By Mary McGlasson

Olney resident Jeff Higgason wants to bring radio back to the people of Olney.

Higgason is coordinator of the Olney Free Radio Project, a group interested in forming a non-profit organization committed to developing a low-power FM (LPFM) radio station in Olney. The radio station would operate in service of the community by members of the community.

Higgason said the project is still in its preliminary stages. “We’re right at the very, very beginning,” he said, and one of the first steps will be to involve others in planning and organizing the details.

To that end, an open organizational meeting for the project will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Ophelia’s Cup in Olney.

Higgason said he’s been working on the radio station for about three months, after initially looking to start an Internet-based radio station. However, “There’s so many of those out there right now,” he said. “It’s hard to be unique.”

Then he heard a news story on National Public Radio about a low-power FM station in Arizona that was founded by a Native American tribe in order to teach the younger members of the tribe the old language.

The story said there is currently a high demand for low-power FM stations, and Higgason thought, “Might as well look into it.”

This is something he’s wanted to do for about three years, he said, since his years spent volunteering at WDBX in Carbondale, a thriving low-power FM community station.

“It was a very positive experience,” he said, with a “positive atmosphere.” The Carbondale community “really rallied around WDBX” with support and donations to keep the station running.

Higgason has hopes that the Olney community can come together to support a similar project. “I’d like to see it happen,” he said, adding, “The main thing I’d like to see happen with this project is to get the community involved in something kind of unique for the area.”

Because the station will be run by volunteer work, all programming will depend on the interests of those who put in their time at the station.

“The neat thing about the community radio station idea is that anybody can get a radio show,” he said. WDBX had DJs who played everything from bluegrass to video-game music, he said, and he ran a variety show.

“It wouldn’t be all music, too,” Higgason said. “We’d like to incorporate some local educational programming, too.”

The station would provide “something for everyone,” he said, and for those who want to have a show, “If you’ve got an idea, you’re qualified.”

Another reason for community radio is to give Richland County more variety. “If you look at the top six radio stations in the U.S., they’re all owned by one company,” he said. “This kind of puts it back into the hands of the local people.”

Plus, “It creates an open forum that normally isn’t there,” he said.

Regular radio stations have a rotation of music that includes music from the top 100 or certain genres or time periods, but community radio is not bound by restrictions. Shows could be created around a variety of music and programming, exposing listeners to musicians and types of music they may not have heard before or showcasing bands close to home.

“If somebody wanted, they could create a show focused on local music and musicians,” Higgason said, adding that would bring in the possibility of live music in the radio station.

However, this is the future of the project. Currently, the Olney Free Radio Project is in the early stages of development. Higgason said he and a friend, Amy Fehrenbacher, have been “researching all the various facets” involved, the first of which is the formation of a non-profit organization to support the radio station.

“We have to have an official non-profit organization,” he said, and there will have to be a board of directors once members are signed up.

For now, Higgason said he is mired in “research, research, research,” including looking at FCC codes and scientific studies to determine whether or not the frequency is available and whether or not it will bleed into military radio channels.

The minimum amount of wattage for a station would be 100 watts, which would give a 2- to 3.5-mile radius, he said, but he’s hoping for a 1,000-watt station, which would be a 6- to 10-mile radius.

He said he’d like to have it located as centrally as possible in Olney. To do so, the group would have to find a building with enough room to install an antenna site, tower and all connecting wires. “The only thing we would have to build would be the studio,” he said, and install equipment like CD players and turntables.

For just equipment alone, Higgason estimated the cost to be “upwards of $75,000” to get started. While he doesn’t have any exact figures on what it will cost to start the radio station, he does know that a lot of funds will have to be raised.

“It’s going to take a lot of money to get going,” he said.

However, once the start-up costs are handled, Higgason said the station will be “very inexpensive to run, compared to a 50,000-watt station.” There will be a variety of ways to generate money, such as underwriting, and to continue raising funds in the community and membership in the organization.

“The project being low-power FM, it’s very doable, if you can get the right amount of people behind you and get support from the community,” Higgason said.

First, however, the non-profit organization has to be formed. “After that, it’s a matter of fundraising and getting people aware of what’s going to happen,” he said, as well as recruiting members.

“It may take a few years to do it, but I believe all the work and fundraising is definitely worth having the radio station,” he said, adding with a smile, “It’s exciting to think about, I think.”

The most important part of getting started, however, is getting people to support the project and the idea of community radio. Higgason feels the organizational meeting is the place to begin.

“Right now, our time frame ends with the organizational meeting and will go on from there,” he said. “We have to form a board of directors, file the proper paperwork with the IRS and get recognized as an organization.”

Higgason is adamant that the radio station be a true community project, and the meeting is a chance for anyone with an interest to become involved. “Everybody’s invited for this meeting,” he said, and he urges people who are intrigued by the idea and interested in helping with the radio station to attend.

At Ophelia’s Cup, “We’ve reserved the big table for the meeting,” he said. “If we could fill the seats, it’d be awesome.”

For more information, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.myspace.com/olneyfreeradioproject.