[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 22, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SOUTHCOAST RADIO COMES TO WASHINGTON

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                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 1997

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to declare how proud I am to have 
taken part today in a truly unique radio experience. Southeastern New 
England residents got a step closer to their Nation's Capital today 
thanks to a very special radio broadcast, live from my Washington 
office. WSAR-SouthCoast (1480 AM) brought a beehive of politics to the 
ears of a great many of my constituents back home, and I want to 
sincerely thank the station for demonstrating their commitment to 
keeping our community informed about important issues before our 
national legislature.
  Modern technology and a couple of very resourceful radio 
personalities linked SouthCoast Radio to a long list of special guests. 
I want to thank Rick Edwards and Richard Trieff for making today an 
interesting and captivating experience for thousands of SouthCoast 
residents with their probing interviews of national journalists, 
Federal lawmakers, and administration officials.
  I also want to thank all those who stopped by 512 Cannon this 
afternoon to share their views and to take callers' questions and 
comments. Rick and Richard tapped into the insider perspectives of top-
notch political journalists like Chris Black of the Boston Globe, 
Jonathan Salant of the Associated Press, and Ellen Ratner of Talk Radio 
News Service. The radio team peppered with questions national 
legislators such as Representative Bob Riley of Alabama, Senator Jack 
Reed of Rhode Island, Representative John Tierney, and Senator John 
Kerry of Massachusetts, and SouthCoast Representatives Barney Frank and 
myself.
  Rick and Richard got a Clinton administration perspective on local 
Massachusetts issues by chatting with Maria Echaveste, Assistant to the 
President and Director of the Office of Public Liaison. And the talk 
radio duo got Fall River Mayor Ed Lambert and National Campaign for 
Tobacco-Free Kids President Bob Novelli to discuss the remarkable 
efforts of the Greater Fall River Fresh Air Kids. It was certainly a 
lively day of political discussions for SouthCoast residents.
  I commend Rick Edwards and Richard Trieff, and the entire crew at 
WSAR, for a day well spent on Capitol Hill. I want to thank Rick and 
Richard for making the trip down to our Nation's Capital, for putting 
together a first-rate docket of radio personalities, and for making it 
possible for SouthCoast residents to talk one-on-one with a number of 
Washington's movers and shakers. Phone lines were kept open throughout 
the 6-hour show, and a good number of southeastern Massachusetts and 
eastern Rhode Island listeners got to grill the men and women who write 
their laws, administer their programs, and produce their news.
  Mr. Speaker, our Nation needs more civic journalism. WSAR's program 
today clearly illustrates how electronic journalism can grant special 
access to ordinary citizens, and how talk radio can connect people who 
are hundreds of miles apart. A functioning democracy depends upon the 
people's ability to express their ideas, questions, and concerns to 
those who represent them. Thanks to modern technology--and because of 
the efforts of committed civic journalists like Rick Edwards and 
Richard Trieff--we can continue to strengthen our democracy while 
keeping our local community informed.

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