[Imc-web] Senate Joins House in Passing the Local Community Radio Act: Thousands of community groups rejoice at new opportunity for locally owned media

[Danielle Chynoweth]

WE WON!  MORE COMMUNITY RADIO! - Danielle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 18th, 2010
Contact: Hannah Sassaman, 267-970-4007
hannahjs at prometheusradio.org
*Senate Joins House in Passing the Local Community Radio Act:
Thousands of community groups rejoice at new opportunity for locally owned
media *

*WASHINGTON, DC* – Today a bill to expand community radio nationwide – the
Local Community Radio Act – passed the U.S. Senate, thanks to the bipartisan
leadership of Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John McCain (R-AZ). This
follows Friday afternoon’s passage of the bill in the House of
Representatives, led by Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Lee Terry
(R-NE). The bill now awaits the President's signature.

These Congressional champions for community radio joined with the thousands
of grassroots advocates and dozens of public interest groups who have fought
for ten years to secure this victory for local media. *In response to
overwhelming grassroots pressure, Congress has given the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) a mandate to license thousands, of new
community stations nationwide. *This bill marks the first major legislative
success for the growing movement for a more democratic media system in the
U.S.

*“A town without a community radio station is like a town without a
library,” said Pete Tridish of the Prometheus Radio Project, the group which
has led the fight to expand community radio for ten years. *“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.”

The Local Community Radio Act will expand the low power FM (LPFM) service
created by the FCC in 2000 – a service the FCC created to address the
shrinking diversity of voices on the radio dial. Over 800 LPFM stations, all
locally owned and non-commercial, are already on the air. The stations are
run by non-profit organizations, local governments, churches, schools, and
emergency responders.

The bill repeals earlier legislation which had been backed by big
broadcasters, including the National Association of Broadcasters. This
legislation, the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act of 2000, limited LPFM
radio to primarily rural areas. The broadcast lobby groups claimed that the
new 100 watt stations could somehow create interference with their own
stations, a claim disproven by a Congressionally-mandated study in 2003.

Congressional leaders worked for years to pass this legislation. As the
clock wound down on the 111th Congress, they worked with the NAB to amend
the bill to enshrine even stronger protections against interference and to
ensure the prioritization of full power FM radio stations over low power
stations.

Though the amendments to the bill will require some further work at the FCC,
low power advocates celebrated the first chance in a decade for groups in
cities, towns, and other communities to take their voices to the FM dial.

“After ten years of effort, a $2.2 million taxpayer-funded study, and new
provisions to address this hypothetical interference, we are finally on our
way to seeing new community radio stations across the U.S. This marks a
beginning, not an end, to our work,” said* Brandy Doyle, Policy Director for
the Prometheus Radio Project.* “For the first time, LPFM community radio has
a chance to grow, and we’re ready to seize that opportunity.”

“All of us at UCC OC Inc. and at Prometheus express our incredible gratitude
to Congressmen Mike Doyle and Lee Terry and Senators Maria Cantwell and John
McCain for the leadership and counsel during this process,” said *Cheryl
Leanza, a board member of the Prometheus Radio Project and a Policy Advisor
to the United Church of Christ, Office of Communication, Inc.* “Without
their work and the work of their committed staff we would not have come this
far. At long last the 160 million Americans who have been deprived of the
opportunity to apply for a local low power radio station will get a chance
to be a part of the American media.”

"I am a leadership organizer from the ranks of the poor working with other
low-wage workers – fighting for human rights in Maryland,” said *Veronica
Dorsey of the United Workers*, a human rights organization in Baltimore.
“Low power FM radio would allow the United Workers to expand the message of
our End Poverty Radio show, which is currently only available on the
internet. End Poverty Radio develops leaders and gives workers a way to tell
their stories and be heard – and a low power FM station would reach a lot of
people who do not have access to the internet. *LPFM is a way for those in
the community who are struggling to survive to hear stories that they can
relate to, and to know that they are not alone in this struggle for human
dignity.* We can’t wait to work to build low power FM in communities like
ours, so we can accomplish these goals."

“Civil rights groups and community organizations have wanted low power FM
radio for years, and now the chance is here,” said *Betty Yu, coordinator of
the Media Action Grassroots Networ*k, a national media justice network with
members in many cities and communities that lost their chance to get low
power FM radio stations. “From Seattle, Oakland, and Albuquerque to
Minneapolis, San Antonio, Kentucky and Philadelphia, thousands of
communities know that having access to our own slice of the dial means a
tool to build our movements for justice. We have won something huge in
Congress, but the fight is not over. Now we need to work at the FCC to make
sure as many licenses as possible can be available in rural communities,
towns and suburbs, and America's cities.”

LPFMs have saved lives in powerful storms when big broadcasts lose power or
can’t serve local communities in the eye of the storm. *WQRZ-LP in Bay St.
Louis, MS received awards from President Bush and other organizations post
Katrina in 2005, when one of the station operators swam across flood waters
with fuel strapped to his back to keep his station on the air.* The station
proved so important that the Emergency Operations Center of Hancock County
set up shop with the LPFM to serve the community after Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita. Bipartisan Senators and House members have expressed support for
the Local Community Radio Act as a vital way to expand emergency service
media across our nation.

“I’m Frank Bluestein from Germantown, Tennessee, one of the several large
suburban cities located just outside of Memphis. We have been fighting for
the past 10 years to persuade Congress to give communities like ours the
opportunity to establish a low power FM radio station. Our city wants to
provide community and civic groups, students of all ages, local artists and
others the power to communicate over their own LPFM channel,” said *Frank
Bluestein, a media teacher and Executive Producer of Germantown Community
Television*.

"Equally important for Germantown, we need a dedicated communication outlet
that will serve the needs of our citizens in the event another tornado rips
through town or if any kind of natural disaster hits,” continued Bluestein.
“In this day and age, emergency management is a must for a city of our size
and LPFM perfectly fits our needs. A low power FM radio station can stay on
the air even if the power goes out. Low power FM saved lives during Katrina
but strangely, the federal government is banning it from this part of
Tennessee. That is not fair or wise. We have the right to be as safe as any
other community in the US.* After 10 years, now is the time! Congress has
passed the Local Community Radio Act, and chances are so much greater that
groups in towns like mine can apply for LPFM licenses. Germantown is ready
to work here and at the FCC to make licenses for communities like ours
possible.*”

Grassroots leaders were key in helping Senators understand that expanding
low power FM was important and urgent. “Our station provides some of the
only local service to Gillette when big storms come through, and it puts
great content on the air. That's why so many in our town think it is such a
vital resource,” said *Pastor Joel Wright of the First Presbyterian Church
of Gillette, WY, licensee of KCOV-LP 95.7 FM* . “Senators Barrasso and Enzi
had concerns about expanding low power FM, but they heard from many Wyoming
folks who want these stations, and dropped those concerns. Communities of
faith and so many others can celebrate that we've jumped this big hurdle to
more license being available in cities, smaller towns, and rural communities
nationwide. I look forward to working with many other pastors and groups to
launch their own wonderful new community voices.”

"The Media Mobilizing Project works with a huge diversity of leaders across
Philadelphia -- from taxi drivers and immigrant communities to students and
low wage workers," said *Desi Burnette of Philadelphia's Media Mobilizing
Project. *"Our leaders have been lucky enough to produce multiple programs
with WPEB-FM, 88.1 – bringing all of these communities together. But WPEB is
a 1-watt station, only covering a few city blocks. Now with the passage of
the Local Community Radio Act, Philadelphia has a much greater chance of
getting at least one 100-watt station of its own. *With low power FM in our
community, poor and working people across this region would have an
incredible tool to learn together, to understand their shared struggles and
conditions, and to work to change them.*"

"Our low power FM radio station has allowed Guatemalan, Haitian, and many
other hard-working immigrant farmworkers to communicate in their native
languages, and to build the power for dignity and respect in the fields of
Southwest Florida," said *the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Gerardo Reyes
Chavez*. "Our radio station, WCIW – Radio Consciencia – has developed
womens' leadership, has allowed us to mobilize rapidly in crises, and has
helped us transform not just our community but the hundreds of communities
inspired by our struggle. *We look forward to helping many other farmworkers
learn how to build their own stations and how to expand justice on the FM
dial.*"

"In the rural areas we serve and all across the country, low power FMs are
poised to celebrate and preserve unique local culture," said *Nick Szuberla
of Appalshop*, a group that uses media to preserve Appalachian culture and
tradition while working to improve quality of life. "More low power FMs mean
that the vibrant, beautiful, and vital voices of America's rural areas and
small towns will shine – and it will mean sustainable local resources in
times of crisis. Low power FM stations can stay on the air in storms and
save thousands of lives. Congress and community radio advocates should be
proud of the resources they've won for American communities."

“Our group of 150 volunteers here at the Chicago Independent Radio Project
(CHIRP) is extremely pleased that the Local Community Radio Act has been
passed by Congress, and will be signed into law by our fellow Chicagoan,
President Obama,” said *Shawn Campbell, a founder of CHIRP*. “For three
years, CHIRP volunteers and supporters have worked diligently toward the
goal of being able to apply for a low power FM broadcast license, and we
look forward to working with our national allies and the FCC to make sure
new stations are licensed in large markets around the country, including
Chicago.”

"For decades, the Esperanza Center has worked in San Antonio and beyond to
bring people together across cultures, and to ensure the civil rights and
economic justice of everyone," said *Graciela Sanchez of the Esperanza
Center for Peace and Justice in San Antonio*. "Whether we are fighting for
the right to publically protest or to save the water systems of our region,
we need to communicate and coordinate to effectively organize. Low power FM
in San Antonio can unite people across cultures and issues to work together
to make this city better for everyone. We celebrate this victory for
everyone and pledge to work with allies to win as many stations as possible
for communities nationwide."

Over 10 years, hundreds of groups of all walks of life struggled to bring
community radio stations to every community possible, and they cannot all be
listed here. We would like to thank the coalition who worked weekly to move
this mountain including: Free Press, United Church of Christ Office of
Communication, Inc, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Media Access
Project, the Future of Music Coalition, the Media and Democracy Coalition,
the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Hispanic
Media Coalition, the Benton Foundation, the Prometheus National Advisory
Committee and Board of Directors.

We thank those who were instrumental in this final push including: Reclaim
the Media, The Media Action Grassroots Network, New America Foundation,
Chicago Independent Radio Project, MoveOn.org, Color of Change, the
Christian Coalition, and the National Association of Evangelicals, and
Spitfire Consulting. Our partners in supporting community media including
the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and the Grassroots Radio
Coalition, and Media Alliance, Pacifica, REC Networks, the Alliance for
Community Media.

We thank those who have helped at key moments throughout these ten years
including: United States Public Interest Research Group, Consumers Union,
the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, the United Methodist Church Office
of Communication, the Indigo Girls, OK Go, Nicole Atkins, the Microradio
List, Amherst Alliance, MIcroradio Implementation Project, Pacifica Radio,
Common Frequency, Christian Community Broadcasters, KYES -TV, National
Lawyers Guild Committee on Democratic Communications, Virginia Center for
the Public Press, every FCC Commissioner since 1999 (except for Harold
Furchgott Roth).

We thank our radio barnraising partners who have time and again shown up to
represent the best of what LPFM can be: WGXC-FM in Hudson, New York with
Free103point9; WMXP-LP in Greenville, South Carolina with the Malcolm X
Grassroots Movement; KPCN-LP in Woodburn, Oregon with Pineros y Campesinos
Unidos del Noroeste; WRFU-LP in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois with Radio Free
Urbana; WXOJ-LP in Northampton, Massachusetts with Valley Free Radio;
WRFN-LP in Pasquo, Tennessee with Radio Free Nashville; WSCA-LP in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire with Portsmouth Community Radio; WCIW-LP in
Immokalee, Florida with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers; KYRS-LP in
Spokane, Washington with Thin Air Community Radio; KOCZ-LP in Opelousas,
Louisiana with the Southern Development Foundation; KRBS-LP in Oroville,
California with the Bird Street Media Project; and our very first radio
barnraising with WRYR-LP in Deale, Maryland with South Arundel Citizens for
Responsible Development.

“We've built community radio stations from coast to coast and around the
country,” said *Hannah Sassaman, a longtime organizer with the Prometheus
Radio Project*. ‘The faith and perseverance of low power FM's legislative
champions and the thousands who pushed the Local Community Radio Act has
paid off in incredible ways. After ten years of struggle, it's stunning to
know that in the next years, the FCC will work to and begin licensing LPFMs
in city neighborhoods, in suburbs and towns, and in rural areas. * It's
humbling to understand that new young people will gain a love of telling
stories at the working end of a microphone or at home listening to their
neighbors. And it's powerful to know that these stations will launch leaders
in every walk of life to change their communities, and this country. We look
forward to launching the next generation of community stations with you.*”

*To learn more about low power FM community radio, visit
http://www.prometheusradio.org<http://prometheusradio.createsend1.com/t/y/l/aeddk/nujjiuhtu/r>
.*

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