About Low-power Radio
Introduction to Low-power Radio
In 2000, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) introduced a low-power radio license, prompting a surge of promise and interest in more localized media initiatives. These new stations promised to be more community centered as they could only broadcast between at 10 and 100 watts of power, a signal that can travel up to 20 miles.
Over the last five years, communities have come together to create a new kind of radio station—one that represents the tastes and views of the local community and provides an outlet for community members to have a mass media voice in community matters. The creation of legal channels for low-power radio to exist has been portrayed as a ‘win for the little people.'
Early reports about low-power radio discussed the antagonism these newer stations had to face from larger, corporate stations in regard to interference issues. Organizations like National Public Radio, National Religious Broadcasters, and National Association of Broadcasters, fearful of interference with existing stations, resisted the addition of these new stations and successfully lobbied for restrictions on where low-power stations could exist.
After substantial research on the interference issue, Congress is thinking of lifting restrictions and allowing the expansion of LPFM into new areas. This policy development represents a chance for expanding the number of low-power stations offering access to local, community driven media in more communities in the US. It also represents a potential strengthening and further establishment of the field of low-power radio broadcasting.
History of Low-power Radio
When articles are written about low-power radio, its history generally begins in 2000 when the FCC created the legal licenses. But, low-power history began as crusade for community members to find a more effective way to speak to their communities. Illegal stations broadcast to their local communities despite harassment by government officials during the late 80s and well through the 1990s.
While being inundated with FCC closure notices and sometimes the confiscation of all radio equipment, producers such as Mbanna Kantako of Human Rights Radio (formerly Black Liberation Radio) continued to feel that radio was the best option for communicating with (in his case) a mostly illiterate and low-income audience who needed information about their rights as public housing residents. Kantako's station was repeatedly shut down for broadcasting to its audience at less than 1 watt of power.
The use of media airwaves for community organizing, even at the expense of lawsuits and fines, is what makes the story of low-power radio so enticing. The low-power license that is now in existence allows community organizations to do what they would have been prosecuted for a short while ago. Recently, low-power stations have been distancing themselves from their pirate past and recognizing the complexities of working within a system of nonprofit community and media organizations as well as the media policy environment.