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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