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| North carolina: Coming Soon: Low Power FM |
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Morning Star (Wilmington, NC) March 23, 2000, Thursday SECTION: Local/State; Pg. 1B, 4B LENGTH: 842 words HEADLINE: EVERYONE WANTS IN ON THE ACT; Coming soon - low-power FM? BYLINE: CORY REISS, Staff Writer BODY: Stickers plaster walls at WLOZ, and electric guitars buzz outside a cluttered booth where Eddie Dunn has just cued up an edgy rock song at the UNCW student radio station. In a nearby room lined with hundreds of records, station manager John Bundy, 20, flips through labels looking for a favorite on vinyl and declares: "This is what I do. This has been my whole college experience." A powerful statement, one that many parents might not appreciate. And quite an endorsement of a radio station running on a quarter-watt of juice that can't reach much past the campus edge before fizzling. This isn't pirate radio - it's not strong enough to be illegal under the FCC's 1-watt limit. Fans have to stay pretty close to school to listen. Mr. Bundy's eyes light up at the mention of low-power FM, a new kind of license the Federal Communications Commission approved in January. One of those new licenses would give WLOZ 100 watts. "The voice of college radio needs to be heard," Mr. Bundy said Wednesday. Legislation to kill the FCC's -power scheme is before Congress, with hearings in a House subcommittee set to begin today. But if the plan survives, local airwaves could become denser in the near future. WLOZ is one of many organizations that hope to take advantage of the FCC's new license classifications, which are intended to diversify FM with local content. Among those interested are minority groups, churches and schools, which see an opportunity to broadcast their varied messages unfiltered. "I've seen local radio disappear over the last few years, and I'm kind of excited," said Chuck Langley, a communication consultant and manager of two Wilmington Christian stations on AM and FM channels. Trying to drum up interest, and possible consulting work, Mr. Langley has spoken with groups across the state who might be interested. He envisions beach towns and governments starting stations to broadcast public information, and minority organizations providing cultural programming that otherwise wouldn't get much play. Building such a station from the ground up would cost about $ 72,000, he said. "That's a good opportunity to help the community," said Fernando Trulin, a board member of the Wilmington chapter of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of North Carolina. "It would be a relief from the regular radio stations that are not able to communicate everything we want." He said his organization is working with several other Hispanic groups. The new FM stations must be noncommercial and have some educational components. The FCC has devised rules for spacing them - on the dial and geographically - so their signals won't interfere with existing commercial stations. There are at least 14 FM stations broadcasting in Wilmington, including WHQR public radio. Mr. Langley believes five low-power FM stations could squeeze into the city, not including slots that would open in surrounding communities, such as the beaches. Commercial broadcasters, joined by public broadcasting stations, say the new stations will cause interference with their signals despite the FCC's strategy to separate them. "It just was not the way to address this diversity issue because it eliminates the integrity of the spectrum," said Chuck Sullivan, president and general manager of Ocean Broadcasting in Wilmington. The company operates WRQR, known as Rock 104.5, and WLGX, Smooth Jazz 106.7. Existing broadcasters argue there is space on the AM spectrum and that defunct stations could be used instead of jamming the airwaves. But FM is more popular with listeners and can have a cleaner sound than AM, Mr. Langley said. A bill before Congress will be debated today in a House commerce subcommittee. The bill would override the FCC rules and revoke any -power FM licenses issued. But with the FCC application dates to be announced Monday, hopefuls can't afford to wait for the congressional fight. Mr. Langley is holding a workshop at 9 a.m. April 4 at the New Hanover County Public Library, for organizations wanting to plan their applications. He would like to help coordinate the effort so people don't compete for the same frequencies and antenna locations. Meanwhile, county government has caught wind of the possibilities. New Hanover County Manager Allen O'Neal said he had a brief "wouldn't-that-be-neat" discussion with Board of Commissioners Chairman Bill Caster. "There are all kinds of possibilities for local government," he said. "It shouldn't be used as a forum for politics, but it is appropriate for it to be used as a forum for information about local government." Mr. Bundy, at WLOZ, agrees with those who argue the educational value of low-power radio stations. After all, his two years at the station have led him toward a career in the record industry. If low-power FM survives its challenges and WLOZ nets a license, the station could reach a 3.5-mile radius. "Low-power FM would be a blessing for us," Mr. Bundy said. "It's important for a college town to have college radio." GRAPHIC: Staff photo / NICOLE CAPPELLO. Eddie Dunn, a disc jockey at UNCW's WLOZ, works on his show Wednesday. The FCC approved a license in January that would give low-power FM radio stations a chance to be heard by more people. LOAD-DATE: March 23, 2000 |
