Community radio: Low power, small range, big goals; Local low-power stations take advantage of an FCC rule change allowing commercial-free radio.

BYLINE: JUSTIN ELLIS Staff Writer

Portland Press Herald (Maine)

November 15, 2004 Monday, Final Edition

Call it Radio Free Maine.

In contrast to the around-the-clock "super hits" and "straight talk" of the larger FM radio stations in the state, some Maine entrepreneurs are staking a claim in small-market radio.

Three low-power FM stations are trying to make a home for themselves in a largely corporate radio landscape by offering material that feels genuinely local.

But you might have trouble dialing in these stations around the state. Under FCC rules, they must play very close to home - 3 1/2 miles, in fact.

"We want to give the community something to be proud of," said Dennis Ross, one of several people responsible for WJZP-LP 105.1 FM, a station that is just short of being another option on the radio dial in Portland.

WJZP would be a home for bilingual shows, public affairs programs and jazz music from around the globe. The group has its transmitter, an antenna and a license. All it needs now is a studio. Ross says the group, All Inclusive Inc., is looking for grants and other donations to help with the start-up cost.

"We thought the community deserved better than a basement operation," he said.

The word "community" is used a lot in low-power radio, a concept that has expanded since a rule change in 2000. The rule allowed for the creation of commercial-free radio stations that have educational or public service appeal to a local audience.

After the rule went into effect, it is estimated that more than 700 groups applied for low-power licenses across the country, with at least 12 in Maine.

But the rule met resistance from larger broadcasters, who feared that an onslaught of local stations would interfere with their signals. In 2001, the FCC imposed an order that said low-power stations must be at least three channel numbers away from larger stations. At the time, some questioned whether the move would shrink the allowable number of low-power stations.

Rebecca Fisher, an FCC spokeswoman, says the radio spectrum is pretty crowded now, but the commission is overseeing work to free up space for more uses.

Under the rule, low-power stations must be on-air at least 12 hours a day, and all material must be created within 10 miles of the station.

In Standish, the station for WJZF-LP 97.1 FM happens to be in Dave Patterson's house. Patterson is president of the Standish Educational Organization, the group that was one of the few to receive a low-power license in 2000.

In what was once a master bedroom now sit several computers for automated broadcasts, five CD recorders, two CD players, a reel-to-reel machine and an on-air production console.

In just a few weeks, WJZF will be up and running, playing smooth jazz along with blues and old radio programs from the '40s and '50s on the weekends. Patterson says WJZF will offer highlights from Town Council meetings, a show produced by students at Bonny Eagle High School, and a program by the Schoolhouse Arts Center.

"We're only limited to the creativity of the people around us," he said.

It's taken lots of hours and even more donations to get this far, Patterson said. He estimates the transmitting equipment alone has cost around $23,000 since the beginning of the year.

Patterson has worked in commercial radio as well as the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service and says the mainstream can't offer much to a local audience.

In February 2002, WRFR-LP 93.3 FM was Maine's first low-power station on the air. Located in a former garage in Rockland, the station now serves a small number of coastal towns, including Rockport, Camden and Thomaston.

Station manager Joe Steinberger says local support for the station started to snowball from the beginning, with people donating time, energy and money to get on the air. Now the station has expanded its space and has around 60 people who give their time on the air or behind the scenes each week.

He says community radio has the advantage of being able to give news and information tailored for an immediate audience instead of a broad, state or nationwide listenership.

Steinberger says low-power radio is a place that offers a forum for tastes and ideas that can be found only around town.

"With particular radio stations you know that you'll get a certain kind of music, a certain type of sound. You don't get that from WRFR," Steinberger said. "One moment it could be Gregorian chant and another moment it could be hip-hop."

Staff Writer Justin Ellis can be contacted at 791-6380 or at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .