You are forgiven for not recalling; deployment of the service has moved at a glacial speed.

Low-power FM stations are what the name suggests - limited-range, non-commercial broadcasters. LPFM was opposed by established broadcasters who said the dial was too crowded to accommodate new stations that likely would interfere with their own signals. LPFM advocates say the existing broadcasters simply didn't want the competition and that they'll provide the local content most radio stations have given up.

Slowly but surely, though, more LPFM operations are making it to the air. One that hopes to do so in the first two months of 2005 is KMRE-LP (102.3), to be operated by Bellingham's American Museum of Radio and Electricity.

Jonathan Winter, the museum's president and curator, believes the station could cover as much as six to 10 miles of radius, depending on the terrain. "This station is really going to be an extension of the museum, re-creating radio as it was in the 1930s and '40s," Winter says. That means not only radio from the era but original programming. Until the station makes it to the air, the museum is Webcasting at ww.americanradiomuseum.org.

One group that had high hopes for LPFM but has been thwarted in its attempts to get on the air is Voice of Vashon. Jeff Hoyt, the organization's president, said Voice of Vashon's application was bounced for running afoul of the rule that requires three channels (think of each point where you can tune on the FM dial as a channel) separation from other stations.

In the meantime, Voice of Vashon has developed its own Web stream (www.voiceofvashon.org) of programming ranging from a local morning show to music programs, even syndicated material ("Democracy Now").

Hoyt says Voice of Vashon has looked at a host of alternatives to getting on the air from micro-transmitters that don't require a license to wireless Internet. At one point someone even channeled Voice of Vashon's Web stream (without the station's knowledge) to a pirate broadcasting operation. What Hoyt is hoping for now is that the FCC will open space for a non-commercial FM operation, although the dial position he has in mind would require a waiver on the separation issue.

Voice of Vashon has "money in the bank and we're paying our bills" with extensive community support, Hoyt says. "The challenge for us all along has been to keep internal morale high."

In other radio notes:

KVI-AM (570) is already carrying programming from Fox News, including nationally syndicated shows hosted by Sean Hannity (noon-3 p.m.) and Tony Snow (9 a.m. to noon), but yesterday the Seattle station announced a closer affiliation with Fox. KVI will be branded as a Fox radio station. It is adding "Fox News Live with Alan Colmes" at 7-9 p.m. weekdays, and an encore hour of Hannity's program at 6-7 p.m. KVI is adding bottom-of-the-hour news updates from Fox in mornings and afternoons, and will carry breaking news reports from the network. Fox and KVI said the Seattle station is the first local radio outlet to carry the Fox News brand.

Radio stations within an ownership group often promote one another. But recently listeners of public station KUOW-FM (94.9) heard an unusual underwriting sponsorship - from Entercom-owned commercial station KMTT-FM (103.7).

Chris Mays, KMTT's general manager and program director, says The Mountain did a similar sponsorship on KUOW about a decade ago and found it to be very successful. "We share a lot of audience with National Public Radio," Mays says, citing research showing that when KMTT shows up as a listener's first choice KUOW is often second, and vice versa.

She said there's little conflict in promoting KMTT on another radio outlet since The Mountain's forte is music while KUOW is primarily a news and information station.

"We're getting really remarkable response," Mays adds. "I'd love to be on all the time if I could."

KUOW appears to be less enthusiastic about the idea. "I think it was an experiment," says program director Jeff Hansen. "My sense is it probably won't happen again."

Fisher Communications Inc. said Kent Phillips, morning co-host on KPLZ-FM (101.5), has been signed to a five-year deal to be group FM programmer for the Seattle-based company's 18 FM and one AM music stations. He will continue as program director for KPLZ.

Live performances on KEXP-FM (90.3) include The Wild Wax Combo, 2 p.m. tomorrow; Beautiful Mothers, 6 p.m. Saturday; XXX Audio, 8 p.m. Saturday; and The Fondas, 10 p.m. Saturday.

Shesa Collective performs on "Sonarchy" at midnight Saturday on KEXP-FM.

Kate Daniels interviews Aaron Vessup, author of "Beyond Cultural Anxieties," on "Sunday Morning Magazine" at 5:30 a.m. on KRWM-FM (106.9).

Lizz Sommars' guests on "Conversations" at 6 a.m. Sunday on KISW-FM (99.9) and KBSG-FM (97.3) include Col. Stephen Bauer, author of "At Ease in the White House."

The Sunday edition of Jim French's "Imagination Theatre," heard at 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KIXI-AM (880), includes a new Sherlock Holmes adventure.

P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin§seattlepi.com.