Michael Couzens (1946 - March 18, 2023) was a communications attorney and

community broadcasting Community media (or community broadcasting) refers to media organizations that are owned, controlled, and operated by and for a community, serving its specific interests. These media outlets can take various forms, including print, broadcast (radi ...

advocate. Employed by the

FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains ju ...

in the 1970s, Couzens headed the Low Power Television Task Force which developed the rules and regulations for

Low Power Television Low-power broadcasting is broadcasting by a broadcast station at a low transmitter power output to a smaller service area than "full power" stations within the same region. It is often distinguished from "micropower broadcasting" (more commonl ...

Education

Couzens studied Law at the

University of California Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley ...

and economics at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. 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. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Couzens was admitted to the bar in California and in Washington, D.C. As a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

to the Vietnam War, Couzens did his service at the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...

in Washington, DC.

Broadcasting

Legal career

After law school and serving at the Brookings Institution, Couzens worked for the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

. Couzens was hired by the FCC as an attorney-advisor where he helped write the guidelines for Low Power Television. In 1976, he worked in Washington DC for a law firm representing the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB; stylized as cpb) is an American publicly funded non-profit corporation, created in 1967 to promote and help support public broadcasting. The corporation's mission is to ensure universal access to ...

(CPB), helping to develop the legal process for establishing TV dishes in major cities. After working for the FCC, Couzens opened up his own law office, representing

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...

and television stations to the

. 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. Couzens often worked

Pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

when his clients could not afford to pay him. 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 Low-power broadcasting is broadcasting by a broadcast station at a low transmitter power output to a smaller service area than "full power" stations within the same region. It is often distinguished from "micropower broadcasting" (more commonl ...

initiative. 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. 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.

Community radio

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 The National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) is a national membership organization of community-oriented, non-commercial radio stations, media organizations and producers committed to community radio in the United States. History N ...

(NFCB). 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.” 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.”

Reporting

Couzens wrote articles about broadcasting for a number of publications including

Channels of Communication Act III Publishing was a company that published a number of trade magazines that covered the Media, Publishing, Music and Television Industries. The company was in business from 1985 to approximately 1991/92 when the various titles were sold to a ...

and the

Encyclopedia of Television The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is an American museum that showcases historic and contemporary radio and television content. It is headquartered in Chicago. Museum locations (1987–present) The Museum of Broadcast Communications wa ...

Personal life

Working out of

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, Couzens frequented

Bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

concerts, practiced

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

as a Wado Kai black belt, and was married to radio producer and Peabody Award Winner

Adi Gevins Adi Gevins is a San Francisco Bay Area-based radio documentarian, producer, educator, archivist, and creative consultant who has been referred to as the " fairy godmother of community radio". Radio career Gevins has won an Ohio State Award, an Amer ...

. Couzens was also a photographer, photographing many live events including the

1968 Democratic Convention The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Earlier that year incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, thus makin ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

ATBA Webinar with Michael Couzens - 2021
University of California, Berkeley alumni Low-power broadcasting Federal Communications Commission personnel Stanford University alumni Lawyers from Oakland, California American conscientious objectors