Copyright 2000 The Washington Post
The Washington
Post
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January 21, 2000, Friday, Final Edition
SECTION: FINANCIAL; Pg. E02
LENGTH: 697 words
HEADLINE:
FCC Approves Low-Power FM Radio; Agency Cites Diversity;
Industry Protests
BYLINE: Frank Ahrens, Washington Post
Staff Writer
BODY:
The Federal
Communications Commission yesterday approved a new kind of radio
station--low-power FM--in a move hailed by neighborhood
activists and blasted by existing radio stations.
The new stations would
vary in strength from one watt to 100 watts, compared with 6,000 watts for the
smallest FM stations now allowed. The largest low-power station would have a
broadcast reach of about three miles; the smallest, several blocks. The FCC will
begin accepting low-power applications in May, and the new stations could hit
the airwaves by late this year.
With bargain-basement equipment, the
stations could cost as little as $ 1,000 to start, say low-power advocates.
Under the regulations, there could be more than a thousand 100-watt stations
across the country. Washington could support three or four 100-watt stations
and, presumably, a handful of smaller-power stations.
Low-power
FM is potentially the biggest change to hit radio since the ascent of
FM in the '60s. Over the past few years, Internet-only radio stations have
blossomed around the globe, but their programming is accessible only to those
who can afford computers. Theoretically, low-power FM
stations--broadcasting news, music and commentary to individual
neighborhoods--could be heard by anybody who can afford a cheap radio.
For more than a year, FCC Chairman William E. Kennard has pushed the
issue, saying the new stations will increase diversity on the airwaves. Existing
broadcasters--led by their trade group, the National Association of
Broadcasters--fought the idea, saying the new stations will cause interference
on an already crowded FM band and hamper the upcoming conversion to digital
broadcast signals.
FCC commissioners voted 4 to 1 for low-power. Kennard
and commissioners Gloria Tristani, Michael Powell and Susan Ness voted in favor,
while commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth voted against.
"This will
empower people to more effectively use the public airwaves to build stronger
communities," Kennard said after the vote. "There has been an outpouring of
support from around the country, from really diverse communities, such as the
Creole-speaking community in South Florida and the Vietnamese community in south
Texas."
NAB President Edward Fritts issued a terse statement in response
to the vote:
"The FCC has turned its back on spectrum integrity. Every
legitimate scientific study validates that additional interference will result
from [low-power FM]. This FCC has chosen advancement of social
engineering over spectrum integrity. It's a sad day for radio listeners."
The NAB will consider pursuing a court order to stop low power and
likely will push a November resolution sponsored by Rep. Michael G. Oxley
(R-Ohio) to prevent the FCC from establishing low-power FM.
The FCC wrote strict rules for low-power ownership: The stations cannot
sell advertising but can seek underwriters, as does public radio. No existing
broadcaster can own a low-power station. During the first two years of low-power
radio, station owners must be headquartered within 10 miles of the station. Also
during this period, there can be no multiple ownership of stations. And
low-power licenses will be nontransferable.
In Mount Pleasant, Amanda
Huron was ecstatic over yesterday's ruling. She teaches radio production to
neighborhood kids and plans to be among the first applicants for a low-power
license, to broadcast to Mount Pleasant, Adams-Morgan and Columbia Heights.
Her group--the Mount Pleasant Broadcasting Club--already has a studio on
Mount Pleasant Street as well as a program lineup for its yet-unnamed radio
station: youth-oriented shows by teens from the Latin American Youth Center and
Martha's Table. Jazz. Hip-hop. Go-go. Live music by local musicians. Live ANC
meetings. Poetry slams. Spanish-language programs from labor unions.
She
has even received her first donation of music: a "huge slew" of CDs from
Dischord Records, the Arlington punk label.
"I was really pleased with
the emphasis that the [FCC] officials kept putting on the importance of
community voices being heard," Huron said. "They've been cut out of mainstream
media."
LOAD-DATE: January 21, 2000
