Category Archives: radio

Local Community Radio

Hannah Sassaman at the Prometheus Radio Project sent this email out and asked that it be forwarded widely. I’ve tidied up the links to post it, so any that are messed up are my fault, not hers. Now you can escape the heat this weekend and learn all about community radio (and maybe take some action while you’re at it).

Dear Supporters of [tag]Community Radio[/tag]:

Greetings from the [tag]Prometheus Radio Project[/tag]! It’s a big week for Senate Bill 1675 and House Bill 2802, the Local Community Radio Act of 2007,
and the fight to expand [tag]low power FM radio[/tag]! Many of you have called or met with your legislators, or are getting ready to do so, and to ask them to cosponsor a bill to bring community radio to the whole USA. Because of the noise we are making around the country – demanding new, local, low power FM radio station licenses in our cities and smaller communities – important media sources are covering the issue, and spreading the word that the time is now to expand low power FM.

[tag]Bill Moyers[/tag], who has covered the impact of media consolidation and a lack of accountable local voices on American communities for years, is broadcasting a special on low power FM and media tonight, August 24th!

Stay tuned for news and analysis from the FCC, from journalist [tag]Rick Karr[/tag], and from your allies here at the Prometheus Radio Project. Watch a summary of the special on media issues here – and watch a clip of the LPFM segment here – and forward to your friends, so they can become as passionate as you are about low power FM radio, and work with you to get your legislators to cosponsor the Local Community Radio Act of 2007.

Not only is low power FM radio taking to national TV – but also – the paper of record of middle Tennessee – the Tennessean –
has just written a huge editorial about low power FM
– asking Tennessee Congressmembers to work to expand it!

“Now is the time to act,” say the editors of the Tennessean. They continue, “Since the airwaves belong to the public, it follows that the airwaves should reflect all aspects of the public. This bill would go a long way toward that goal, and deserves full support.”

This article was paired with other great editorials from Free Press, and from strong low power FM leaders, WRFN-LP, Pasquo, Tennessee!

We have to take advantage of this momentum. Write your Congressmember now to tell them how important low power FM radio is to you — and tell them to cosponsor House Bill 2802 — the Local Community Radio Act of 2007 — which would expand low power FM all across Tennessee and beyond!

You can read [House Bill 2802] here.

Our friends at Consumers’ Union have set up a great webtool that can help you write a letter today.

Or write a letter or make a call through our allies at Free Press.

Get background on low power FM at The Prometheus Radio Project.

Thanks for calling your Congressmembers, and sending this note far and wide! Stay tuned for more updates on this battle in the next weeks — as we work together to expand low power FM to communities nationwide!

Hannah Sassaman
Prometheus Radio Project

P.P.S. Read the articles that appeared in today’s Tennessean in support
of [tag]LPFM[/tag]:

Editorial: Legislation would restore radio’s community presence

Ginny Welsch: Local issues shouldn’t be shut out in process

Joseph Torres: Congress should help unique local stations

Sorry this probably isn’t being posted in time for you to catch Bill Moyers, I’ve got the flu or the plague or something and am not really playing with a full deck right now.

happy 25th birthday, c-span!

Have you ever been watching a re-reun of a hearing on C-SPAN at midnight and realized Ruth Marcus could just as easily be talking about you in “Confessions of a C-SPAN Junkie”?

At least we’re not alone. Marcus sums up:

And there is an audience for all this information, not all of whom are the — how to put this politely? — dedicated types up at the crack of dawn in California to catch every minute of “Washington Journal.” A new Pew Research Center survey found that 12 percent of Americans described themselves as regular C-SPAN viewers; 31 percent said they watched occasionally. Those numbers are probably high — and in any event, C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb grilling a guest in his deadpan staccato style is never going to draw as many viewers as Donald Trump summarily firing people. But for some of us C-SPAN junkies, there’s no contest. And anyway, Brian, you have better hair.

So happy 25th C-SPAN, and many happy returns!