IP: Hankering to start a local radio station? Now's the time...

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 18:55:56 -0700
> From: Troy Davis <troy () nack net>
> Subject: FWD: Start A Community Radio Station In Your Town!
>
> for any politech readers looking for a media outlet..
>
>
> ----------
> From: petri () critpath org
> Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 12:03:51 -0500
> To: Recipient List Suppressed:;
> Subject: Start A Community Radio Station In Your Town!
>
> Dear Friends:
>
> Could your town use its own community radio station? For many years, the
> Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made it very difficult for
> neighborhood groups to start community radio stations.  It became so
> complicated that many people  began to think it was impossible for ordinary
> folks and small non-profit organizations to start up a town outlet for local
> news, DJs from all walks of life, political programming and local events.
>
> After a campaign of pressure from activists for a more democratic media, the
> FCC changed its tune.  For a very short period in June, they have flung open
> the doors to community groups to apply to have a radio station for their
> neighborhood!  This is the moment we've been fighting for for many years,
> the five days in which your community group can apply to start a hundred
> watt radio station.   You can only apply during these five days- June
> 11-15th: probably any usable frequency in your area will be gone after this
> filing period.
>
> Though last years corrupt, lame duck  Congress severely limited the new
> service, most towns are still eligible to apply for a community radio
> station. Dozens of licenses have already been given out  by the FCC for new
> community radio stations. If you live in the biggest cities, like New York,
> or Chicago or LA, there is probably no license available at this point. But
> if you live in a smaller town, there is a good chance that there is a
> community radio frequency just sitting there waiting for you to pick it up
> this June.
>
> Prometheus Radio Project, based in Philadelphia,is a non-profit group that
> is solely devoted to helping other non-profits get their communities on the
> airwaves. Please contact us as soon as possible at the below listed email or
> number if you are interested in starting a station in your town.  All of
> Prometheus's services are free, and the application at the FCC is free. For
> the first time in over twenty years, you can put a radio station on the air
> for a few thousand dollars worth of equipment.
>
> See you on the radio!
>
> Pete Tridish
> Prometheus Radio Project
>
>
> [Please forward this as appropriate to mailing lists and friends who may be
> interested, and please pardon duplicate postings: this is our last general
> outreach message before this final window...thanks]
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Low Power Radio At-a-Glance
> This flier gives some basic information about community radio, and will help
> you determine whether your organization is eligible for a license.
>
> What could your organization or community do with an LPFM station?
> A community radio station can offer something for almost everyone, with
> diverse programs that reflect the needs and interests of the local
> residents.  Here are some ideas of possible programming, though each
> community will surely develop their own creative shows.
>
> * Local public affairs programs, such as news, youth training, local
> sporting events, neighborhood history, city council hearings, election
> debates, call-in shows with local figures, politicians, and advice programs
> with doctors, lawyers, or other professionals.
> * Activist programs that explore different issues, such as the environment,
> education or health care.
> * Cultural programs, such as a variety of the worlds many musical
> traditions, radio theatre, dramatic readings of novels, poetry, interviews,
> etc.
>
> As a sponsor for a broad-based community radio station, your community
> organization can promote the public good by acting as steward of a station
> designed for the whole community- almost like a library of the airwaves.
> Alternately, your group may want to focus more closely on a single
> constituency, like an immigrant language community, or as an organizing
> medium for a labor union in a rural farm-working community.
>
> Applying for an LPFM license is free, and the cost to build a station is
> relatively low cost (the basic equipment for a hundred watt radio station
> will cost between five and eight thousand dollars, depending upon your
> circumstances). You have 18 months to construct your station from the day
> you receive your construction permit. While there is no guarantee that every
> application will be successful, the following questions are designed to help
> you assess your qualifications.
>
> Are you affiliated with a community association, civic organization or other
> group?  Or would you want to start one?
> Individuals can not apply - only non-profit groups or community
> organizations. You do not, however, have to be a tax exempt 501(c)(3).
> Organizations that have been in existence for two or more years get
> preference, so it is advantageous (but not necessary) that your organization
> be at least that old. Depending on your state, you can start a non-profit
> organization for a nominal fee with three directors. The process generally
> takes a few hours.
>
> Do you already own a TV station, a radio station, a daily newspaper or a
> cable network?
> No one who already owns a major media outlet can have a LPFM station
>
> Would you like an alternative to conventional commercial-filled programming?
> The service is entirely non-commercial, though underwriting, similar to what
> you hear on National Public Radio, is allowed.
>
> Are you interested in creating local programming?
> The FCC gives a preference to organizations who pledge that they will be
> producing at least 8 hours per day of local programming, and also gives
> preference to stations that plan to operate at least 12 hours per day.  If
> you have DJ's playing their favorite records, that is considered local as
> long as they are local people, not a satellite fed national program.
>
> Are you willing to share the frequency with other groups?
> In situations where more than one group apply for the same frequency, the
> FCC gives preference to organizations who are willing to work out
> timesharing arrangements with other groups that want to use the airwaves.
>
> Is anyone on your board of directors a convicted felon?
> The FCC may choose not to allow convicted felons to be holders of broadcast
> licenses. There are many exceptions to this policy, but it is easier if
> there are no felons.
>
> Is your board made up primarily of US citizens?
> The Board of directors of your group must be at least 80% US citizens.
>
> Do you have a suitable location for a transmitter?
> Transmitters are about the size of a toaster oven, and antennas don't have
> to be any bigger than the television antennas people put on the roof of
> their houses, but the higher they are, the better. The FCC does not allow
> you to build a station if you are too close to an already existing channel,
> and the proposed open frequency is too close to that station on the dial.
> For example, you can't put a 91.3 on the air if there is a 91.5 right across
> town. With a few simple internet searches, you can figure out if the FCC
> will allow a station to be built at any location of your choosing.
> Prometheus Radio Project can help you to assess, free of charge, whether any
> location of your choosing is suitable for broadcasting. The Studio and the
> Transmitter do not need to be in the same place- the transmitter can be
> tucked away in someones' house or on top of a hill, while the studio is
> downtown at a community center.
>
> Can your organization raise between five and seven thousand dollars to build
> a station within the next two years?
> There is no application or licensing fee. the basic equipment will cost
> between five and seven thousand dollars, and more  if you want to get fancy.
> You have 18 months to construct your station from the day you receive your
> construction permit.  Some grants may be available.
>
> When should I apply?
> The United States has been divided into 5 groups of ten states each. Every
> three months, a five day window application opens for ten states, then
> closes. No one can apply before or after that window.
> To find out your window call Prometheus. After the LP 100s are all given
> out, the FCC  will start over again and allow groups to apply for LP10s.
> there will not be many of those LP10s, and they have a smaller radius of
> coverage.  If you have already missed the first application window for your
> state, there still may be opportunities. Contact Prometheus for a full
> explanation of your possibilities- we keep completely up-to date information
> on the somewhat bewildering filing process.
>
> Will the FCC discriminate against my group? Or will they control the content
> of the programming?
> All requirements are laid out above. The FCC designed this license for
> groups of all stripes, from Anarchists to Anabaptists. You need to meet the
> requirements of other stations, which are in fact pretty minimal- no
> inappropriate obscenity at certain times, no advertising, fraudulent
> contests or gambling over the air, etc. It is not legal to cause a public
> panic with a false report that Martians are attacking. Besides that you are
> free to have programming of any type you like.
>
> Starting a radio station has for many years has been completely out of reach
> for the general public. Activists for a more democratic media have won a
> rare opportunity for your neighborhood to apply for an extremely valuable
> radio station, for free. But we did not win a fundamental change in the
> system that made it more fair and open- just a brief moment when community
> groups can claim a thin sliver of the airwaves for local use. This chance
> will be gone in a few months, and radio will be back to business as usual
> until the next democratic victory on the airwaves, and who knows when that
> will come.  If you ever want a radio station for your community the time to
> act is now.
>
> Prometheus Radio Project
> P.O. Box 42158 Philadelphia, PA 19101
> petri () critpath org  215-476-2385 http://www.prometheus.tao.ca
> --------------------------------------------
>  _      _
> pe'tre dish (n): a squat, cylindrical, transparent article of laboratory
> glassware, useful in observing resistant strains of culture in aetherial
> media.
>
> petri () critpath org
> www.prometheus.tao.ca
> Prometheus Radio Project
> 215-476-2385
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----



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