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| Maine: Rockland Radio Ready to Roll: Low power station draws high interest |
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Bangor Daily News (Maine) January 15, 2002 Tuesday, THIRD EDITION SECTION: B; Pg. 3 LENGTH: 635 words HEADLINE: Rockland radio ready to roll; Low-power station draws high interest BYLINE: Tom Groening, Of the NEWS Staff DATELINE: ROCKLAND BODY: When radio is at its best, listeners believe they know the on-air personalities - from Wolfman Jack to Howard Stern - like friends. The success of the new low-power FM radio station licensed to the Penobscot School will come from the fact that listeners probably do know the on-air staff as friends and neighbors. WRFR held an open house during the weekend in anticipation of beginning broadcasting on Valentine's Day. The station will be run entirely by volunteers. Last June, the nonprofit language learning center on Gay Street was granted a Federal Communications Commission license for a station, one of just 25 issued in the nation. Congress passed a law creating the new licenses - meant for nonprofit groups - but issued far fewer than originally proposed after being pressured by lobbyists for commercial and public radio. Officials with the established radio stations said they feared the low-level signals would interfere with reception. Joe Steinberger, a local lawyer and one of the founders of the Penobscot School, prepared the application for the license. Since it was granted, several others have gotten onboard to help launch the station. Since June, the volunteers have worked to convert a small garage on the school's property into a carpeted and fully equipped studio. Outside, the station's antenna is mounted on a larger-than-normal utility pole. Steinberger said a test broadcast on New Year's Eve found that the station could be received as far away as Camden, Union and Tenants Harbor, though the core reception will be in Rockland, Owls Head and Thomaston. The 100-watt signal, broadcast at 93.3 FM, is meant to serve Rockland. "We'll be on 24 hours a day," Steinberger said Saturday. "You can say I raised my eyebrow as I said that," he added, laughing. Slots for programs are filling up, but the schedule is still being formed. "The goal for the station is to be diversified," Steinberger said. He and Steve Carroll will be hosts of a show from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays, covering a range of topics and taking calls from residents. Steinberger has stressed that while a variety of music and topics is planned for shows throughout the broadcast day, he hopes the Rockland community - and the issues its residents are interested in - will be central at the station. Barry Pretzel, another Rockland lawyer who is involved in launching the station, worked for 17 years in commercial radio. "The business has changed so that local broadcasting is almost a thing of the past," Pretzel said Saturday. Increasingly, radio stations import programming from satellite feeds originating in other states, which he believes has made for "bland, homogenized" radio. Pretzel plans to host a regular discussion program on one of his hobbies, brewing beer. "I'm a home brewer and a beer enthusiast," he said. While commercials cannot be aired on the station, organizers are exploring getting businesses to underwrite certain programs, Pretzel said. Other discussion shows planned will cover such topics as fishing, while music programs will feature country and bluegrass, and one slot is being set aside for live rock music played by local young musicians. Call-in programs will make up a significant part of the fare, Pretzel said. On Saturday, the musical group Country Grass performed in the large room at the studio as part of the open house. The performance was recorded for broadcast after the station goes on the air. The band members, Everard Dodge, Roseanna Rogers, Bob Coombs and Otto Proctor, are local. Dodge and Rogers each will have shows on WRFR. Dodge plans to play the music of Maine country artists on his show, while Rogers will offer helpful hints and recipes. More information about the school and the station is available at www.languagelearning.org. LOAD-DATE: January 15, 2002 |
