Low-Power Rangers!
Today, a slew of organizations — including FMC and several other members of the Media and Democracy Coalition — sent a letter to US Congressional Representatives requesting that they co-sponsor H.R. 2802, the bipartisan Local Community Radio Act of 2007. (In this case, a "slew" equals 38.)
Low-Power stations, which operate at 100 watts or less and have a radius of approximately 3 to 5 miles, are more important than ever. The letter hits the nail squarely on the head, stating, "As more media outlets become concentrated into the hands of a few select corporations, LPFMs provide our towns and neighborhoods with a diversity of viewpoints, perspectives, voices, as well as music, arts, and culture often lacking from the commercial dial."
FMC has long supported the expansion of LPFM stations into more areas, which would give communities a chance to experience free, over-the-air broadcasting that truly serves their interests. Check out our Low-Power FM fact sheet for more info.
2 comments:
This is great. As I suggested in anothr subject, the FMC should apply for LPFM licences in cities across the country. If you don't, those licenses will instead be bought by religious organizations who will use them for fundraising.
Start LPFM stations. Musicians should own radio stations. The future of music is bringing your music to the people, and there is no more efficient way to do it than through the radio.
Yeah, it'll be a great day when LPFM is expanded into more areas.
Actually, we've done a lot of work to ensure that all kinds of worthwhile community groups can get on the dial. LAst year, FMC had a Full Power Initiative going that identified organizations who might want to take advantage of the FCC's once-in-a-lifetime licensing opportunity for non-commercial, full-power stations. We worked with applicants to demystify the process and help them be considered for a spot on the dial. You can read more about it here:
http://futureofmusiccoalition.blogspot.com/search/label/Full%20Power%20Licensing%20Series
A few months ago, we also helped lead a delegation of community broadcasters around Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress and talk about expanding LPFM into bigger towns and cities.
As far as starting our OWN station, well, a good number of FMC staff come from radio, so the idea definitely has its appeal. Unfortunately, we're a bit too busy or a dedicated FMC station to become a reality. Maybe someday. . .
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