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Are you tired of hearing the same top 40 music? Are you disappointed that you cannot find any local news coverage on your radio dial? Can you imagine media as a tool for social justice organizing instead of an outlet for misinformation and distraction?We are in the Home Stretch!

The Local Community Radio Act has cleared the House of Representatives- and passed out of the Committee in the Senate. We still need you to help us to push this bill towards passage.

Call your Senator and ask them to support S592- the Local Community Radio Act.

1) Call your Senator’s office and ask to speak to the staff person who covers telecom issues. (If you do not know who your Senator is, go to Govtrack.us, Free Press’s website.)

2) Tell the telecom staffer, either over the phone or on their voice mail:

“I am a constituent (say where you are calling from and if you represent an organization or community group) and I am calling to urge him/her to support S592, which expands the Low Power FM radio service, creating opportunities for local community media outlets in our district. The Local Community Radio Act is advancing rapidly and will shortly be hotlined through the Senate. Can I count on the Senator’s support?”

3) Following the call, send an email to expandlpfm@prometheusradio.org to tell us how your call went.

From imagine 2050

by George Garza

On Wednesday, December 16, 2009 the Local Community Radio Act passed through the House of Representatives with a voice vote.

The action surrounding Low Power FM radio and it’s course through our legislative system is something I’ve been observing since meeting members of the Prometheus Radio Project this past June at the 2009 Allied Media Conference held in Detroit. Upon realizing the implications of this hugely important bill, I felt compelled to sign-up for regular emails from the movers pushing LPFM into the spotlight. Since then, however, I have not done much other than make a couple phone calls to my representative’s offices and leave a message with their clerks. Nonetheless, the wave of awareness about and support for the act has only grown. The social networking tools and DIY media outlets we have access to are facilitating the organic spread of a powerful, conscious, global community, and in the U.S. it’s causing positive changes.

We’ve recently been witness to people power in the most direct way, seeing corporate execs and shoddy TV anchors step-down as a result of public pressure. We’ve also seen sponsorships withdraw support from blatantly biased news programming. These occurrences lead me to another realization; possibly the most empowering one for our time. If you get past the surface, maybe the system is not rotten. It merely appears to be tarnished. Speak in solidarity and the movement proves to be a battle worth the effort.

Though I have only participated as a voice in the ear of our politicians, that voice is still a part of the collective; a collective that grows each day due to people who are increasingly aware that they have the ability to steer change. Once again I can plainly see an affirmation that all of this music, media, and activism hooplah really matters, and I am excited to know that I am involved.

I fully support the expansion of Low-Power FM radio across this country because I believe that LPFM serves an interest to me as a community member and a musician alike. I feel it is important to have a diverse cross section of views, opinions, information, and of course music streaming through our airwaves.

Recent trends indicate that as much as 50% of music on the radio is over 10 years old. What’s worse, in my home of San Antonio, I’m saddened to hear radio staff confirm that less than 1% of the music played is local. Without digging much, you’ll also find that local news isn’t much of a priority on the commercial spectrum either. Luckily, in some special instances, communities fortunate enough to already have LPFM broadcasts in times of emergency persevered because they were connected with real people transmitting lifesaving information with electricity from a car battery.

There is an unhealthy trend in the commercial radio stations that create breaks in the chain between citizens and our airwaves. LPFM serves to abolish these disadvantages and dangers. I’m not saying LPFM will destroy Top 40 and syndicated personalities, but I have a feeling that if the Local Community Radio Act passes, big league broadcasters will begin to come off of their high horses and get real with their audience.

I say “IF” because the struggle is not over yet for the Promethus Radio Project and those involved in organizing this movement. The bill (S592) now awaits a Senate vote.

Now the task at hand is to compel you to take an interest in these matters and ACT!

It’s simple. All you do is call your state officials in the Senate urging them to put S592, the Local Community Radio Act on the Senate agenda. Likely you’ll be greeted by a kind desk clerk or secretary from the senator’s office who may offer to take a message. I have done it myself and it takes less than two minutes. Still, I’d suggest requesting to leave the senator a voicemail as well. I also want to urge you to do so this week. I can’t stress enough that this must be done immediately because if a vote on the bill doesn’t take place this session, the arduous process of moving it from words to reality must begin again from the start.

Your support is of course appreciated by myself and everyone else pushing for public victory over corporate interests. It will also be appreciated by future generations glad that we ever started being considerate of them in the first place.

Now get out there and start a band! We’re gonna need more music to fill up the air spaces between community news and views. Viva LPFM!

PS I’m sure my friends in Philadelphia with PRP would be happy if I asked you to forward this message to at least 10 friends who care about people-powered media.

PSS For my own sake, I’ll go ahead and suggest that you also send it to every musician you can.

The Local Community Radio Act is on the House suspension calendar for Tuesday, December 15 at 10 a.m. We need 2/3 majority, about 300 congress people, for it to pass. Call your representative now to ensure its safe passage!

This is it! Legislators are getting ready to go home for the holidays, and since they tend to argue all year long, they do a lot of the actual bill passing each year between now and December 18, when they leave Washington.

Since the Local Community Radio Act has passed all of its committees, the House and Senate can pass it at any moment, if we can just get it on the agenda for next week.

Take The Leap Now! Here’s How:

Call your Representative’s office and ask to speak to the staff person who covers telecom issues. After that, do the same when you call your Senators.

To find out your elected official’s name, contact info, the name of their telecom staffer, and whether they support the bill, go to http://www.freepress.net/lpfm or call Prometheus at 215-727-9620. Either by phone or on voicemail, tell the Congressional staffer something like:

“I am a constituent of [Politician X] and I am calling to urge him/her to support the Local Community Radio Act, HR1147 and S592, which expands the Low Power FM radio service, creating new opportunities for local media in our community. Can I count on [Politician X] to help get this bill passed?”

Even if your Representative or Senator supports the bill, your call will remind them to make sure that our bill gets decided this week. Afterwards, let us know how your call went by posting on our facebook event and you’ll be entered to win a free bag of Prometheus goodies, including a book, a t-shirt, stickers, and more! Thanks to everyone for helping to bring low power to the people!

We at the Prometheus Radio Project have put together three catchy PSAs to help inform the general public about the changing face of community radio, and the potential for new voices to be heard. Your listeners should know about the exciting changes happening behind the radio scenes. Please help spread the low-power word by airing these public service announcements on your station.

Thanks for all your help putting the airwaves back in the hands of the public!

The Prometheus Radio Team

Click on the PSA Titles below to listen & download:

1. “Local Choices” PSA [runs 45 sec]
2. “Public Airwaves” PSA [runs 48 sec]
3. “Diversity” PSA [runs 36 sec]

Or visit Audioport.org (if you have a login) to listen & download: http://www.audioport.org/index.php?op=program-info&program_id=29608

Emergency response is the coordination of government resources with local communities to facilitate communication and effective recovery and rescue operations during national security threats, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. In order to ensure a quick response to emergencies, governments  work with different broadcasters to ensure that reliable communication infrastructure exists.

Stories of Low Power community radio providing vital information in times of crisis

Brice Phillips of WQRZ-LP, Bay St. Louis, Mississppi. Recipient of the “Phoenix” Volunteer Service award for using LPFM broadcasts for emergency response during Hurricane Katrina.

WQRZ-LP
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

When Hurricane Katrina made landfall near the in Mississipi, a low-power station, WQRZ-LP, was the only source of emergency information in Hancock County, Mississippi, broadcasting vital recovery information 24 hours a day. The city of Bay St. Louis, where the station is based, was ravaged as 125 m.p.h. winds destroyed bridges and other infrastructure. Throughout the county most radio, television, and phone services were down.  Shortly  before the storm, WQRZ had moved its equipment—including its home-made radio tower—to an Emergency Operations Center where it made its broadcasts. The station provided vital information long after the storm, eventually receiving a temporary full-power license.

WCIW-LP
Immokalee, Florida

As Hurricane Wilma approached Immokalee, FL, the local low-power, WCIW-LP, alerted the community, first in Spanish,  then in Haitian Creole and Central American langauges such as Q’anjob’al, Zapotec, and Mam. This radio station was attuned to the diverse languages spoken in this farmworker community in southwestern Florida, making it able to alert everyone working in the fields.

WRIR-LP
Richmond, Virginia

Recognizing the valuable role LPFMs play in natural disasters, the City of Richmond entered into a five-year agreement with WRIR-LP to broadcast emergency response information in support of the City’s recovery effort

KYGT-LP
Idaho Springs,Colorado

During severe snowstorms in March 2003, Clear Creek Radio (KYGT-LP) became a hub of emergency information for people trapped in their homes and cars under 30 foot avalanches. For four days the station sent out emergency PSAs and gave people a place to solicit and receive information using their cell phones. The station helped arrange the rescue of someone trapped in a snow drift after his family called in.

KZQX-LP
Chalk Hill, Texas

During Hurricane Ike many residents in East Texas lost electricity for up to a week. While most television stations stayed on the air, people were simply unable to tune in. In Chalk Hill, TX, residents used battery powered radios to tune in to the local low-power station, KZQX-LP, which stayed on the air using generators. KZQX-LP broadcasted vital information, such as reports from local authorities and interviews with the area energy company as well as the local Public Safety Director. Volunteer reporters ran live reports on road closures and damages. Reports continued after the storm passed.

Why Low Power FM Radio Can Save Lives During Emergencies

The Deadly Costs of Media Consolidation

January 18th, 2002: Just before 2 a.m. a train carrying 240,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia derails outside of Minot, North Dakota. As a cloud of this potentially deadly gas spread over the town, the train operator immediately notifies the local emergency dispatch. Soon frightened residents begin to dial 911, reporting trouble breathing. The emergency dispatch refers them to the ‘local’ radio stations…only no reports are played. The city’s six radio stations are owned by media giant Clear Channel, which at the time is piping in content—and no one is at the stations. As callers flood emergency dispatch for advice, the radio continues it scheduled music programs—with no emergency information. One person is killed and hundreds are hospitalized as the grave consequences of media consolidation become painfully clear.

• During some of the worst hurricane seasons in recent memory, Low Power FM radio has been a crucial— and sometimes the only — source of reliable emergency information for various communities.
• LPFMs can be powered by small generators or car batteries, making it possible to  continue transmission when power supplies are limited.
• The average household has nine radio receivers— many of them battery
  operated. Radio remains a universal technology, crossing the digital divide and providing information to an entire  community regardless of their access to TV or the internet.
• Low Power FM stations are generally run by local community members
  and volunteers — people committed to their communities and not the bottom line—and can modify their broadcasts to provide information needed by communities during emergency situations.