Foundation Journal

The promise of dozens of new low-power FM (LPFM) community radio stations is coming true. The spirit of many full-power stations like KKFI 90.1 FM is evident in the pronouncements of many of the stations. Ann Arbor (Michigan) Community Radio hopes to start broadcasting by end of 2014 . The station is gearing up "to promote greater on-air diversity as well as support for local voices and independent music on the airwaves of 'Tree Town, USA'". The station is also working to include independent news, cultural and music programming, as well as serve as a "learning outlet for local students interested in pursuing careers in media and broadcasting." Another group in Michigan one hour from Ann Arbor should have their new LPFM station on-air in the Fall of 2014. The new station will serve the area around Addison Community Schools with "educational and occupational" programming, along with broadcasting local sporting events in a 3.5 mile range. Radi...

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...

GRC conference quilt Community radio producers, DJ's, advocates, organizers, engineers, and students came together for the 2011 Grassroots Radio Conference in Kansas City to share the joys and frustrations with producing independent, community-focused media. The vision of an informal national network of Community Radio stations is represented by the conference quilt that stitches together several radio station T-shirts. This vision, which references a dedication to local communities is as strong as ever, but masks the difficulty of maintaining resources and developing new programs. Representatives from stations as disparate as KPFA in San Francisco, KKFI in Kansas City, WORT in Madison, KOPN in Columbia, Missouri, KCSB in Santa Barbara, and many others spoke about the difficulty in attracting community organizations and individuals to produce their own programs. Joy Rushing with KOPN noted the lack of student involvement in the operations and programming of that station desp...