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

Naptown Rob said:
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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If you read the proceedings, Congress wasn't interested until NAB dropped their opposition, due to some last-minute watering-down that made them happy. If the NAB hadn't been happy, Congress wasn't going to pass it. Period. Congress and the FCC belong to NAB.

And yes, I was aware that NPR opposed the original LPFM back in 2000 as well. I wrote to them to express my dissatisfaction; they didn't even bother acknowledging my letter. Frankly, I listen to NPR, but I don't contribute financially - intentionally. Screw 'em.
 
How about someone in the know telling what legally is involved in setting up one of these stations. Like, for instance....I assume you have to pay something to someone to use copywrited music...how is that collected? Do you pay a yearly fee for a license?

Not that I would be involved in setting one up....I am just curious.:)
 
Dream as we might to have our own LPFM, not going to be possible unless you are a government entity, educational institution, or non profit organization.. .

But I did see Pirate Radio the other night.. how far is it off the coast to international waters? :scratch2:
 
I knew there had to be a catch to this. Seems like some hurdles have to be made to set this up in your home.
 
I put a lot of work into LPFM back in the day. The idea is not "you can have a radio station too!". It's more like "your community can have its own noncommercial radio station(s), free from the influence of NPR let alone Clear Channel, and you can be a part of them!". http://www.prometheusradio.org/
 
Maybe the brands that still sell standalone tuners will be seeing a (slight) uptick in their sales numbers in the future because of this, since built-in tuners in so much modern gear aren't usually very good compared to the vintage stuff i.e. aren't very sensitive and/or can't separate stations right next to each other, especially when one is very strong.

Not too many left though. On Yamaha's page they list two (I think the older one is on its way out though, replaced by a "retro" styled version), Marantz has one on their page, Denon sells some funky multi-tuner/multiroom gizmo; Pioneer has nothing :( (though they still sell cassette decks[!] and CD-only players) which is a disappointment because for decades they had a reputation for great tuners, separates and built-in; and there is Sony's highly respected XDR-F1HD - I've read several reviews that say it's one of the best FM tuners the reviewer has ever tested - which usually only costs around $90 to $100.
 
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