Brought to you by the good folks at WSLR-LPFM and the Prometheus Radio Project

Arlene Sweeting, David Beaton, Prometheus Antioch Intern Caroline Nappo, and Pete Tridish Illustrated by Matt Dakan Design/Layout: Bruce Haag

SECTION I: Introduction to Governance

There are 5 critical functions at every radio station: programming, development (fundraising and marketing), operations (technical aspects), business/administration (budgets, government compliance, personnel) and governance. Governance can be defined as the structures, traditions and processes that determine how power is exercised, how decisions are made and how the public interfaces with the organization. It is through its governance structure that a public radio station is held accountable for the programming it presents and the dollars it collects and spends.

You need to have a clear organizational structure from the beginning, so people understand how decisions are being made, and do not start to freak out about a perceived lack of democracy. Community stations may operate with no paid staff and only volunteers, or with all paid staff and no volunteers or somewhere in between. The station can be organized hierarchically or based on a more cooperative model.

One thing to remember when considering how to structure your station is that an organization functions best when its governance aligns with its vision. The place to start is not with governance, but with your vision/mission statement. Define the vision and then you can start exploring what models of governance will support it. Spend time with your leadership team building a clear mission statement for your station and a set of core values by which to operate. Then put these principles into practice when you organize your station.

The Station Resource Group (SRG) conducted an on-line survey, from December 2002 through January 2003, to gain a better understanding of how public radio leaders view the role and effectiveness of governance at their stations. SRG is an alliance of 45 public radio broadcasters. SRG members operate some 168 stations and produce the majority of public radio's national programming. The attributes ranked most important by survey respondents focus on activities that are internal and real-time – decisions on budget and programming, general manager interactions with the governing body, mission statements. The attributes considered less important are external and long term – strategic planning, board fundamentals, connecting to the community. The SRG points out that until stations have high performance on all the attributes, they are not fully using their governance structure as a tool to meaningfully advance public service. You can see the complete results of this survey at http://www.srg.org/governance/ Metrics/03metricsreport.html.

The bottom line is - governance matters. Effective governance allows LPFM and other public radio stations to build stronger community connections, increase their value as community institutions, tap into new funding sources and concentrate on public service. So let’s take a look at different ways to structure your station.

SECTION II: Creating a Station Structure

Creating a community-based low-power radio station takes more than engineering expertise, it takes grassroots and political organizing, the ability to work with different types of people, fundraising savvy, and a sensible organizational structure. A functional, supportive governing body that understands its role is critical to a community radio station’s success

For most LPFMs the Board will initially consist of the people who do the work of getting the station on the air – raising the funds, buying the equipment, and building the station. The majority of Board members should live within the broadcast area of the station. If you have staff, the Board is responsible for long-term planning and policy decisions. However, if you are functioning solely with volunteers, your Board, or whatever governance structure is in place, will have to be more hands-on and play a role in organizing the work that needs to be done and making dayto- day decisions for the station.

Other Committees

You may have a number of individuals working on fundraising/events, outreach/community support, news and public affairs, technical and programming issues. Formalizing these groups into committees that meet and take minutes will be helpful in keeping on task and knowing the history of why certain decisions were made. At least one member of the Board should be on each working committee, and serve as the coordinator/facilitator for that group. Other committees that you might consider are: congressional action (that is, making sure Congress does not kill low power FM), and a youth committee.

An Advisory Committee

Having an advisory committee is a concrete way to involve people whose support you want, but who do not necessarily have the time to work with you on a regular basis. These people literally act as advisors, on technical, legal and programmatic issues. They can provide objective feedback on how well you are meeting your mission statement. Again, people who represent your community, and who you trust, and who are psyched about this project, are the people you want. For more information on forming a Community Advisory Board go to: http://www.srg.org/governance/CAB/CAB.html

A Mission Statement

It is important to get a concise mission statement put together as soon as possible, so every 4time someone new gets involved, they understand what your station is all about.

It seems simple — though you would be surprised at how long it can take a group of people to hammer one out. But once you have one you like, you are set.

Things get more complex when you start to work on a programming policy, which may include such things as,”25% of our programming must be in Spanish,” or, “no corporate music may be played on our station,” or “80% of our DJs must live in our broadcast area.” You do not need to worry about that stuff right now, though it is good to start thinking about specific programming policy at some point well before you are actually set to go on the air.

this time we interrupt our regularly scheduled manual on governance to bring you a special report from Pete Tridish, founder of the Prometheus Radio Project and allaround good guy . . .

Community Radio: Access versus Underdog

In most community stations, there are two competing missions. Access Radio

Access Radio

One mission is to serve as the town soapbox, where anyone can get up for a few minutes or an hour a week and say their piece, interview people they find interesting and play the music they love. Stations like this pride themselves on having people from all walks of life involved, from the homeless to the mayor. And anyone can involve themselves as long as they comply with a few simple rules and responsibilities... show up for your air-shift, don't break the equipment, don't jeopardize the license by playing songs with curse words, etc. The Pacifica Network stations started this way, as did many of the KRAB Nebula stations. They are very close in spirit to a public access TV station, where anyone can get a show. These stations often have their programming swing wildly from hour to hour, without apparent coherence between the polka hour and the volunteer fire department hour and the lesbian science fiction hour and the City Councilors call-in hour. This model has an advantage of being very simple, and it has a mission almost anyone can agree with. These stations are often strong in the face of external threat because the diversity of participants, and they also have an important social function of being a place where the privileged meet and mix with marginalized groups as peers.

Another mission that many community radio stations adopt is using the station to equalize the imbalance in other media. "Why should this station have the mayor on, when she is already quoted in the paper every week?" "Why should this station have English speakers, if half of this town speaks Spanish and no other radio station plays their voices?" "If TV only shows black people as gangsters, why not give blacks more time on this community station in order to dispel the myths?" "Why allow programmers to play Britney Spears on their shows, when she is already played on the other stations and there are great local musicians right here in town that people have never heard of?" These stations, through their programming policies, attempt to rebalance the media in a society with skewed values and perceptions. They might even be the outlet of a labor union, or a rebel movement (such as the radio station set up by the striking teachers recently in Oaxaca). Stations with an underdog mission often face a challenge in defining how to implement their beliefs, since so many groups have been marginalized in one way or another. It is difficult to choose a way that feels empowering to everyone who has been disenfranchised-- and then on top of that everyone who believes they are disenfranchised. Because America loves the story of the underdog, even many people in powerful, dominant groups... such as Fundamentalist Christians, and businessmen... feels that they have a Horatio Alger storOne thing you should know is that it is totally up to the discretion of the license holder what goes on a radio station. In Public Access TV, there is a legal requirement that all comers get equal treatment, but this is not true in radio. Public Access centers get money from the cable franchise fees in order to pay for staff to provide a free speech outlet, but community radio stations are often all volunteer efforts. It is one thing to support the right of your local KKK Grand Dragon to speak, it is another thing to volunteer to clean up the Big Mac wrappers he leaves littered around the studio every week-- it can get old for volunteers to work and contribute financially to things they do not agree with. Radio law in the United States is completely silent on the format and content of your station, so your community will have to make up your own mind. Noncommercial licenses-- full power and low power---are supposed to have an "educational mission, " but the FCC has been sued into blithering submission every time that it has tried to make differentiations between educational and non-educational programming, so they will not try any more. Your group is condemned to freedom in the face of these tough questions!y to tell about the disadvantages they face.

Tackle this question head on, early on. Bring everyone together and have a robust, healthy debate about it. Based on the debate, draft a mission and adopt it, and refer back to it and let

it guide you through the tough choices. Re-evaluate the mission every so often, and see whether the station is really having the desired effect. Between re-evaluations, let the mission be the guide-- if new members don't agree with the mission, they should really join another group.

Keep your sense of humor, and remember that Irony is one of the most powerful forces in human events. Even the best intentions can often yield silly consequences, such as a station with rules that are so politically correct and policies that are so complicated that poor youth feel outof- place and like they can't express themselves. A simple code of conduct that any reasonable person can agree with is essential-- without one, mean people rule! Insist on respectful behavior, but remember not to go overboard and make it so that you need a masters degree in post-colonial studies to participate in your neighborhood radio station!

One common error that occurs is that people seeking to make Underdog radio forget that there are people out there in their town who would like to be part of the station, but are not underdogs. So people start the station calling it a "community" radio station, and many people will walk in thinking that that means it is for the geographic community, when the station founders actually mean the disenfranchised, misrepresented community. This can cause a lot of bad feelings really quickly that can be avoided if you make it clear from the start exactly what you are trying to do, so that people don't wander into your project, hang around for a while and discover that they are not really welcome. Most people will respect your project better (even if they don't agree with it) if you clearly state what it is and what it isn't. Further confusing things, progressives tend to be more attracted to both access and underdog radio, since conservative and dominant views are well represented in mainstream media. So a station with an underdog mission can think it is also an access station for a long time, since no one who disagrees will walk in and ask to be part of it in the beginning.

Many stations, as a result of the two factions that develop, come up with approaches that do a little bit of each. For instance, the programming committee might choose to give better time slots to programming that is unique in the community, but will allow people who want to play classic rock tunes a late night shift

Remember that people who disagree about this are not villains. It is like the difference between people who like to play chess versus people who like to play backgammon, there is no universal right answer, just a best agreement that can be made for a particular group in a particular situation in a particular time. We have seen excellent stations that serve their communities admirably that do either of these missions-- the ones that have the most trouble are the ones where factions develop and the stations try to do both. No one wants to volunteer at a place where they will get yelled at or berated, but paradoxically many volunteers throw so much of their energy and aspirations into the community station they love so much. After coming home from their boring, crummy, meaningless job, their emotions can run high when they are debating about the direction of the station. Try to appreciate the passion people bring (even when you end up being its accidental target) and keep the station fun for everyone involved- remember that community radio ( of both types) is not worth doing if it is not fun, and the best way to attract and retain new volunteers is to be celebratory and successful. In this society that caters so towards individual consumers, co-operative achievement in a community radio station can be a great, treasured experience for people.

If anyone is concerned that my use of the term "underdog" might be intended to compare people of oppressed groups to animals of low status, I assure you that that is not my intent. I refer you to the wikipedia entry on "underdog":

The origin of the word "underdog" comes from naval shipbuilding when the planks of wood were sawn for their construction. The logs of wood were placed over a pit on planks of wood called "dogs" (a bit like fire dogs). The senior sawsman stood on top of the plank and he was the overdog. The junior had to go into the pit and saw and of course he got covered in saw dust. He was the "underdog".

Some stations that start as a project of an existing organization have an advantage in governance, because the group already has a system for making decisions. New members simply have to integrate into that system. But stations that start from scratch have to bring many people together who have never worked before, and many people will have different ideas about how to make decisions. To further complicate this, most people in America are accustomed to a very alienated working experience. People work most of their days in jobs that are often lacking in meaning, with everyone either a boss or a drone. On the weekends, people consume leisure experiences that can be just as empty and disempowering. When people come together to build a community radio station, they meet not as bosses or employees or consumers, but as equal peers. Many people do not have much experience working together without bosses on something as important as a radio station.

Community radio is a place where work and play meet. People get involved because it is fun, but there is lots of hard work involved. And the station can play an important, influential role in the community-- so the stakes can be high too. And there is no single blueprint that fits every community, so running a community radio station is inventive and creative work. It is only natural that there will be disagreements. The corporations and political parties continue to rule America because other social movements and institutions have not risen to the level of organization necessary to challenge them. When our groups successfully overcome governance challenges, it prefigures the way that citizens can come together to run a more empowered, healthy, democratic society.

Generally, the more opportunity people have to participate in the decision making process, the more willing they are to abide by the outcomes. But in some cases, we have seen groups with very sophisticated and democratic governance structures where everyone felt disempowered. And we have even seen groups with a single absolute leader where everyone felt pretty happy, respected and involved! Paradoxes abound, when it comes to groups. It seems that the most important thing is keeping up an upbeat atmosphere, being welcoming to new people, energy and ideas.

Avoid envisioning your station's governance as a swiss watch, with complicated interdependent mechanisms (committees)! that all must work perfectly to accomplish it's mission. Try to think instead of your station as a party, with plenty of food and drink and good music. People talk in small groups, move from conversation to conversation, a good song will come on and the tables get pushed against the wall and a lot of people start dancing. Some people don't know anyone, but if the hosts are nice they find a way to draw them in to the party and soon they are part of it. Most of what makes a party (and a community radio station) successful is the people...and the good atmosphere created between them.

How much democracy?

There are lots of different ways to run organizations — by consensus, democracy, chaos, or dictatorship. The first two seem to work best but take longer to implement. You will have to figure out which is the best way for you. You probably want people to be involved in decision making, but you also need to make decisions relatively quickly so you can get stuff done.

It is good if at least one of the people on your board can play the tough guy and remind people that, ultimately, important decisions are made by the board. You may find that most people would rather someone else take the heat for the hard decisions anyway, so they will not mind if the board takes more responsibility in this area. Value the apathetics! Sometimes it’s tempting to blame people that are apathetic about governance, but they will keep doing their shows, coming in, and keep the station running while everyone else is entangled in conflict.

You are going to be having a lot of meetings. You need good people who are experienced in facilitating meetings, and the same person should not facilitate every time. Facilitators should be good at: eliciting ideas from people at the meeting; keeping the agenda on track; keeping overzealous people from dominating, but not in a way that puts them down in front of people (this is one of the trickier things); creating a friendly and even fun atmosphere; summarizing what other people have said in the meeting and figuring out what next steps need to be; and generally making people feel good and excited about being part of the project.

Please, please try to keep your meetings to an hour and a half (and make sure everyone knows where the bathroom is before you start). Always do introductions at the beginning, if only so everyone gets a chance to say a few words right away.

If people come in late, and they always do, welcome them but do not let it get you off track, and do not get into repeating everything you said earlier for their benefit. If they want to find out what they missed, they can stay afterwards and ask the facilitator about it. Minutes should be kept for all meetings so there is a record of how and why certain decisions were made. A facilitator should not dominate the meeting with his/her own views but try to maintain a neutral and objective perspective, drawing ideas and seeking consensus from others participating in the meeting.

Incorporating: Federal 501-c3 vs. State-registered Non-profits

You should incorporate as soon as possible, so you can prove you exist. Visit your Secretary of State's website to receive valuable information and materials. Many states provide an "Articles of Incorporation" form and pertinent state statutes that will help you create your bylaws and other important corporate documents. The "Articles of Incorporation" document is your primary incorporation document and must be carefully drafted and reviewed. The filing of this paperwork with the Secretary of State generally costs between $50 and $100 and triggers the beginning of your organization's existence. Bylaws are central to the way your station will be organized and operate. They set forth the procedures for holding meetings and elections, resolving disputes, managing station operations, etc.

However, just because the state has recognized your station as a non profit doesn't mean the Feds do, that is a separate filing. To be tax-exempt, and for donations to the station to be tax-deductible you must become a 501(c)3. To apply for IRS 501(c)(3)recognition, IRS Form 1023 must be completed and filed. If you intend to apply for IRS federal tax exemption as a charitable organization, your certificate of formation must contain a required purpose clause and a dissolution of assets provision. You can find all the information needed to file for 501(c)(3) status on the IRS website, www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/index.html. It can take 4-6 months to get your determination letter.

If you decide not to apply for 501c3 status (or to cover the gap between when you have time to do the paperwork and the time you receive your determination letter), try to find a non-profit fiscal sponsor you trust, so that you can receive larger contributions and have them be taxdeductible. For more information on fiscal sponsorship, check out the New Society Educational Foundation (NSEF), located at http://www.nonviolence.org/nsef/

In Florida we also have to file with the Division of Consumer Services in order to legally solicit for funds in the state of Florida.

SECTION III: Station Narratives

WSLR-LP 96.5FM - Low Power Community Radio

History

WSLR-LP was born from the merger of two competing applications for the same frequency – the New College Student Alliance (essentially the student government of New College of Florida, the state’s Honors College) and The Sanctuary (a non-profit community group). There were four competing groups that applied for the frequency and these two groups were able to come to an agreement and merge their applications. The agreement consisted of: 1) a shared governance arrangement whereby New College was guaranteed majority representation on the Board and 2) a block of time reserved for New College student programmers. The New College Student Alliance currently holds the license for the station, but WSLR, Inc., a new 501©3 organization, was created to be the governing body of the radio station. WSLR went on the air in July 2005. You can find them on the web at www.wslr.org. E-mail them at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Organization

What happens after you receive your construction permit from the FCC? For WSLR, the first 12 months was a period for creating an organizational structure that both groups could agree upon, hammering out a set of bylaws, creating a Board, fundraising, and applying for status as a 501c3 organization. Until WSLR achieved 501c3 status, they partnered with the New College Foundation, which agreed to collect and disperse funds for the station. This allowed WSLR to receive several donations from local foundations that would not have been made otherwise.

In drafting their bylaws WSLR started with KPFA’s Model Democratic Bylaws and then made revisions based on their size. Due to Pacifica’s experience, there was a big debate over whether to have an elected Board or a self-perpetuating Board and over who would have voting rights. WSLR started off with a self-perpetuating Board out of necessity, but wrote into the bylaws that after the first year in operation they would transition to an elected Board. A minimum number of volunteer hours was established to qualify for voting rights – being a listener-member was not enough. It was an arduous process, but a set of bylaws was finally approved. As the two organizations built trust in one another the station was able to go back and revise some areas that were hindering the Board’s development. For example, the requirement that New College maintain majority representation on the Board was dropped. A copy of WSLR’s current bylaws, and Election Procedures will be posted on the Prometheus website for stations to access. WSLR is mainly funded through listener contributions, supplemented by various benefit events. The station currently has one part-time staff position – the Station Manager – responsible for day-to-day operations. WSLR does have a consulting engineer that is paid on an as-needed basis. A five-member volunteer programming committee makes decisions about programming policy and scheduling. All on-air programmers are volunteers. Programmers must complete a rules and regulations training and studio training. Everyone with a regular program slot is required to give 2 hours off-air volunteer time every month in addition to their on-air commitment. Time spent preparing for shows does not qualify as off-air volunteer hours.

WSLR has two additional committees that meet on a regular basis. The Technical Committee consists of volunteers with specialized skills that help to keep station equipment in working order and keep the website up-to-date. The Fundraising Committee helps to plan events to raise money to support the station.

The Board meets monthly with a day long retreat at the beginning of the year to do long term planning and budgeting. The Executive Committee is empowered to make decisions between Board meetings if necessary. All Board meetings are open to the public and there is always an opportunity for public comment. WSLR has recently formed a Community Advisory Board which will give the station feedback on how well they are fulfilling their mission and serving the needs of the community. They will meet quarterly and issue an annual report.

Address: P.O. Box 2540, Sarasota, FL 34230 www.wslr.org 941-894-6469 office 941-355-4540 Studio

Wrap Up

WSLR has over 80 volunteer community and student programmers and one part-time paid staff person. The Station Manager is responsible for day-to-day operation of the station. The programming committee makes decisions about programming and format. The Board is responsible for long-term planning and overseeing the direction of the station. The station runs on a budget of approximately $30,000 a year.

WISU – An Educational Experience

History

Founded in the early sixties, this station broadcasts at over 13,000 watts out of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. WISU serves as a classroom exercise in radio broadcasting for students of the University.

Organization

A handful of the University students oversee the day to day operation of the station, in conjunction with two professional staff members. Some students in more integral positions receive a salary. Most of the students’ participation corresponds to school class crediting. Students are responsible for maintaining strict adherence to station guidelines and regulations.

This is not the place for improvisation and forging new aural territory. WISU’s apparent mission is to run something akin to a commercial station, with the intention of breeding radio professionals. Like commercial stations, WISU requires certain songs be broadcast at specific intervals, such as songs that are in the current Billboard top ten. DJs are responsible for knowing which songs are in heavy or medium rotation and must play those songs according to their popularity. DJs in effect are there strictly to learn how to operate the boards, not to develop their own interests as a programmer.

While WISU features specialty programming like alternative music and blues, this station is not about fostering creativity. Their website showcases a “Hall of Fame” that lists WISU alumni who have gone on to exciting professional jobs. You can find them at www.indstate.edu or wisu.indstate.edu/. Although this is a community station, they function more like a commercial station. If their extensive station manual is any indication, the management is serious about sticking to procedure. (The students must take a quiz each term to determine competence).

This model requires a large amount of people to fill all the positions. In this case WISU employs two full time staff, the station manager and the engineer. All other positions are volunteer or involve small part time salary. All of the other director positions are staffed by students, with the remaining positions filled by volunteers.

The station manager has final say over all decisions and issues pertaining to the other staff/volunteers. The amount of power within the station descends from the station manager on down. S/he ensures that the staff/volunteers are following the guidelines. This model is hierarchical, so those with greater responsibility have more of a voice in procedural matters. Participants are expected to comply with procedure. WISU, like most community stations, receives financial support from underwriters. However, their costs are partly absorbed by the university as well. The University also provides the space for the station and its facilities.

www.wisu.indstate.edu

Wrap up

WISU is a “laboratory experiment” for aspiring radio broadcasters. Their handbook warns that students are not there to “play radio”. There are two full time staff, an engineer and station manager. Volunteers/other part-time staff are ISU students. The station follows commercial broadcasting format and students are expected to adhere to format. Although students and other staff are the overwhelming majority, they really have little or no say in programming and format. The station is very high tech. It requires someone with specific knowledge of engineering for upkeep (hence one of two paid FT positions). Ideal for someone who doesn’t want any surprises in his/her station, and only wishes for employees/volunteers to stick to a format.

WTRA – A Family Microradio Operation

History

The John Hay Homes Tenants Rights Association (TRA) in Springfield, Illinois are a group that voices the concerns of low income tenants. In order to better disseminate the news to its own constituency, the group hit upon the idea of starting a community radio station.

Broadcasting with a one watt transmitter, the station’s signal could ideally reach everyone in the John Hay housing project (and only in the John Hay housing project). Because of the highly segregated housing situation in Springfield, 80% of African Americans in the city could hear the signal on their radios. This is community radio in the truest sense. Even though the signal was not that strong, it reached just the people for whom it was intended.

Organization

M’banna Kantako has provided the space for WTRA, now Human Rights Radio, since its inception in 1986. The station has since separated ties with the Tenants Rights Association. Many see him as the founder of the modern Low Power FM movement. Despite numerous threats from local and federal authorities, M’banna continues to defy FCC mandates and flagrantly broadcasts Human Rights Radio 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He still broadcasts from his home to this day with help from his wife, Dia and their two children. M’banna is legally blind after an incident of police violence.

Employing no real structure or hierarchy, this station is not comprised of boards, outreach or fundraising committees. Human Rights Radio makes its decisions without advisory councils and officially structured feedback. The community produces all of the media. Since no fundraising or publicity arm exists, M’banna and the other participants can devote all their energy to the station’s production. With low-tech facilities, the station does not require a full time engineer. WTRA mainly relies on donated labor from other pirates/lpfm for the station’s technical upkeep. Any number of people could keep this station running. The upkeep is minimal and mainly related to on air production. WTRA is connected with the Marcus Garvey School.

diymedia.net or www.humanrightsradio.net

Wrap Up

WRTA is a family project, operated by M’banna, Dia, and their children. There is no staff. (It is a low tech station, so it’s not too difficult to upkeep.) They depend on the community for input and programming. There are no consistent funding sources. The station gets occasional donations from outside, but is mostly supported by the family. There is no underwriting.

WORT – Full power community radio

History

Located in Madison, WI, WORT originally envisioned a loosely structured station where anyone could have a show, and there would be no staff or specific positions. Since then, WORT has evolved into a structured station yet one that still strives for diverse programming reflective of the local community of southwest Wisconsin.

Organization

Over 200 volunteers and staff oversee the operations of WORT. This includes five full time staff, four part time staff, people who sit on the Board of Directors, and other positions staffed by volunteers. The Board of Directors are elected at the annual meeting for three year positions by members. The Board is involved in budget matters, hiring and firing of paid staff, and station policy implementation. The Board also oversees other WORT committees. The Board is overseen by a Community Advisory Board, comprised of people who listen to WORT but are not involved in day to day operations of the station. This way, the CAB can advise the station from an outsider’s perspective. Thus, WORT operates under a system of specific checks and balance. It is not exactly a hierarchy since the Board of Directors are overseen by the listeners themselves. Listeners themselves cannot vote in any elections, which is the privilege of staff, volunteers and Board members.

WORT is committed to offering broad and diverse programs, like radical talk shows and underground, independent music shows. Committees are set up to take care of fundraising and WORT does regular outreach to the community requesting pledges. Volunteers are encouraged to make donations although they are not required to do so

At WORT, volunteers host shows that reflect the diversity of the community. Programming is scheduled in blocks so that shows with more similarities are grouped together. This is a principal adapted from commercial programming, based on the idea that listeners like predictability. In this way, WORT structures their programming and slots. They do not limit what sorts of shows can go on the air, only when.

Address: WORT 88.9 FM 118 S. Bedford St. Madison, WI 53703 PHONE: 608-256-2001 www.wortfm.org

Wrap Up

A station wishing to model itself after WORT would need a large operating budget, a large stable number of volunteers, and community support. WORT today employs a level of stability and efficiency for which a new station might strive. This sort of structure takes time to evolve. WORT started as an organization that wanted to be consensus driven, with no staff or titles. Today they employ a hefty amount of structure, but manage to maintain their wild ambitions for down-home community radio.

Radio Free Brattleboro – Operating on Community Authority

History

In the late 1980's and 1990's the unlicensed radio movement grew in part due to changes in technology, but primarily due to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) regulatory scheme, which favored large corporate broadcasters at the expense of low powered community operators. In 1998, when the residents of Brattleboro decided to create radio free brattleboro( rfb), they discovered there was no licensing program for low powered (10 or 100 watt) FM community stations. Indeed, they learned that the FCC had halted issuing low power licenses back in the late 1970's. Undaunted, area citizens, through a consensus decision making process, launched rfb as a 10 watt, independent, non-commercial, all-access community radio station.

Organization

Radio Free Brattleboro operated using a consensus model for making decisions. The station was entirely volunteer run. They held bi-monthly meetings and all members of the station were welcome to participate in an open process. Certain people took on more responsibility to raise funds, keep the equipment operating, etc., but there was no hierarchical structure associated with the operation of the station.

Brattleboro is a town of approximately 12,500 in SE Vermont and rfb’s mission was to welcome all of the people in the community without excluding any opinions or voices – this distinguished them from many LPFM stations that were trying to represent the underrepresented. Anyone who wanted a show could learn basic operation and rules, guided by community standards, not the FCC. Over the course of the following seven years more than 300 folks of all ages and backgrounds became programmers on the station. They offered the most diverse programming one could find on the FM band. The town of Brattleboro and other villages in Windham County grew to recognize and cherish the station because it reflected the local community, empowered the collective voice of the town and gave training and on-air time to all who participated

In its fifth year of broadcasting (summer 2003) radio free brattleboro was visited by FCC field agents who demanded to see the station's license or "authority to broadcast". Convinced that the community would protect its own media source, rfb voluntarily went off the air in order to document the authority it believed the community had implicitly given them. Rfb held a public forum, gathered over 3,000 petition signatures authorizing the station to broadcast, and got a resolution passed by the Brattleboro Selectboard which upheld the value the community had for rfb and encouraged the FCC to work with them. In March of 2004 voters of Brattleboro overwhelming passed a resolution authorizing rfb to broadcast until the FCC issued rfb or another community group with the same mission, a license to broadcast.

Later that Spring, a hearing was held in the District Federal Court in Brattleboro in response to a complaint filed by the United States Attorney representing the FCC. The complaint asked the judge to order rfb to cease and desist broadcasting due to its lack of license. After hearing argument from both sides, Judge Garvin Murtha declined to order rfb to shut down, seeing potential merit in rfb's argument that a local community can authorize such a broadcast when the jurisdictional agency (the FCC) has abandoned its regulatory mandate, given them by the Telecommunications Acts of 1934 and 1996. These Acts affirm that the airwaves belong to all of the people of the U.S. and that the FCC must fairly, readily, and affordably allow access to them.

While the rfb case was pending resolution, two key events occurred in the Spring of 2005. Vermont Earthworks was issued permission to construct a 100 watt LPFM station. Vermont Earthworks, knowing the fragility of rfb's legal position had put in an application for this newly created license classification in 2000 anticipating that rfb might not be able to continue to broadcast at some point. Rfb, as an on-air unlicensed station, was not permitted to apply for this license without shutting down and thereby abandoning its mission, which they chose not to do.

In June of 2005, an impatient U.S. Attorney went to another judge in Burlington Vermont and surprisingly was issued a warrant authorizing the seizure of rfb's broadcasting equipment. Early in the morning of June 22nd, U.S. Marshals entered rfb's studio and seized all of their equipment, effectively removing the station from the air. However, this maneuver did not go unnoticed by Judge Murtha and attorneys for both side were called into chambers. A subsequent attempt to make an out of court settlement failed when the FCC insisted that rfb affirm its guilt.

Brattleboro Community Radio Address: P. O. Box 365 Brattleboro, VT 05302 Studio (802) 246-6107 www.wvew.org

Wrap UP

The history of rfb, like the history of Community Radio, is too rich and complex to explain in a few sentences. rfb was licensed to broadcast by its community - but not by the Federal Communications Commission. Concerned for the future of Community Radio in Brattleboro, Vermont Earth Works filed for one of the new 100 watt Low Power FM licenses during a five day window in June of 2001.

On March 3, 2005 Vermont Earth Works was granted a permit to construct a 100 watt LPFM radio station to serve the Brattleboro community. After years of patiently waiting, a chance had finally been given to provide Brattleboro with its own licensed, non-commercial, independent, community access radio station. Vermont Earth Works committed to operating a station that increases community access to information and music, and that reflects the diversity of the community in its programming.

Community Radio lives in the town of Brattleboro!

WRPI – Community/College Station Model

History

WRPI is both a community and college radio station, broadcasting out of the Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. The station grew from a campus news show broadcast in the late 40s on another local station, WHAZ. The students responsible for the show started broadcasting on an AM carrier current, eventually moving to the FM dial. Today WRPI broadcasts at 10,000 watts in Troy, serving as a community vehicle for the RPI campus, while also serving the community at large in the Troy area.