On a drizzly Columbus Day morning, I arrived at the Day Theater in Portland, Oregon to visit community radio station Portland Radio Project. The welcoming message on the marquee read: “PORTLAND RADIO PROJECT 99,1 A LOCAL BAND EVERY 15 MINUTES,” proudly proclaiming the presence of the low power FM radio station that was housed within. The […]
This past weekend the New York Times published a story on low-power FM community radio, with a particular focus on Washington and Oregon, where there is a unique concentration of stations. In assembling his story correspondent Kirk Johnson visited many stations and talked with a host of broadcasters and advocates, including Radio Survivors Jennifer Waits, […]
The Portland Radio Project is Portland, Oregon’s newest low-power FM station. However, it started as an online station, with no plans for a terrestrial broadcast. On this episode we learn why PRP made this pivot, and the philosophy behind its public service approach to broadcasting. Paul and Eric run down the top radio news stories, […]
I’m afraid we’re starting to sound like a broken record here in LPFM Watch lately, as we wrap up yet another slow week for approvals and LPFM news. The FCC issued another 22 construction permits, bringing the grand total to 1175 new LPFM stations approved. There are some interesting groups getting stations in this lot. […]
A focus on community service is already paying off for a six-month-old online station in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Radio Project, which I profiled back in October, just won two Regional Edward R. Murrow awards presented by The Radio Television Digital News Association. Regional award winners then have a shot at a national award, which […]
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 […]
The public service obligation of radio broadcasters has changed, and not for the better. That reality is what’s driving a group of Oregon volunteers to create the Portland Radio Project, a new locally-oriented online station that starts streaming October 18. The group is running a Kickstarter for $100,000 to build and fund a station that […]
