June 23, 2008

MONEY TALKS on the radio. The airwaves are full of voices backed by the millions of dollars it takes to buy a commercial radio station. Clear Channel Communications, for example, owns more than 1,200 of them. But how do America's smaller, average-income voices get heard?

One answer is low-power FM radio. Authorized by Congress in 2000, these stations are available to nonprofit organizations such as schools and churches. Unfortunately, low-power FM is gagged by rules that limit access in places like Boston, where the dial is crowded with radio stations. The restriction was meant to protect large public and private broadcasters from interference caused by smaller stations. But as a 2003 Federal Communications Commission study showed, fears of interference are unfounded. Congress should change the law to allow more low-power FM stations.

Low-power stations made the news this month because of TOUCH-FM, a low-power station that calls itself "the Fabric of the Black Community" and broadcasts local content from Grove Hall. Because the station is operating without a license, it has been fined by the Federal Communications Commission.

Such "pirate stations" can't be condoned, but the TOUCH-FM example does support the findings of the FCC report, showing that there is room on crowded radio dials, and that they offer unique content to local listeners. Giant radio conglomerates such as Clear Channel tend to homogenize play lists and minimize local news.

Companion bills in the US House and Senate would solve the problem by opening up more existing space on the dial to low-power FM stations. It's a move that could help diversify radio. The proposed legislation points to the problem: Although minorities make up almost a third of the country's population, they own only 7 percent of all local television and radio stations, according to FCC figures. Women, who make up more than half the population, own only about 6 percent. Low-power FM won't entirely solve this problem. But it could make a significant dent.

In the House, Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey is a longtime supporter of low-power FM. From his perch as chairman of the telecommunications subcommittee, he says he will give the bill careful attention. In the Senate, champions include Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Congress should capitalize on this bipartisan support, and move the bills forward. Expanding low-power FM would open the airwaves to more voices, making American radio sound more like America.

Correction: Because of outdated information on a Clear Channel corporate website, an editorial Monday incorrectly stated the number of radio stations the company owns. The current figure is 921. From the Boston Globe