Low Power FM

Local Community Radio Act of 2007 (S. 1675/H.R. 2802)

Migrated Content — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 06:35:07 -0800

The Local Community Radio Act (S. 1675), introduced by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), would allow new Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations in communities across the country.

For 'White Spaces' Push, an Unnerving Precedent

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:12:58 -0700

Signal Interference: Tuning into the definition of 'Corporate Media'

Stevie Converse — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:21:51 -0700

There was an awkward moment at the end of “Minnesota Model: Countering Corporate Media,” a panel discussion at this weekend’s National Conference on Media Reform.

Alas, I must admit that I was the one who caused it.

NPR's War on Low Power FM: the Laws of Physics vs. Politics

Holiday Shapiro — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:19:13 -0700

National Public Radio continues to move aggressively against Federal Communications Commission proposals that would, if not allow nonprofits to build more Low Power FM stations (LPFM), at least let existing ones survive the intrusion of new full power neighbors.

Local Community Radio Act Support Letter

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:13:14 -0700

Ben Scott's letter to the members of the Senate Commerce Committee urges support for S.1675, the Local Community Radio Act of 2007.

Unsafe Radio

alicelee727 — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:55:00 -0700

It has been a hidden fact that these days, the radio isn’t
as safe as it used to be when they were the prime source of news and
entertainment. You might be wondering what I’m talking about. Well, recently
there have been some cases brought up in the FCC regarding radio alert systems.
In one particular case, Action Radio, a radio licensee situated in the Portland area, was being
investigated for their violation of the Emergency Alert System requirements.

Media, Democracy and Justice - a Southern California Regional Summit

JonB-CC — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:26:00 -0800

Common Cause is pleased to announce that we will be holding a media reform summit on March 29th in Los Angeles at Caltech.

http://www.commoncause.org/mediasummit

Who Benefits from Low Power FM Radio?

Neal Bastek — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 07:59:45 -0800

Women and People of Color: LPFM stations provide opportunities for women and people of color to work in radio programming, run local stations, and address issues that are often neglected by commercial radio stations.

Women make up 51 percent of the U.S. population, but own just 6 percent of all local AM and FM stations.

read more

Low Power FM Success Stories

Neal Bastek — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 07:53:52 -0800

Low Power FM stations are popping up all over the country. Here are just a few examples of great local LPFM stations.

Support Low Power FM Radio

Neal Bastek — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 07:50:05 -0800

What Is LPFM?

Low Power FM -- LPFM for short -- refers to community-based, nonprofit radio stations that operate at 100 watts or less and have a broadcast reach of only a few miles.

Fighting for Better Media in 2008

Josh Stearns — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:54:00 -0800

It is a new year, and we are on the verge of a new fight for our media, for our communities and for our democracy.

NCMR: Got suggestions?

yolandafp — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:08:00 -0800

We need your brainpower and creativity as we plan the program for the next National Conference for Media Reform.

Please contribute your suggestions for conference session topics, presenters, and workshop proposals through our online system: http://www.freepress.net/conference/CFS.

Low Power FM Gets a Big Push

hannahjs — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:04:00 -0800

On Tuesday the 27th, low power FM community radio got a big push from the Federal Communications Commission. After years of prominent advocacy from community radio stations under threat of being knocked off the air -- and station hopefuls who were angry that the FCC gave away thousands of potential low power FM radio slots to distant repeater-stations bringing no local content to their communities -- the Commission ruled to make space on the dial for new LPFM stations, and to work with stations to protect them from going dark when big commercial radio encroaches on their signals. Great news!

What Happened Last Night at the FCC

Ben Scott — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:38:00 -0800

The FCC took some very positive steps in broadcast policy last night but left a very important cable policy unresolved.

Thanks to an unorthodox majority of votes, the Commission endorsed new rules that would protect spots on the FM dial for hundreds -- if not thousands -- of low-power, community radio stations. We applaud the FCC’s recognition of this important public service.

Social Networks, Behavioral Targeting, and Democratic Communication

Kathryn Montgomery — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 10:35:00 -0700

Online social networks – MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, and the like – are becoming important arenas for youth political engagement, as teens and young adults use them to mobilize others to vote, challenge corporate authority, and fight for new laws.

One Step Closer to Better Radio

jtorres — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:27:00 -0700

Thanks to tens of thousands of Free Press activists we are one significant
step closer to having hundreds -- if not thousands -- of new
Low-Power FM (LPFM) radio stations across the country.

Consolidation Devastates Radio Diversity

dturner — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:24:00 -0700

Wednesday morning I testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on media consolidation's devastating impact on diverse and
local radio ownership.

Creating a Public Interest Policy Agenda for Children and Youth in the Digital Age

Kathryn Montgomery — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 06:43:00 -0700

I am delighted that Free Press has invited me to write about my new book, Generation Digital: Politics, Commerce, and Childhood in the Age of the Internet (MIT Press, 2007), and to encourage discussion of some of the issues I have raised in it. One reason I wrote the book was to alert readers to the critical need for intervention in some of the important policy issues that will influence the future of our media system, as well as our democracy. Generation Digital comes out of my experience as a media policy advocate in Washington, D.C. From 1991 until 2003 -- when I returned to full-time teaching at American University -- I ran the Center for Media Education, a public interest group I co-founded with Jeff Chester. It is both a personal history of my own media reform policy efforts in Washington and an in-depth investigation of the major trends that are shaping the digital media culture.

FCC Extends Window for Noncommercial Full Power Radio Station Applications

nealblast — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:11:00 -0700

The FCC just announced it's extending the filing window for noncommercial full-power radio station appliactions through Monday October 22nd at 2PM EST.

Full Power Radio

hannahjs — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:03:00 -0700

Over here at the Prometheus Radio Project,
we are lucky enough to have an amazing team of interns, volunteers,
staff, and allies who have been working to tell as many folks as
possible about their last chance to get a big, noncommercial radio station
for their communities. One room of our three room office was converted
into a call center -- just in time for hundreds of calls, from Florida
to Maine to Kansas to Alabama to Wyoming and beyond, to pour into our
basement office.