As I perused the list of the most recent call sign changes issued by the FCC, I found some interesting tidbits. The call sign for the former Vanderbilt University FM radio station, WRVU, is making a terrestrial radio comeback of sorts (WRVU.org is still used by an online station at Vanderbilt, but the now sold […]
Archive | LPFM
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Radio Survivor’s 2014 Year in Review
Happy 2015! As we start the year, it’s a good time to reflect on the biggest radio stories of 2014 and also to make our predictions for 2015. Over the past few weeks we’ve shared our thoughts on the state of college radio, low power FM (LPFM), radio in academia, and podcasting in 2014, as […]
2014: The Year that College Radio Embraced Low Power FM
As I reflect back on 2014, the big college radio story for me is low power FM (LPFM). By my count, 64 colleges and universities were granted new LPFM construction permits in 2014. This is incredible to see, as it is yet another sign that terrestrial radio is still relevant to young people. In addition […]
LPFM News: A Good Start to 2015
FCC’s Media Bureau got right to work after the New Year’s holiday, granting seventeen more low-power FM construction permits. Eight of these are in the large urban markets of Portland, OR, Tucson, AZ, Saint Paul, MN and Providence, RI. Some of the interesting groups include the Xerocraft hackerspace which was approved for 100.1 FM and […]
2014 – A Pivotal Year for LPFM
As we reflect back on 2014, it was an exceptional year for low power FM (LPFM) radio in the United States. Beginning on January 15, 2014, the FCC began granting construction permits to some of the 2,799 groups who submitted applications in the late 2013 filing window and by the end of January, 2014, more […]
Electron Benders! More Low Power FM applicants to watch for
The Federal Communications Commission has released its settlement window for Low Power FM radio station applicants in the southeastern states (public notice here). Now the Commission will choose among these 281 non-profit contenders deemed eligible for LFPMs in various southern markets. As is my habit, I am surveying the list of groups for the most intriguing […]
Financial Troubles for Antonio Cesar Guel & HCCN
Antonio Cesar Guel and his Hispanic Christian Community Network have become infamous in low-power FM circles for their role in 245 applications for LPFM stations during last fall’s filing window–a full 8% of all 2,799 applications filed. LPFM advocacy groups and other applicants have filed informal objections and petitions to deny with the FCC claiming […]
LPFM News: Involuntary Time Shares & Call Letter Contest in WI
Sixteen new low-power FM construction permits were issued in the last week to an eclectic set of groups, bringing the total to 1545. Amongst the groups approved are the Tulip Tribes of Washington for 102.1 FM in Tulalip, WA and the International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis, MO. There are two voluntary time-shares in major […]
College Radio Watch: Recapping the CBI Conference, New LPFM in Mississippi, and KUCR’s Radio History
In late October I had an amazing time at the College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) conference in Seattle. In addition to attending lots of informative sessions about student broadcasting, I was also on a few panels devoted to college radio history and to the diversity of college radio. (more…)
LPFM Watch: New Community Radio Stations Coming to Chicago, Toledo, Philadelphia, and More
As I compose this post, it’s “stormageddon” in the San Francisco Bay Area. On stormy days like this, I’m incredibly grateful for hyper-local media like low power FM radio stations. We’ve been glued to local TV news to see the trajectory of wind and rain today and I’ve also never heard so many Emergency Alert […]