Let Local Radio Stations Bloom
By
Bob Brewin
FCC is opening the process for groups to apply for low-power FM stations.
The Federal Communications Commission expects to take the final steps in processing 6,000 pending FM translator licenses this Friday, which will then open the process for local groups to apply for low-power FM stations.
The new translator licenses probably mean the lower end of the FM band will get more clogged with rebroadcasts of preachers. But the FCC said new low-power FM licenses will result in an expansion “of truly local voices” in the media landscape under the Local Community Radio Act signed by President Obama in December 2011.