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ME Maine: Standish Community Radio will offer noncommercial music once it gets $10,000 for transmitter
ME Maine: Standish Community Radio will offer noncommercial music once it gets $10,000 for transmitter 
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| Maine: Standish Community Radio will offer noncommercial music once it gets $10,000 for transmitter |
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Portland Press Herald (Maine) January 15, 2004 Thursday, Final Edition Correction Appended SECTION: YOUR NEIGHBORS-LAKES; Pg. 3F LENGTH: 1072 words HEADLINE: Radio station needs funds to get on the air; Standish Community Radio will offer noncommercial music once it gets $10,000 for a transmitter. BYLINE: PAUL LIVINGSTONE News Assistant BODY: The first live broadcast of WJZF-LP 97.1 FM radio in Standish is still as much as a year away. And it's been more than four years since a group of community leaders got together and drafted a proposal to the Federal Communications Commission. But after a recent FCC approval for a new low-power, commercial-free radio station, the tough part is over. "Voices that can't be heard in commercial radio can be heard here," said Dave Patterson, a founding member and president of the organization that has been behind the push for the second of the new educational radio stations to go on the air in Maine. The first, WRFR-LP 93.3 FM in Rockland, is already on the air. The Standish Educational Organization Inc. is a small group of community activists who took advantage of a 1999 law that made it possible for educational or religious organizations in rural areas to operate a small radio enterprise. The new 97.1 Community Radio will fill a need that has been lacking in the Standish area, says Patterson. "Regular commercial stations are very limited with what they can do, but because (the new station) is nonprofit and noncommercial, as most low-power FM stations have to be, we can do a lot of different things," he said. Smooth jazz will emanate from the small 53-watt transmitter when it is installed later this year. A variety of bluegrass, blues and local artists will complement the jazz. But music is just half the equation, as Patterson hopes to see the schools and the town heavily involved in the production of radio-worthy material. SAD 6 is guaranteed airtime, he said, to "do as many programs as they need." Remaining programming is still up in the air but will likely include Town Council meetings and programs by local religious organizations. Westbrook's Calvary Chapel, which applied for its own low-power station, will likely be one of the major contributors. The Standish Educational Organization has roots in a local Bahai group. "Bahai will have a program on the station," said Patterson, "but we really didn't want to identify ourselves with religious groups." The FCC specifically targeted community and religious groups as benefactors in the new permitting laws. So many applicants filed for stations in 1999, including All Inclusive Inc. and Voice of Freedom in Portland, that the commission wrote a new law limiting new stations to rural areas. Further complicating matters was a protest by the Maine Association of Broadcasters that the new stations would interfere with existing radio stations by being placed to close to them on the dial. The Standish Educational Organization needed a spot on the dial at least three clicks away from another station. The frequency of 97.1 was remote enough to qualify, and the rural clause was fulfilled. That left a competition among two or three applicants, including Calvary Chapel. Patterson said the Standish organization was left in the best position to build the station, and letters of agreement between the applicants were signed. Calvary Chapel agreed to drop its application, said Patterson, in return for the opportunity to air its own program on WJZF. Finally, four years after Patterson first heard about the opportunity in November 1999, a permit was given to the Standish group. The station has to be on the air by June 2005. The sooner, the better, but first it needs an antenna. "We are already starting our fund-raising campaign," said Patterson. "We estimate we'll need about $10,000 for the transmitter." At 53 watts, the station doesn't compare to the big stations like WCYY and WBLM. The frequency and height of the transmitter - 420 feet above sea level - will give it just enough range to cover Standish and much of the surrounding communities, including Buxton, Hollis and Windham. A Standish resident, Patterson is also the program manager for WJZF. The arrangement is convenient - the station's studio is also in his house. Construction of the studio was already under way when another roadblock caused a delay. A spacing requirement forced the organization to find a new location for the transmitter. It had to be within two kilometers of the studio. Fortunately, the Standish organization, which has four board members, found a willing partner in Arthur Chapman, an optometrist on Northeast Road. He agreed to put the future transmitter on his property, which is 1.8 kilometers away. Like Chapman, the board members of the Standish group are local, and with good reason. Not only do FCC regulations prohibit the board of a licensed educational low-power FM station from having any ownership of commercial radio media, it also requires it to have a physical office or have most of its board members live within 10 miles of the station. Development of the studio and its transmitter was made simpler with recommendations from Saint Joseph's College and the University of Southern Maine, both of which operate radio stations. The station also drew on the engineering experience of consultant Eugene Terwilliger, who has worked in Maine radio stations for years. "Bonny Eagle Television has been involved, too. We'll feed them our programming when they need it, and they'll feed us for people who don't have cable," said Patterson. Patterson, who once worked in programming at WMTW, got his first experience in broadcasting in the early 1970s, running a radio station in the Philippines. He later earned college degrees in journalism and social work, and his work had taken him away from radio until now. "Everybody I've talked to has been really enthusiastic about this station," said Patterson. The Standish organization has spent about $25,000 on the studio and the compact disc library. "Right now we're on a public fund drive," he said. "Because of the status of our group, people can make tax-deductible donations. We plan to mention benefactors on air, a la public radio." The board is also researching grant opportunities. The cost of setting up a transmitter may exceed $10,000, but Patterson said the group is "tapped out on money right now." There are further costs, including $1,200 for licensing and $120 a month for electricity. But Patterson is confident the group can meet those goals. "It's just great to get this far. I thought we were dead a long time ago." News Assistant Paul Livingstone can be contacted at 791-6308 or at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it CORRECTION-DATE: January 21, 2004 CORRECTION: A story last Thursday on Page 3F of the Your Neighbors section for the Lakes Region should have said Standish Citizens Educational Organization Inc. is the organization raising money to buy a transmitter for WJZF-LP 97.1 FM. It was a news assistant's error. Correction published Saturday, January 31, 2004: Clarification: A Jan. 15 story on Page 3F of the Your Neighbors section for the Lakes Region should have said the Calvary Chapel in Westbrook dropped its bid for a radio station because it did not have sufficient funds to proceed. GRAPHIC: Staff photo by John Ewing Dave Patterson, president of the Standish Educational Organization Inc., has set up the studio of the future station in his home. LOAD-DATE: February 1, 2004 |
