UnCommon Sense TV Media was created as a forum for presenting information and perspectives concerning pressing political issues of our times. It is committed to working to renew a truly democratic republic through the use of independent and citizen-supported media in order to help fulfill the promise and ideals inherent in the timelessly progressive principles of the American Revolution.

UnCommon Sense TV was conceived in the spring of 2003 and launched that summer with its television premiere and corresponding website activation in July.

The program was created by Andy Valeri, a long-time veteran of access television and community media, who has also spent years in the music and arts world through involvement with music and film production via his own company, Big Beef Records. He had spent years producing and promoting not only music, but literally hundreds of television programs as well, many of them live, which were aired on cable television outlets around the country and later via the internet.

Unfortunately, the growing dangers to the future health and stability of the American republic called him away from those pursuits to re-engage the important and pressing political issues facing our nation, as well as the ever-increasing threats to the very existence of an independent and publicly responsive media system, through regulatory changes and corporate consolidation of ownership of America’s information infrastructure.

In developing USTV, Valeri was joined by long time friend and colleague Ed Lacy, also with a long history of involvement in music and the arts, as well as a veteran of a number of efforts of political activism over the decades.

The tipping point in inspiring the creation of USTV came with the launching of the war against Iraq, along with the increasingly aggressive efforts to remove the last remaining regulatory barriers to corporate monopolistic controls over the nation’s media system. It was clearly becoming apparent that in the face of these threats to what are commonly stated as the core values of the nation, action was needed and that silence and passivity were no longer options that could be personally excused in clear conscience.

Valeri and Lacy put the call out to friends and associates asking who would be willing to help, and an all-volunteer crew and support staff of USTV quickly and enthusiastically came together. All were united in the belief and desire to participate and contribute with their own unique skills and experiences in contributing to the citizen’s media effort that is UnCommon Sense TV Media.

The program continued to develop and evolve, going from a live on-air discussion format to more of a video journalism presentation. A major focus of USTV has been to bring focus and attention to topics overly neglected in the corporate media, with a particular emphasis on deconstructing the media system in our nation and how it works and who it serves. Another point of increased emphasis has been on the role of the modern corporation in our state, and its unrivaled position as the dominant institution of our age and the ramifications of that reality on our society.

UnCommon Sense is also continuing to develop its web presence from its original role as a reference library for content from the program, to being an active, vibrant outgrowth of the program itself. The launching of the updated blog version of the site in January 2006 has served as an effective extension of the commentary and discussion which regularly takes place on the program itself. It allows for the sharing of ongoing, timely commentary by not only the USTV producers and hosts, but also by guest commentary from colleagues and associates.

USTV has also involved itself in the production and promotion of live civic events, such as the 2005 gathering in Dayton, Ohio with television production pioneer Phil Donahue and Amy Goodman. producer and host of “Democracy Now!”, and their public dissertation on the role of media in today’s society. This is all part of the ongoing efforts by the USTV producers and crew to continue to serve the interests of building a more democratic and just society.

Expansion and evolution of the focus of the efforts of the creators of USTV Media from television into additional venues of communication, both in their local region as well as nationally, has become an ongoing objective.

In the light of these efforts, Andy Valeri is currently serving on the editorial board of the Community Media Review, and is also working to expand working relationships between local media resources in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. He is also working to develop new curriculum for graduate studies programs emphasizing media and communications as a fundamental human right.

Join The USTV Mailing List and receive regular updates regarding the activities of UnCommon Sense TV Media and the latest developments with the program. You will also receive bulletins on the latest postings to the site, timely action alerts on issues of pressing concern, as well as our ever popular ‘Quotes of the Day’.

Find out more about where and how you can view the program Here

Go here for a complete list of episodes of UnCommon Sense TV. You can also watch previous episodes via online video on demand with your Real Video player, as well as on Google Video!

Thank you for your time and your interest in the work of USTV Media.

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