By Clea Simon, Globe Correspondent

August 18, 2005

Pete Tridish believes in giving power to the people. As founder of the Philadelphia-based Prometheus Radio Project, he's been helping community groups license and build their own low-power radio stations since 1998. Most recently, he midwifed the launch of Valley Free Radio, as Northampton's WXOJ (103.3 FM) calls itself.

Tridish's group not only helped WXOJ-LP (for its special ''low power" designation) gain its license, it organized the approximately 300 volunteers who assembled the new station's studios and transmitters during the first weekend in August. This was the group's eighth ''radio barn-raising," Tridish says, and in some ways, these volunteers had it easy. ''At this particular one, the tower was already up," he says. ''The last one, in Nashville, we had to build the tower. We had 100 people tugging on ropes to get the tower into place."

WXOJ's 100-watt broadcasts may only extend an estimated 11 miles from its Northampton base, but its Aug. 7 launch is still a success story. The tiny volunteer-run radio station, licensed by the Media Education Foundation, is a true community outlet.

Shows in Spanish and German alternate with music and issues of interest to the African-American community, all without commercials. (For a complete schedule go to www.valleyfreeradio.org.) Volunteers are still being recruited to help with everything from fund-raising to news writing, which perfectly fits the Prometheus Radio Project mission. (For more information, visit www.prometheusradio.org.)

''Our basic premise is that the airwaves belong to the public," Tridish says. ''They shouldn't be just captured by corporations. It shouldn't be an afterthought to have one or two community radio stations. And the best way for people to counter this is to create alternatives."

The Prometheus Radio Project, explains its founder, came about as an alternative. Tridish had originally been involved in a pirate radio station until the Federal Communications Commission closed it. ''The week they shut it down, they announced they were serious about licensing low-power FM stations," recalls Tridish. ''Prometheus was formed to take the FCC at its word."

To accomplish this, Prometheus's four staff members and 40 or so regular volunteers spend much of their time guiding community groups through the licensing process. ''How to get equipment. How to deal with the FCC," Tridish says. ''We tend to put groups on the air that have an interesting mission."

Prometheus has already helped the Southern Development Foundation build a radio station in Opelousas, La., and recently took a transmitter and other equipment overseas. If all goes well, WXOJ will soon have a sister station in Tanzania.

The community groups make the initial purchases. If they need help putting it all together, Prometheus helps organize the volunteers. ''We have very dedicated volunteers," says Tridish. ''If it's within a 10-hour commute, they'll come out and help us put up a station."

Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.