The United Kingdom’s broadcast regulator, Ofcom, just put out an invitation to apply for community radio licenses in West and East Midlands. These are official regions situated (as you might guess) right in the middle of England. What caught my eye, however, is this codicil in the announcement; “Applicants should note that there are currently […]
Archive | Community Radio
College Radio Survivor: Archiving College Radio History, Upcoming Events, and LPFM Update
Right now I’m dwelling on college radio’s past, as I prepare my presentation for University of Maryland’s “Saving College Radio” Symposium in two weeks. In connection with an exhibit about the history of student radio station WMUC, this symposium will focus on the importance of (and challenges inherent in) archiving college radio’s history. I’ve become […]
LPFM Watch: Over 1100 Applications Granted so Far, including More than 40 for College Radio Stations
This week the total number of granted LPFM applications crossed 1100. LPFMs-to-be are already fundraising and making plans for their new stations. For example, in Portland, Oregon, Q Center’s station Wild Planet Radio, purportedly the “the world’s first nonprofit LGBTQ radio station,” is gearing up to get on the air, sharing a frequency with The […]
Ousted Executive Director Summer Reese Occupies Pacifica Offices
Summer Reese, along with her mother and supporters, has been occupying the Pacifica Foundation’s offices in Berkeley, CA for almost ten days. Recall that Reese was abruptly fired from her position as Executive Director by the Pacifica National Board two weeks ago, without any public statements justifying the action. She and many others contest the […]
College Radio Survivor: Radio Revived at WRAM, More Award Opportunities & Other News
This week, there were some interesting developments on the college radio front. The FCC finally closed the books on the contested future of the former Vanderbilt University FM radio station WRVU. Despite protests by supporters of the FM station, the license was assigned to Nashville Public Radio this week. For nearly three years, the station […]
LPFM Watch: Why 420 Apps Were Dismissed, and More News
The flow of new low-power FM construction permits is slowing to a trickle as the FCC gets towards the end of the singleton applications. Many of the 19 stations authorized in the last week require a 2nd adjacent waiver in order to be spaced a little closer to existing stations. Commensurately, a fair number of […]
XRAY.FM Brings Ultra-Low-Power Community Radio to Portland
A new very low-power FM station hit the Portland, Oregon airwaves this week. XRAY.FM is a new community station that took over the license for Reed College’s legacy class D station at 91.1 FM in 2012 with the help of Common Frequency. The station mounted a very successful Kickstarter in January. Starting with a goal […]
Can the same call letters be used by different stations?
John Bruce (jonthebru) at our discussion forum site asks: “Can call letters be used by other stations?” “We are contemplating a change in call letters associated with a change in direction for a non commercial station. (Sorry, I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag so I can’t share details at this […]
Pacifica Board Fires Exec Dir Summer Reese; Is This a War with no Winner?
Last Thursday the national board of the Pacifica Foundation fired Executive Director Summer Reese, who was hired for the position in November after serving on an interim basis for more than a year. The how and why of Reese’s ouster are unclear. According to the New York Times article that broke the story, board members […]
LPFM Watch: FCC Rescinds 12 Application Grants and Other LPFM News
There was more action on LPFM applications this week (especially compared with last week), with more than 30 granted since March 6, bringing the total count to 1078 construction permits granted this year for new LPFM stations. A few applications were also dismissed this week, including those for the Global Service Center for Quitting Chinese […]