Perusing through the Federal Communications Commission’s new list of east coast Low Power FM MX Groups, I see some interesting time sharing combinations. Before getting to them, let me translate the previous sentence into more accessible prose. MX groups are identified clusters of Low Power FM radio license applicants vying for the same frequency in some area. When the FCC classifies these applicants as “time share” in the “notes” section of one of its MX charts, it is essentially inviting them to apply for the license in concert with each other.
But if that doesn’t happen, and all the members of the group tie in the FCC’s point system for assigning licenses, then “the Commission will assign involuntary time-sharing arrangements to no more than three of the tied applicants in each MX Group” (all the agonizing details on page six of this document).
Some interesting combinations include . . . .
In the New Haven area of Connecticuit:
| CT | ALMA RADIO INC. |
| CT | ONLINE JOURNALISM PROJECT, INC. |
| CT | PEQUENAS LIGAS HISPANAS DE NEW HAVEN |
In Wilmington, Delaware:
| DE | SANFORD SCHOOL |
| DE | AFRO-AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY |
In one Chicago MX area:
| IL | ROOTS & CULTURE |
| IL | PUBLIC MEDIA INSTITUTE |
Louisville, KY:
| LOUISVILLE | KY | ART FM, INC. |
| LOUISVILLE | KY | SQUALLIS PUPPETEERS INC. |
Flint, Michigan:
| FLINT | MI | FLINT ODYSSEY HOUSE INC. |
| FLINT | MI | GREATER FLINT ARTS COUNCIL |
| FLINT | MI | MICHIGAN SPECIALIZED COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, INC. |
Minneapolis, St. Paul:
| FORT SNELLING | MN | UPPER MISSISSIPPI ACADEMY |
| LAKEVILLE | MN | RIOS DE AGUA VIVA CHURCH OF GOD |
| MINNEAPOLIS | MN | AFRICAN COMMUNITY SENIOR SERVICES |
| ST. PAUL | MN | NEW CULTURE |
Troy, New York:
| TROY | NY | GREEN EDUCATION AND LEGAL FUND, INC. |
| TROY | NY | MEDIA ALLIANCE |
| TROY | NY | OAKWOOD COMMUNITY CENTER, INC. |
| TROY | NY | TAP, INC. |
| TROY | NY | TROY BIKE RESCUE, INC. |
Philadelphia, PA:
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | ACTION UNITED |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | ASIAN AMERICANS UNITED |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | MEDIA MOBILIZING PROJECT |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC ACCESS CORPORATION |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | PHILADELPHIA STUDENT UNION |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | TAXI WORKERS ALLIANCE OF PENNSYLVANIA |
Another Philadelphia, PA area:
| BRYN MAWR | PA | THE INGE DAVIDSON FOUNDATION |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | GERMANTOWN LIFE ENRICHMENT CENTER |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | GERMANTOWN UNITED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | G-TOWN RADIO |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | HISTORIC GERMANTOWN PRESERVED |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | NAACP SOCIAL JUSTICE LAW PROJECT |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | NUEVA ESPERANZA, INC. |
| PHILADELPHIA | PA | SOUTH PHILADELPHIA RAINBOW COMMITTEE |
A West Virginia MX area:
| MT. HOPE | WV | QBSA JAMBOREE RADIO ORG |
| OAK HILL | WV | SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN LABOR SCHOOL |
In most (or perhaps even all) of these instances, the applicants are tied in terms of FCC localism, local studio, and established community presence brownie points. There are other combos on the list. These just caught my subjective interest. Good luck to everyone trying to get a license.
