Ahh, The Sweet Taste Of Victory!

[scottclem]

Hey, Folks! Just wanted to share with you the great news that my company's LPFM station, WPKC 95.5 in West Frankfort, IL, has received it's license effective June 15. My colleagues and I are, of course, beside ourselves with excitement. Our authorization is now locked in through December 1, 2012.

Scott Clem
WPKC-FM 95.5
West Frankfort, IL

 

[Desert_Ear]

Congrats, Scott!

When did you apply for the station?

DE

 

[scottclem]

> Congrats, Scott!
>
> When did you apply for the station?
>
> DE
>


Thanks a bunch!

We filed the original application in September of 2000, then a remedial app in August of 2002. The construction permit was issued in June of 2003, and the license app was filed in December of 2004. The license was issued this past Wednesday.

Was the process irritating? Yes. Was it discouraging at times? Yes. Did it ever look bleak at times? Yes. Was it worth it? OH, YEAH!!!!

 

[Chuck]

>
> We filed the original application in September of 2000, then
> a remedial app in August of 2002. The construction permit
> was issued in June of 2003, and the license app was filed in
> December of 2004. The license was issued this past
> Wednesday.

Congratulations on your victory, and patience! Now the real work begins. Best of luck.

Chuck
KZQX-LP

 

[Spreadingtheword]

> Hey, Folks! Just wanted to share with you the great news
> that my company's LPFM station, WPKC 95.5 in West Frankfort,
> IL, has received it's license effective June 15. My
> colleagues and I are, of course, beside ourselves with
> excitement. Our authorization is now locked in through
> December 1, 2012.
>
> Scott Clem
> WPKC-FM 95.5
> West Frankfort, IL
> Congrats Scott

 

[vg4or]

What was the expense of the whole process?
We got a local 100 watt in my city, but its another Calvery Chapel station. Now there isn't another channel for a non commercial community fm that is needed.




> >
> > We filed the original application in September of 2000,
> then
> > a remedial app in August of 2002. The construction permit
>
> > was issued in June of 2003, and the license app was filed
> in
> > December of 2004. The license was issued this past
> > Wednesday.
>
> Congratulations on your victory, and patience! Now the real
> work begins. Best of luck.
>
> Chuck
> KZQX-LP
>
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by vgi on 06/19/05 07:56 AM.</FONT></P>

 

[Part15rulesdude]

> What was the expense of the whole process?
> We got a local 100 watt in my city, but its another Calvery
> Chapel station. Now there isn't another channel for a non
> commercial community fm that is needed.
>
>
>
>
> > >
> > > We filed the original application in September of 2000,
> > then
> > > a remedial app in August of 2002. The construction
> permit
> >
> > > was issued in June of 2003, and the license app was
> filed
> > in
> > > December of 2004. The license was issued this past
> > > Wednesday.
> >
> > Congratulations on your victory, and patience! Now the
> real
> > work begins. Best of luck.
> >
> > Chuck
> > KZQX-LP
> >
> Well congrats... All I have is a small part 15 station that isnt on the air much, got an old computer that is so old, that it will not accept media player
10, and 9 kinda chokes it up.... I filed a licence that probably wont get accepted, I moved and e.t.c., so congrats, losers like me, wont ever get what
we really want.

 

[scottclem]

> What was the expense of the whole process?
> We got a local 100 watt in my city, but its another Calvery
> Chapel station. Now there isn't another channel for a non
> commercial community fm that is needed.
>
>
>
>
Well, we were fortunate to receive a lot of donated equipment and labor, so our expenses were not really that high. There are no application fees for LPFM, so that also helps a great deal.

Calvary Chapel has a crapload of translators, not to mention several LPFMs. Personally, I don't believe they should have been allowed to do that. Perhaps there will be room for a 10-watt LPFM in the area, which will be able to serve the local area. If you want to tell me where you're located, I'll be more than happy to check it out.

 

[scottclem]

> > Well congrats... All I have is a small part 15 station
> that isnt on the air much, got an old computer that is so
> old, that it will not accept media player
> 10, and 9 kinda chokes it up.... I filed a licence that
> probably wont get accepted, I moved and e.t.c., so congrats,
> losers like me, wont ever get what
> we really want.
>


Part 15 is great! Been there; done that. In fact, my associates and I have every intention of putting our part 15 AM back on the air as a sister station to the LPFM. Most part 15s struggle for a while, but keep pluggin' away at it!

If you would, tell me about the license for which you filed. Was it for LPFM? Perhaps I could be of help to you with a future LPFM filing window.

Lastly, I strongly advise you to remove the term "loser" from the description of yourself. You are a local broadcaster serving your community in the way that it needs to be served. The "losers" are the guys and gals who gobble up local radio stations just to kill off their competition and then remove all the localism just because they can. Craploads of crapheads told us all along that we would never get this station. Shows what they know! Tell me where you're located and I'll see what I can find out for you.

 

[scottclem]

> >
> > We filed the original application in September of 2000,
> then
> > a remedial app in August of 2002. The construction permit
>
> > was issued in June of 2003, and the license app was filed
> in
> > December of 2004. The license was issued this past
> > Wednesday.
>
> Congratulations on your victory, and patience! Now the real
> work begins. Best of luck.
>
> Chuck
> KZQX-LP
>


Thanks, Chuck! BTW, I always enjoy your posts on Broomall's list, too.

 

[dbdigital]

> > > Well congrats... All I have is a small part 15 station
> > that isnt on the air much, got an old computer that is so
> > old, that it will not accept media player
> > 10, and 9 kinda chokes it up.... I filed a licence that
> > probably wont get accepted, I moved and e.t.c., so
> congrats,
> > losers like me, wont ever get what
> > we really want.
> >
>
>
> Part 15 is great! Been there; done that. In fact, my
> associates and I have every intention of putting our part 15
> AM back on the air as a sister station to the LPFM. Most
> part 15s struggle for a while, but keep pluggin' away at it!
>
>
> If you would, tell me about the license for which you filed.
> Was it for LPFM? Perhaps I could be of help to you with a
> future LPFM filing window.
>
> Lastly, I strongly advise you to remove the term "loser"
> from the description of yourself. You are a local
> broadcaster serving your community in the way that it needs
> to be served. The "losers" are the guys and gals who gobble
> up local radio stations just to kill off their competition
> and then remove all the localism just because they can.
> Craploads of crapheads told us all along that we would never
> get this station. Shows what they know! Tell me where
> you're located and I'll see what I can find out for you.
>
I'm curious about the educational organization you established to qualify for your license. What is its purpose? How did you set it up and was it in operation for the requisite two years before you applied?

Thanks.

db

 

[scottclem]

> I'm curious about the educational organization you
> established to qualify for your license. What is its
> purpose? How did you set it up and was it in operation for
> the requisite two years before you applied?
>
> Thanks.
>
> db
>


Our parent company is Southern Illinois Educational Low Power Radio Association, Inc., or SIELPRA (see-EL-prah) for short. The corporation was formed for the specific purpose of obtaining the LPFM authorization, and of course, the station will provide educational programming as part of the regular schedule.

Actually, it is not a requirement that an applicant be in existence for two years prior to application. The two-year existence may be used to claim a preference point on the application, but it is not a necessity. For example, we could not claim that preference point on our original application because we incorporated only two weeks prior to filing. Of course, when we filed our remedial app two years later, we could claim that point because the company was over two years old.

 

[dbdigital]

> > I'm curious about the educational organization you
> > established to qualify for your license. What is its
> > purpose? How did you set it up and was it in operation
> for
> > the requisite two years before you applied?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > db
> >
>
>
> Our parent company is Southern Illinois Educational Low
> Power Radio Association, Inc., or SIELPRA (see-EL-prah) for
> short. The corporation was formed for the specific purpose
> of obtaining the LPFM authorization, and of course, the
> station will provide educational programming as part of the
> regular schedule.
>
> Actually, it is not a requirement that an applicant be in
> existence for two years prior to application. The two-year
> existence may be used to claim a preference point on the
> application, but it is not a necessity. For example, we
> could not claim that preference point on our original
> application because we incorporated only two weeks prior to
> filing. Of course, when we filed our remedial app two years
> later, we could claim that point because the company was
> over two years old.
>

So what are the stated objectives of SIELPRA, how many officers do you have and did you incorporate as a 501(C)?

db

 

[scottclem]

> So what are the stated objectives of SIELPRA, how many
> officers do you have and did you incorporate as a 501(C)?
>
> db
>


SIELPRA's objective is simple....to operate WPKC-FM (and other stations in the future) as a public service to a community that is dreadfully underserved. The company was formed for the specific purpose of LPFM broadcasting. This will include emphasis on local news, weather and sports, community events, live reports from breaking news events, educational programming and heavy interaction with the listening public. In other words....REAL radio!

SIELPRA currently has four directors. We did not incorporate as a 501(c)3, but we have completed the paperwork to file for 501(c)3 status, which will be very attractive for contributors.

By the way, we recently learned that one of our directors has been diagnosed with leukemia. The information that I have received says that the prognosis is not good. I would like to ask everyone to keep Tom in your thoughts and prayers. I'm sure he would appreciate it as well.

 

[dbdigital]

> > So what are the stated objectives of SIELPRA, how many
> > officers do you have and did you incorporate as a 501(C)?
> >
> > db
> >
>
>
> SIELPRA's objective is simple....to operate WPKC-FM (and
> other stations in the future) as a public service to a
> community that is dreadfully underserved. The company was
> formed for the specific purpose of LPFM broadcasting. This
> will include emphasis on local news, weather and sports,
> community events, live reports from breaking news events,
> educational programming and heavy interaction with the
> listening public. In other words....REAL radio!
>
> SIELPRA currently has four directors. We did not
> incorporate as a 501(c)3, but we have completed the
> paperwork to file for 501(c)3 status, which will be very
> attractive for contributors.
>
> By the way, we recently learned that one of our directors
> has been diagnosed with leukemia. The information that I
> have received says that the prognosis is not good. I would
> like to ask everyone to keep Tom in your thoughts and
> prayers. I'm sure he would appreciate it as well.
>
Thanks for the info, Scott. I'll need to take a closer look at what is involved in starting a 501(c)non-profit. I know there are do-it-yourself methods such as:

http://www.legalzoom.com/legalzip/businessservices/index.html

But I don't know if that would be the best approach. At this point, I'm just information gathering.

At any rate, I wish you great success with your station and pray for the best for your friend, Tom.

db

 

[easthill]

Congratulations! I know it's a hard fought battle to get to an LPFM license!

> Hey, Folks! Just wanted to share with you the great news
> that my company's LPFM station, WPKC 95.5 in West Frankfort,
> IL, has received it's license effective June 15. My
> colleagues and I are, of course, beside ourselves with
> excitement. Our authorization is now locked in through
> December 1, 2012.
>
> Scott Clem
> WPKC-FM 95.5
> West Frankfort, IL
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Frank
East Hill Radio

Moderator, Community Radio USA, Seattle</P>

 

[Chuck]

> Thanks for the info, Scott. I'll need to take a closer look
> at what is involved in starting a 501(c)non-profit. I know
> there are do-it-yourself methods such as:
>
h> ttp://www.legalzoom.com/legalzip/businessservices/index.html
>
>
> But I don't know if that would be the best approach. At this
> point, I'm just information gathering.
>
> At any rate, I wish you great success with your station and
> pray for the best for your friend, Tom.
>
> db
>
It is not necessary to be a 501(c)(3) to apply for (or get) a LPFM license. You must be non profit, but many non profit organizations exist without that official IRS status. There are also quite a few other IRS classifications for 501 non profit organizations. (c)(3) is probably most well known, but many groups are (c)(7), which might be easier to get. You should consult a tax attorney or at least a CPA to get up to date and accurate information.

In most places, you can organize a group, and incorporate with your state as a non-profit organization very easily. That's all you really have to do. How complex this is varies from state to sate, but usually there is a small filing fee, and some minimal paper work. That's all.

If you plan to apply for a LPFM license in a future filing window, one of the best things you can do right now is get your organization in place. That includes a Board of Directors, Charter and minutes of meetings. That way you can take the credit point for your group being in existence for at least two years. (Assuming that it is true).

After you get your license, and get things rolling, you can then go through the gyrations to qualify for 501(C)(3) status, if that turns out to be something you wish to pursue. It really isn’t all that hard to do, but I do suggest getting professional help doing it.

The big trick is going to be waiting for a possible LPFM filing window and finding an available frequency. From what I understand, there are none planned in the foreseeable future. Hopefully that will change.

Good luck,

Chuck

 

[dbdigital]

> It is not necessary to be a 501(c)(3) to apply for (or get)
> a LPFM license. You must be non profit, but many non profit
> organizations exist without that official IRS status. There
> are also quite a few other IRS classifications for 501 non
> profit organizations. (c)(3) is probably most well known,
> but many groups are (c)(7), which might be easier to get.
> You should consult a tax attorney or at least a CPA to get
> up to date and accurate information.
>
> In most places, you can organize a group, and incorporate
> with your state as a non-profit organization very easily.
> That's all you really have to do. How complex this is varies
> from state to sate, but usually there is a small filing fee,
> and some minimal paper work. That's all.
>
> If you plan to apply for a LPFM license in a future filing
> window, one of the best things you can do right now is get
> your organization in place. That includes a Board of
> Directors, Charter and minutes of meetings. That way you
> can take the credit point for your group being in existence
> for at least two years. (Assuming that it is true).
>
> After you get your license, and get things rolling, you can
> then go through the gyrations to qualify for 501(C)(3)
> status, if that turns out to be something you wish to
> pursue. It really isn’t all that hard to do, but I do
> suggest getting professional help doing it.
>
> The big trick is going to be waiting for a possible LPFM
> filing window and finding an available frequency. From what
> I understand, there are none planned in the foreseeable
> future. Hopefully that will change.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Chuck
>

Thanks, Chuck. This is great information.

From what I've been reading non-profit incorporation would be necessary only if the LPFM was seeking tax-deductible contributions or grant money, which may be the case later, once the station is built and running (should that even occur).

For now, I'll work on developing a not for profit group (complete with by-laws, board of directors, etc.) and, at least, start putting some of it in place.

db

 

[scottclem]

> Thanks, Chuck. This is great information.
>
> From what I've been reading non-profit incorporation would
> be necessary only if the LPFM was seeking tax-deductible
> contributions or grant money, which may be the case later,
> once the station is built and running (should that even
> occur).
>
> For now, I'll work on developing a not for profit group
> (complete with by-laws, board of directors, etc.) and, at
> least, start putting some of it in place.
>
> db
>


If you need help coordinating a frequency, let me know and I'll be glad to help. It's always helpful to gather that info well ahead of time. Just shoot me an e-mail at [email protected] if you're interested in my assistance.

Scott

 

[dbdigital]

> > Thanks, Chuck. This is great information.
> >
> > From what I've been reading non-profit incorporation would
>
> > be necessary only if the LPFM was seeking tax-deductible
> > contributions or grant money, which may be the case later,
>
> > once the station is built and running (should that even
> > occur).
> >
> > For now, I'll work on developing a not for profit group
> > (complete with by-laws, board of directors, etc.) and, at
> > least, start putting some of it in place.
> >
> > db
> >
>
>
> If you need help coordinating a frequency, let me know and
> I'll be glad to help. It's always helpful to gather that
> info well ahead of time. Just shoot me an e-mail at
> [email protected] if you're interested in my assistance.
>
> Scott
>

Thanks, Scott. At some point, I will take you up on that.

db