Want to Start A Radio Station?

Interested in starting a low power FM community radio station?

You have arrived at the right spot. We are a support center and information clearinghouse for community, cultural groups, and social justice organizations who want to start radio stations.  We're excited that you are interested in starting a station, as the airwaves are dominated by a few mega-corporations who are more focused on profits than on the needs of the communities they serve.  

Unfortunately, there are currently no licenses available for low power FM stations. The FCC only makes licenses available for LPFM stations during short filing windows and there are no scheduled filing windows at this time.

And because of restrictions imposed by Congress, very few channels are available for LPFM stations right now, and most of these are in less populous areas. We are currently knee deep in a campaign to pass the Local Community Radio Act, a bill that would make hundreds to thousands of new channels open to community radio.

If you are interested, we would love for you to be involved in this campaign, and you can find out more about it on our Take Action page. It’s voices like yours—the people who are most interested in having LPFM stations—that are most crucial in helping pass this legislation and lifting the restrictions on community radio.

In the meantime, there are many things you can do to prepare for a filing window.  The Prometheus Radio Project has published a guide called  "Put Your Hands on the Radio," as well as information on the LPFM licensing process, and alternative ways to produce community radio. Please write stations (at) prometheusradio.org with a description of your organization or the kind of radio station you are trying to start (your programming, the community you hope to serve, etc. -- please be more descriptive than "a community radio station") and we will be able to provide you with additional startup information.