User:Wil540 art/Notes/BX river alliance

Michael Couzens (1946 - March 18 2023) was a communications attorney and employee of the FCC, who helped write the rules and guidelines for community radio and television.

Education
Michael Couzens studied Law at the University of California Berkeley and economics at Stanford University. Couzens was admitted to the bar in California and in Washington, D.C.

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.

Legal career
In 1976, Michael worked in Washington DC for a law firm representing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), helping to develop the legal process for establishing TV dishes in major cities.

Couzens practiced law for over 30 years, representing community stations to the Federal Communications Commission. Couzens was hired by the Federal Communications Commission as an attorney-advisor where he helped write the guidelines for low power television. Throughout his career, Couzens represented community stations throughout the United States. He worked with non-profit entities, advising on FCC requirements while also assisting with applications, licensing, and compliance issues.

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 discovered community radio in 1976 when, just coming out of law school, he volunteered to help the newly founded National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB).

In 2020 Couzens stated his strong belief in community radio in an interview with the 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.”

Personal life
Based in Oakland, California, Couzens loved Bluegrass music, practiced Karate, and was married to radio producer and Peabody Award Winner Adi Gevins.