Community Radio

[Mark Timieski]

The question came up at a Lakewood Observer gathering: “Could the Lakewood community start a radio stationâ€Â￾?

I once was involved at the Cleveland State University station (WCSB) and have built and helped people build legal micro power FM transmitters. I volunteered to do some research on the possibilities. While the story is in the latest edition of the Observer, I’m posting here the complete research with “footnotedâ€Â￾ links and a more detailed list of possible options to get us on air, if we do so desire.

The Story….

Q: What one word would you use to describe these two people?

1.) An individual that performs armed robbery in international waters.
2.) Someone that broadcasts news and music to a neighborhood.

A: That one word would be: “Pirateâ€Â￾

In the summer of 1987 Radio New York International (RNI) lead by Alan Weiner protesting the “stale and stagnantâ€Â￾ rock music of New York City, purchased a boat and loaded it with radio transmission equipment. The boat was anchored three and a half miles from the coast, with the contention that the broadcasts were being made from international waters outside the jurisdiction of the FCC. Within four days the FCC boarded the ship, shut down the transmitters and had all on board arrested (including an editor for the Village Voice). Later that summer the charges were dropped.

http://www.11l-rni.com/
http://rni.hankhayes.com/
http://www.reelradio.com/hayes/


The RNI incident combined with a commercial radio system that continued to rapidly grow more homogenous and mundane helped spark a renaissance of pirate radio (or “micro radioâ€Â￾) stations in the 1990’s. New stations sprang up all over the country during this time, giving a voice to groups that would normally go unheard. In Cleveland, a station broadcasting “house musicâ€Â￾ and several Hispanic broadcasters dotted the underground FM landscape.

http://www.freetimes.com/modules.php?op ... le&sid=249
http://www.asklawyer.net/PD%201998-08-30.htm

The FCC eventually shut down the stations, but usually with a compelling community activist vs. inhuman government body story following. Example: in an attempt to shut down a one watt station operated by a blind African American who was broadcasting to tenants in a public housing project, the FCC received a great deal of bad press while the micro broadcasters gained credibility and continued to broadcast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbanna_Kantako

In response to the increasing bad publicity, the FCC created the low power FM (LPFM) license, but barred broadcasters that were operating illegally from applying. Most existing operators disappeared in an attempt to become legitimate. This ended the pirate radio renaissance.

In 2003, the FCC opened a five-day window to accept applications. Most of the new licenses were granted to religious broadcasters in rural locations. There has been no plan by the FCC to accept more applications.

http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/piratejim/lpfm4.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-power_broadcasting

So, IF the FCC ever again accepts applications, could Lakewood (specifically the Lakewood Observer) start a low power station? Broadcasting at even ten watts would reach the entire population of the city if the transmitter was centrally located. From a cursory search, Lakewood would be prohibited from being able to start a station, as the FCC believes that there are no available frequencies in our area.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/lpfm_channel ... 1&detail=1

http://www.lpfm.ws/search/lpfm.php?latd ... ode=search
http://www.lpfm.ws/lp10/

http://www.recnet.com/fcc/99-25-2005-enac.pdf

The FM radio is broken up into 100 channels. To gain a license, a broadcaster must find a string of at least seven channels that are clear. The FCC records currently indicate that they consider only one channel as open in our vicinity (channel 296), a far cry from seven channels in a row. Critics of the LPFM scheme note that there are few populated places in our country that could apply for a LPFM license, leaving low power broadcasters to exist only in places where there are few people to actually hear the broadcast. FM may be a bust for Lakewood, so what are the alternatives?

AM radio.
Currently no low power AM license exists. A movement within the low power broadcast community is attempting to push the FCC to create low power licensing for AM. Lakewood could benefit from this type of license, if the proposal comes to fruition.

http://www.recnet.com/fcc/RM-11287_report.pdf

Internet
The World Wide Web is a growing broadcast method Lakewood could make use of. Lakewood is already home to at least one innovator of the medium.

http://jawboneradio.blogspot.com/


Cooperation with existing stations.
Several radio and television stations in the area sell airtime.

http://tv.backchannelmedia.com/stations/WJW
http://www.radioairtime.com/services.htm


The greater Cleveland area is home to several well-recognized college radio stations that have made a significant commitment to community service, specifically locally produced news and information shows. It may be possible that one of these stations may be willing to broadcast a show dedicated to the local Lakewood community.

http://www.wcsb.org/about.html
http://www.wruw.org/about/

[Mike Deneen]

Given the complexities of licensing and regulation, it appears that an over-the-air station would not be feasible, at least in the near term.

However, podcasting, already being done with Stan's council reports, could be greatly expanded. In time, we could even expand into live audio streams.

I am even learning to make podcasts with my spankin' new computer so that we can beef up our selections.

Here is the question:

What types of material would you like to see?

Here are some rough ideas, feel free to add your own and offer insight criticism on these....

-- a weekly podcast featuring an extended interview with a local community leader. Not just politicians, but also leaders of community groups, schools, whatever

--perhaps a monthly "McLaughlin Group"-type podcast where four or five of our favorite Observers could butt heads over the local issues of the day....no politicians, just regular folks

-- podcasts of council meetings

--when and if live streaming is achieved, perhaps live broadcasts of sports events

These are a few starting ideas. Please, please please offer a critique so that I have some sense of what people want!

Mike