The Digital Beat v.1 no. 8
RADIO FOR THE NEXT MILLENNIUM
Introduction
Radio Today
Diversity
Localism
FCC Proposal
Call To Action
I. INTRODUCTION
A robust democracy is dependent on open and accessible forums for debate, forums in which the widest range of views can be expressed. For much of this century, communities around the nation have depended on radio as a vital venue for discussion, as well as an outlet for local music and community viewpoints.
Even with the potential of the Internet and other new media to become democratizing forces in the Information Age, the cost of equipment and connections can make cyberspace a prohibitively expensive place to enter -- especially for the most disenfranchised Americans. While prices for low-end computers are falling to near $500, monthly Internet access fees are necessary as well and easily cost an additional two hundred dollars per year.
A transistor radio, on the other hand, can be purchased for mere dollars, and requires no additional fees for the consumer."Radio is one of the cheapest forms of communication you can find," said Napoleon Williams, who operated an unlicensed radio station until it was shut down by the Federal Communications Commission. "Homeless people don't have nothin', but they have a radio."[1] Because of its low-cost, radio is one of the most ubiquitous forms of mass media. According to the Radio Advertising Bureau, the average American listens to over three hours of radio a day.
Unfortunately, recent changes in the industry and regulatory environment have resulted in increasing homogenization of the voices and sounds on the radio dial. Commenting on the current climate of consolidation, Robert Unmacht -- editor of a weekly newsletter about radio -- said that while there are still a lot of stations in this country, "in most of the markets, it's two or three people dominating the marketplace." [2]
Many advocate that an answer to the growing corporatization of radio is to allow communities and individuals to operate low-power radio stations that cost much less to build and operate than full-power stations. Radio could become a vital tool for community discourse if people had a greater stake in the
production of programming, say supporters of low-power broadcasting. Cities, churches, individuals, small businesses, and community groups have submitted thousands of letters to the Federal Communications Commission asking for the creation of a new class of radio license, low-power radio, that would end the 21 year ban on microbroadcasting.
II. RADIO TODAY: EFFECTS OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996
When the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed, most discussion focused on its potential ramifications on telephone and television services, but is it perhaps radio that has changed most dramatically since the landmark Act. Over the past few years, unprecedented consolidation has led to the creation of corporate radio giants that are enjoying record advertising revenues, while nearly crushing the diversity and localism that have long been hallmarks of American radio.
Diversity Today, the voices on the radio dial no longer reflect the diversity of voices in the American landscape. The sale of nearly 30 black-owned stations in the years following the 1996 Act resulted in the largest drop in minority-ownership of radio stations since the federal government began tracking in the early 1990s.[3] While almost one-fourth of this nation's inhabitants are non-white, only 1.5 percent of radio outlets are owned by minorities. [4] "In a country that receives such a benefit from having a melting pot...we lose that richness when the media are largely owned by one segment of the population," said Federal Communications Commissioner Susan Ness.
Localism Radio has strayed far from its deep local roots. "A tidal wave of consolidation generated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996's loosening of ownership limits has put most big- and medium-market stations under the control of a handful of huge corporations, which have shown little interest in paying for local newsgathering," writes Marc Fisher in the June 1998 issue of American Journalism Review. Fisher explains that in most of the top 75 markets, it is common for radio stations to use one of two national services that "provide not only traffic and weather reports, but also the newscasts on virtually all the stations in town."[5] Regulatory and technological changes have made it increasingly possible for large radio groups to create hometown reports for dozens of stations simultaneously from a central location hundreds of miles away. "The local angle just gets lost completely," says Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the public interest law firm Media Access Project (MAP).
III. FCC PROPOSAL
On January 28, 1999, the Federal Communications Commission responded to growing concerns about the diminishing number of voices on the air by proposing rules to create three new classes of radio licenses based on the power of the stations ranging from 1-1000 watts. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to create a Low Power Radio Service reads, "In creating these new classes of stations, our goals are to address unmet needs for community-oriented radio broadcasting, foster opportunities for new radio broadcast ownership, and promote additional diversity in radio voices and program services."
The first proposed class would provide licenses for stations operating at 1000 watts with a ranges of more than eight miles, "enabling service to mobile listeners and to people living on farms or ranches in the vicinity of small rural communities." The second class, 50-100 watt stations, would have a signal range of around three miles from the station. These lower power stations could serve more moderate sized communities. Finally, the NPRM also seeks comment on the creation of 1-10 watt "microradio" service -- with a range of one to two miles -- that could serve schools or neighborhoods. This class of license might be particularly useful where 100 watt stations could not be located due to interference concerns or financial constraints. The possible applications for microradio are limitless. Immigrant groups, for example, could broadcast news and cultural programming in their native language. Residents of a public housing project could share information regarding neighborhood services. Schools could broadcast news, live sporting events, and other important information, while providing students with the technical skills to produce shows themselves.
Several organizations have already articulated their support for the creation of low power radio stations to serve their communities. Cities from Saldia (CO) to Gainsville (FL) have passed resolutions in support of low-power radio. According to a New York Times article, the Navajo Nation is looking to a possible new class of radio licenses to help provide essential communications services to their rural population "with broadcasts in the Navajo language tailored to concerns like health (diabetes is a major issue), education and culture."[6]
Established broadcasters, represented in Washington by the powerful National Association of Broadcasters, are vehemently opposing the creation of low-power radio licenses. According to NAB President Eddie Frits, "The proposal will likely cause devastating interference...to broadcasters." Microradio advocates, however, dismiss these concerns as a mere red-hearing introduced by station owners who fear losing audience and advertising dollars to fledgling community broadcasters.
In response to claims that legalization of low-power stations will result in spectrum chaos, mircobroadcasters point out that in countries like Canada, Japan, Argentina, Ireland and Italy -- where low-power is legal -- the airwaves have not succumb to cacophony. Our neighbors to the north, in fact, have long allowed small community radio stations to flourish without peril to the rest of the radio dial. Today, there are over 300 stations that broadcast in over six languages to the indigenous peoples of Northern Canada. Even in populous cities such as Toronto and Quebec, which boast some of the most crowded radio dials in North American, low-power and full-power stations have thrived side-by-side. [7]
IV. CALL TO ACTION
Low-power radio could provide unique opportunities for community-oriented broadcasting and promote greater diversity on the radio spectrum. Additionally, community-based stations could become important forums for debate about local issues. FCC Chairman William Kennard said, "We cannot deny opportunities to those who want to use the airwaves to speak to their communities simply because it might be inconvenient for those who already have these opportunities."
While there is support within the Commission for the creation of a new class of low-power radio stations, the FCC is facing considerable pressure from broadcasters and their friends in Congress to kill the proposed rules. At the request of the NAB, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio, the FCC has extended the period for public comment on the Notice of Proposed Rule Making on low-power radio until August 1st. This is the second time that broadcasters have successfully persuaded the FCC to delay the rulemaking on this issue. It is possible that this process could drag on for years, if broadcasters do not derail it all together.
There are also concern about how licenses will be assigned if there are competing applications. In the last few years, auctions have been the favored method of a budget-conscious Congress. If low-power license are granted though auctions, however, it will drive up start-up costs and could prevent access to the air waves for the very groups the proposal hopes to aid. Community-based, religious, educational and other nonprofit organizations could be barred from low-power radio if they are forced to bid against commercial entities for licenses.
It is essential that individuals who already have access to the airwaves not dominate this debate. The FCC needs to hear from a variety of voices on the issue of low power radio service. Comments to the NPRM (DOCKET MM 99-25) on low power radio may be filed electronically via the FCC Web Site (http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html), or sent to the following address:
Magalie Roman Salas Office of the Secretary Federal Communications Commission The Portals 445 Twelfth Street S.W. Washington, DC 20554
Additional Information about Low-Power Radio is available online at:
FCC http://www.fcc.gov/mmb/prd/lpfm/
Prometheus Radio Project http://prometheus.tao.ca/
Civil Rights Forum http://www.civilrightsforum.org/microradio.htm
National Association of Broadcasters http://www.nab.org
American's For Radio Diversity http://www.radiodiversity.com/index2.html
Radio Four All http://www.radio4all.org/news.html
Notes 1. David Burke, 'I'm still saying, can you hear me?' Decatur Herald & Review.
2. Anthony DeBarros, Consolidation Changes Face of Radio, USA Today, 7 July 1998.
3. Anthony DeBarros, Consolidations Changes Face of Radio, USA Today, 7 July 1998; When Being Number One Is Not Enough: The Impact of Advertising Practices on Minority-Owned & Minority-Formatted Broadcast Stations, a report prepared by the Civil Rights Forum on Communications, Kofi Asiedu Ofori, Principal Investigator, 1993.
4. Dan Schechter, (low)Power to the People, The Nation, 24 May 1999.
5. Marc Fisher, Blackout On The Dial, American Journalism Review, June 1998.
6.Andrea Adelson, Disputed Radio Plan Stirs Hope in Navajo Land, The New York Times, 22 February 1999.
7.Charles Fairchild, FCC and Community Radio, Z Magazine, July 1997.