For the first time in U.S. history — despite the fact that radio is already first amendment right — The Fed is opening up the radio dial to low-power FM stations in urban areas. Applications will be accepted soon, and here’s the info, from my in-box to your screen.

Having written about this for years, I’m chuffed as chips about this; it’s a powerful tool for community watchdogs, activists and aspiring impresarios/media moguls/DJs/MCs/bands. Radio might seem outdated but local broadcasting actually delivers a unique and important impact, and the hardware will only cost about $100. But you have got to stand up NOW, as there will be waiting lists in this new frontier, and you have to start your own organization — but if along the way you have trouble, reach out to Prometheus Radio and others. Given that it’s The Fed we’re talking about, this is not going to be as simple a process as it should be.

Additionally, during disasters and emergencies, LPFM (low-power FM) can, and will, save lives. I learned this visiting New Orleans one year post-Katrina; it was a handful of rugged volunteers (who’d been helping soldiers and NGOs establish vital communications on the ground in  Afghanistan) who created the network that made a lifeline possible for first responders in  Hancock County, Mississippi — where Katrina actually first touched down — through to a devastated New Orleans, and the affected areas. Applications will be accepted soon, here’s the info and press release from my in-box to your screen.

This is from Prometheus Radio Project, who I reached out to for a guest essay at urb.com during the election of 2004 and more recently, HERE. By way of an important note: unless YOU get involved, I can guarantee you that church groups will be the most populous voices on the radio — and I have absolutely nothing against church groups, and I will always defend their constitutional right to exist, but as the great media activist Dirk Koning (R.I.P.) of the Grand Rapids Community Media Center told me in an interview, it’s pretty shocking how few DIY media-creating individuals who are passionate about what they do, get involved in radio. He noted that if there were as many young media creators on the air as there were other groups, radio would see a kind of renaissance. FYI: More than a few (now) well-known folks in media got started in public access television and community radio.

Obama Signs into Law the Local Community Radio Act:
FCC Chairman Pledges “Swift Action to Open the Dial”

WASHINGTON, DC – This week President Obama signed the Local Community Radio Act, the most recent victory in a ten-year grassroots effort to open up the airwaves to new community radio stations. At the Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Genachowski promised swift action to open the dial to these new stations.

“The Local Community Radio Act signed by President Obama is a big win for radio listeners. Low-power FM stations are small, but they make a giant contribution to local community programming,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
The news is hailed by community radio hopefuls who are ready to start new stations, as well as a coalition of national advocates led by the Prometheus Radio Project. The new law paves the way for what could be the biggest expansion of community radio in US history.

“In this day of way-too-much media consolidation, stifling program homogenization and the decimation of local news, new voices are critically important to sustaining America’s civic dialogue and citizen engagement,” said FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps.

Low power stations are small, 100 watt stations that fit between larger stations on the dial. These locally owned stations are run by non-profits, schools, emergency responders, and other non-commercial groups. The new law repeals earlier restrictions that kept low power radio out of urban areas. Now all eyes are on the FCC, which must design rules for the expanded service. “This law gives the FCC a new mandate to expand low power radio,” said Brandy Doyle, Policy Director for the Prometheus Radio Project. “To finish the job, the FCC must ensure that these vital stations are available in the urban areas which have never had access to community radio.”
While open channels exist in every major city, the FCC must take action to keep those channels free for the new low power service and thousands awaiting this opportunity.

“Civil rights groups and community organizations have wanted low power FM radio for years, and now the chance is here,” said Betty Yu, coordinator of the Media Action Grassroots Network, a national media justice network with members in many cities impacted by the law. “From Seattle, Oakland, and Albuquerque to Minneapolis, San Antonio, Kentucky and Philadelphia, thousands of communities know that having access to our own slice of the dial means a tool to build our movements for justice.”
“Once the FCC starts accepting applications, which could happen as early as the end of this year, many groups will need support to navigate the process,” said Vanessa Maria Graber, Community Radio Director at the Prometheus Radio Project. “Prometheus is dedicated to helping local groups get a slice of the airwaves to improve their communities.”

KEY SENTENCE: “Now all eyes are on the FCC, which must design rules for the expanded service.” This means you should apply NOW and make known what you think of the rules — this is a fundamental right, and responsibility.

LEARN MORE about low power FM radio and how you can start your own radio station.

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