HOMEFRONT: MEDIA MONOPOLY

Guest panelists:

Frederick Polner is a partner with the Pittsburgh law firm of Rothman Gordon, specializing in communications, corporate, copyright and trademark law. A graduate of the Georgetown University Law School, Polner worked for several years as a staff attorney for the Federal Communications Commission. Polner has served as a contributing editor for Inside Radio and commentator for Satellite Times and Radio News.

Lynn Cullen has been a fixture on Pittsburgh television and radio since 1981. She currently hosts a daily three-hour talk radio show on WPTT 1360. Her reporting for WTAE-TV from 1981-1992 earned her an Emmy, four Golden Quills for Journalistic Excellence, and three Pennsylvania AP Broadcaster Awards. The readers of both Pittsburgh Magazine and In Pittsburgh twice have named Cullen "Best Talk Show Host in Pittsburgh".

Dr. Robert Bellamy is Associate Professor of Media Communication at Duquesne University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. Bellamy has published widely on the political economy of telecommunications. He is co-author of Television and the Remote Control: Grazing on a Vast Wasteland, published by Guilford, and has a weekly on-line column for McGraw-Hill's PowerWeb.

John Haer is Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Local of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. AFTRA represents more than 600 media artists at 16 radio and TV stations, as well as freelance performers for other media. A former union organizer, negotiator and administrator in health care and public service, Haer now bargains with corporate media giants for the talent they hire.

Benjamin Perez is the founder of Abacus Communications, a company specializing in radio frequency license applications. He also is the founder of Abacus Television, owner and operator of 14 Low Power Television companies in three states, including several in Pittsburgh. A graduate of the Cornell Law School, Perez serves on the Board of the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council.