshall High School Newspaper. 6000 copies of this 16-page, student-produced newspaper were distributed at school and throughout the Marshall service area. Marshall Principal Don Pittman said the paper was probably responsible for 200 new freshman enrolling at Marshall the following school year.

Local School Council (LSC) Student Representative Student Communications Bill (SCB) Created by four LSC high school student reps. Informed by interviews with 50 other LSC student reps.

Coverage of Mayor Richard M. Daley's speech to 50 YMCA Youth Aldermen, one from each of Chicago's 50 wards: "Chicago has lost two generations of young people to gangs and drugs." And his challenge to them: "Adults have failed solve gangs and drugs. I challenge you to formulate a drug policy of your own."

Chicago Education Page 20-page proposal for a daily education newspaper page, similar to a busines page or sports page. Presented to publishers of Chicago's three daily newspapers by the Key Administrators Group made up of the two Superinten-dents of Chicago's public and parochial school systems and the President of the Illinois Association of Non-Public Schools (IACNPS).

Your Guide to Local School Council Vote The breakthrough idea that got Chicago Civic Media going. It was so simple. Just that no one had thought of it before. A simple idea presented to Sun-Times publisher Charles Price produced a 20-page, September 29 Sun-Times special supplement promoting the historic first Local School Council elections in 1989. 400,000 copies were inserted into a Friday edition of the paper. All costs underwritten by the Sun-Times as a public service. Concept developed by Steve Sewall and presented to Charles Price by Sewall and President Gordon Berry of the Citizens' School Committee.