Public Interest Attorney to Head United Church of Christ's Media Justice Agency

CLEVELAND, Aug. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Cheryl A. Leanza, a publicinterest attorney and veteran First Amendment advocate, has beennamed managing director of the United Church of Christ's Office ofCommunications Inc., the church's historic media justice agency thatfirst insisted that those holding Federal Communications Commissionlicenses must act on behalf of the public interest.

Leanza, a former deputy director of the Media Access Project, hasserved as principal legislative counsel for telecommunications at theNational League of Cities since mid- 2005. She will succeed GloriaTristani, a former FCC commissioner who left the church agencyearlier this year to become president of the Benton Foundation, aleading voice in the media advocacy community.

Writing, advocating and litigating extensively in the areas ofmedia ownership, access to the internet and the availability of low-power radio, Leanza has represented the public interest as leadcounsel before the FCC and in U.S. Appellate courts. Most recently,Leanza led a lobbying effort at the center of the currenttelecommunications debate, seeking to ensure cable companies areaccountable to local citizens. Leanza teaches First Amendment andbroadcasting to graduate students at Georgetown University'sCommunications, Culture and Technology program.

"Having such a high profile person join our staff sends a messagethat the UCC is serious about its continued role in the fight formedia justice," said the Rev. Robert Chase, the UCC's communicationsdirector.

"Cheryl brings tremendous assets to this position - intimateknowledge of nuances in media policy, instant credibility among herpeers, practiced litigation and communication skills, experience indefending the public interest in broadcasting, and passion forensuring that all segments of our society have voice in the media,"Chase said. "We are thrilled to have her leading our media policyefforts, especially in the current time of unfolding technologies andmedia transition."

"I am delighted to join UCC's historic crusade for media justice,"Leanza said. "This position will allow me to work on issues I carepassionately about."

"I have always respected UCC's role in media reform advocacy," shesaid. "I look forward to working within the public interest communityas part of a campaign to promote media democracy. Media shapes ourviews, lives, and politics. Media companies must be accountable."

Leanza graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan LawSchool and simultaneously earned a Master of Public Policy degreefrom Michigan's Institute of Public Policy Studies. She serves on theExecutive Committee of the Federal Communications Bar Association,and is admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia and New York;and in the United States Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for theDistrict of Columbia, Third, Fourth, and Ninth Circuits.

As an outgrowth of the UCC's historic commitment to civil rights,OC, Inc. was incorporated in 1959 to advocate on behalf of those whohad been historically excluded from the media, especially people ofcolor and women. During the civil rights movement, in a precedent-setting case, OC, Inc. challenged the broadcasting license of WLBT-TV in Jackson, Miss., for failing to serve its largely African-American audience.

"Since Cheryl has toiled on the front lines in the fight againstmedia consolidation and in efforts to promote minority and femaleownership, her presence signals a continuation of the historic workinitiated by the Rev. Everett Parker almost half a century ago,"Chase said.

The 1.2-million-member United Church of Christ was founded in 1957with the union of the Congregational Christian Churches in Americaand the Evangelical and Reformed Church. It has about 5,600 churchesnationwide.

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