Foundation Journal

REC Networks in partnership with Prometheus Radio Project and Common Frequency have advocated for and guided applications for new Low-Power FM (LPFM) stations. LPFM is not new, having helped college and university radio stations for decades, like KCSW-LP on the campus of Culver-Stockton College in northeast Missouri, KDMC (RAGE 103.7) at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, KHBL in Hannibal, and student-run  KZLX on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville. Now that the FCC application filing deadline has passed, people can look forward to new radio stations from the several thousand applications filed, including 52 applications in Missouri and 35 in Kansas . Communities through the two-state area can look forward to the broadcast medium coming, including the following organizations. One of the most remarkable application was by the Mutual Musicians Foundation in Kansas City. Prometheus helped them with their application. Th...

Prometheus Radio Project, the leading advocate and organizer for community-based low-power FM radio stations, echoed the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announcement that the deadline for applications has been extended until November 14. The Local Community Radio Act of 2010 promises to enable hundreds of community organizations to start FM radio stations with a short broadcasting range. Organizers at the Prometheus Radio Project have  assisted 1000 groups with the application process , including groups focused on "environmental protection, veterans' issues, serving immigrant and diaspora communities, healthcare access, and cultural preservation."

Since serving on the KKFI board of directors for three-plus years I've witnessed a range of activities which indicate the station is moving in a positive and stable direction, but KKFI faces some serious challenges to remain relevant and grow, while staying true to it's mission. For those of you with your ear tuned to the community radio world all is not calm in the world of community radio -- WBAI, one of five Pacifica Radio Network stations, laid off 19 of 29 employees last month as a step to fix it's $3 million debt; WPFW, the Washington DC-based Pacifica station, has seen a large drop in listeners and has been working to correct "six-figure deficits;" KBOO in Portland is in the middle of a nasty public dispute ; and Pacifica announced recently that Free Speech Radio News may be shutting operations due to a financial crisis at the radio network. In the public radio sphere National Public Radio announced last week that it is seeking to reduce it's ...