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Low power FM stations may soon be showing up in your neighborhood

RadShak1251

RadShak1251

Super Member
Local Community Radio Act passed by both House and Senate

Excerpt......
The group's Pete Tridish said, "A town without a community radio station is like a town without a library. Many a small town dreamer -- starting with a few friends and bake sale cash -- has successfully launched a low-power station, and built these tiny channels into vibrant town institutions that spotlight school board elections, breathe life into the local music scene, allow people to communicate in their native languages, and give youth an outlet to speak."
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From what I've read, low power FM (LPFM) stations are allowed at most 100 watts transmitting power, which means there is only enough for a 3 to 5 mile broadcasting range, but that still means a lot of people can benefit from them.
 
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I always thought it would be cool to own a radio station and play the music that wasn't just the hits, you know deep album cuts.
 
I always wanted to bring a hi-fi radio station back. A good analog station playing LPs without compression or anything like that.
That would be great :)
 
An excellent and very well-liked low-power AM station in Stayton Oregon was shut down last year by the FCC in a case of apparently over-zealous enforcement. Has there been any improvement in the legal landscape for AM?
 
wow....power to the people, right on!
When asked what I would do if my number hit, I'd say run a free format radio station. Turning people on to music they have never heard, or rarely hear, would be a dream job.
I wouldn't want to DJ as much as oversee what goes on.
 
"The FCC created the low-power FM service in 2000, and there are several hundred LPFMs now on the air, all noncommercial."
I was actually a (free) consultant on the original lobbying for LPFM.
You're welcome. And thank the Clinton administration too. It was their initiative.
 
How bout if your broadcasting on a local stations freq. If they license freq. it could get crowded. But one watt shouldn't be a problem for us listeners unless their fairly close, right?
Getting the right freq. seems like the way to go in your local area.
 
It reminds me that episode of Malcom In the Middle when Hal found his old mixing board from his pirate radio days and started broadcasting again.
 
100 watts is plenty for more then 3-5 miles I can pickup a 135 watt station in Dallas Oregon which is approx 35 miles away and at night I can pickup the Corben College station which is only 10 watts that is on the other side of a hill and 12 miles away.

Unless something has changed individuals can't have one of these stations it must be some sort of community organization. the one in Dallas is actually connected to the local Firedept. others to schools or churches.

Join your local Elks club and get them to set you up LOL
 
I regularly listen to WKUF-LPFM. Associated with Kettering University. They actual broadcast in Stereo now, when they started, it was mono and one of their stations ID's they uses to say "Sounds just as good with one speaker". It a fun station to listen to with volunteer DJ's. Much of the time it's an automated music mix.
 
Mark W. said:
100 watts is plenty for more then 3-5 miles I can pickup a 135 watt station in Dallas Oregon which is approx 35 miles away and at night I can pickup the Corben College station which is only 10 watts that is on the other side of a hill and 12 miles away.

Unless something has changed individuals can't have one of these stations it must be some sort of community organization. the one in Dallas is actually connected to the local Firedept. others to schools or churches.

Join your local Elks club and get them to set you up LOL
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You're pretty much right. The idea is not for Joe Schmoe to have a narcisistic little venue to play his favorite records, but rather an outlet for community oriented programming - something that's been lost in the Clear Channeling of the airwaves. With DJ's literally mailing in their voice tracks from across the country, in many areas we've seen an almost total loss of localism.
How far 100 watts will reach depends on a number of factors including tower height & topography, and who is on the same & adjacent frequencies. 10 or 15 miles as the crow flies is not unusual.
Is it cheaper to do an online station? Yes. You don't need a transmitter....
 
Naptown Rob said:
Is it cheaper to do an online station? Yes. You don't need a transmitter....
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A) Not local.
B) Excludes those who don't have internet access (more than some think).
C) Can't listen in car unless you're a bit on the wealthy side.

Commercial OTA broadcasting is dying, which is most likely why the NAB is willing to let their pet dog, the FCC, license low-power transmitters. Fine; time for the broadcast space to be taken back by the people.

Also...

It is of course possible to triangulate on a signal and find a broadcast antenna. It is much easier to find an IP address. If you got something to say and you don't want to be stopped from saying it...
 
Wigwam Jones said:
A) Not local.
B) Excludes those who don't have internet access (more than some think).
C) Can't listen in car unless you're a bit on the wealthy side.

Commercial OTA broadcasting is dying, which is most likely why the NAB is willing to let their pet dog, the FCC, license low-power transmitters. Fine; time for the broadcast space to be taken back by the people.
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I agree with the first part, but not really the second. As Frank Zappa said, "Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny". Same deal with terrestrial radio.
NAB willingness really has nothing to do with this. In fact, I delighted in the fact that we were working against them. I've been a "B" for nearly 30 years, but I've never liked the "NA". In another sign of independence from the NAB we have the FCC's recent Net Nuetrality ruling. And by the way, NPR strongly opposed LPFM too!
 
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Wigwam Jones said:
Commercial OTA broadcasting is dying, which is most likely why the NAB is willing to let their pet dog, the FCC, license low-power transmitters. Fine; time for the broadcast space to be taken back by the people.
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Yeah, this has been years in the process...although I remember the original petition had a 10-watt class in there as well, like the old Class D FM stations :)
 
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