From Free Press and Common Cause, June 28, 2007

At an official hearing on localism tomorrow in Portland, the Federal Communications Commission will hear public testimony on the benefits of Low Power FM (LPFM) stations.

This hearing follows the introduction of the bipartisan Local Community Radio Act in both the House (H.R. 2802) and Senate (S. 1675) — legislation that could bring hundreds of new LPFM stations to urban and suburban communities across the country.

“In Portland tomorrow, the FCC has an opportunity to stand up for Low Power FM radio,” said Prometheus Radio Project organizer Hannah Sassaman. “The services that community radio stations provide to New England’s towns are a model for what communities need across the entire country. The Commission should do everything in its power to protect and expand low power FM — and should tell Congress, in no uncertain terms, to bring Low Power FM radio opportunities to America’s big cities.”

The Portland event — the first FCC localism hearing since 2004 — is part of a larger set of initiatives “to enhance localism among radio and television broadcasters” put forth by former Chairman Michael Powell in 2003. Previous localism hearings were held in Charlotte, N.C.; San Antonio, Texas; Rapid City, S.D.; and Monterey, Calif.

Uniquely local outlets, LPFM stations are community-based, noncommercial radio stations — run by local churches, high schools and nonprofit organizations — that operate at 100 watts or less, broadcasting within a 3- to 5-mile radius.

“WSCA-LP broadcasts nearly 20 hours per week of locally produced public affairs and news programming — and over 190 hours of locally produced music programs,” said Tim Stone, founder and trustee of WSCA-LP in Portsmouth, N.H., and a panelist at the upcoming FCC hearing. “Having seen first-hand the value of a radio station like WSCA-LP in our community, it is vital that the FCC support changes that will protect LPFMs from encroachment by full power stations, and that the FCC tell Congress to expand LPFM.”

“WJZP-LP has a unique place on the Greater Portland airwaves,” said station owner and operator Dennis Ross, also a panelist at tomorrow’s hearing. “Over the past two years, we have successfully brought together a diverse and multicultural listening audience, and the positive response from our listening community has been overwhelming. WJZP-LP should not be pre-empted by a translator for programming from out of state.”

Since 2000, the FCC has awarded more than 800 LPFM licenses to church groups, schools and civil rights organizations. But Congress limited LPFM stations to rural areas, preventing thousands who submitted applications with the FCC to operate their own stations have been blocked.

“WJZF-LP is a unique resource to Standish, broadcasting all town meetings, student-produced high school programs, local weather alerts, health referrals, sports events and programs devoted entirely to our strong arts and cultural scene,” said Dave Patterson, program manager at WJZF-LP, a low power station from Standish, Maine. “I strongly urge the FCC to protect, nurture and expand Low Power FM on the people’s airwaves.”

The bipartisan Local Community Radio Act introduced in Congress last week would allow cities and suburbs to build LPFM stations as well.

“Stations like WSCA-LP, WJZP-LP and WJZF-LP offer a rare local voice on Portland’s radio dial, where the majority of the local radio stations were bought up by out-of-state companies,” said Yolanda Hippensteele, outreach director of Free Press. “As consolidation continues to push local and diverse media owners off the air, local communities now must depend on Low Power Radio for local news and music. We need to ensure that more cities and towns have access to these important local resources.”

All five FCC Commissioners are expected to attend Thursday’s hearing at Portland High School, which begins at 4 p.m. The event, which is free, will feature an “open microphone” session for the public to offer testimony on a first-come, first-served basis.

“If Mainers lose access to views and news, media moguls may grow richer but our democracy will be poorer,” said Jon Bartholomew, national media and democracy organizer at Common Cause Maine. “America’s democracy works best when citizens have access to a wide diversity of views and plenty of local news. Low Power FM stations are organized by local people to serve their communities in unique ways that commercial broadcasters are unwilling to do.”